A recent Nieman Lab article dissecting a report called “Next Gen News 2” proclaimed the “inverted pyramid,” a beloved system of trained journalists, an uncool thing of the past. The inverted pyramid is the process of beginning with the 5 Ws—who, what, where, when, why and honorary mention for how—and then building the story out with more details. It’s a tool that’s been used by decades of journalists to ensure that important information leads the story. You’ve probably heard the term “don’t bury the lede,” meaning start with the facts so that you don’t cause confusion.
The report calls this structure outdated compared to “narrative accordion,” a structure that place a question or tantalizing fact first to convince a casual viewer to stop scrolling past, stick around, and watch.
But, just like mainstream media’s mistake of calling TikTok a trend when there have been segment reporters on broadcast TV for decades, we’d be remiss to not look at the “narrative accordion” as a different style of inverted pyramid. That fact might be posed as a question or seem to start abruptly to capture attention, but it’s still a structure that calls out the facts upfront. TikTok strategy requires creators to think about the current hot button words that will not only make someone stop and watch, but signal to the platform where in the feed the video lives, but just like in reading a text article, solid information in the first few seconds is the best chance at getting someone to engage.
Let’s look at some of the ways creators have adapted the inverted pyramid utilizing the communication skills of distribution platforms in 2026.
Here, Eliza Orlins (one of our Spring 2026 Trusted Creators!) starts with a bold statement about democracy. But that statement is followed by an explanation of how democracy is upheld in our day-to-day, further backed up by explaining our rights as citizens and extended with examples of what people are doing now to defend them.
This travel deals video starts out by telling you new information: There are big deals on flights leaving Philly. The rest of the video shows the deals, but concludes by explaining what the discounts are, such as if the flights are half-prices or comparisons to the usual rate if applicable. This is a standard format of travel deals on TikTok.
History with Amy places the “who” and “what” directly in the video caption so it’s visible before the clip even begins, with the “how” in the verbal explanation just seconds into the video. She follows that with a regurgitation of those facts and in-depth information to explain the thesis.
Realtor creators have some of the largest local accounts because selling the neighborhood has always been part of selling homes. Here, the format tells us immediately where the home is, what kind of home we’re looking at, and the price. The rest of the video is a tour which backs up those details and ends with the summary of those initial facts.