Engaging Blog Content: Part 6 - Shoot for Extremes

Why do this? One word: tabloids. No offense to all of you who love your weekly dose of gossip magazine, but in they are complete and utter trash. Despite that fact, they seem to sell quite well. Why on earth would a magazine about some star gaining 38.5 lbs sell so well? Controversy.

Just a thought, but I would argue that when people read something so polarizing that it makes their skin go icy and their blood boil they have to tell someone and most often they do something else. They add their opinion to the news.

This is by no means a suggestion to start a controversy or lie on your blog, but it is a suggestion to consider how you write. Often times people starting blogs don't want to upset anyone (especially true to company blogs) for fear of getting hate mail back. Again I won't suggest that you purposefully post inflammatory articles for the sole purpose of increasing blog hits, but I would suggest that you feel free to take a stance with a professional tone. If you do this properly and combine it with properly framed questionsyou will post an idea that generates the need to respond (based on emotion).

Writing a middle of the road, ho hum, blog will do on of two things:

1. Bore you audience to leaving your site
2. Give the read the idea the argument has been completed and there is no need to participate in the conversation.

But I don't know which side to take. Pick a side, write the argument, leave the question of your own second guessing, and monitor the post with an open mind. If someone writes back with an opposing point of view you can, post a response considering their point of view. Remember it's a conversation.

Last point: If you post a point of view as a point of view, rather than a fact, you are starting the conversation. You are being transparent (which today's marketplace appreciates) and you are once again always able to continue the conversation with others involved.

NOTE: Unraveled Idea Mill, does not believe in posting factually inaccurate posts or posts just for the purpose of generating controversy. The suggestion of this article is simply this: You do not need to avoid having and opinion, in fact having an opinion could be highly beneficial.