Inverted Pyramid

Journalists write news articles according to what’s called the “inverted pyramid” of content priority, where the first sentence contains all the key information readers must know, and every paragraph thereafter fills in the details in decreasing order of importance.

Like that sentence just now.

This approach ensures that readers get the key takeaway no matter their attention span. It also makes it faster to edit for length. You just delete paragraphs from the bottom up, least important first.

Sound familiar?

Like journalists, we organize exhibitions by the variable attention span of our audience. We want them to get the message, regardless of whether they are streakers, strollers, or scholars. We make sure the key content is clear from the start. No matter how much time a visitor has, they leave with the main takeaway.

Here’s the thing:
Like news articles, exhibitions do well to follow an “inverted pyramid” of content priority, with the most important takeaway front and central.

Warmly,
Jonathan

P.S. It’s not you. This Thursday email became a Friday one due to a technical error.