Start with the end at the beginning
What if someone only reads one paragraph? Which should they read? Put that one first.
A brilliant writer told me that for just about everything I’ve written all year.
It’s the best piece of advice. It’s something newspaper journalists have done for decades. But take a look around Medium and you’ll see it’s not common.
You, the writer, feel good constructing your argument from the beginning. It makes sense that way. You start with the premises and building blocks, then build up your argument and — ta da! — end with the big revelation.
But your reader doesn’t know how awesome your revelation is going to be. They’re all, “Meh. Next.” And they never see the gold you were trying to share.
So start with the end at the beginning.
And then maybe repeat it at the end again.