Don’t Be Afraid To Write About the Good

Let’s face it: We all know what generates clicks, views, and engagement. We all know that the latest celebrity arrest, social-media unrest, or a new written piece deploring the lack of success from your favorite sports team is going to generate interest from the masses in a sparked and heated debate that, sure, helps the bottom line, but in actuality, takes us nowhere as a society.

That’s just the way it works. That’s what we’ve come to accept in the media world.

But what if I told you that you could challenge the status quo, spark debate, improve the bottom line, build trust from your readers and cohorts, and improve society, even if by just one reader. You would do that, right??

It may seem too good to be true, but it isn’t, and you should try it.

Trust Me When I Tell You, Don’t Be Afraid To Write About ‘The Good’

The good are those that encourage change, strike up a positive feeling, lift up those who elevate others, and tell the general feel-good moments our society doesn’t know they crave until it’s too late.?

The good isn’t the easiest to write. It takes journalistic effort, something that has gone away as the years have passed.?

The bad is easy to write. They’re cut and paste at this point.

The good doesn’t always register with the hearts of a national audience. They’re something that, all too often, editors and decision-makers don’t allow room for.

The bad capture national headlines but draw negative responses. They’re stories that take us nowhere but backward.

The good doesn’t ask you to be told. They have to be found, examined, researched, and well-written.?

The bad beg to be told. They’re in your face and need little effort to put together.

The good is priceless.

And the bad is cheap.

Take Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, for instance.

Just a month ago, very few, even inside the football media world, knew just who Damar Hamlin was. But now, after his tragedy on the field in Cincinnati, most Americans know his name and even better, know of his journey. Of his off-field work in the community. Of his charitable efforts that reached well over $7 million in just a few short weeks.

As he clung to life, the world clung to hope and any slight sign of positive news to come out of Cincinnati. The world clung to “the good” news that he was stable. The world clung to “the good” report that he had movement in his extremities.

Then, the world flocked by the thousands when it found out about “the good” that was Damar Hamlin the son. “The good” that was Damar Hamlin the man. “The good” that was Damar Hamlin’s charitable efforts.?

Without the written work of a few who were willing to go the extra mile for fewer clicks, less banter, and even less assistance to the bottom line, Hamlin’s charity wouldn’t have received millions of dollars.

Sure, Hamlin’s situation is a unique one in the fact that a terrible situation generated the rise of his good. But the point remains: Those who wrote the good about Hamlin’s efforts in college and as a young NFL player ultimately generated more than any bad story of the year. And they did so without the knowledge of this meteoric rise in interest.

Any cultural change must start with a seismic shift, and that’s what Hamlin’s situation has done for the sports media world.?

Readers should soon clamor for the good even without tragedy.?

Viewers will want to read their favorite player’s charitable efforts.

So as you search for your next in-depth piece of writing, I implore you to find the good. Trust me, the good will outweigh the bad.