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Step 1
For starters, most news stories follow the inverted-pyramid format, which is structured exactly as it sounds. The most important piece of information should be at the top, with the lesser details toward the bottom. This is the most effective way to engage readers.
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Step 2
The very first sentence or paragraph of your story is called the lead, and should contain the single most important piece of information. Leads can often make or break a story, so must be done right. Think of the lead as being the one sentence you would write if you could only write one sentence for the entire story.
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Step 3
Within the next few paragraphs should come the details. This is where most of the sources, quotes and statistics should go. This is the part of the story where the reader learns about the entire situation surrounding your story, not just the basics of what happened.
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Step 4
Once all of the necessary details are included, stop writing. News stories typically do not have endings like feature articles or novels do. Keep it as short as possible unless absolutely necessary.
