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Content Intent: Opinion Piece

Purpose​

Use when advancing a clear viewpoint supported by reasoned evidence.

Canonical Structure​

  1. Position statement
  2. Why this matters now
  3. Supporting arguments and evidence
  4. Counterpoint handling and conclusion

Best-Fit Formats​

  • article
  • blog-post
  • linkedin-post
  • x-thread

Best-Fit Styles​

  • persuasive
  • authoritative
  • analytical

Rules​

Rule: State Your Position Early​

Description: Readers should know your thesis in the opening. Negative example: 400 words of setup before stating the claim. Positive example: "My view: most weak posts fail in the opening sentence, not the body."

Rule: Open With a Concrete Trigger Moment​

Description: Use a specific event or observation to make the argument feel immediate. Negative example: Opening with abstract declarations about "modern discourse." Positive example: "After reviewing 30 launch posts, the same opener failure appeared in nearly every draft."

Rule: Support Claims With Evidence​

Description: Use examples, data, or observed outcomes to support your stance. Negative example: Pure assertion without proof. Positive example: "In 20 edited posts, opener rewrites improved completion in 16 cases."

Rule: Distinguish Fact From Interpretation​

Description: Clearly separate what happened from what you conclude. Negative example: Presenting interpretation as uncontested fact. Positive example: "Observed result is X; my interpretation is Y."

Rule: Compress the Argument to One Core Claim​

Description: Reduce the piece to one central claim and make every paragraph support it. Negative example: Opinion draft branching into multiple unrelated debates. Positive example: One thesis restated in fresh ways with aligned evidence and examples.

Rule: Address Serious Counterarguments​

Description: Engage the strongest opposing view fairly. Negative example: Ignoring obvious objections. Positive example: "This approach is weaker for highly regulated writing, where precision dominates."

Rule: Avoid Strawman Framing​

Description: Do not misrepresent opposing positions for easy wins. Negative example: Reducing nuanced disagreement to a caricature. Positive example: Presenting the opposing argument accurately before rebuttal.

Rule: End With a Clear Implication​

Description: Conclude with what readers should change or reconsider. Negative example: Ending with a rhetorical flourish only. Positive example: "Audit your last three openings and make the reader payoff explicit in line one."

Rule: Bridge Claim to Reader Stakes​

Description: Explicitly state why accepting your argument helps the reader. Negative example: Strong argument with no practical consequence for the audience. Positive example: "If you adopt this framing, readers will understand your value before they bounce."