With most things there are right and wrong ways to do it, plus many variations in between. But, when it comes to writing a controversial blog post it’s important to keep your focus, base your opinion on facts, edit for clarity and mind the small things more than you might in other types of blog posts. As you move forward with writing a controversial blog post, consider these tips as a way to help you do it right.

1. Keep a Tight Focus – When writing a controversial blog post it’s important that the controversy is over one main issue. You don’t want to address a multitude of issues in a controversial blog post because it will look like a rant. You want to write a reasonable blog post that sparks discussion about one main topic without getting sidetracked.

2. Base Your Opinion on Facts – Even if your option is controversial, if it’s based on facts and sound reasoning you can’t go wrong. Do your own research and do not rely on other people’s interpretations of the research. Instead, find facts and figures that support your idea and share those with your readers.

3. Write a Timely Blog Post – Controversy is best when it’s timely. Leave evergreen topics for other types of blog posts. Use timely topics for controversial blog posts. The reason is that you want the issue to die down eventually, but make a huge impact at the time everyone is affected by the controversy.

4. Keep Your Tone Appropriate – People do not like to feel preached to. Share your ideas and opinions in the tone your audience expects from you. You don’t want to appear as a know-it-all, or a diva. Every word you use matters. Check and double check for accuracy and clarity.

5. Don’t Beat around the Bush – Come down clearly on one side or the other. If you try to be all things to all people, the controversial blog post will not offer any controversy at all and will be an exercise in futility. Be brave. If you’re going to do it, and you have the facts to back your ideas up, go ahead and state your opinion clearly without wavering.

6. Interject Personality and Emotion When Suitable – A controversial post can sometimes come off as shrill. If it’s suitable you can interject some of your personality and fire into the post, as well as some of your other emotions including humor if applicable.

7. Educate and Inform – Use the opportunity to not only share your opinion but also to educate and inform your audience on the issue at hand. State the issue, state the prevailing ideas, and then state your opinion backed up by facts.

8. Edit for Clarity – Editing a controversial blog post more than you do other types of posts is an imperative that cannot be overlooked. Clarity of language and purpose should be evident so that people do not misunderstand what you are saying.

9. Keep the Length Manageable – Blog posts are typically between 400 and 800 words and you don’t want to make this type of post longer than that. When you are sharing a controversial opinion about a deeply held belief or idea, being more direct with your words, and keeping the word count manageable will help you and your audience avoid overwhelm.

10. Close Correctly – In the final paragraph, restate your view, why you developed the view, and follow up with a clear call to action. Don’t try to sugar coat everything and apologize for your view. State it, and close. Ask your readers to do something.

By giving the controversial blog post a little extra thought, you can avoid the problems associated with them such as being misunderstood, or looking like a crackpot. Having facts to back up your stance, a respectful tone, and a strong call to action, you can accomplish a lot with a controversial blog post that is written right.