I think I know what you mean. I titled my latest blog post "Stop Using Single Point Estimates" but almost immediately regretted it. The tone was too rigid and link-baity. What I really wanted to say was, "Hey, point estimates are fine, but do you realize that you may be missing an opportunity by not using range estimates?" Really I just wanted to show people a different way of thinking about something. But it can be easy to pander to the up-votes.
But mostly I stay true to myself and use my blog to educate, which is truly rewarding. My favorite post is "Roadmap for Learning Rails" because it genuinely helps people and that's a wonderful feeling.
So I think if you are blogging and start feeling like a "scammer", step back and re-examine your goals. Instead of viewing it as primarily for self-promotion or making money, view it as contributing to the community and participating in the joy of education and sharing. Also, I'm realizing that the blog posts I feel the best about aren't opinionated as much as informative and helpful.
"Am I writing to get on the front page of HN, or am I writing this because I think it needs to be said?"
I haven't had a piece on the front page here, but I could see how someone could get addicted to that.
I've often thought about writing one of those opinionated pieces as my entry back into blogging, but decided it wasn't worth writing.
So I agree with you 100%.
There is something to be said about presenting a clear message. It's easier to follow the flow and a critical reader should be able to take the point an author is making without blindly accepting the conclusion.
For instance, my recent post on optimising Django's SQL query generation was a collection of useful tools and approaches.
Seen in this light, a couple of the benefits are: the sharing of useful knowledge, and exploring things I encounter in daily development in more detail. As well as building things, it's nice to be able to work on my written communication.
BTW, worth linking it in your profile. It's well written, content is engaging too.
I'm a bit surprised that article didn't hit the front page tbh.