Aug 23, 2012 / Posts We Loved

What Makes a Post Freshly Press-able? The Frailest Thing

Every day, 19 WordPressers are featured on the Freshly Pressed section of WordPress.com. And every day, many more wonder, “What do I have to do to get Freshly Pressed?”

Every day, 19 WordPressers are featured on the Freshly Pressed section of WordPress.com. And every day, many more wonder, “What do I have to do to get Freshly Pressed?”

Well, it’s time to reveal what the folks who push the launch button are thinking. Each week, a member of our editorial team will do a close-up on one post and why we thought it was Press-worthy. We hope we can provide insight into the process and give you tips and tools to make your blog the best it can be.

To answer a common question, a post doesn’t need photos to be Freshly Press-able. This toilet paper post, for example, doesn’t rely on images.

Recently, we promoted The Frailest Thing to Freshly Pressed with the post “Toilet Paper: A History.” On this blog, Mike writes about technology and how it intersects with culture, philosophy, and even religion. In this post, we especially liked how he breathed life into a seemingly mundane topic—toilet paper.

Here are three ways he accomplished this:

A hook reeled us in.

This post comments on how all technologies—even those we take for granted, like toilet paper or the refrigerator—have their own histories. It’s a sprawling topic, but Mike’s “hook”—a pop culture reference and episode from the TV show Seinfeld—introduces the big idea he’s exploring, and does so in an entertaining way.

We read so many posts on WordPress.com every day, so an opening that piques our interest and makes a subject accessible and relatable is a good start. A hook comes in many forms: a famous quote, a personal anecdote, an account of a conversation you’ve had that has resonated with you, and more.

The blogger acted as a narrator.

In the middle of recounting the scene from Seinfeld, Mike interjects in order to steer his discussion about toilet paper—but also to reconnect with his reader:

Now stick with me. I know you’re probably wondering why I’m writing about toilet paper, but there is a point here.

In a post like this, which dives into cultural commentary and history, don’t lose your voice. Mike speaks directly to his reader throughout, and in occasional asides in parentheses, while allowing his more historical discussion to unfold:

Toilet paper has a history. Of course it has a history. But who thinks of it? Like George, we take most of our technology for granted.

You’re the storyteller, so talk to us. Ask questions. Or crack a joke, if appropriate. Be authoritative, but don’t distance yourself: interact with your reader. Engaging nonfiction writers employ narrative techniques—just as fiction writers do—and experiment with elements such as point of view, persona, and tone.

The subject was so common—yet so unique.

Who knew a post about toilet paper could be interesting? We give Mike props for exploring a topic in which we all have personal, tangible experience, but probably have never considered in a thoughtful, intellectual way. (And likely never outside of the bathroom!) He could have investigated the history of another kind of technology—something more obvious, like a phone or a fax machine, to illustrate his point. But by choosing to highlight this unglamorous household product, he creates a unique discussion.

One way of improving your own writing is to look at how other blog posts cover topics in which you’re interested. What different devices or distinct perspectives does the author use? If they approach a topic through Door A, try going through Door B. Experiment with an unlikely example. Transform the mundane into something meaningful.

What do you think of this particular pick for Freshly Pressed? Will you read more from this blog?

For more on our Freshly Pressed content, check out last week’s Freshly Press-able post, read the roundup of July’s top 10 posts, or read So You Want to Be Freshly Pressed?

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  1. Enlightening. Do you really, read ALL blog posts? I can’t imagine that’s possible. I’d love to be Freshly Pressed some day. Maybe I will make that a goal. I started my blog one month ago today and lately have been trying to reach a “purpose” or “goal” in continuing this fairly arduous endeavor. I’m job hunting, but not in any sort of writing field or capacity, so maybe FRESHLY PRESSED is the goal, following the precepts you seek in a posting, executing them as best I can, over and over until I PRESS OR DIE (figuratively die just to be clear!)

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    1. “I’d love to be Freshly Pressed some day. Maybe I will make that a goal.” Love that you’re motivated, although I don’t think becoming Freshly Pressed should be a blogger’s main “goal.” We should write, ultimately, to explore our interests and find our voices, and experiment with the techniques shared in these “Freshly Press-able” posts in the hope of improving our craft.

      And no, I don’t read all the blog posts out there — I *do* sleep sometimes! 😉

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      1. Thank you for the “wake-up”. You are right, making being “Freshly Pressed” should not be the driving force behind my commitment to blogging. In the month since I started blogging, actually writing creatively about topics I chose, as opposed to the years spent writing research papers or on issues provided by an employer or professor, I have felt more free and have learned a lot about myself. Those are accomplishments in their own right. Thanks again for responding!

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  5. Loved your pick and take on the TP post. I must have missed that the day it was featured, so glad you featured it again here so I could read it. It was pretty humorous.

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  6. I always thought that going self referential would insure Freshly Pressedism (Yay! Big words!) so to that end I’ve started writing posts in which I mock the titles of Freshly Pressed posts. (I’ve called it Freshly Riffed)
    Does going self referential work or should we all start writing about toilet paper?

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    1. Not quite sure what you mean by “self-referential” — and I don’t think it’s accurate to say that a specific approach to a post guarantees Freshly Pressedism (Pressdom? Pressedness?) 🙂

      Humor is a topic we search in the reader, and humor, when appropriate, is Press-able. I don’t think we want to promote writing that mocks other people’s work, though.

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  8. Thanks for sharing the official view on what gets the ‘Freshly Pressed’ seal of appreciation. The quality of writing and the analysis on some of the selected posts has been amazing. Putting these posts in the spotlight definitely gives other bloggers a chance to improve their own writing and presentation skills.

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  9. You know what? Of course the poor ol’ WordPress peeps can’t read every blog. But it’s not up to them to do the discovering on our behalf – we’re lucky they actually choose a few things to put out there. Imagine if FP was like Etsy’s front page seems to be, and robots picked what went up? I’m stoked there’s real people and a qualitative system in place behind the thing, I had no idea.

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  10. I have a question — how do you choose the post or posts to be reviewed? I understand what you do with the chosen post, but bloggers need to know how to get our posts into the group from which you choose. Perhaps you could write a post on that. Thanks!

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  11. I have to say that sometimes I get quite depressed when I see the Freshly Pressed page. No matter how hard I try to write from the heart, on subjects that drive me wild and even sometimes chucking in cool photos, it seems that to graduate to the Freshly Pressed elite is one of those things that require a good dose of luck too. And possibly a commenting spree on other peoples’ blogs to get your name a bit better known. The balance between writing for the sake of reaching out to the world, and writing in order to ‘be known’, is a really tough one. Authenticity vs. popularity content. I think I would rather just write even though nobody read my work…or maybe I’m just sore at not being FP’d =).

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    1. “The balance between writing for the sake of reaching out to the world, and writing in order to ‘be known’, is a really tough one. Authenticity vs. popularity content.”

      Great insight. As a blogger, I too think about this. We write because we love it, yet in that public, outward-facing dimension of blogging — or really any online/social media platform we’re on — we hope that our words and ideas are read by others.

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      1. Very true Cheri! I guess that’s the challenge of the blogosphere, like all writing that’s destined for other eyes: staying true to who we are and accepting the criticism (even if it be in the form of a lack of attention) without letting it daunt us. I’ll be sure to read your blog too!

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  13. Handy to know. I do enjoy checking out Freshly Pressed once or twice a week to see what else is out there. Like others, though, I take issue with “The best of 380,770 bloggers, 1,134,781 new posts, 1,299,340 comments, & 314,775,167 words posted today on WordPress.com.” Because “best” is arbitrary.

    I read blog posts every day that are better than what is selected for Freshly Pressed. And by better I mean more interesting to me, or more entertaining to me, or in many cases just better written.

    And I appreciate the categories, but to say that there is always a food blog that is in the top twenty best blogs of the day? I will never click on a food blog. I have no interest in them. I respect their authors, but they aren’t the BEST by default.

    All you have to do to fix that is change it to “a selection from 380,770 bloggers, 1,134,781 new posts, 1,299,340 comments, & 314,775,167 words posted today on WordPress.com.

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    2. Thanks for your feedback! But oh, poor food blogs — let’s not pick on them 🙂 We could be talking about any type of blog. You’re right — some may not click on a food blog, or a politics blog, or a technology blog. Ever. But as we search for various topics each day, it’s important to showcase the quality ones that stand out within each type/niche, including food blogging.

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  14. Well, I linked parking tickets to sacrificing virgins. Maybe I should have explored that a bit more. 🙂 Congratulations to Mike, and thank you OP for these insights.

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    1. Just wanted to add that quality is subjective. My blogs are very high quality, but likely not that many people can relate to them. The same people have been checking in regularly for months, small though, that group may be.

      Getting freshly pressed has never been my objective, if it ever happens it will be a nice surprise. The main objective of my blog is to sort out my own position regarding the topic I am exploring. It may turn into a book one day. The book may sell, even if my words never see the freshly pressed light of day.

      I would suggest replacing “quality” with “favorite picks” or something to that effect, since there are many excellent writing styles – even if most of them have a limited appeal to the general audience.

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  15. My blog is very specific – healing from the loss of a parent. It is a tribute to my mom, and my words are those of pain and healing as I’ve worked my way through all the feelings associated with losing my mom to pancreatic cancer. I’ve read posts about what it takes to get Freshly Pressed and tried to follow the suggestions. I would love to get Freshly Pressed one day, but given the topic of my blog, I don’t see it happening. The greatest accomplishment from my blog is that through comments I’ve received, I know I have helped others who are walking a path similar to mine.

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    1. Hi Kathy — we don’t overlook blogs that focus on specific topics. Some of the recent posts we’ve promoted to the home page have covered particular issues/ideas, from algebra to the “death” of a video game magazine to someone’s musings on Bigfoot! We look for quality content across all fields and niches.

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  16. WordPress continuously sends my worst post to people when I’ve liked their posts. I don’t want to get rid of it because it is useful to beginning guitarists, but I did it without any prep, and although none of mine are of general interest, I wish they wouldn’t send out as the main post, my John Fogerty – Swamp Water post. No end to seeing people “like” it….

    I suppose I can take refuge in the fact that as a blog of very defined interest, “Swamp Water” won’t be freshly pressed. Thank god for small miracles…

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    1. Hey Richard — re: “WordPress continuously sends my worst post to people when I’ve liked their posts.” Can you clarify what you mean by “send”?

      I took a peek at your blog and looks like you have a fair amount of “likes” across your posts in general, so I’m not sure what you mean when you say WordPress is “sending out your Swamp Water post as the main post.”

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      1. Sure. When someone likes my posts, I receive an email telling me: [ ] liked your post on guitarlicksandtabs

        In the email, WordPress suggests to me three posts from someone who “liked” one of my posts. The same thing happens when I like someone’s post; they receive an email telling them I liked it, and suggest several posts, and Swamp Water is always number one. That post was searched for on YouTube and google because it is the theme for a new show, and it seems I had the first quick demo of how to play it, so it gets lots of hits. WordPress noticed it had a lot of hits, must have (in the algorithm) decided it was popular, and started sending it in suggestions to other people.

        I’ve made my “Little Martha” by Duane Allman post, “sticky” as it is one of the few full songs rather than just a lick or solo. That way, when someone who isn’t a guitarist looking for tips on how to play certain licks and solos, visits my blog, they at least see a complete song.

        As it is, Swamp Water shows how to play the lick, and the tablature I wrote for it is accurate, but it is the worst-video I have.

        Hope that clears it up. I’m quite happy with the progress of the blog. I’ve had over 22,000 views since I started this January, and my Youtube channel has over 58,000. No complaints other than that post being the top suggestion.

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      2. Aha. Got it. Thanks for clarifying, Richard. Someone else from our team may chime in here. But for now — since this thread is specifically for responses to this particular Freshly Pressed analysis (and the featured toilet paper post) — you can discuss/add a suggestion about this in our forum: https://wordpress.com/forums/forum/ideas

        Thanks, and glad to hear you’re happy with the progress of your blog.

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  19. Hi Cheri!

    Nice post. 🙂

    I hope all is well with you.

    Just wondering,

    Have you ever freshly pressed a poet? 🙂

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  22. Thanks for this one Cheri! I agree that we must stay focused on our craft, not on being FP, and keep writing because we love the process. Being FP is exhilarating, but after the applause dies down, and it does, our love for writing is what sustains us and keeps us on the road. 🙂
    Elizabeth

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      2. there is always something higher. Freshly Pressed is nice, but consider … say that what you’re saying (on your blog) is the sort of stuff which/that draws readers to it, of its own accord. if you (or i) were to have an increasing readership as time went on — THAT’d suit me just fine.
        (that, plus the lucrative writing$$$contract$$$deal which would eventually materialize, eh?)

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      3. I see… I guess reading about $$ changes everything, like my perspective. I have been getting more readers and for that I am thankful. I really write cause I love to read/write/talk. If I get people who like it, that’s great! But since I have been blogging, I have noticed, I have become attached to it. Now I have to think of topics that can attracts readers. Thanks for the tip. 🙂

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  25. I am quite intrigued by the comments on here….. But I take the points made about writing a good post.

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  26. No matter if one’s OBJECTIVE is to be freshly pressed or not, everyone still likes to be picked up. Can’t we have blogger’s submissions for the posts they would want to nominate for FP? May be their own work or some fellow bloggers?

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  28. These posts are really helpful. Although I may never be freshly pressed, I am using these tips and now finding that people are retweeting links to my articles. I write about complexity science and sustainability, and so maybe my blogs will not be aimed at everyone, but thanks to a lot of great tips on wordpress I feel that my writing is improving. Cheers

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    1. Thanks for the feedback, Simon, and glad that you’re trying out these ideas/techniques in your own work. We’re always looking for well-written science posts to promote to Freshly Pressed. (At the moment, English language posts only, just FYI.)

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      1. Wow Cheri – I have just seen that my post is on Freshly Pressed!! I could not see a way to send you a message so I will say here thank you so much to both you and the WordPress team! This means a huge amount for me, and I really want to say thank you to you all. Simon

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  29. A PLEA TO ALL MY FELLOW BLOGGERS (Even Cheri): Write from the heart, NOT just for popularity, because someone needs to be inspired by your honesty and transparency, even if its only you.

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      1. Thanks Cheri! Please understand that I am not against “Freshly Pressed” within itself. I think its a wonderful thing to pull some writers out of virtual obscurity and give them the opportunity of their voices being heard by a larger audience. However, I do agree with some of the other comments, that to state that these highlighted writings are “The Best” invokes, even if unintentionally, a spirit of comparison and competition in an arena I’m sure was created for expression and discovery. Therefore you might want to consider rephrasing the tag line to: Some writings we wanted to share…or something like that so the majority who are not picked don’t feel like they’ve “failed” because they weren’t considered “The Best”. As you know, writing, especially publicly is a very vulnerable thing to do and the last thing people want to feel in that space is rated. Sorry for the impromptu discourse in the guise of a reply, but I am, after all…a writer. 🙂 Thanks for all you do!

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  30. Thanks so much for such valuable information about freshly press. This article was interesting and gave me some more pointers, made me realize that you can take a simple subject and
    make something big and interesting out of it. It gave me more insight on writing.

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