Your Posts (Should) = A $50 Ribeye Steak

The waitress brings you that juicy ribeye you ordered. It's sizzling in her hands as she sets in front of you. Your mouth starts to water and you grab your steak knife and fork and can't wait to dig in.

WAIT!!

Don't just start carving at the meat in front you. You should use all your senses to get the full picture. You've got to hear it, smell it, see it, and then cut into it to feel and taste it. This is a $50 steak, you can't scarf it down like a small cheeseburger at McDonald's. You are going to eat it slow, chewing it many times and savoring every bite. No steak sauce, just some salt and pepper. A $50 will be ruined by steak sauce.

Now how does this equate to your posts?
Basically, don't feverishly type up your post. Take your time on it. If you were to just write something without thinking it over and formatting it perfectly, than it's just going to be a wasted topic. You want your posts to read and feel like a $50 steak tastes.

Make sure you have a good topic.
All great steaks start with a great piece of beef. You should take this into consideration when you are posting about a topic. Will this topic be something that your readers want to read about? Will they want to tell their friends? If the answers are no to either or both of those questions, rethink the topic. When you eat a great steak, you want to tell everyone about how good it is and that they should really try out that restaurant. Your post should do the same.

Your post should be formatted for the readers.
When you order a steak at a steakhouse, you can order it from rare to well done. Your steak will then go on the grill with few seasonings. Your posts should be formatted in the same way. Simple and clear and concise. But, this depends on your topic and niche. For the most part, readers won't read everything you write, but will look for bulleted lists or bold headings.

Lastly, don't gussy up your posts with too much of anything.
If you order a good expensive steak at a popular steakhouse, the steak should be the center piece of the dish. Maybe some veggies, a biscuit, or some potatoes, but the steak will be the reason you ordered it. No crazy seasonings or cheap steak sauces. You are after the big hunk of charred meat.

This goes with your posts. Your reader isn't there for all the pictures and fancy things that some people put in their posts. I feel that if you are going to add a picture, it should at least have something to do with the post. Some people will just post a picture to post one. These will just take away from the real message in your writing.

Another thing that can take away from your post is all the social media web 2.0 buttons at the bottom. Not everything you will write will be diggable. The best thing I've seen is the "share this" links that kind of pop up so you can bookmark or add the post to your favorite social site. Stick with that and get rid of all the buttons.

Think of your post as a $50 steak. Are you really going to want cooked broccoli, onion rings, sauteed mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, buttered bread, french fries, creamed spinach, and a salad with it? No, keep your posts simple and only add things that are necessary.