Om Malik was cleaning out an old Google Drive folder, when he found this post, from his days running GigaOm:

A good blog post starts with a clever lead, or an anecdote, and in very short space, makes a case for what you are trying to say.

If you are reporting news, then it should be the second line, and should tell the story. It should have as many relevant details as possible, if not the complete story. Sometimes, a photo or a video makes a better argument than words, so use those tools to enhance the post. I mean who can resist a Giphy!

A quick analysis, a quote or a supporting or dismissing the argument follows this. Analysis can include things like the number of competitors, stats from a research firm, or even basic history about the start-ups’ founders, venture capitals, etc which tell the reader, look these are guys who are serious enough for us to take them seriously, and hence we are justifying writing about this company or event.

Then you add in details, which are important enough to be included, but don’t necessarily need to go up in the front page. An ideal blog post is the one, which has a kicker that is as strong as the lead, or elicits a reaction from the reader, encouraging them to keep talking about the subject.

Great words. The entire post is a worthwhile read, especially for folks who make their living word-wrangling.