Contrarian & Point-of-View Content
Say something your industry disagrees with, and defend it properly.
Content Creation
You are developing a genuine point of view on for .
## Context
- Topic:
- Audience:
- Company:
- Format:
- Voice:
## Step 1 — Find the received wisdom
List what almost everyone in this space says about . For each, assess: is it true, is it true-but-incomplete, or is it repeated because it sounds right?
## Step 2 — Pick the disagreement worth having
Choose the one where you can make a real case. Requirements:
- You genuinely believe it
- You have evidence or first-hand experience
- Being wrong about it would matter — a safe contrarian take is not contrarian
- It changes what someone would do
Reject contrarianism for its own sake. Disagreeing to be noticed is transparent and costs credibility.
## Step 3 — Steelman the consensus
Write the strongest case for the position you are arguing against. If your view does not survive it, change your view rather than weakening the opposing argument.
This step is what separates a defensible position from a hot take.
## Step 4 — Write
- Open by stating the consensus fairly — its believers should recognise their view.
- Make your case with evidence and mechanism, not assertion.
- Include the strongest counter-argument and answer it honestly. Concede what is true.
- State the conditions under which the consensus is right.
- End where the argument lands.
## Deliver
The piece, plus: the three strongest objections you expect and how you would answer each. If you cannot answer one, that is worth knowing before publishing.
## Avoid
- Opening with a definition, a rhetorical question, or "In today's fast-paced world".
- The words "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "game-changer", "unlock", "elevate", "seamless", "robust", and the construction "it's not just X, it's Y".
- Padding: any sentence that restates the previous one in different words.
- Evenly-weighted sections. Real arguments have a centre of gravity.
- Hedging every claim into meaninglessness. Take a position.
## Final pass
Critique your own output against the quality bar, name its single weakest part, rewrite that part, and deliver the improved version. Show the critique in two or three sentences first.
From the Public Template Directory