For a major reveal, the order of the reveal can matter almost as much as the content of it.
Consider the reveal that the main character previously killed a bad person. That reveal can happen all at once in the story, but consider what happens if you stretch it out throughout the story, giving the reader one piece of information at a time. What information goes first can change the entire dynamic of the story.
they are dead and I killed them - they were bad
We've started with the knowledge that the person is dead and the main character killed them, and so the tension surrounds the question of why. The reader doesn't know yet that the person was bad, only that the main character killed them, and so this will likely shape their view of the main character.
they are dead - I killed them - they were bad
Breaking up the first component into two parts changes the tension--first, all we know is that the person is dead. This can be broken out even further if you want (they are dead - they were killed - I killed them) but the central tension is the same: how did they die, and by whose hand.
they were bad - they are dead and I killed them
In this case, we start with knowing that they were bad, which removes a lot of the tension--but at the start we don't know they are dad, so they remain a threat. Maybe they're someone the main character still fears, even if they're dead.
they were bad - they are dead - I killed them
Again, breaking out the reveal that the person is dead from who killed them provides an extra level of suspense--but in this case the reveal that the character killed them is likely one that brings more positive reader feelings to the character than in the earlier instances. It may also be the answer to a secret that other characters were trying to find out during the story.
they are dead - they were bad - I killed them
The central arc of this reveal becomes more about the character (no pun intended) of the person who is dead--especially if that first part also reveals that they were killed. The question that the arc of the reveal answer is why are they dead, and also how should the reader feel about their death, a feeling that will likely change once it's revealed that they were bad.
This is just one example of how the order of the reveal matters, but this exercise can work for any major reveal in a story. What are the central components of the reveal? How does the order in which they are shown or told to the reader change the tension and central questions of the story?
