The 1/3/1 Writing Technique

Hey there Digital Writers!

The easiest upgrade you can make to your writing is formatting.

You could have the best-written piece in the world, but if it looks like a giant blob of text, no one is going to read it. The way your writing looks matters. Subheads, bulleted lists, and writing rhythms all make it easier for your reader to digest what you’re saying.

Here's how you can immediately 10x the quality of any paragraph:

The 1/3/1 Rhythm

The key to injecting rhythm (and skimmability) into your writing is to alternate length of sentences and sections—ideally opening and closing each section with a single sentence.

For example:

1. Start with one declarative sentence

2. Follow it with three sentences that explain or build on the idea.

3. End with another declarative sentence that wraps it up neatly.

Simple, right?

The 1/3/1 structure is all about pacing.

You give your reader an easy entry point, build on that with just enough info, and close with something impactful. Then, you repeat the process all the way down the page. It’s like a song, where each beat hits just right, pulling the reader through.

Your reader won’t even realize it, but they’ll keep reading because the flow just feels good.

Even “The Atlantic” could help their online readers by making posts easier to skim with the 1/3 /1 structure. See the difference?

The Easiest Place To Start

If you're wondering where to apply the 1/3/1 rhythm first, look at your intros.

The start of any piece sets the tone for how easy it will be for your reader to follow along. There's something about seeing a sentence by itself that makes the reader think, "Well that was easy to read." And before they can even decide whether or not they want to keep reading, their eyes have already started skimming the next paragraph.

Scroll up and look at the intro for this post.

You can use the 1/3/1 writing rhythm all the way down the page and the reader won't have any idea what you're doing.

They'll just think:

• "Wow!”

• “The writing just flows!"

• “This piece is formatted so beautifully!”

Only a trained eye (which you now have) will notice what's happening.

The key to formatting is to always think about reducing friction for the reader.

These are a few approaches that work well, but a better framework to internalize is to always be asking yourself, "How can I make this easier for the reader?"

• If it would be easier to read in a bulleted list, do that.

• If it would be easier to read in a step-by-step formatted guide, do that.

• If it would be easier to read in a series of small, rapid-fire sections, do that.

Your North Star is what will be easiest and most enjoyable for the READER.

And to make this dead simple for you, we’ve got two ChatGPT prompts to get you going.

• Prompt #1: How to write 6 proven single-sentence openers

• Prompt #2: The Rhythm Writer Prompt (see below)

To use the Rhythm Writer prompt, simply add your topic, headline, or subhead. ChatGPT will then format your content into a clean 1/3/1 structure, instead of the usual bulky paragraphs.

Here’s the prompt:

Write a short post about {insert your topic}.

Use an opinionated, casual, and informative tone.

Follow this template:

<TEMPLATE>
# Subhead
[1 declarative sentence.]
2 line feeds.
[3 sentences of explanation.]
2 line feeds.
[1 declarative sentence.]
</TEMPLATE>

[BONUS] 11 Different Ways To Format Your Writing With The Rhythm Writer ChatGPT Prompt

1/3/1 is the best place to start.

But if you want even more ways to visually tell the reader you aren’t going to make them suffer through big blocks of text, and that you have their best interest in mind, you can try one of these:

No matter the variation, the rule is the same: keep the bookends short.

Paragraphs that open with 2 more sentences are tiring for the reader. These one-liners are what give your writing momentum. The middle is where you can play around and expand, but those 1’s at the start and end are what create that dynamic flow.

So as much as possible, you want to make your reader feel like they’re riding a wave—by starting and ending sections with one sentence.

Click on the link below to access the writing structures and bonus prompts: