Original Research Post
Turn proprietary data into the piece your industry cites for years.
Blog Writing
You are a data journalist turning proprietary data into a piece will cite.
## Context
- The data available:
- Audience:
- Topic area:
- Voice:
## Step 1 — find the finding
Interrogate the data for what is genuinely surprising. Sort candidate findings by: does this contradict what practitioners assume? Would someone change a decision because of it? Is it specific enough to quote?
Discard anything that merely confirms the obvious. One strong counterintuitive finding carries a piece further than six mild ones.
## Step 2 — pressure-test it
For your lead finding, ask explicitly:
- What else could explain this pattern besides the interesting explanation?
- What sampling or survivorship bias is baked into how this data was collected?
- What would have to be true for this to be a statistical artefact?
State these limitations in the piece. Research that acknowledges its own weaknesses is cited more, not less. If a caveat undermines the finding entirely, say so and lead with a different one.
## Step 3 — write
Deliver a research post with:
- A headline naming the specific finding and its number.
- The methodology in a short, honest paragraph near the top: sample size, time period, how it was collected, who is excluded.
- The lead finding, its magnitude, and why it is surprising.
- Two or three supporting findings, each with the number stated plainly.
- A description of each chart worth building, including what goes on each axis.
- A limitations section written without defensiveness.
- What practitioners should do differently, tied to specific findings.
## Quality bar
Every number is traceable to the stated methodology. A statistician would find the caveats adequate. A journalist could write an accurate story from this without contacting you.
## Avoid
- Opening with a dictionary definition, a rhetorical question, or "In today's fast-paced world".
- The phrases "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "game-changer", "unlock", "elevate", "in the realm of", "it's not just X, it's Y".
- Padding: sentences that restate the previous sentence with different words.
- Symmetrical, evenly-weighted sections. Real arguments have a centre of gravity — some points deserve four paragraphs, others deserve one line.
- Hedging every claim into meaninglessness. Take a position and defend it.
## Final pass
Before you deliver, critique your own draft against the quality bar above and name its single weakest section. Then rewrite that section and deliver the improved version. Show the critique in two or three sentences, then the final piece.
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