Tom writes product descriptions and how-to guides for his hardware store's website. They were detailed but people didn't read them. He couldn't figure out why he was putting in all this work for nothing.
The structure that journalism uses
It's called the inverted pyramid. You put the most important information first, then supporting details, then background. Newspapers do this so editors can cut from the bottom if they need space. But it works for any writing where people are scanning.
Tom restructured everything. Product descriptions started with what it does and why you'd want it. Then specs. Then the technical details. His how-to guides answered the main question in the first paragraph, then broke down steps.
The difference it made
His website's time-on-page metric doubled. People were actually reading. Customer service calls asking basic questions dropped by about 30% because people could find answers quickly.
The journalism principle here isn't complicated: respect that people are busy. Give them what they came for immediately, then let them go deeper if they want.
Tom says he wishes he'd learned this structure twenty years ago.