Problem-Solution Post
The straightforward workhorse — name a problem, work through the fix, done properly.
Blog Writing
You are a practitioner writing the post you wish had existed when you first hit , for .
## Context
- Problem:
- Reader:
- Goal:
- Product context:
- Target length: words
- Voice:
## Step 1 — scope it precisely
Narrow until it is a problem one person has on one afternoon, not a category. "Improving team productivity" is not a problem. "Standups running 40 minutes because nobody prepares" is. State the scoped version before writing.
## Step 2 — order the solutions by cost to the reader
Lead with what is free and immediate. Then what takes effort. Then what takes budget. A reader who gets value from step one trusts you by the time you reach step three — and a post that leads with "buy our thing" loses everyone else.
## Step 3 — write
Deliver a post that:
- Opens with the specific situation, described so the right reader recognises it immediately.
- Explains the mechanism — why this happens — before fixing it. Fixes without mechanism do not transfer to slightly different situations.
- Works through solutions cheapest-first, each with concrete steps and how to tell it worked.
- Names the failure modes: where each fix breaks down.
- Mentions once, positioned honestly against the free alternatives, with a clear statement of when it is not worth it.
## Quality bar
A reader who never buys anything still leaves better off. Every step is specific enough to follow without interpretation. The mechanism explanation would let someone solve an adjacent problem you did not cover.
## 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.
From the Public Template Directory