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How to Write a Good Blog Post: A Complete Step-by-Step Process

You pull up a blank document, ready to write a blog post, but the white emptiness stares back. How do you begin?

We’ve all been there, staring into that vast white space, wondering where to start. I’ve felt that subtle anxiety too. Yet, with the right approach, that daunting task can turn into a delightful journey. With an established process, writing becomes less about filling the space and more about connecting deeply with your readers.

Dive into the steps in this post and uncover the secrets to crafting a blog post that truly engages and resonates with your audience.

Table of Contents

How long does it take to write a great blog post?

Step 1: identify your topic, original research, topical research, competitive research, how-to guide, feature article, product review or comparison, link/article roundup, expert roundup, step 4: create an outline, introduction, body content, step 6: pen a headline, step 7: edit and proofread your content, step 8: add your meta data, step 9: publish your post, it’s all about practice.

As you get into writing blog posts, you might wonder how long you should take to write a good one. Are you taking too long? Should you spend more time?

Orbit Media Studios found that bloggers take an average of four hours and one minute to complete a blog post in their 2022 survey . For reference, these folks wrote an average of 1,416 words per blog post.

But think of this number as an estimate. It takes everyone a different amount of time to write a blog post based on factors like:

• Personal writing speed: All bloggers write at a different pace, and they’re all valid.
• Subject matter knowledge : It’s faster to write about a subject you know over one you don’t.
• Topic complexity: Most people will need more time to write about piezoelectric ceramics than how to blow a bubble with gum.
• Research requirements : It’ll take longer to put together a blog post that weaves together original interviews than one with a few online sources.

Plus, Orbit Media Studios discovered that bloggers who spend more time on their blog posts get more success. Thirty-three percent of respondents who spent six or more hours per blog post reported “strong results.” Compare that number to the 22% benchmark.

You’ll see that the first steps to writing a blog post involve careful preparation. Start by choosing a topic to write about.

Get as specific as possible when you pick your subject. Specificity lets you differentiate your content from blog posts on similar topics and helps you cover an idea in-depth. Let’s say you want to write about how to cook a steak — you could narrow that down to how to cook a T-bone steak on a grill.

After you decide on a topic, establish the angle you want to take. Going back to our example of how to cook a T-bone steak on a grill, you could come from a scientific angle. For your blog post, you could consult a scientist on why certain techniques make a better steak.

Step 2: Do your research

Now that you know what you want to write about, you can research your topic . Blog post research falls into three categories:

Original research comes from data you generate yourself by consulting other people. Not every blog post needs to have original research to have high-quality content, but it can contribute to truly unique writing.

Try these tactics to get one-of-a-kind sources for your post:

• Surveys: Use a free tool like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to ask people questions on a large scale. Find people who know about your topic at your organization, subscribed to your mailing list on the subject, or in an online community.
• Polls: Polls work well for asking a broad audience a single question. Many social media and communication apps have built-in poll features, such as Twitter and Slack.
• Interviews: Ask experts on your subject for an interview over email, on a video call, or in person. Reach out to your colleagues and network to see if they know anyone. You can also use a service like Help a Reporter Out to get expert quotes.

Topical research is the research you conduct around the internet. Use your preferred search engine to find online sources with these traits:

• Authoritative: The author or website should have plenty of experience or credentials on the topic. When applicable, they should use solid research to back up their claims.
• Recent: Aim for resources written three or fewer years ago when possible.
• Helpful: When your reader clicks through to your source, they should get value out of it and understand how it connects to your article.

This type of research often flies under the radar for newer blog post writers. Competitive research involves evaluating other articles on your subject. By understanding the other content out there on your topic, you can find ways to improve upon it.

Don’t just look for what ideas the other blog posts include. Instead, think about what they’re missing. Maybe they don’t cover a point you feel is important, or you could format your content more clearly than them.

Step 3: Choose the type of blog post you’ll write

With knowledge of your topic on hand, it’s time to decide how you’ll present it. Some popular blog post genres include:

List blog posts organize information into a list with headings naming each item. They often come in the form of numbered lists with a title featuring the number of items, such as “5 Ways to Fold a Towel.”

When you write a list blog post, you don’t have to make your list the only content. HelpScout’s 13 Best Practices for Improving Online Customer Service introduces online customer service, then digs into its items.

A checklist blog post provides a checklist for readers to follow to perform a task.

These posts often provide a simplified checklist to follow and then provide more details for each item, like our blog post checklist .

A how-to guide walks the reader through the steps it takes to perform an action.

These blog posts rely heavily on lists and images to help readers understand each part of the process. Melly Sews’s how-to guide to sewing a flat-felled seam uses both.

An interview blog post showcases an interview the author has with someone who has insights to share about the article topic.

You can go about one of these blog posts in two ways. Either list out your questions and answers in a Q&A format or use your interview answers to tell a story. Notion did the latter in Three-time YC founder and first-time mom finds flow in Notion .

A feature article brings together original research and interviews to explore a subject. Since features often involve interviews, they can overlap with interview blog posts.

Some blogs take a feature-first approach to posting, such as Microsoft’s Unlocked blog. One example of one of their features is Can an alphabet save a culture?

In the context of blog posts, an essay presents the author’s argument or opinion. The writer uses research and evidence to back up their points.

Media Strategies Aren’t as Crazy as They Seem from the Animalz blog features real-life examples that back up a unique perspective.

News posts share news from your community or company.

On business blogs, a lot of news posts relate to company and product updates, like SparkToro Now Has 50% More Podcasts from SparkToro.

A case study tells a success story about a product or service. It generally focuses on one event or customer.

This type of blog post requires original interviews with the customer involved so you can get their perspective on your work. With some products, you can share the results of how you helped the customer. Take Buffer, a social media scheduling tool, sharing posts from its customer in this case study as an example.

Product reviews and comparisons evaluate the usefulness of products for the reader. Reviews focus on a single product, while comparisons compare the features of multiple products.

Some of these product posts come in the form of a list ranking the best products in a category, like Zapier’s email newsletter software roundup .

Link and article roundups bring together links to online resources or articles on a specific subject.

Some of these roundups are more purchase-focused, such as Good On You’s roundup of eco-friendly fashion deals .

Expert roundup blog posts present opinions on a topic from multiple subject matter experts.

This format can overlap with other formats, like in Databox’s blog posts that synthesize expert opinions into lists. The Heroes of Business Transparency is one example.

Many people skip or rush through this step even though it’s just as important as the actual writing. A detailed blog post outline gives your article structure and lets you evaluate your overall argument before you write out the full post.

It also helps combat writer’s block. At the outline stage, you only have to get a basic idea down, taking off the pressure of writing a complete idea. Then, when you get to the writing stage, you’ll have your outline to reference when you don’t know what sentence to write next.

Follow these steps to write an outline:

• List each section and subsection of your blog post. Each section could cover a list item, a point in your argument, a step in a process, etc.
• Add up to three main points per section. Here’s where you’ll start forming the ideas you’ll cover. As you practice making outlines, you might find it helpful to get even more detailed at this stage.
• Include any links and examples you want to include for your points. Place your sources where you plan to reference them so you can add them easily in the writing stage.

Here’s a hypothetical outline for a blog post by my cat on why I should feed her a second dinner:

You can go more in-depth with your points in your outline, but here’s how the formatting should look.

I recommend writing your outline in a separate document and copying any headers and links over to your draft document. It can be tempting to write your outline and fill out your draft from there, but your document will get disorganized quickly with this approach.

Step 5: Write your post

Onto the writing itself!

Make sure to follow web writing best practices when you write your content.

People read 25% slower onscreen, and they skim rather than read. Web text should be short, scannable, and structured as linked, topical pages. Nielsen Norman Group

Shortening or “chunking” your content helps readers skim, so try to keep your sentences to 25 words or fewer and paragraphs to three sentences or fewer. Make sure to follow the style guide for your blog if you have one as well.

A blog post consists of three main sections that require different approaches:

Integrate your blog post’s angle and an emotional hook into your introduction. This technique establishes what makes your post unique from the start and draws in the reader.

For example, in this blog post, I’m trying to provide a comprehensive process so you never feel lost when writing. I explained that angle in the second paragraph of my intro.

As for the emotional hook, try putting yourself in the reader’s shoes or telling a story. I used the example of staring at a blank page wondering what to do next because I’ve been there and know others have, too.

You could also use the Animalz technique of using an unexpected hook and referencing it throughout your blog post. This method takes practice and careful thought, but that hard work really pays off.

Whichever hook you use, keep your introduction concise — about three paragraphs or fewer. An intro that goes on too long can lose the reader’s interest.

A quick side note: You don’t have to write your introduction first if it comes easier to you after you write the rest of your post. Mark it for later and revisit it when you have more context to work with.

Your body content consists of all the words between the introduction and conclusion.

As you write this part of your post, try to cover all the information important for your reader to know. If you have a word limit to stay within, consider linking out to resources on complicated sub-topics.

Speaking of linking, include links to other posts on your blog and trusted sources throughout your body content. Search engines prioritize websites that link relevant pages to each other. Plus, it works as a way to cite your sources when you use outside information.

Just make sure that any site you link to is relevant to your post. Adding links for linking’s sake will make it harder to establish authority and search engine performance.

Lastly, make sure your writing is crisp, clear, and concise by keeping paragraphs three sentences or less, and each sentence 25 words or less .

Here’s an example of a well-structured post’s body content.

Time for the grand finale. You have multiple ways to go about writing a conclusion, such as:

• A summary: Summarize the key points you covered in your post.
• A takeaway: Provide a takeaway from the ideas you presented in your post. You could go back to the angle you established at the beginning, for example.
• A redirection: Connect your blog post to another post on your blog and direct your reader there for further reading.
• A bonus tip: Offer one final tip for the reader to use as they apply the knowledge in your post.

When it feels appropriate, you can also add a call to action to subscribe to your newsletter, try your product, or perform another transactional action. Connect your call to action back to the rest of your conclusion so it doesn’t feel pigeonholed.

After you finish writing your first draft, give it a headline . You can write the headline before your post if you like — there’s no hard and fast rule. For this blog post, we’re writing the headline after the content so you have your draft on hand to inspire your headline.

Follow these steps to craft a top-notch headline for your article:

• If you write blog posts with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind, grab the top keyword for your article. This keyword should have a direct relation to your subject.
• Write down 25 versions of your headline to give yourself plenty of choices to consider. Make sure your keyword feels like a natural part of each headline if you include it.
• Narrow those 25 options to your five favorites.
• Choose a “winner” from your five finalists.

CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer Studio can help you identify what headlines will hook readers and work for SEO. It has a Google Chrome extension and WordPress plugin. If you don’t have a plan that supports plugins, the extension provides a prompt alongside your WordPress headline.

Every blog post needs editing to shine, no matter how talented the writer is. Give your content plenty of this TLC to create quality results.

Start with a basic spelling and grammar check using your word processor’s tools. Then, you can use a tool like Grammarly or Hemingway for more in-depth fixes. While Grammarly performs an advanced spelling and grammar scan, Hemingway checks sentence structure, like so:

After you perform these checks, you should still read through your writing manually. Your human eyes will catch mistakes the computer misses. Plus, your editing should focus as much on the quality of your ideas as it does on your spelling and grammar.

We provided some tips to make the manual editing and proofreading process easier in an earlier WordPress blog post. I also suggest asking yourself these questions as you go through your content:

• Do my logic and arguments make sense?
• Did I use my SEO keywords? Did I insert them naturally?
• Do I notice any words being used frequently that I can mix up with adjectives?
• Did I vary my sentence structure for more dynamic reading?
• Will my blog post be readable for my average reader?
• Did I follow my blog’s style throughout the post?

Your blog post’s title tag, meta description, and URL all influence how people find and understand it.

The title tag and meta description are the title and description you see for a page in search results. By default, WordPress uses your headline as the title tag and your excerpt as the meta description. But, if they aren’t the proper length for search results, they can get cut off.

It’s best practice to write a separate title tag and meta description so you know they’ll look good. In WordPress, you can edit this data by changing your post’s code or using a plugin .

Yoast and All in One SEO are two popular plugin options. These plugins add a box below your content in the WordPress editor where you can manage your title tag and meta description. They also guide you through writing those search specs well.

Your URL slug is the unique string of words that appears at the end of your URL.

For example, this blog post’s URL is:

Its slug is:

That’s the part of the URL that’s different for each blog post.

WordPress pulls your URL slug from your headline, but that slug usually isn’t optimized for search results. According to Ahrefs , a good slug follows keywords and summarizes the essence of the blog post.

No need for a plugin or fancy coding to edit your URL slug. Go to the Block tab in the right-hand menu, then edit your URL using the URL option. Save your draft or update your blog post to save your new slug.

Now that you have your meta data set up, you can finalize your content for publishing. Copy and paste your blog post from your word processor to your WordPress post. The formatting will carry over to the block editor.

Or, you may have written your blog post within the blog post editor. I generally don’t recommend this approach in case you accidentally click “Publish,” but I know some writers get by just fine doing it. You do you.

If you paste your content from a Google Doc or another online text editor, go through your post and re-upload your images from your computer. The images you paste from another source are kept on your editor’s website, and you’ll want them on your WordPress site for safekeeping.

Once you establish a solid process for writing your blog posts, the next step to mastery is practice. As you adjust your system to your workflow, you’ll know what to do next instead of hoping words will magically appear on your blank page. And we’ll be with you as you practice. Just use this guide to help keep you on track.

Pair your airtight writing process with a good topic generation system , and you’ll become an unstoppable blogger. We can’t wait to see what you write!

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About the author, melissa king.

Melissa King writes actionable blog posts about content, marketing, and productivity for tech companies. Find more of her work at melissakingfreelance.com.

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How to Write a Blog Post in 2024 (Beginner-Friendly Guide)

by Liz Careathers

on Aug 6, 2024

Freebie: Ultimate Editing Checklist

There are many tutorials that can teach you how to write a blog post.

They can educate you on the mechanics of blogging, what to do, and what not to do.

Read through them and you can learn how to craft a perfectly serviceable blog post. Heck, you might even write something that wins you an adoring fan or two.

But if you dream bigger, if you want to know how to write a successful, engaging blog post that cuts through the noise and wins you legions of fans , you need something better than a run-of-the-mill tutorial.

You need an ultimate guide.

In this post — this ultimate, step-by-step beginner’s guide — we’ll share tips used by professional freelance writers to create spellbinding posts that are adored by thousands. You’ll learn the secrets to crafting irresistible headlines, seducing introductions, captivating advice, and motivational closings.

You’ll even learn how the pros refine and polish their posts once they’re finished writing them.

These are secrets many bloggers would gladly pay real money to learn, but it won’t cost you a thing — other than a few minutes of your time.

Table of Contents

• Craft a Great Headline That Readers Can’t Resist
• Write an Introduction That Grabs and Seduces
• Deliver Advice That’s Easy to Consume and Impossible to Ignore
• Close with a Motivational Bang
• Polish Your Post So It’s Smoother Than a Slip ‘n Slide

Let’s dive in.

1. Craft a Great Headline That Readers Can’t Resist

Want to know one of the biggest mistakes bloggers make?

Writing blog posts before the headlines (aka the post title).

Without a headline, they have no roadmap to follow. And so their post goes in multiple directions, leaving readers feeling dizzy, confused and disoriented.

And then they try to create a headline that embraces all that madness. Bloggers, have mercy!

If you want to write a great blog post full of clarity, conciseness, and conviction, it’s a good idea to spend some time crafting a blog title that sets a clear destination, lures readers in, and leaves them eager for your advice.

Your blog title will be your map, your writing navigation system, letting you know which literary roads to choose and which to avoid so that readers reach the intended destination as easily and efficiently as possible.

Follow these 8 rules to craft your killer headline:

Headline Rule #1. Pick a Mouth-Watering Topic

Want your blog post to get opened?

Then your headline must promise readers the very answer to whatever is tormenting them. The thing that keeps them up at night.

Your headline should not promise them a trip to the moon and back — readers are way too swift for such shenanigans. Keep the benefit specific and narrow, and readers will feel compelled to click and get the solution to what’s bugging them.

How do you find out what’s bugging your readers? How do you know which of your many blog post idea (we know, you have many) should be pursued?

• Review comments on your posts and on posts of other sites in your niche.
• Send your subscribers surveys asking them what their greatest struggles are.
• Use tools like BuzzSumo to find out what the most popular posts in your niche are (which gives insight into your target readers’ needs).
• Read the reviews of books in your niche on Amazon (you’ll find a gold mine of feedback to explore).

You have one responsibility as a blogger — yup, just one. And that is to serve your target audience . The better you know them, the better you serve.

Before you know it, you’ll know them so intimately they’ll feel like you’re reading their minds, and your headlines will reflect that.

Let’s say you’re in the self-improvement space and you wrote the headline below:

How to Create an Amazing Life

This headline is so broad it’s unlikely to grab readers’ attention. No one loses sleep over “wanting to create an amazing life.” They lose sleep over specific aspects of their lives that have left them unfulfilled.

So you are better off narrowing in on something specific that’s bugging your readers, such as:

How to Boldly Pursue Your Dreams Even if You’re Scared and Insecure

Narrowing in on something specific makes readers feel like you have the answers they’re looking for.

Headline Rule #2. Steal from the Pros

Okay, you’ve done your research and you know exactly what your readers need. Now it’s time to turn your topic into a killer headline.

Want a pro tip for mastering the art of writing headlines?

Not in the unethical way. In the smart and efficient way.

Decades of copywriting and advertising research have revealed the types of headlines that have proven to be successful. The types of headlines that zap readers out of their info-overload comas and compel them to open. Why mess with that research?

If you want your headlines to grab readers, stick with what works.

No, your headlines don’t need to sound like they came straight from BuzzFeed. They can reflect your voice and style.

But until your writing skills match Jon Morrow’s, let the proven templates be your guide (how do you think he got so good at writing headlines?).

Blogging is hard enough, so if you have templates at your fingertips, why not use them?

The easiest templates to start with? “How to” headlines and list post headlines. They are classics and they work. In fact, 75% of Smart Blogger’s most popular posts use these formats.

Here are a number of Smart Blogger headlines that follow the “how to” and list post templates.

“How to” Headlines:

• How to Start a Blog: Easy, Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
• How to Make Money Writing: 5 Ways to Get Paid to Write in 2024
• How to Make Money Blogging (Free Guide for 2024)

List Post Headlines:

• 21 Dumb Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your First E-book
• The 5 Best Free Blogging Platforms in 2024 (100% Unbiased)
• Writer’s Block: 27 Ways to Overcome It Forever
• 8 Best Free WordPress Themes of 2024 (Chosen by Experts)
• 12 Blogging Tips for Beginners (+ Lots of Free Resources)
• 4 Best Gifts for Writers: Ideas to Fit Any Budget (Even Yours)

Headline Rule #3. Engage Your Senses

Vague headlines leave readers feeling empty. Tangible headlines leave them feeling understood.

How do you create tangible headlines?

Put yourself in the shoes of your potential reader.

How do they feel? What do they see, taste, or smell? What do they hear?

Engage all of your senses by using sensory words . The more your headline gives voice to their exact experience, the more they’ll feel like your quality content was written for them.

Let’s say you blog about health and wellness, and you wrote a headline called:

5 Steps to Take When a Migraine Hits

This headline follows a proven list post formula, and it narrows in on something that’s bugging readers. All in all, it’s not too bad.

But it could be even more concrete.

To step it up a notch, put yourselves in the shoes of your readers. Think about exactly what they’re experiencing.

Perhaps that would lead you to the following:

5 Ways to Soothe Pounding and Blinding Migraines

If you suffer from migraines, there’s no way you could resist clicking such a headline.

Headline Rule #4. Tease, Don’t Satisfy

A common mistake you may not even realize you’re making?

Giving away too much in your headlines.

Your headlines should lure readers in like a literary temptress. They should catch readers’ attention and invoke their curiosity, not give a solution.

Give a solution in your headline and readers feel no need to go any further — they’re bored by the very thought of your post.

When this happens, not only do you lose but your readers lose as well, as they trade the richness of your perfect blog post’s advice for the quick fix offered by the headline.

Let’s say you blog about personal finance and you write the headline below:

How to Save for Retirement by Creating a Monthly Budget

Sadly, readers will see this and think they’ve got all the advice they need — if they want to save for retirement, they must create a monthly budget. No need to read more.

On the other hand, a possible revision could be:

How to Save for Retirement When You’re Living Paycheck to Paycheck

For anyone living paycheck to paycheck, this headline would pique their curiosity. Nothing is given away, it speaks to an audience with a very specific problem, and it promises a solution they’d love to get their hands on.

Headline Rule #5. Honor the Headline Commandment

When it comes to headlines, there is only one commandment you can never break:

“Thou shalt not deceive.”

This may seem obvious, but writers inadvertently do it all the time.

They over-promise.

Big no-no. The content of your post must fully deliver on exactly what the headline promises.

If the post only delivers part of the solution, readers will feel misled and lose their trust in you.

Let’s never do that to them, yes?

Let’s say you write a post called:

How to Live a Happy and Peaceful Life

But then the post only talks about following your dreams, which is really only one aspect of living a happy and peaceful life. Even though you didn’t intentionally deceive them, readers will feel shortchanged.

You might as well have written an over-the-top “clickbait” headline — your readers would have been as equally disappointed.

Another example…

Perhaps you write a post called:

5 Killer Ways to Attract New Clients to Your Coaching Business

But then the fifth way contains no useful advice and instead leads to a sales page to get the solution … no bueno.

Headline Rule #6. Trim the Fat

Want to overwhelm readers right from the start?

Fill your headline with weak and flabby words.

What are weak and flabby words? Empty, unnecessary words that add no real value. Instead, they create clunky phrasing and leave readers scratching their heads in confusion.

The mistake many bloggers make is writing headlines the way they speak. While that’s okay when you write the post (to a certain extent), when you write headlines that way, it waters them down.

You want your headlines to be as ruthlessly concise and powerful as possible. So chop out weak words and throw in power words (if appropriate).

Let’s say you draft the following headline:

How to Find It In Your Heart to Forgive Someone Even if They’ve Hurt You Really Badly

There are just so many words! We can cut them down as follows:

How to Forgive Someone Who Hurt You Badly

We can then add some power to it:

How to Forgive a Soul-Crushing Betrayal

Much better.

Another Example:

Here’s a mouthful:

How to Stop Being Overly Doubtful of Yourself So You Can Finally Begin to Pursue Your Wildest Dreams

My head is spinning. This can be cut down to:

How to Stop Doubting Yourself and Pursue Your Wildest Dreams

We could even make it more tangible and powerful:

How to End Paralyzing Doubts and Conquer Your Wildest Dreams

Nice and trim, but packs a punch.

Headline Rule #7. Don’t Be a Smarty-Pants

Your headline should make sense to all readers no matter where they’re coming from or in what context they’re approaching your post.

They shouldn’t have to guess what the benefit is. After all, you’re supposed to be reading their minds, not the other way around.

So you’ll want to avoid using metaphors (unless their meaning is painfully obvious), jargon , rhymes , made-up terms, or anything that tries to be overly clever or complicated when drafting your headlines.

Where to begin with this one:

How to Be Happy Without Acting Sappy

A headline like this tries to be too clever — readers don’t give two hoots about not acting sappy, obviously. Don’t prioritize cute tactics like rhyming (or even alliteration ) over-delivering clear benefits in your headlines.

How to Raise a Child That Is the Apple of Your Eye

A headline like this is also trying to be too clever. “Apple of Your Eye” is a common metaphor readers are likely familiar with, but there’s no concrete benefit being offered here. A headline must always contain a strong benefit, not a cute phrase.

How to Follow the Path of Glory to Your Success

No clue what this means … and I just wrote it. If there isn’t a singular and clear interpretation of what the headline’s benefit is, it’s trying too hard. So save the metaphors for the actual post where they will (hopefully) make more sense.

How to Stop Treating Love Like a Captive Animal

Perhaps you effectively explain in the post how people treat love like a captive animal, and it may make for a great analogy , but readers scanning headlines will have no clue why they should stop to read this, and so they likely won’t.

Headline Rule #8. Rock Your Style

The more consistent you are with your audience, the more trust they’ll feel for you.

If you generally keep your headlines pretty simple and then suddenly write one jam-packed with power words, your readers will feel confused.

The more you write, the more of a writing style you’ll develop. Once you determine what that style is, use it consistently (or make slow and gradual changes to it if necessary) so your audience learns and trusts your brand.

If most of your headlines read like this:

• How to Live With Courage
• How to Overcome Social Anxiety
• How to Confidently Embrace Uncertainty

Then you might not want to suddenly write a headline that reads:

• How to Brazenly Squash the Agonizing Anxiety That Is Plaguing Your Life

Your readers will think your blog got hacked!

How to Write a Headline: Bonus Tip

When writing a headline, try crafting 5–10 different versions of the same headline.

The more you play with the words, the better you will get at creating clear, concise, and curiosity-invoking headlines that readers cannot resist.

Editor’s Note:

I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss a question we hear often:

“How long/short should my headline be?”

Ever notice how some headlines in SERPs (search engine results pages) are truncated?

It’s based on your headline’s width in pixels (a free tool like SERPsim will show your headline’s width), but as a general rule:

At right around 60 characters, Google will cut off your headline.

Since a truncated headline can result in fewer people clicking your link in the search engine results, it’s a common SEO practice to keep your headlines 60 characters or less.

Of course, things are never that easy.

In a recent study , Brian Dean of Backlinko found that longer (14-17 words) headlines generated more shares on social media than shorter headlines.

(76.7% more social shares, to be exact.)

As with all things, your mileage may vary.

2. Write an Introduction That Grabs and Seduces

You’ve lured readers in with your headline. Now you’ve got to keep them.

No easy task, my friend.

Readers are fickle. Known to take a quick glance and then vanish from your online sanctuary, lickety-split!

You must fight to keep them there, and the way you craft your introduction plays a huge role in their browsing commitment.

Follow these rules to craft an introduction that captivates your readers:

Introduction Rule #1. Slip into Their Shoes

A common mistake that reeks of amateur blogging?

Trying to sound too academic in your blog openings.

You know, those posts that start like this:

“Research has proven that 92% of people fail to achieve their goals because they are unable to create and stick to habits that support those goals …”

Don’t get me wrong — as a lawyer, I value solid research. But in the blogging context, this approach bores readers. If you want to captivate instead of bore, you must make readers feel like you’re reading their minds.

A powerful way to achieve this?

Step into the shoes of your target audience and write from their perspective. Show them you understand exactly what they’re going through.

After all, you likely struggled with the very topic you’re writing about and learned how to overcome it. We teach what we most wanted to learn, right?

So show readers that you “get it.” You’re not some corporate slog, you’re in it with them, fighting the good fight and sharing the tools that brought you to the other side.

This introduction is a masterclass in empathy:

Do you feel that? That little tugging sensation on your heart? You’re not sure what, but something is pulling you to change. Not in a confess-your-sins-oh-ye-sinners way, but to shift directions, to embrace your calling, to finally do what you were put here to do: Write. You feel the ideas inside you. You sense them straining to escape. You know your job is to set them free, firing them like a cannon into a world in desperate need of them. But you’re afraid. You’re afraid of quitting your job and living without a safety net. You’re afraid of the concerned, disapproving looks your friends will give you when you tell them you’re giving it all up to write for a living. You’re afraid of not having enough money for food, of the power being cut off, of watching your family shivering and hungry, all because of your “selfishness”. And most of all? You’re afraid you’re wrong about yourself.

As writers, we all share the deep longing to embrace our calling and express our ideas, but we also share the fears that so often sabotage those longings — the fear that we don’t have what it takes, that we’ll crash and burn, and that our dreams are just that — dreams.

In his introduction, Jon addresses all those longings and fears and immediately makes you feel like he gets you so intimately, it’s almost creepy.

Creepy, but effective.

Introduction Rule #2. Get into Character

If you want to captivate readers, you must trigger their emotions.

So as you sit down to write, think of the feelings you want them to experience:

Fear, anger, sadness, hope, joy, disgust, shame, comfort, love, courage, and so on.

Then get into character and feel them yourself as you write, and your words will read with undeniable authenticity.

When Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the heartbreaking lyrics in Hamilton that have left tears on the faces of millions, it was his eyes that first shed tears as he put his pen to paper.

So play with your emotions. Map out the emotional journey you’re taking readers on, and infuse those feelings into your writing. Feel what you want your audience to feel and your words will exude those emotions.

This tip applies to your whole post, but in no place is triggering your audience’s emotions more important than your introduction.

You feel me? 🙂

I once wrote an emotional post about my two little girls which addressed how delicate their emotions are, as well as my own vulnerabilities and my longing to give them the patience, presence, and love they deserve.

Here’s a portion of it:

I told my three-year old daughter as we stood outside the car in her school parking lot, the rain pouring down on us as she sobbed breathlessly in my arms. She didn’t want to go in the car. She just wanted me to stand there, holding her. And I didn’t want to rush her, or tell her to stop crying. “I’ll hold you for as long as it takes.”

I felt that longing intensely and definitely shed some tears as I wrote the introduction. The feedback I got from readers was that they felt the same intensity, and even cried as well.

When we write, our feelings seep into our words.

Introduction Rule #3. Lure Readers Down the Page

Want readers to commit to your post?

Accelerate their experience. Lure them down the page.

The faster they get pulled down, the more committed they’ll feel.

Too many bumps in the road early on, and off track they go, never to return.

Here are three writing tips to use in your intros to lure readers down the page:

#1. Open With a Short Sentence or Question

Kind of like how I opened this section. 🙂

This is how all of Smart Blogger’s posts open, and for good reason. It’s a copywriting technique proven to pull readers in.

Start a post with a long clunky paragraph and they’ll feel exhausted just looking at it.

#2. Take a Knife to Your Words

Slash as many words as possible.

If the first draft of your introduction is 200 words, try cutting it down to 100. The more you practice this, the more efficient your blog writing process becomes.

And when you write efficiently, your words have power. That power will grab your readers.

#3. Set the Rhythm

All writing has a pace and rhythm.

You want your introduction’s pace and beat to be somewhat quick. You can slow things down later.

How do you achieve this?

• Use short sentences. Even sentence fragments (totally okay).
• Write short paragraphs. Make your paragraphs no more than one to three sentences long.
• Use delayed transitions to weave sentences together.
• Make each sentence and paragraph lure readers into the one that follows.
• Read the post out loud to check the flow. Are things moving forward smoothly or stalling?

The best writers, like the best music composers, take readers on a journey. Fast and slow, loud and soft, urgency and ease.

The more you pay attention to this, the more rhythm you’ll infuse into your words.

Shane Arthur sends readers’ eyes flying down the page by using crisp sentences and short paragraphs to create a fast rhythm:

You’re not stupid. You know what writing is truly about. It’s a never-ending battle for your readers’ attention. Every sentence is a link in a taut chain that connects your headline to your conclusion. And you are just one weak sentence away from losing your reader forever.

He then appropriately slows things down in the section that follows with longer sentences. A masterful composition!

Introduction Rule #4. Make Them Beg

Want readers begging for your solutions?

Add a little fear to your opening.

What are readers worried about? Do they know what will happen if they don’t solve the problem the post is addressing? What is the worst-case scenario?

Bring those fears to the surface. Expose them.

By doing so, not only will readers feel a camaraderie with you (because you understand their fears, so clearly you’ve tip-toed through the dark side yourself), but they’ll feel more eager than ever for the solution you present.

We all have fears. We think we need to hide them, but the more we give voice to them, the easier they are to set free.

Do that for your readers.

In his introduction, Glen Long brilliantly taps into the fear of failure all writers experience by addressing the dream of making a living as a writer and then quickly smothering that dream with the doubts that creep up at the mere thought of it:

So, who knows? Maybe the doubters are right. Maybe you are naive to think you could earn a living doing something you love, instead of something you just tolerate.

The fear of failure is painful, yes. But giving voice to it is validating and makes readers eager for the solutions that will set that fear free.

Introduction Rule #5. Hint at the Promised Land

Finally, as you wrap up your intro, hint at the promised land.

The place readers will get to when they master your methods. The destination your post promises to take them.

But whatever you do, do not give it all away. Just one sentence that says too much satisfies your readers enough to send them clicking away.

Because readers bore easily. You must keep them on their toes.

And the key point of an introduction is not to give answers, it’s to set the stage for all the hearty advice your post will provide.

In the introduction to Meera Kothand’s post, she addressed a problem all new bloggers face: How do you get to know your audience when you don’t have one yet ?

She goes on to talk about the big mistake many of them make (making assumptions) and why that’s ineffective. Then, she uses the simplest phrase to hint at a solution:

That kind of guessing is like throwing darts blindfolded and hoping you hit the bull’s eye. Sometimes it works. Usually, it doesn’t. Fortunately, there’s another way…

How could anyone not want to keep reading?

How to Write an Introduction: Bonus Tip

When writing an introduction, try drafting two completely different versions approached from different angles and triggering different emotions.

Doing so will highlight the techniques and emotions that work best for both your audience and the content of your post.

A word of caution:

No matter how eloquent your words…

No matter how powerful your prose…

If your introduction doesn’t satisfy search intent, readers will click the “back” button and never return.

What’s search intent?

It’s the purpose behind the Google search.

If someone searches for “how to lose weight” in Google, they’re expecting search results that will help them lose weight.

If they click a headline that reads “7 Easy Tips For Losing Weight Fast”, and the post begins with an amusing Nicolas Cage anecdote, there’s a good chance they will leave — never getting to read the rest of the post, which is filled with weight loss wisdom.

And when they leave, what they’re essentially telling Google is this:

“At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

And Google will respond by ranking your post lower in its search results.

Search intent is a big part of SEO (search engine optimization). When we do keyword research here at Smart Blogger, figuring out the relevant keyword phrase’s intent is one of the first things we do. It shapes our headline, meta description, introduction, word count, and more.

The ins and outs of mastering it would be an article all by itself, so we’ll simply say this:

Taking the time to analyze the results in Google so you have a solid handle on why people enter the particular query your blog post will be targeting is time well spent. Figure out the intent, and then make sure your intro matches it.

3. Deliver Advice That’s Easy to Consume and Impossible to Ignore

Okay, you’re doing great.

You got readers to click on your headline, you lured them down the page with your intro, and now it’s time to deliver on all that you’ve promised.

If you want readers to love you and look forward to every good blog post you write, you’ll over-deliver.

If you want them to take a quick look and vanish for good, you’ll under-deliver.

The choice is yours.

Use the guide below to deliver valuable and easy-to-consume advice:

Content Rule #1. Add Pitstops

Subheads — use them.

Why? Because readers are scanners.

They have no choice. There’s a behemoth amount of content at their fingertips, and not all of it is good.

And so they scan (as do you, I’m sure).

Subheadings are your chance to prove to readers that you have valuable content. To keep luring them back into your post, when their instinct is to leave.

Blogging is a battle, remember?

Keep these four tips in mind when drafting your subheads:

#1. Add a Subhead Every Few Paragraphs

Sprinkle subheaders throughout your post.

Why? Because they gently guide readers along the route your post is heading, making their experience feel clear, easy and enjoyable.

And never forget, your blog posts are all about your readers’ experience.

If readers see too much text when they’re scanning without enough pit stops, they’ll feel overwhelmed. It’s like getting on a bus tour and being told there will be no bathroom breaks … oh, the anxiety!

Every single post on Smart Blogger.

That’s how important this is.

#2. Avoid the 3 Subhead Blunders That Make Readers Bounce

Subheads have the same function as headlines; they must make readers curious so they keep reading. So you should follow similar rules when drafting them and avoid the following common blunders :

• The Plain Label Subhead:  In case it bears repeating, never bore your readers. Labels are boring. Treat your subheads like mini-headlines and make sure they invoke curiosity.
• The Spoiler Subhead: Don’t give away too much in your subhead. If you do, readers will feel no compulsion to read the rest of your text.
• The Cryptic Subhead: Don’t try to be too clever. Readers don’t like to play guessing games. Adding curiosity should never come at the expense of clarity.

Let’s say you’re writing a post about the impact sleep has on anxiety levels and you include the following subheads:

• The Importance of Sleep
• Creating a Steady Sleeping Routine Will Reduce Anxiety
• Refuse the Roast and Catch More Z’s

See how the first subhead is way too plain, the second gives too much away, and the third, well, it probably made no sense to you, right?

The subheads below would do a better job at grabbing readers:

• The Easiest Way to Reduce Daily Anxiety
• How to Beat Anxiety Without Resorting to Medication
• The One Thing You Must Avoid to Sleep Better

#3. Compare Each Subhead to Your Main Headline

Each subhead should clearly deliver on the overall headline of your post.

Again, if you’re viewing subheads as pit stops, they must all lead to the ultimate destination — what was promised by your headline.

If the subheads get off track and move away from that destination, readers are left feeling lost and confused.

In that case, either the subheads need to change or the headline needs rethinking.

Say you’re writing a post called “How to Silence Your Nagging Inner Critic” and you include the following subheads:

• Observe Your Thoughts
• Prove Yourself Wrong
• Ask Yourself This Powerful Question
• Bravely Quit Your Day Job

The fourth subhead’s sudden twist in topic is jarring. It does not deliver on the overall headline, which had nothing to do with your day job.

Perhaps you intended all along for the post to be about not letting doubts stop you from following your dreams and quitting your day job, but readers scanning subheads will not understand that.

They will simply feel confused.

#4. Follow a Format

If you are listing various “ways,” “steps,” “methods,” “signs,” etc., to achieve what the headline of the post promises, keep the format consistent.

If you don’t, the post comes across as unpolished. Bloggers overlook this all the time, but it’s easy to fix once you’re aware of it.

If you separate your subheads from the post and list them back to back, you can see if any stray from the course.

Say your post is called “12 Ways to Cure Insomnia” and you have a subhead for each of the 12 ways. You’ll want those subheads to follow a consistent format.

Let’s say your first few subheads read as follows:

• Exercise Every Morning
• Avoid Caffeine Like the Plague
• Wake Up at the Same Time Everyday
• There is Nothing More Sleep-Inducing Than Nighttime Meditation

Something there feel a little off?

The first three subheads start with an action verb instructing readers what to do. They are also fairly consistent in length.

But then the fourth subhead suddenly changes the format and breaks the flow. It doesn’t start with a verb and it’s much longer than the others.

This inconsistency may seem fairly innocent, but it’s distracting to readers.

Content Rule #2. Unleash the Unexpected

Let’s face it, readers today are info-holics. We all are.

So tired old advice isn’t going to cut it. Your post must be unique, bold, and eye-opening.

My advice? List each main point and see if you can add a unique perspective, experience, or twist to them. Something readers aren’t expecting.

What belief systems have you learned to challenge? What do you know that most people don’t? How can you shed new light on an old problem? What methods do you use that others won’t know about?

You don’t want to go overboard just for the sake of adding shock value. Your advice must be authentic and truly helpful. But regurgitating old advice doesn’t challenge you as a writer, nor does it enlighten your audience.

So pour your readers a little espresso for their info-hangover by delivering the unexpected.

Countless articles have been written about blogging, but how many have called you out for being dumb or told you to replace your friends?!

Jon does just that by knocking you over the head with some hard truth bombs about what it takes to make it as a blogger .

Content Rule #3. Follow a Formula

Notice how this post follows a pretty consistent formula?

Each section is relatively similar in length. Every subhead follows a pattern. Each section ends with an example.

The more consistency you weave into your posts, the better the reader’s experience.

Let’s say you write a list post covering five steps to achieve something. If the first step is 500 words, the second and third steps are 100 words, the fourth step is 200 words and the fifth step is 400 words, it looks sloppy. As though you didn’t bother to proofread it before hitting publish.

Your readers deserve the best, and minor details like this matter as they affect the fluidity of their experience.

Want to go even more pro? Look at the beginning, middle, and end of each section you write, and create a guiding formula. Perhaps you start each section with a bold statement or personal experience. Then you flesh out your advice in the middle. And then you end each section with a one-sentence call to action.

The more formulas you add to your posts, the easier they are to write and the more they look like polished works of art.

In his post on getting traffic from Twitter , Brian Honigman uses hashtags for each subhead, each section is consistent in length, and each includes a graphic.

Readers know exactly what to expect from each section, making for a fluid reading experience.

Content Rule #4. Be Ridiculously Generous

Many bloggers worry about giving away too much in their posts. After all, they want readers to sign up for their paid coaching calls or products.

So they hold back, barely skimming the surface of their advice.

Truthfully, if you’re not generous with your readers in your posts, they won’t get a good impression of your paid products.

Don’t hold back on your readers.

Fully work through the problem with them. Give them complete solutions and powerful advice. Wow them with your generosity and they will stick around as loyal readers and customers.

Want to learn everything there is to know about affiliate marketing ?

Holy smokes. At 10,000 words, that insanely generous post by Leanne Regalla is basically a textbook on the subject, and reader comments praise it as such. (Let’s all bookmark this one, yes?)

A post of this magnitude is quite an undertaking, but don’t let it scare you. You can also wow your audience with your generosity and thoughtfulness in a 1,000-word post.

Content Rule #5. Start and End Strong

Just as your introduction and conclusion should grab readers, you want the main body of your post to start and end strong as well.

Of course, every section should have great content , but if you’re offering five ways to achieve something, save your absolute best tips for the first and fifth ways. The first way will grab your readers’ attention, and the fifth way will leave them feeling fully satisfied.

On the other hand, if each tip successively decreases in value, readers will feel like your post is deflating. And their excitement will deflate with it.

Let’s leave readers feeling pumped when they finish your post.

Linda Formichelli gives ten crafty ways to write 1,000 words per hour .

While all ten ways are excellent, I’d argue that the first (about writing under the pressure of a full bladder) and last (about gambling with your reputation) are the most bold and attention-grabbing (bathroom break, anyone?).

Writing a Blog Post: Bonus Tip

Before writing the main sections of your post, flesh out a blog post outline to nail each key point.

The clearer and more simplified your blog post outline is, the more clarity and conviction your post will have.

4. Close with a Motivational Bang

We’re almost at the finish line! It’s time to close your post with a bang.

This is where you rally behind your readers. Show them that you believe in them.

Make them believe they can achieve the goal promised by your headline (because after reading your generous advice, they certainly can).

Follow these rules when crafting your motivational conclusion:

Conclusion Rule #1. Give Your Readers a Pep Talk

Motivate your readers.

Show them how far they’ve come, what they’re capable of, and what life will look like once they’ve implemented your advice.

Give them the pep talk you longed for when you were struggling with the topic your post presents.

Empower them by raising your expectations of them. They can’t just read your post and pretend it never happened — they must take action. Immediately.

Make them see that no matter what they’ve experienced or how hard they’ve struggled, their time is now.

In this post’s conclusion , Jon uses all he’s had to overcome in life to show readers that they have no excuses: no matter hard things get, they can accomplish anything they set their minds to.

He encourages readers by letting them know that he believes in them and then he raises his expectations of them by telling them they need to get started … “right freaking now.”

By the time you’re done reading the conclusion, you feel like you can conquer just about anything!

Conclusion Rule #2. Avoid New Information

A common mistake many bloggers make?

Suddenly inserting new information or tips in their conclusions.

It’s like reaching the last ten minutes of a spellbinding movie. You’re on pins and needles waiting to see how it ends, and suddenly a new character is introduced. What the … ?!

It’s jarring. Don’t do that to your readers.

In his conclusion, Robert van Tongeren motivates you to repurpose old blog posts by comparing them to epic musical classics; if they disappeared into obscurity simply because they’re old, we’d all be at a great loss.

Imagine if in the midst of such a conclusion, Robert quickly threw in one more way to repurpose content, or one small caveat to his post’s advice, or one more general tip to keep in mind?

It would throw the whole closing off and leave readers feeling ruffled instead of jamming to Bohemian Rhapsody.

How to Write a Conclusion: Bonus Tip

When writing your conclusion, put yourself back in the shoes of your potential readers.

What will their lives be like if they accomplish the advice in your post? How will they feel?

The more you can hone in on your readers’ point of view, the more you can motivate them to take action.

Too many bloggers put too little thought into their closings.

That’s a shame.

Let’s face it…

Most people don’t read 100% of our posts. Heck, most people don’t even read half .

So how do we reward the precious few who read and absorbed the words we poured our heart and soul into?

With a closing we whipped together in 20 seconds.

Someone who makes it to the end of your post is primed.

They trust you. They like you. They want you to tell them what to do next.

So tell them.

Don’t waste this opportunity.

5. Polish Your Post So It’s Smoother Than a Slip ‘n Slide

Phew! You’ve written your post . Next up?

Take a well-deserved break. Step away for a day or more so you can come back to it with fresh eyes.

Once you’re ready, it’s time to do some editing. I know, the mind reels that there’s more work to do!

But editing your post is essential. If your post doesn’t provide a smooth reading experience, your reader will lose attention and bail.

Use this checklist when you’re ready to edit your post:

• Take a Knife to It. Slash all unnecessary words, sentences, paragraphs, stories, etc. Include only what is absolutely essential to convey your message. Nothing more.
• Motivate, Don’t Lecture. Tweak any statements that hint of being the condescending professor. Make readers feel like you’re on their side and dedicated to their success (because you are).
• Add Emotion. Infuse your writing with passion , energy, and enthusiasm. If you’re bored by your blog topic, readers will be too.
• Make it Easy on the Eye. Break up any large paragraphs (2–5 sentences maximum is your goal) and run-on sentences.
• Break it Down. Clarify overly complicated wording. If you can’t say it simply, don’t write it. You don’t want to confuse your readers.
• Speak Their Language. Add examples or metaphors to make complex ideas feel more tangible and easier to digest.
• Check Yourself. Remove any contradictory statements or repetitive ideas (trust me, they’re there).
• Don’t Yo-Yo. Ensure each sentence, paragraph and section drives the post forward toward the destination promised by the headline (no side routes or backtracking).
• Be Smooth. Make each sentence and paragraph flow seamlessly into the next. Each sentence should be completely dependent on the ones before and after it or the transitions will feel choppy.
• Avoid Sharp Turns. Adjust any abrupt changes in topic. They’re jarring to readers.
• Keep It Real. Don’t mimic styles that don’t come naturally to you. The more you write, the more you’ll find your authentic writing voice.
• Add Highlights. Use bold and italics to add stress where appropriate (but do so sparingly).
• Shoot Bullets. Use bullet points to group related topic ideas and make them more digestible.
• Spark the Senses. Be specific and concrete (describe things readers can see, feel, hear, smell or taste). Avoid abstract statements.
• Be Firm. Avoid words like “might,” “may,” “possibly” and “perhaps” when delivering your advice.
• Give Some Eye Candy. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Add relevant images, screenshots, and infographics to your blog content.
• Respect Nature. Put things in their natural order (e.g., past to present, young to old, small to large, breakfast to dinner, etc.).
• Be Consistent. Make sure all points in a list belong to the same category; a list of steps should only list steps, a list of things should only list things, etc. This might sound like common sense, but this rule gets broken often.
• Don’t Be Lazy. Ensure all the necessary information is contained within the post itself. (External links should only provide supplemental information. A reader shouldn’t have to click a link to comprehend your post.)
• Kill the Weak. Eliminate weak and flabby words. Replace weak verbs (e.g., “she went”) with more concrete, visceral verbs (“she walked”), replace passive voice (e.g., “he was pushing”) with active voice (e.g., “he pushed”) and replace weak adjectives (e.g., “good”) with strong adjectives (e.g., “wonderful”).
• Feel the Beat. Be mindful of the pace and rhythm of each section. Speed things up or add some punch with crisp, short sentences. Slow things down with longer explanations. Good writing uses both .
• Do the Obvious. Fix any typos, spelling mistakes, or grammar mistakes (you can use grammar checkers like Grammarly and Hemingway App ).
• Be Honest. Give credit where due.

How to Edit a Blog Post: Bonus Tip

A great way to self-edit your posts is to read them out loud.

Doing so will help you catch many of the issues listed above, particularly things like overly complicated wording, run-on sentences and choppy rhythm.

Win the Battle for Your Reader’s Attention

Blogging is a battle.

A war to get your ideas the attention they deserve.

Your enemy? The dizzying array of online distractions that devour your readers’ attention.

This battle is not for the faint of heart.

Along your blogging journey, there are so many learning curves. Blogging platforms and plugins you’ll need to install. Social media networks you’ll need to employ. Content marketing techniques you’ll need to try.

But none of that stuff matters if you’re drowning your ideas in amateur writing. You might as well lay your sword down in defeat. Readers don’t have time for amateurs.

So before you venture any further down the blogging rabbit hole, you better make sure you know how to write a blog post like a pro.

Skip that step, and nothing can save you. Your battle is lost.

The good news is, writing good blog posts is a skill you can learn. And it’s one you must learn.

You have powerful words and ideas that can transform readers’ lives. Those ideas are worth fighting for.

So when you’re ready to enter the arena, arm yourself with this ultimate guide and fight the good fight.

Your readers are counting on you.

Content Marketing

Liz Careathers

The ultimate toolkit for becoming one of the highest-paid writers online. Premium training. Yours for free.

Written by Liz Careathers

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How to write a blog post: A step-by-step guide from preparation to publication

Writing a successful blog post all comes down to the proper preparations. It starts before you even begin writing: what do you want to say and to whom do you want to say it? You might want to get going right away but remember: writing takes some time. And once you’ve written an awesome blog post, you’ll need to invest time in promoting it and keeping the content up to date. Today, we’ll cover all you need to do to write a successful blog post, from the first inception, to long after publication. So let’s dive right in!

Before we get going with our step by step guide, have a quick look at this image that depicts the three phases of a proper writing process: 

In total, there are 6 steps you should take when writing and publishing a blog post. Does this sound a bit overwhelming? Don’t worry, at the end of this post, you’ll find a practical (and downloadable) checklist with an overview of these steps!

What is the purpose of your post?

What is the main message of your post, who are your readers, what information do you need.

• What's the best way to structure your text?

Step 2: Write your blog post!

Optimize your post for the search engines, don’t forget to add images, add categories and tags, optimize for social media, share your post on social media, internal linking to a new post from other posts, include posts in the newsletter, repost on social media.

• Analyze the post's performance

Optimize where necessary

More internal linking, practical checklist, step 1: preparation.

Let’s say you’ve taken a good look at your keyword research and decided upon a topic for your next blog post. Don’t start typing just yet. First, it’s time to prepare the post! That means you have to answer a few questions. And trust me, answering these questions will definitely help you write a great blog. So, let’s have a look at the questions you should ask yourself:

Before you start writing, you should first take some time to think about why you’re writing and what you want to achieve with this specific article. Articles can have different purposes:

• You can write because you want to persuade people. You want to convince them to buy your product or adopt your ideas. 
• The aim of your article could also be to entertain and amuse people. A column is a good example of an entertaining text. 
• Your blog or article could also be informative . In this case, you want to share knowledge about a certain topic. 

Different articles on your website can have different purposes. A blog can be informative as well as entertaining. In any case, it’s important to think about the purpose of your article because it will give you a direction to follow. An article that intends to persuade people should be written differently than an article with a solely informative or amusing function. 

Read more: Why the purpose of your text is important for SEO »

You should also think about what you want your readers to know or take away after they’ve read your text. We refer to this as the message of your text.

For example

If you want to write a post about the importance of well-structured texts, the central question of the post could be: ‘Why is it important to write well-structured blog posts?’

The message of a post about the importance of well-structured texts could be: ‘It is important to write a well-structured text because it will allow people to understand your text better, it will lead to higher conversions and higher rankings.’

In order to formulate your message, you could try to phrase a question which your text should answer. We refer to such a question as the central question of a text. And the text you write should give an answer to your central question. So make sure that your central question is clear. Try to come up with a summarized answer to your central question in one or two sentences. This summarized answer is the message of your article. 

We usually put the message in the introduction of the post (where you tell readers what the post is about) as well as in the conclusion of the piece. Making your message explicit is, in our opinion, especially important in web texts. It helps readers to instantly grasp the message of your article and increases the likelihood people will keep reading.

Ideally, you already thought about the kind of audience you want to reach when you started your website. But it never hurts to remind yourself before writing your text. So, take some time to think about the people you are writing for. Make sure you adapt your text to them and adjust the difficulty level of the information in your article as well as the difficulty of your style (use of jargon, long sentences etc.). A good rule of thumb is to keep things readable and accessible to reach a wider audience .

In some cases, all the information you need to write your text is already in your head. For example, if the chef of a local Italian restaurant wants to write a blog post about the types and uses of pasta, they probably don’t need to open any books. But if they want to write an elaborate culinary history about 500 years of Italian cuisine, they might need some other sources. So, determine whether you need sources (the internet, books, newspapers) to get the information you need for your text. 

You should take the central question of your piece and come up with a number of sub-questions you want to answer. Find and formulate answers to all your sub-questions using your sources (books, the internet, scientific articles, etc.). This will provide you with the basis of your post or article.

After this phase, you might want to make some adjustments to the (central) message of your article. Take some time to phrase or rephrase your message (the summarized answer to your central question) to make it entirely clear.

What’s the best way to structure your text?

The final step in the preparation process is the most important one. You have to decide how you’ll structure the information you want to communicate to your readers. If you don’t think about this beforehand, odds are your text will lack a logical order and will be hard to follow for your audience. A proper text structure is also important for SEO . Not sure how to begin? This post offers practical tips to create a decent structure .

At this point, you’ll have all the information you need and an outline of the subjects you want to discuss in your blog post. And yes, this means it’s finally time to start writing. So get going! And don’t worry, your text doesn’t have to be perfect yet. You can edit things later on.

Try to stick to the structure you decided on and make sure your tone and style are in line with the audience you want to reach. Also, you don’t have to write your blog post from start to end. Feel free to switch between paragraphs, and skip hard bits to get back to later on. Whatever feels most natural to you!

Keep reading: SEO Copywriting: The ultimate guide »

Step 3: Correcting, editing and optimizing

Once you’ve put everything on (digital) paper, it’s time for the editing phase. Now, you should look more closely at your text and smooth out weird sentences and errors. This means checking for mistakes on a sentence and paragraph level, and also evaluating whether the structure of your blog post actually makes sense. If you’re not an experienced writer, it can be very helpful to use online spell checks or to ask someone you know to read your text. Another pair of eyes has a fresh perspective on your text and can, therefore, spot mistakes much more easily.

Optimizing for search engines should, of course, be a big part of preparing your post for publication. For example, it’s important to check the distribution of your keywords, meta description and the readability of your text. As you know, the Yoast plugin offers a lot of help with this step! Check out the SEO analysis tool , and our post on how to optimize your blog post .

Step 4: Practicalities before publishing

Before you send your new masterpiece into the world, there are a few more things to do to improve your post’s chances to do well: 

Images are an invaluable addition to (almost) every blog post. So before publishing your post, you need to add at least one quality image and make sure your images are optimized . Some bloggers prefer to create photos and images before they start writing their texts. Others prefer to first write and then find the correct images. Whether you use stock photos or create your own graphics, make sure you have at least a header image that can also be shared on social media. In Yoast SEO Premium, there is a social preview where you can see what it looks like when your post is shared on Facebook or Twitter. Here, you can also set a different social image if desired.

Categories and tags provide an extra layer of structure for your site, so you really need to give some thought to how you use those. As you’re preparing your blog post, it’s easy to forget to add the right taxonomies. So check whether you’ve done that before you hit the publish button!

Not only can you set your own social image in Yoast SEO Premium, you can also write a different description for Facebook and Twitter than for Google. People who find you through Facebook often have a different connection with you than those who find you through Google. Make sure the description resembles that! 

If Pinterest is a platform that’s relevant to your blog, you should design a Pinterest image before you launch your post. This image should have a ratio of 2:3, which means it’s vertical. Good to know: Pinterest has a scheduling feature, which means you can schedule your pin before publishing the post. Just make sure you put the correct publishing URL in!

Read on: 10 tips to streamline your blog content workflow »

Step 5: After publishing your post

After publishing your blog post, you can either sit back and hope people will pick up your newest masterpiece or you can take action to draw attention to your new post. It’s time to make some noise and get the story out there!

Although social media are designed to keep users on their platforms, your followers love hearing from you. Especially if you write for your social audience, it’s important to post your blog posts on your social media accounts. There are plugins that push your blog posts to social media as soon as you hit publish, but you could also do this yourself.

And although Pinterest isn’t a social medium but a visual search engine, we’ll discuss it here as well. While Google finds out about your new blog post through crawling and sitemaps, Pinterest doesn’t. So, if you want your content on Pinterest, you need to actually tell Pinterest you have a new post by posting to the platform. So if you have not used the scheduler or want to place your pins on more boards, now is the time to do so!

Are you aware of the importance of site structure? To improve your post’s chances to rank, you should add internal links. Int e rnal links are links that are in your text, which tell Google all about context. It’s important to link to your blog post. While writing your post, you most likely already linked to other posts you’ve written. After publishing, make sure you check which blog posts could have a link to your new post and add those links immediately. 

Step 6: A while after publishing your blog post

To make sure your blog posts don’t disappear in the large sea of content out there, it’s important to keep working on promoting and improving them even after they’ve been published for a while. 

A lot of businesses maintain a newsletter. If you send out a newsletter, you have to decide if you are going to share all your recent blog posts, or will only share your funniest or most informative ones. You can share your newest blog post in today’s newsletter. And if it’s still relevant six months from now, or you’re doing a themed newsletter, you can include it again. The bottom line is: If the content is still relevant, it won’t matter if the article is one week or one month old.

You shared your blog post on social media right after you published it, but that doesn’t mean you cannot republish it again after a few months! The same goes for the newsletter. Of course, don’t overdo it, but you can certainly reshare something 6 months after you first shared it. You can even decide to use another social image or another introduction text to give the social media post a different look.

Analyze the post’s performance

After a month or so, you can start to analyze your post’s performance. This is something you need to do regularly, for instance, every three months. You should look at Google Analytics and check Google Search Console to see how people find your blog post, but also whether you’re ranking for the keywords you want to rank for and if you should create more posts surrounding the subject or make the blog post even more in-depth. 

SEO is an ongoing process. One month, you may rank #1 for a keyword, while the next month your competitor has created a better piece and starts ranking first. And did you know that search intent for a keyword can change over time? In short, you should periodically revisit your blog post with the data you have collected, then optimize where necessary. 

Check what your competition does better than you and decide whether you want to optimize. Do you feel it’s worth your time to improve a post if you dropped from first to second place? Optimizing could mean you need to focus more on things like link building , or Schema . Check what your competitors do that you don’t. Don’t copy, but learn from them.

While updating and optimizing your content, it might be a good idea to work from a copy of the original post. This makes it possible to work on your update without bothering visitors with work that’s half-done. By using the Yoast Duplicate Post plugin , you can clone the original post. Simply edit this clone to your heart’s content, then copy the content over to the original post once you are done.

Ideally, you already worked on your internal linking when you just published your post. If you did and kept an eye on it over time, then you can skip this step. If not, you probably need to work on your internal linking again! Use the orphaned content filter in Yoast SEO Premium to see which articles need some attention regarding internal linking.

To keep track of what you need to do to write and publish a perfect blog post, we created a checklist. You can print it out and keep it with you as a cheat sheet when you’re preparing, writing, and fine-tuning your text. We even added some empty checkboxes so you can add extra steps if we didn’t cover something you consider absolutely necessary! Download the free checklist here!

Writing a blog post can be a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. You need to invest time in preparing and writing your blog post. And once it’s written, it’s important that you make sure it gets the attention it deserves by sharing and improving your text. This might seem like a lot, but in the end, you’ll see your content consistently perform well. And trust us, it will be worth it!

Keep on reading: SEO copywriting: The ultimate guide »

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Marieke was Head of Strategy and former CEO at Yoast. During her time at our company she wrote a lot. Topics that she loves writing about include SEO copywriting, site structure and readability.

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Love this article! Perfect for a new blogger starting out – thank you

WEBSITE ESSENTIALS

How to write a blog post: a step-by-step guide

• Cecilia Lazzaro Blasbalg
• 16 min read

Get started by: Creating a website → | Getting a domain →

When you create a blog , you have the opportunity to dive deep into your favorite topics, highlight your expertise and build a community of readers interested in your work. Whether you want to learn how to make a website and blog from scratch, or make blogging part of your business strategy, publishing content online is an effective way to share your knowledge and ideas with the world.

That said, composing a winning entry takes practice. In this A-to-Z guide, you’ll learn how to write the perfect blog post—from choosing the right blog topics and picking the proper format for your articles, to selecting strategic images that generate interest and engagement. By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll have a clear idea of how to create strong blog content that effectively communicates your ideas and stands out from other articles on the web, other types of websites and within the blogosphere .

As bloggers ourselves, we've learn a thing or two about writing blog posts over the years. Sharing the knowledge and experience to other bloggers is important to us. Blogging can be a powerful tool for personal and professional growth, both for an individual and a business. We know how impactful it can be and it all starts with the blog post or posts that you write. Every blogger writes their posts differently and has a different process for planning and writing them. But there are some tips we have in mind, that can help everyone delving into the world of blogging.

Ready to get blogging? Get started with Wix today.

What is a blog post?

A blog post is a piece of content published on a blog, typically consisting of text, images, videos or other multimedia elements. Blog posts cover a wide range of topics and can vary in length and format. They are often informal, conversational and engaging, providing information, insights, opinions or entertainment to the blog's audience. Blog posts can serve various purposes, including educating, entertaining, inspiring or promoting discussion.

How to write a blog post in 13 steps

Brainstorm blog topics

Refine your topic with keyword research

Define your audience

Create an organized outline

Write engaging content

Craft an irresistible headline

Choose a blog template

Select a blog domain name

Pick relevant images

Implement calls-to-action

Optimize for SEO

Edit and publish your blog post

Promote the final article

01. Brainstorm blog topics

When writing a blog post, whether you're guest posting for someone else or writing for your own blog, you’ll want to cover topics that bring value to your readers and fall in line with their interests, as well as your own. Rather than trying to find the perfect topic right away, start by jotting down different ideas that come to mind.

There are several places you can look to spark new topic ideas:

Browse other blogs within your niche with competitor analysis . If you’re starting a travel blog , for example, simply Google “travel blog” to see what your competitors are writing about.

Use AI tools at your disposal to generate topic ideas

Use Google Trends to find out which topics are trending.

Look for current events and recent news stories related to your field.

Find out what people enjoy learning about by browsing online courses on Udemy , Skillshare and LinkedIn Learning .

Once you find some interesting ideas online, think about the unique ways you can approach those topics. Consider the various ways you can play around with topic ideas to come up with something that isn’t only trendy and relevant, but that’s also original and fresh. You'll also need to consider making sure your blog post is up to date and this will mean including relevant data and statistics related to the topic.

Let’s say, for instance, that you want to write about chocolate chip cookies. There are a few different angles you might consider taking here based on your target audience and potential for website traffic :

A how-to post that instructs readers how to do something with clearly ordered steps (e.g., “How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch”)

A curated list that offers a set of recommendations for your readers (e.g., “The Top Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes”)

A tips and advice post that provides expert guidance and resources. (e.g., “Tips for Making Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies Extra Gooey”)

A definition-based blog post that helps explain the meaning of a term or topic (e.g., “What Are No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies?”)

A top trends article that highlights what’s currently popular (e.g., “The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes From This Year”)

A personal or business update that lets you unveil something fresh or recently unknown (e.g., “My New Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Revealed”)

Get brainstorming with these best blog ideas , and check out our professional guide on how to start a blog for more helpful tips. You can also consider those close to you for feedback on your ideas, or branch out to a wider audience and get their thoughts.

02. Refine your topic with keyword research

Part of writing a blog post involves keyword research. This crucial SEO practice is used as a marker to see which terms you can potentially rank high for in certain online searches.

Once you’ve chosen a direction for your blog post, and before you get started with the writing process, you’ll need to figure out the chances of its success on search engine result pages—which ultimately means getting more eyes on your content. In order to succeed, conduct keyword research to find the most relevant queries for your topic.

You can find keywords for your own articles by using various keyword research tools. If you’re new to blogging, you’ll probably want to start with free tools such as Ubersuggest and Google Keyword Planner . Afterwards, you may want to upgrade to more advanced tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs .

While conducting keyword research, keep in mind that the more specific the phrase, the more closely it will match your audience’s intent. On the other hand, broader keywords tend to have higher search volumes—meaning more people are searching for them each month.

Think about the benefits of opting for a broader phrase, like “chocolate chip cookies,” over a more precise phrase, like “how to make chocolate chip cookies.” Choosing the right keywords means striking a balance between high search volume and high intent.

Once you’ve selected your keywords, you can use them to shape the structure of your content. Google those phrases to find out which articles have successfully targeted those same keywords, and spend some time browsing their content. This will give you inspiration for your own article in terms of what to include and how to structure it. Don't forget to also tap into your own experience as an entrepreneur or writer, when choosing what to write about.

03. Define your audience

Now that you know what you’ll be writing about , you need to find out who you’re writing for . Anticipating the kinds of people who will be reading your posts will help you create content that is interesting, engaging, full of relevance and shareable.

Of course, your audience largely depends on your type of blog . If you run a baking blog, you’ll probably be writing for an audience of people who love baking and are seeking recipe inspiration. Even more specifically, if you run a healthy baking blog, you’ll be writing for people who similarly love baking but who want to make their culinary creations healthier. It’s important to keep these nuances in mind when crafting your content, since your goal is to write articles that resonate strongly with readers.

So, how do you figure out your audience in the first place? Start by taking another look at the other blogs in your field. Consider who they seem to be writing for, and the kinds of assumptions they’re making about their readers’ interests and lifestyles. For example, you might find that most of the blogs address a particular gender or age group.

You can also use online forums to find the main questions asked by your audience, or visit Facebook groups to read what topics they like or talk about. This will help you create content that piques their interest, sparks their curiosity and answers their questions.

Whether you're starting a book blog , a fashion blog, travel blog or something else—defining your audience should come first.

04. Create an organized outline

The key to learning how to write a blog post is doing thorough research and planning before you create the article itself. After deciding on the topic and blog format , you’ll need to build the mold for your content. Creating an outline is critical, as it ensures your article will have a strong foundation that you can build on as you write your blog post.

Start by creating subheadings, which are the backbone of an organized outline, under which your paragraphs of text will sit. These small but mighty pieces of content help you break down your article into bite-sized sections, making it easier for you to write and more digestible for people to read.

If it’s a step-by-step guide or a list of tips, start building your outline by listing out all the main points clearly, as in the example below:

Outline: How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies from Scratch

1. Gather your ingredients

2. Mix and knead the dough

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

4. Scoop mounds of dough onto baking sheet

5. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Add bulleted notes within your introduction and under each of your subheadings. This will help you formulate your main points.

If you find yourself getting stuck, use one of these blog post templates to guide you through the outline process.

05. Write engaging content

Turning something you love and know a lot about into blog posts is a great strategy to attract readers: they’ll come for the knowledge, but they’ll stay for your authentic outlook and first-hand experiences.

Hanna Kimelblat , Blogger and Growth Marketing Expert at Wix

Now that you’ve sketched out the blog post, you can begin typing away (or, use AI to write your blog posts ). Keep in mind that blog posts, like many other types of writing, typically include three main elements: an introduction, the body text and a conclusion.

Let’s start with the introduction. In the first few sentences of your article, you should already grab your readers’ attention. Begin with a relevant quote or statistic, tell a short story, or share an interesting fact. Then, set the tone for the article by sharing a brief summary of what you’re going to talk about in the body text. This gives your readers a reason to keep going.

Next, fill in the body text. In your outline, these are the bullet points beneath each subheading. This is the meat of your blog post, so it should be clear and compelling. Avoid fluff and repetition, and instead offer deep value by sharing your knowledge, research, and insights.

A concluding section isn’t always necessary—in fact, our blog rarely uses one—but it can be useful in the case of storytelling or when wrapping up a very extensive article. You can tie your main points together using a short bulleted list, or by sharing some closing thoughts in a few sentences. No matter the case, you’ll want to end on an engaging note.

At this stage you'll also want to consider your writing style, this is usually determined by your blog audience. If you're targeting a professional business crowd so you might want to consider adopting a more formal writing style; if you're writing for bakers, something more light and fun might be the best style. Within this consider your tone too, blogs, even formal business ones, are meant to open up communication and inspire conversation. Make sure your tone is relevant to your writing style and audience, but also use welcoming and inspiring language where possible.

Other important concepts to consider in your content creation process are:

Viscosity : essentially the ease with which a reader can understand and flow through a piece of text. It is akin to the "fluidity" of the writing and how smoothly the ideas and information are conveyed to the reader. High viscosity in writing implies that the text is dense, complicated, and difficult to read, while low viscosity indicates that the writing is clear, concise, and easy to comprehend.

Rhythm: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, sentence structures, and the flow of words that create a musical or harmonious quality in the text. It's the cadence and beat that give the writing a sense of movement and can make the language more engaging and memorable.

Creativity : the ability to express oneself imaginatively and inventively through the written word. It involves using one's unique perspective, original ideas, emotion, pathos and artistic flair to craft compelling stories, poems, essays, or any form of written content. Creative writing allows writers to explore their thoughts, emotions, and observations in an innovative and expressive manner. Storytelling is a huge part of writing a blog post and shouldn't be neglected.

Sentence and clause structure: fundamental elements of grammar that govern how sentences are constructed in the English language. They determine the arrangement of words (verbs, adjectives), phrases, and clauses to convey meaning and ensure clarity in communication. Understanding sentence and clause structure is crucial for effective writing and communication.

06. Craft an irresistible headline

When writing a blog post, you don’t only need strong content; you’ll also want a powerful headline . A great headline entices readers and enhances your blog design , ensuring that they actually click on your article in the first place.

Learning how to write a catchy blog title doesn’t have to be hard. All you need to do is keep the following points in mind: clarity, specificity and offering an answer or solution.

Writing a good headline also depends on how well you put yourself in the shoes of your audience. Use the title to promise readers that your blog post will provide valuable insight that will benefit them in some way, whether by satisfying their intellectual curiosity, teaching them something new or helping them solve a problem. This will increase the chances that they’ll click on your article and read it. Just don't go over board and remember to avoid clickbait, which is writing a hyperbole headline just to get clicks through to an article.

Here are some examples of headlines that we are quite proud of, to give you a general idea for your own content:

Create a Powerful Free Landing Page in Under an Hour

20 Best Time Management Apps to Organize Your Life

How to Design an A+ School Website (With Examples)

Make a Change: Using Photography as a Tool to Raise Awareness

If you're looking for inspiration to get started, try out this blog post title generator .

07. Choose a blog template

Writing your blog post may be your first priority, but you’ll also want to package it in an appealing way. Having an article with strong visual appeal is crucial for striking the right chord with your readers. The best way to customize your blog's design is by starting with a free blog template .

Professional designers have created all these blog layouts, and they're fully customizable to reflect your blog's messaging and tone. For inspiration, check out these blog examples to see how others have transformed these templates into beautiful, content-rich powerhouses.

If you’re writing a blog about organic ingredients, for instance, using a natural color palette on your site will set the right tone for the type of topics you’ll be writing about. This same color palette should also be used for your blog logo , as well as on your social media platforms.

08. Select a blog domain name

You should host your well-crafted blog on your domain site address in order for readers to discover it. When it comes to naming your blog , you can gather ideas from a blog name generator and see if the domain name is available.

Spend time thinking about how your blog and domain name fit in with the blog post topics you will cover. Make sure that your name reflects your blog’s persona, topic and niche.

Once you have finalized your name, choose your domain name (also referred to as a URL, for example, www.wix.com). Typically, your domain name will be the same as, or at least similar to the name of your blog.

09. Pick relevant images

Likewise, you should also enhance your blog post with a few great images that illustrate your main points. It’s important that your pictures add value to the subject, rather than serving as placeholders. Pay extra attention to your featured image—this will be the main visual below your blog’s title, and it’s what readers will see when they browse your articles from your blog’s homepage. Infographics are also great to insert within blog posts to reinforce key points or ket stats.

Also consider inserting videos into your blog posts, the best ones are those you've created to match the topic and intent of the video, but you can also use those from third parties, to improve the user experience and engagement rates on your articles.

With Wix, you can add a professional photo gallery to individual posts and embed your own pictures within your articles. You can also choose from an array of media content from Wix, Shutterstock and Unsplash directly within your site’s editor.

10. Implement calls-to-action

In the same way a blog is meant to inform people about specific topics, it can also be used as an important tool that motivates readers to take a certain action. This includes everything from subscribing to your blog to making a purchase.

This element is referred to as CTA, or call-to-action, and is presented as an embedded link or button that states your objective in an alluring manner. Some of the most common call-to-action examples for blogs include “Subscribe,” “Download our e-book” or “Sign up.”

Using CTAs can help you transform your website traffic into engagement and, eventually, profit. While your immediate goal is to get more readers, you may eventually want to monetize your blog further down the road.

11. Optimize for SEO

When it comes to SEO for bloggers , a strong SEO plan involves optimizing your content both before and after writing the blog post. Not only does this include doing keyword research prior to the outline phase (mentioned in step 3), but it also includes using those keywords to polish your final piece.

This begins with sprinkling relevant keywords throughout your article. Let’s say you’ve chosen to target the keyword “business strategies.” Use this exact phrase in your headline, throughout the body text and one to two subheadings if it’s a natural fit.

Next, include this keyword in your metadata. This is the preview text you’ll see for every article on Google, and it includes a title (known as the meta title) and short description (the meta description). You’ll also want to add the keywords to the URL of your article, as well as in the alt text of your blog post’s images. Use these SEO features to give your blog an overall performance boost. Lastly, and make sure you know exactly how long a blog post should be to best rank your post.

12. Edit and publish your blog post

With so many common blogging mistakes out there, you’ll need to thoroughly check your article for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, repetition and any other unprofessional content. Furthermore, make sure your ideas flow coherently throughout each section, signaling a clear and purposeful message to readers. You can read about other essential aspects of blogging in this comprehensive blog post checklist .

We recommend asking a friend or colleague to give your blog article a once over before it goes live, as part of your proofreading and fact checking process prior to publishing. Direct them to look for any discrepancies or ambiguity. It’s also important to emphasize quality over quantity in order to keep your readers interested and to establish your credibility. Then, once you’re happy with your written work, it’s time to hit publish.

13. Promote the final article

Once you’ve written and published the blog post, take the necessary steps to make sure it gets read. Two of the most effective ways to promote your blog post and get readers are email marketing and social media marketing.

Email remains one of the most reliable platforms for marketing, as it allows for a direct communication channel between you and your audience. This highly effective digital marketing strategy involves sending out customized emails to prospective users with the aim of converting them into loyal fans. If you’re interested in getting started, this powerful email marketing service can help you send custom newsletters for your blog.

Beyond emails, sharing your article on social media can also go a long way. For example, if you want to accrue a wide audience, promote your blog on Facebook or Instagram, which have one of the largest and most diverse user bases.

Whichever channels you choose, make sure to actively engage with followers on a day-to-day basis. This will ensure that you not only write a great blog post, but that you get people reading your article, too.

Looking to really get your blog off the ground? Take a look at our Build Your Own Blog online course to get you started.

How to structure a blog post checklist

Headline: clear, catchy and relevant, includes keywords where relevant for SEO

Introduction: hooks the reader, answers search intent where relevant, outline's the blogs purpose and main point

Subheadings: organizes content into digestible and readable sections, follows a logical flow

Body: provides valuable information while supporting points with examples, stats and other evidence, conversational tone

Visuals: includes relevant images, infographics or videos that enhance understanding and reader engagement

Engagement: encourages reader interaction (comments, shares)

Editing: checks for grammar and spelling errors, edited for coherence and style, fact checked

SEO: includes relevant keywords naturally, answers search intent

Readability: uses consistent font and formatting, short sentences

Links: includes internal and external links for additional context

Social sharing: includes social sharing buttons and shareable snippets of information

Review: read through the post one last time before publishing and after published

How to write a blog post FAQ

How to write my first blog post.

Writing your first blog post can be an exciting but daunting task. To make it easier follow these basic steps - choose a compelling topic, plan out your post, hook readers with a killer introduction, provide meaningful content, hone your conversational style and include visuals where you can.

What are 5 easy steps to writing a blog post?

How to write a blog post with ai, how to write a blog post as a beginner, what is a blog post example, what is the format of blog writing, what are some tools that can help with writer's block when planning blog posts, how do i make sure my blog post resonates with my audience, related posts.

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How to Write a Blog Post: A Complete Guide

By Hannah Yang

People create their own blogs about all kinds of topics, from fitness and travel to writing and publishing.

In the digital age, blogging is crucial for content marketing if you want to build an audience for your products and services. It’s also a fantastic way to use your writing skills and share knowledge about a topic you love.

So, how do you write a great blog post?

This article will give you a complete guide for how to write a blog post, including our top five tips for making your blog a success.

What Is Blog Writing?

How do i blog, how to write a blog post, top 5 tips to blog success, examples of blog writing.

Blogs are online platforms for publishing written content. Each piece of content on a blog is called a blog post.

The word blog comes from the term weblog , a now-defunct word that referred to online platforms for written content. The video equivalent of a blog is a vlog , which is short for videolog .

There are many different types of blog posts. Here are a few of the most popular categories:

• How-to blog post: gives readers a guide for how to do something
• Anecdotal blog post: shares a story from the blogger’s own life
• Listicle blog post: compiles a list of products, quotes, images, or facts
• Interview blog post: features an interview with an expert in the field
• Review blog post: assesses a book, product, or experience

Most blog posts are between 1,000–2,500 words, but there are no strict word counts for blogging. The key is to make sure your blog post is long enough to explore a topic in depth, but not so long that readers feel like you’re wasting their time.

Why Do People Blog?

Blogs can serve a variety of different purposes.

For one thing, they’re great for driving traffic toward your website, company, or brand. The more readers you attract, the more potential buyers you have.

Many companies run their own blogs, which allow them to share their expertise, engage with their fans, and market their products.

Blogs are also useful for showcasing your writing skills. If you want to make a habit of writing regularly and share your words with the world, a blog is a great way to do that.

Finally, your blog can also help you build a community of people interested in the same topics as you. If you love traveling and want to meet like-minded travelers, starting your own blog can provide a hub for them to connect with you.

The first step to start blogging is to figure out what you want your blog to be about.

On the most basic level, it’s important to establish your blog’s area of expertise. Are you writing about baking recipes, or are you writing about how to travel around the world?

Tone matters too. A reader who’s looking for a funny, conversational blog about baking recipes might hate a serious, technical blog about the same topic.

Make sure your blog’s topic is something you’re passionate about. If you don’t feel excited about your own writing, readers certainly won’t.

Next, you’ll need to choose a platform.

If you already have your own website, you can consider creating a blog within your existing website. Most web hosting softwares have options for adding a blog page.

If you don’t have a website already, you’ll need to create a new website for your blog. Some platforms, such as Squarespace and Wix, make it easy for you to create a blog using their presets, while other platforms let you build a custom site but require more technical know-how.

Most platforms let you choose from a variety of blog layouts to design your blog’s homepage. As your blog grows, you can continue customizing it to match your needs.

Alternatively, you can also publish blog posts within a platform that supports writing blog posts, such as Contently, Medium, or Tumblr. You won’t have your own website or a custom domain name, but the upside is that you might be able to reach more viewers by leveraging that site’s audience.

Once you’ve got your platform set up, it’s time to begin writing your first blog post!

Here’s our step-by-step guide for how to write a blog post.

Step 1: Choose Your Topic

You can’t start writing until you know what you’re writing about.

Start by brainstorming blog post ideas that will appeal to your target audience. What type of content does your blog promise readers, and how can you break that down into individual posts?

For example, if your blog is about video games, you might brainstorm the following five topic ideas:

• A list of the best video games released this year
• The story of the first time you ever played a video game
• A how-to guide for how to win your favorite video game
• A comparison of two similar video games
• An article about the benefits of playing video games

Keep a running list of ideas for new blog topics, so you can easily find a new one whenever it’s time to write a blog post.

You can also ask your readers and friends if they have specific topics they’d like to read about next.

Step 2: Research the Topic

It’s important to research your topic so you can write a well-informed article.

Don’t make up anything you can’t cite. All it takes is a single factual error for your readers to stop trusting you as a source of authority.

Make sure to choose reliable sources. As a starting point, you can look at government websites, the websites of well-known organizations, and articles written by experts in your field.

Finally, you can also read other blog posts on the same topic to draw inspiration.

Someone has probably blogged about this topic before because there’s nothing new under the sun—but that doesn’t mean you don’t have interesting insights to add to the conversation. See what’s already out there in the blogging world, and then figure out how to put your own spin on it.

Step 3: Craft an Attention-Grabbing Title

The internet is full of content. If you want your blog post to stand out from the crowd and hook readers in, you’ll need to choose a great headline.

Your headline needs to accurately describe what your post will be about, so you’re not misleading anyone. Nothing annoys readers more than a clickbait headline that has nothing to do with the actual article it’s describing.

Whenever possible, use specific terms instead of vague ones. For example, “How I made $12,378 in 24 Hours” will grab more attention than “How I Made a Lot of Money Today.”

Some readers are specifically looking for how-to blog posts, so you might consider writing headlines that start with “How to,” such as “How to Build Your Own Motorcycle.”

You can also consider using a question as your title, such as, “What’s the Secret Behind My Company’s Success?” This will generate readers’ curiosity, which might convince them to keep reading—but it also runs the risk of annoying loyal readers if it feels like clickbait.

Step 4: Do Some Search Engine Optimization

If you want to grow your following and make sure new readers can find your page, you can’t overlook search engine optimization, also known as SEO.

Having an SEO strategy helps your website rank higher when people search for it on search engines like Google.

Start by figuring out the search intent for your article. In other words, what are people searching for when they look up this topic online?

Then, research the SEO key terms for your blog post topic and make sure to include those keywords within your article. Understanding on-page SEO can greatly boost your blog’s success.

Step 5: Create an Outline

Creating an outline before you start drafting your blog post can help you stay on topic. It will also speed up your drafting process because you won’t have to stop to think about where you’re going next.

Start by writing the titles of your main headings. Then, add in sub-headings as needed.

Some bloggers choose to stop there because the headings provide enough of a framework for them to write their first draft. If you want to give yourself a little more guidance, you can also add a few bullet points for each section of your outline.

Once you’ve created your outline, take some time to review it and move sections around if you need to. Editing in the outline stage is much easier than editing after the drafting stage.

Here are some questions to ask yourself about your outline:

• Does your blog post have a clear beginning, middle, and end?
• Is each section clearly organized?
• Are there logical transitions between each section?
• Does your article leave the reader with a clear takeaway?

Step 6: Draft a Great Blog Post

Now that you’ve done all your research, it’s time to sit down and start writing!

You can decide what kind of writing style you want to use. A good blog post can be informative, funny, inspirational, or all three.

New bloggers often make the mistake of writing the same way they’ve written for school or for work, especially if they have great writing skills in those other environments.

But blog writing is different from writing short stories or academic essays.

Most blog readers prefer short, simple paragraphs that are easy to read. Make sure to leave white space.

Start by reading other blogs and seeing what kind of writing they use. Then, try to streamline your own writing to feel more like the styles of your favorite blogs.

Step 7: Revise and Proofread Your Blog Post

No first draft is perfect. This step is your chance to make your writing shine.

Here are some quick revision tips that can help you make a good blog post even better:

• Vary your sentence lengths
• Break down long, clunky sentences and paragraphs into shorter ones
• Avoid unnecessary repetition and redundant words

You can run your blog post through ProWritingAid, which can help you catch any lingering typos and grammar errors.

ProWritingAid’s plagiarism checker can also help you make sure you’re not stealing any ideas from other bloggers.

Step 8: Add Relevant Images

Images can serve a variety of useful functions in your blog post.

Diagrams, infographics, graphs, and charts can serve as visual aids to help you explain complex topics. For example, you might include an image to accompany each step of your how-to guide, so your readers can see what each step is supposed to look like.

If you’re writing a funny blog, you can also use images to add an element of humor. Many bloggers use memes or funny GIFs to increase reader engagement.

You can find images that are free to use online, or you can create your own images to suit the needs of each post.

Step 9: Hit “Publish”

Once you’re done with revising and proofreading your blog post, you’re ready to publish!

You should see your blog post appear on your blog after you hit the “publish” button. You can also try Googling your headline after a few days to see if your blog shows up on the first page.

Step 10: Promote Your Blog Post

The process doesn’t end once you hit “publish.” Now that your blog post is on the internet, it’s time to make sure readers can actually find it.

Start by posting about your blog on your social media accounts. You can join Facebook groups that specialize in your blog’s area of expertise.

Here are some other ways you can promote your articles:

• Start a mailing list, so subscribers are notified of each new post
• Appear on a podcast to talk about your blog
• Guest blog on someone else’s blog

Even if you follow all of the above steps, you might still write a blog post that isn’t as successful as you want it to be.

Here are five helpful tips that can make your blog more successful.

Tip 1: Identify Your Ideal Reader

It’s impossible to write something that everybody likes. A blog that tries to please everybody will probably end up pleasing nobody.

One useful tip is to envision a single ideal reader. Who would the perfect reader for your blog be? How old are they? What other blogs do they read? What are their hobbies? What social media accounts do they use? Why are they here?

Understanding your ideal reader is crucial for figuring out what topics to write about, what type of voice to write in, and any other decision that will make your blog successful.

Tip 2: Include a Call to Action

A call to action is a sentence or paragraph that asks your reader to do something specific.

Here are some examples of calls to action you might use in a blog post:

• “Like” your blog post
• Leave a comment on your blog post
• Click a link to another blog post
• Buy a product from your website
• Subscribe to your newsletter

Many bloggers overlook the importance of a call to action. It’s a great way to drive readers to engage with your blog more actively.

Another benefit of including a call to action is that you can use it as a metric when analyzing your blog’s success. For example, you can look at how many people clicked the call to action at the end of your blog post to figure out how many people read the whole thing.

Tip 3: Establish a Personal Connection

Blogging has always been an extremely personal medium for writing. Readers love the feeling of getting to know blog writers as individuals.

You can decide how much you want to follow this tip depending on your own comfort level. Some bloggers prefer not to reveal too much about who they are as individuals, which is fine, but establishing a personal connection can greatly improve your blog.

For example, what’s your own connection to the topic you’re blogging about? How did you first become interested in this topic?

Are there any vulnerabilities you can share that your audience might connect with? For example, if you’ve struggled with something that a lot of your readers might be struggling with as well, opening up about that experience can help you build a true connection.

Tip 4: Plan Your Articles in Advance

It’s useful to have a consistent posting schedule for your blog. That way, your readers will know what to expect, and they can check back in for your next post.

You can start by posting a blog article once a week. If you have capacity for more, you can scale up to twice a week.

One tip is to create a content calendar that you’ve pre-filled with the topics. That way, you don’t have to stress about what to write about next.

You can always add, remove, or rearrange topics on your content calendar as you go. Even if it’s a flexible plan, it’s still a great way to streamline your process.

Tip 5: Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

The benefit of writing your own blog is that you get to see results quickly. That makes blogging a great field for experimentation.

Look at your statistics. Which articles are getting the most views? Which ones are on Google’s front page when you search for relevant keywords?

It’s a good idea to regularly review comments on your posts to see what readers are saying. They might even bring up questions that give you ideas for future blog posts.

Try to isolate specific factors that made your articles successful and replicate them in future articles.

You can even change your blog content to see if you get better results. For example, if you’re wondering whether your readers prefer question headlines or statement headlines, try publishing a few of each and see which ones get more views.

The internet is full of amazing blogs you can read and subscribe to. (In fact, you’re reading one right now!)

If you want to start a blog, it’s a great idea to subscribe to some similar blogs, so you can get a better feel for what blog writing looks like. This will also loop you into the blogging community, so you can connect to other bloggers and share tips and tricks.

Here are some examples of popular blogs in different categories to get you started.

Blogs about writing and publishing:

• Helping Writers Become Authors by K.M. Weiland
• The Jerry B. Jenkins blog by Jerry B. Jenkins
• Count Blogula by Jenna Moreci
• Terribleminds by Chuck Wendig
• The Jane Friedman blog by Jane Friedman

Blogs about travel:

• Travels of Adam by Adam Groffman
• Y Travel Blog by Caz and Craig Makepeace
• PS I’m on My Way by Trisha Velarmino
• Hand Luggage Only by Yaya and Lloyd
• Atlas and Boots by Kia and Peter

Blogs about food:

• Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman
• Rainbow Plant Life by Nisha Vora
• Love and Lemons by Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews
• Cookie and Kate by Kathryne Taylor
• Our Food Stories by Laura Muthesius and Nora Eisermann

To find more blogs, you can go to popular blog sites, such as Wordpress or Medium, and search for the topic you’re interested in. You can search on a directory like Bloggeries or Bloglovin, which compile popular blogs to make them easier to find.

There you have it—our complete guide to writing a successful blog post.

Good luck, and happy writing!

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Hannah Yang

Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.

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Blog Examples for Beginners: How to Write Your First Blog Post

Many new bloggers struggle with creating their first piece of content. The key is to start with a simple, straightforward sample blog post that showcases your writing style and the topics you're passionate about.

Choose a subject you know well, create an outline to organize your thoughts, and then let the words flow.

Remember, your first post doesn't have to be perfect - the goal is to get comfortable with the writing process and share your unique perspective with the world.

Back in 2009, with fingers shaking, I hit publish on my very first blog post. I was fearful of what people would think. Would I get a negative comment? That left me with many questions.

It was hard enough figuring out how to start a blog , but now I had to find a way to share my thoughts consistently.

Would anyone find what I had to say valuable? Was I just contributing to the noise online? Did my message matter?

Maybe you have some of those same fears and doubts. If so, you’re in the right place. I have a simple first example of a blog post you can use. Follow these four simple steps and launch your blog to the world.

First Blog Entry Examples (with Template)

Before we get into the 4-step first blog post template, we need to answer two important questions first:

• Question 1. What tool will I use to start writing my blog posts?
• Question 2. How can I come up with a good idea to make a great post?

Where to Write Your Blog Posts

So, let’s talk about some blog writing tools you can use. It doesn’t matter where you write your blog posts as long as you have a simple repeatable process to follow. Here are six of my favorite writing tools.

1. Directly in WordPress

If your blog is powered by WordPress , you can always write your blog articles there. It keeps things easy and less complicated for you. Regardless of which writing tool you use, you’re going to need to eventually copy it into WordPress. Since you are just getting started, WordPress might be the best tool to begin with.

2. Google Docs

The nice thing about writing in Google Docs is that you have another place where your content is stored. That way if you ever lost your work , you have a backup. I also like to use Google Docs because it makes it easy to collaborate with others.

Google Docs is a great writing tool if you want to use add-on tools to make your writing easier. For example, I personally like to use two add-ons. The first one is Grammarly , which will check your grammar and spelling as you write. Even though I have an editor that combs over every blog post, it’s nice to have a built-in grammar checker as you write your draft post.

The second add-on is the SEMrush SEO Writing Assistant.

While outside the scope of this post, learning SEO (search engine optimization) is a great skill to learn as a blogger. It can give you a competitive edge over your competition. SEMrush’s add-on offers keyword suggestions I might want to include in my article to get more search engine traffic.

3. CoSchedule

I’ve been a fan of CoSchedule for a few years now. I even wrote a blog post review on my experience with it. Basically, it’s an all-in-one calendar for content, social media, email marketing, and more.

It can be a bit expensive for bloggers just starting out, but if you want to manage all of your projects in one place, it’s a great tool.

Have you heard of Kajabi ? It’s not just a blog writing tool but has many other powerful functions to support your blog business. I primarily use Kajabi to host all of my online courses, membership site, landing pages, and online store. If you want to sell digital products and build a blog, you can do both with Kajabi.

Kajabi would replace your monthly hosting cost and WordPress. Blogging for beginners on Kajabi is pretty straight forward. As you can tell from the image below, you have a title and body section. Create your headline, write your blog entry, and hit publish.

5. Microsoft Word

This is the tool of choice for many bloggers when starting out. Most people are familiar with Word since it was the tool they used to write their papers in school. One word of warning: be careful about using copy and paste into WordPress. Sometimes the formatting doesn’t transfer correctly. Always paste your text into the text side (or HTML side) and not on the visual editor.

6. Evernote

Another popular writing tool is Evernote . The benefits of Evernote are two-fold. First, you can access it online and offline. If you are flying on a plane, you can work on your blog post even without internet access. Later, your document will automatically sync with the cloud.

Secondly, you can easily share it with others. Similar to Google Drive, you can share a link to your note or notebook in Evernote and collaborate together.

Remember this. Writing your post can happen anywhere. You can start with one of the six tools mentioned above, or go with your own. It comes down to personal preference. Whatever tool helps you be consistent with your writing is what matters most.

Blog Post Ideas for Beginners

Maybe your challenge is not where to do your writing, but what to blog about . Regularly coming up with blog post topics doesn’t have to be difficult. I believe your first blog post ideas should come from a place of passion.

Set a timer for five minutes. Write out as many answers as you can think of to the following series of questions:

• Why am I starting this blog in the first place?
• Who do I most want to help?
• What lessons from my own life can I share with others?
• What are the top three to five things someone should know in my niche in order to be successful?
• How will this blog help others?

The 4-Step Blog Post Template for Your First Blog Entry

Next you want to go ahead and write your blog sample. After working with thousands of new bloggers, I’ve created a simple 4-step template to help you write your first blog post fast.

Here are a few blog introduction examples that are my favorite:

• Step 1. Create a catchy headline
• Step 2. Write the outline before you start writing
• Step 3: Edit your blog post draft
• Step 4: Promote your blog post to the world

Step 1. Create a Catchy Headline

Post titles are super important for any blogger. Treat them like newspaper headlines. A headline on a newspaper makes or breaks the sale of that paper. Your headline should be catchy, interesting, and leave just a bit of curiosity.

When it comes to deciding on a headline, choose one of the following three strategies:

• The magic of list posts
• The power of “how-to” posts
• The blog announcement post

The magic of list posts. It’s been proven over time that we love lists. We want to know not only what’s on the list but what didn’t get included. We click on the headline because we know the article is scannable and we can see what is included in the list.

Here are a few examples you can use to create your own headline:

• 5 Quick Tips for __________
• 10 Things You Should Never Do When _________
• 5 Ways to __________ (without being pushy)
• 5 great things to do with __________
• 7 ways to be a ________ ninja
• 10 Reasons Not to _____
• 7 _____ Danger Signs
• 7 things _____ Should Never Do
• 21 Secrets the _____ Experts Don’t Want You to Know
• 10 ______ Facts You Need to Know

The power of “how-to” posts . Another strategy that will give you tons of blog post ideas is to cover the most important “how-tos” in your niche. Readers love practical posts that lead them to action. It feels like time well spent if I can take concrete action on something I just learned.

A few examples might be:

• How to recover from a _____________
• How NOT to get ____________
• How to Get _____ in Half the Time
• How to Beat the Fear of _____
• How _________ Will Save You Time, Money, and Stress
• How to clean ____________
• How to maintain _____________
• How to take care of _____________
• How to repair the __________________

The blog announcement post. The last strategy I want to share with you is a post you would typically only write once. This post will be a foundational article you will refer back to for years to come.

The two early strategies (list posts and how-to posts) are the formats I use 90% of the time week in and week out. You’re welcome to start with one of them to get your first post published if you would like.

The blog post announcement post is easy enough to write because it doesn’t require much guesswork. In a moment, I will share with you a simple writing outline you can use.

As far as a headline, go with something like: “How (name of your blog) Will Help You (insert the goal, promise or purpose of your blog).”

If you are still at a loss of how to create a catchy headline, then consider using the headline analyzer tool from CoSchedule. This tool will analyze your headline and give you a score. Don’t worry about trying to score a 100 on your headline. I usually try to get at least a 70.

Step 2. Write the Outline Before You Start Writing

Many aspiring bloggers are excited until it’s time to sit down and write. Why does it feel like all of my energy and creativity gets sucked about when it’s time to write?

See Post: 4 Proven Ways of How to Start a Blog Post

Other bloggers say they just want for inspiration to strike before they sit down to write. If that was true for me, I’d be waiting a long time.

Don’t wait till you feel like writing. Most writers I know don’t like writing, they like having written . There’s a big difference. Never forget the words of Harvard psychologist Jerome Bruner who said:

“You’re more likely to act yourself into a feeling than feel yourself into action.”

If you’ve successfully accomplished the last step of deciding on a headline, it makes writing much easier. The headline creates the outline for you. Once you’ve nailed down the outline, all that’s left is to fill in the text.

Let’s look at how to create an outline from each of our three examples above.

Create an outline for your list post. If you’ve chosen a list post headline, then you must first decide how many make your list. You can do as few as three or as many as 101. It really comes down to the purpose of the post.

I usually start by opening up my writing tool of choice and brainstorming as many examples as I can think of. Once I’ve created the list, I have my number and I have my outline.

Create an outline for your how-to post . If you decided to go with a how-to post, then the process will be slightly different. First, start with a beginner’s mind. It’s easy to skip a few steps because you think they are assumed.

We all have the curse of knowledge. We simply forget what it’s like to be a beginner.

When outlining a how-to post, you want to think in terms of steps. What’s the very first step I should take? Once I complete that step, what’s next? Repeat the same process until all of the steps are out of your head and on paper (or screen).

Now, you may end up combining steps and that’s okay. A how-to post will have a minimum of three steps. The maximum number of steps depends on the topic you have chosen.

Create an outline for your blog announcement post. If you chose option number three, then there is a specific format you should follow.

WARNING : Be careful not to make your first blog post about you .

Yes, you will be introducing yourself and maybe even sharing your story. But never forget that your blog is for others. You want to help, serve, or inspire.

The good news is that I already have an outline you should follow. The body of your blog post will include these subheadlines:

• State the goal of your blog
• How this blog will help
• Who you are

The opening of your blog post should state the goal of your blog . Why are you starting this blog in the first place? Is there a mission or cause behind your desire to start this blog?

Next, talk about how your blog will help the reader. What are some of the specific ways you plan to help others? Will you be publishing a weekly blog post? Will you launch a podcast? Will your blog include videos?

Finally, fully introduce you and your story. Always remember that you are not the hero of the blog. Your target audience is the hero. You are just the guide. Because of that, we don’t lead by touting our credentials or why we are qualified to help.

Still, people will want to know who is behind the blog so feel free to share your story. But lead with serving and helping first.

Once your outline is ready, just focus on writing a paragraph or two for each point in your outline. Once you do, you have a rough draft ready to go. Now, it’s time to edit.

Step 3. Edit Your Blog Post Draft

Blogging is a different way of writing than when you were in English class. It’s more conversational for starters. Also, we break a few of the rules along the way.

Follow this list of basic guidelines and you’ll be a pro in no time:

• Use bullets – My number one tip is to break up your content to make it easy to consume on the computer or mobile device.
• Subheadings – We already covered this in the outline section, but add lots of subheadings
• Short sentences – Keep your sentences short. Enough said.
• Short paragraphs – Notice how many of the paragraphs in this blog post are two or three sentences, max. Make your content easy to scan.
• Relevant Images – Add images to your post to make it more engaging
• Look for grammar errors – I like to use Grammarly to help me with my grammatical construction.
• Add a call to action – Add ways for readers to join your email list sprinkled throughout your blog posts.
• Publish your post – Get your blog post out to the world! Don’t worry about mistakes! You can always come back and fix them later.

Step 4. Promote Your Blog Post to the World

Once your post is live, it’s time to share your post with the world. I know this can be a scary feeling when first starting out.

My best tip is to not focus on yourself, but focus on how your blog will help others.

An ideal place to start is social media. What social media accounts are you already using? Share your blog post there first. Remember, you can do it in a non-pushy way.

If you’re not sure what to write, a have a sample script below you can use:

“Hey friends, I’ve decided to start a blog with the goal of helping others. I’ve just published my first post!

It would mean the world to me if you would click the link, read this post, and then come back here and share your thoughts with me. Thanks!”

Now, you don’t want to hit up your social media newsfeed daily to push people over to your blog post. We want to be helpful, not annoying.

You can also enlist some friends to help get the word out. Come up with a list of 10-20 friends who you would consider to be supportive. Be sure this list includes friends and not just acquaintances. Otherwise, this exercise will not work.

Send them a message on Facebook Messenger. Let them know you recently launched a blog and it would mean the world to you if they would share it on social media.

To make this easy for them, you’ve already typed up a script they can post. It goes like this:

“Hey, guys! My friend Sally, just launched a blog designed to help overwhelmed moms claim back control of their lives. You should check it out here: LINK”

The point of all of this is to get referral traffic to your site. They have friends you don’t have. They can reach people you cannot reach.

Blog Writing Examples

Congrats on getting your first blog post published! Would it be helpful to see a few examples? Let’s take a look at a few first blog post examples.

Example #1: CPA Career Coach

My first blog was launched in 2009 and it was designed to help accounting and finance professionals find meaning in their work. My first post had three parts.

Part 1. An Opening Story

Part 2. The List Post Outline (4 Major Points)

Part 3. How This Blog Will Help You & Who I Am

Let’s take a look at one more example.

Example #2: Personal Branding Blog

A few years later, I launched JonathanMilligan.com. The goal of the new blog was to help people discover their purpose and be more productive. Here’s the outline I used:

Part 1. Who This Blog is For

Part 2. How This Blog Will Help You

Part 3. Who I Am

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some blog post examples for students.

Here are some blog post examples that could be great for students to write:

• A day in the life of a student, documenting your typical schedule, classes, extracurriculars, and study habits.
• Your biggest challenges as a student and how you've worked to overcome them, sharing strategies that have helped you succeed academically and personally.
• A review or analysis of something you've studied recently that fascinated you, like a book, historical event, scientific concept, or work of art.
• Reflections on a meaningful volunteer, work, research or travel experience and what you learned from it that ties into your studies and future goals.

What are some personal blog examples for beginners?

Here are a few personal blog post ideas that are great for beginners:

• An introduction post sharing some interesting facts about yourself, your background, hobbies, and why you decided to start a blog.
• A post about a recent memorable experience like a trip, event, or personal accomplishment, including photos and key details.
• A list-style post compiling your favorite books, movies, recipes, productivity tips, or anything else you're passionate about.
• A reflective post discussing a challenge you've faced, lesson you've learned, or aspiration you have for the future and your personal growth.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! You should now be well on your way to blogging your passion and sharing your message with the world. You got this!

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How to write a blog post that people will actually read and share

Written by by Brent Barnhart

Published on  September 16, 2019

Reading time  12 minutes

If you’re not 100% sure how to write a blog post that clicks with readers, don’t sweat it.

The reality? Blogging is a major struggle for most businesses out there.

And hey, we totally understand why.

From coming up with ideas to actually putting pen to paper digitally, a worthwhile blog post requires some serious effort.

That said, the benefits of blogging for business are worth racking your brain for. The correlation between businesses that blog scoring more traffic, conversions and leads is well-documented .

The takeaway? Learning how to write a blog post is an invaluable skill no matter what you’re selling.

That’s why we put together this guide breaking down the anatomy of a good blog post and how to write one yourself.

What makes a good blog post, anyway?

Before we get knee-deep into how to write a blog post, let’s talk about what the best blog posts have in common.

Although blogging is certainly a skill, you don’t need to be Shakespeare to start writing ’em.

Instead, simply consider the common threads between blog posts that actually get read and shared.

They solve a problem

Listen: people don’t wind up on blogs by accident.

When we seek out content, it’s because we have a problem that needs to be solved or a question that needs to be answered.

Perhaps you’re looking for the perfect ramen recipe. Maybe you’re looking for marketing tips.

Either way, we’re often hunting for content that provides a solution.

Heck, the Sprout Social blog is a shining example of what we’re talking about. We’ve put together hundreds of posts dedicated to solving problems and answering questions on behalf of marketers.

But solving a problem or answering a question is only half the battle.

After all, there are dozens (or hundreds) of blog posts out there covering any given topic.

So not only should your blog post solve a problem, but also do so in a meaningful way.

This might mean breaking down a complex topic with a more digestible approach or going in-depth on a topic that needs addressing in detail.

Considering that most high-performing blog posts around over 1,000 words according to Orbit Media , conventional wisdom tells us that top-tier posts go beyond basic information and dig into specifics.

Sprout’s own “ Best Times to Post on Social Media ” is a great example, brimming with original data and graphs. That’s exactly why it’s one of our top-performing posts.

They’re easy to read

This might seem like a no-brainer, but readability is easy to overlook.

Spoiler alert: most readers have microscopic attention spans.

If your post puts ’em to sleep within the first few seconds, chances are they’ll look elsewhere for information. This is especially true in a day and age where people can simply watch a video in lieu of reading a blog post.

As a writer, it’s your job to find a balance between relaying in-depth information and keeping your audience’s attention.

You can’t expect folks to slog through a wall of text. Instead, you should make a point to avoid jargon and present your content in a style that doesn’t make you sound like a robot.

For example,  The Verge ‘s “ How to Choose a Fitness Tracker ” is a fairly straightforward example of a simple post that gets the job done. Written at a 9th-grade level and broken up by subheaders and images, the post is easy to scan and understand for just about anyone.

Meanwhile, this post from marketing expert Brittany Berger manages to deliver a valuable lesson in marketing with a simple sentence structure and conversational tone. Presented as playful with a distinct voice and plenty of visuals to break up the text, readers naturally move from line to line wondering what comes next.

Developing a writing style comes with practice. The beauty of blogging is that you aren’t typically tied to strict formatting guidelines of traditional writing “rules” that might make your content sound stuffy.

They’re optimized (but not  too optimized!)

Given the fierce competition among marketers and search engines alike, optimizing your content for SEO (and social!) is a must-do.

Optimization is yet another balancing act, though. From keyword stuffing to clickbait and beyond, writers can’t afford to sacrifice readability and quality for the sake of trying to score clicks.

But as proven by tons of bloggers out there, it’s possible to find that balance between writing for humans and search engines. For example, posts like “ How to Build Your Social Media Marketing Strategy ” are able to hit on crucial keywords in a way that’s natural and doesn’t distract the reader at all.

If you keep these three principles in mind each time you sit down to write a post, you’re already way ahead of the curve.

How to write better blog posts: Our foolproof framework

Okay, so how do you take these tips and put them into action when it comes time to write?

Good question!

Staring at the proverbial blank page is one of the worst feelings in the world for blog writers.

That’s why we recommend having some sort of framework in place when it comes time to write a blog post. This rings true whether you’re starting a post from scratch or are revising older content. Below is our list of tactics and tools to help get you going.

Choose a blog post format before you start writing

Instead of relying on a cut-and-paste blog post template that might come off as cookie-cutter to readers, we recommend simply picking a blog post format before you start writing a post.

Doing so will make it much easier to organize your ideas and actually start writing.

Below are three types of blog posts that typically get shared around. Although these certainly aren’t the only types of blog posts, they’re can be adapted to just about any topic with ease.

• How-to’s , which live up to their namesake by explaining how to tackle a certain task or problem (ex: “ How to Get a Customer to Edit Their Negative Review “)
• Listicles , which is simply a blog post formatted as a list (ex: “ The Business of DIY: 10 Things to Make and Sell Online “)
• Question-based posts , which respond to or pose a question with Who, What, When, or Where? (ex: “ Why Netflix Cancelled Your Favorite Show ” or ex: “ When is the Best Time to Send Emails? “)

Let’s briefly break down each of these types of blog posts and why they work so well.

How-to blog posts

The concept of a how-to post is self-explanatory. Such posts provide an opportunity to take a deep dive into a specific topic. How-to posts have very specific search-intent and allow you to target niche audiences looking for expertise.

Given that many Google searches are centered around “how to” queries, it’s no surprise that many businesses use them as the foundation for their blogs. For example, brands like Campaign Monitor put together tons of how-to guides covering specific topics for their audience of email marketers.

Listicle blog posts

Popularized by the likes of Buzzfeed, list-style posts might seem a bit overdone or cliche.

However, it’s hard to ignore their popularity and  why they’re all the rage in the first place.

After all, listicles are easy to digest at a glance and can be skimmed by busy readers. Additionally, subheaders can help people zero in on key points without necessarily having to read an entire article.

Additionally, lists are straightforward for writers to put together and can help break down larger topics into smaller pieces. For writers and readers alike, this sort of simplicity is a win-win.

Question-based blog posts

These types of posts address a specific question readers might have, helping writers hone in their focus on a single topic.

Unlike how-to posts, these types of blogs don’t necessarily teach readers how to do something but rather provide insight to the topic at hand.

These types of posts can be broad in scope but do well to pique the curiosity of the reader. This headline and post from The Takeout is a great example of a question-based blog that’s click-worthy at a glance. Even if you weren’t curious about meatless meats before, chances are you are now.

Make sure your headline packs a punch

There’s an oft-cited claim that 80% of people will decide whether or not to read something based on its headline.

Meanwhile, 60% of people will actually share an article on social media without actually reading it.

In a day and age dominated by clickbait headlines , bloggers are tasked with writing compelling headlines that attract readers without pulling a bait-and-switch.

How do you make it happen, though? Most of the examples we’ve cited so far represent click-worthy, shareable content that you’d see passed around social based on their headlines.

Perhaps what’s most important is framing your article as presenting can’t-miss.

For example, “ The Most Important Social Media Metrics to Track ” doesn’t just cover any social metrics: it covers  the most important ones .

Or consider the “must” in “ 9 Skills Every Social Media Manager Must Have .” By presenting these skills as must-have, readers naturally want to see if their own skills match up the post.

See how that works?

To figure out whether or not your headline packs a punch, tools such as  CoSchedule’s headline analyzer can be a game-changer. In short, the tool assigns a score to your headlines based on readability, “power words” and other elements that drive people to read and share posts.

This tool isn’t the be-all, end-all of headline writing but can definitely help you brainstorm ideas.

Double-check your content and formatting for readability

Conventional wisdom tells us that most people read at a 7th-grade level.

Translation? Businesses should strive to avoid language that’s too lofty, if possible.

Remember: you’re not writing a college essay. Rules such as “five to seven sentences per paragraph” that you learned in English class don’t exactly fly in the blogging world.

Tools such as the Hemingway Editor can help you identify opportunities to make your content more readable. The cut-and-paste app detects words and sentences that might be confusing to readers and highlights them throughout your text.

Many writers also use tools like Grammarly to avoid common grammatical issues and awkward phrases. This is an especially useful tool if you’re new to blog writing or don’t often write long-form content.

We should note that while readability checkers are definitely useful, you shouldn’t expect anything you write to be totally “perfect” based on these tools. The checks they run represent just one set of guidelines, and as you develop a unique writing voice you’ll inevitably vary a bit from them.

Your audience matters too: for example, let’s say you’re writing about a technical subject are addressing a college-educated audience. A higher readability grade is just fine in these cases.

But also consider that it’s possible to cover technical topics without completely going over your readers’ head. Case in point,  Wired ‘s “ AI and the Future of Work ” touches on a topic for the tech-savvy but is written as an accessible 9th-grade level.

You’ve probably noticed by now that so much of figuring out how to write a blog post is a balancing act. The more you write, the easier it is to find those balances over time.

Format your post to be scroll-friendly

Formatting is a huge aspect of readability and shareability for your blog posts.

Think about how the format of your point can naturally draw your reader from one sentence to the next.

That’s why most bloggers restrict their paragraphs to no more than three sentences. This helps create a sense of flow and likewise won’t overwhelm anyone reading a post via mobile.

Posts should also be broken up frequently by subheaders, again making your content easy to scan. Many bloggers try to insert a subheader at least every 300 words.

Beyond subheaders, visuals are also a critical component of format and readability.

Considering that 65% of people consider themselves to be visual learners, don’t neglect the importance of giving your readers something to look at beyond text.

Note that we typically include a variety of examples, images and screenshots throughout our posts here at Sprout. Most bloggers include three to four images per blog post , but writers should feel free to include as many visuals as they see fit.

What sort of visuals are we talking about, though?

Going beyond stock photos or screenshots, consider how you can whip up a graphic or quote with the help of a tool like Canva .

Bear in mind that you can also use social embeds to break up your blog posts, too. For bloggers using WordPress, social links you copy-and-paste will immediately populate without issue.

Agencies, forget quick wins. It's time to play to your existing strengths. #ThinkActAdapt #AgencyLife https://t.co/qsRiFzlcGt — Sprout Social (@SproutSocial) September 10, 2019

Similarly, you can embed YouTube videos in your content as well.

The takeaway here is to find opportunities to keep your readers scrolling with the help of headers and visuals. Doing so not only helps make your pieces more entertaining but also provides a visual representation of whatever you’re blogging about.

Mind what optimization means for SEO

SEO is central to just about any blog strategy.

Of course, sacrificing readability for the sake of SEO is a common mistake among bloggers competing for keywords.

Again, the concept of balance rears its head. For starters, take the time to do proper keyword research via SEO tools and start with keywords you might realistically rank for.

If you’re using WordPress, tools such as  Yoast can help you tick the boxes of search optimization while ensuring that your content is reader-friendly.

Like the other tools highlighted above, you shouldn’t worry about your posts being absolutely “perfect” from an SEO perspective. Few posts will ever get the total green light from Yoast. Simply use such as tools as a guide to double-check that you aren’t missing any obvious opportunities for optimization.

Quick blog writing tips and tactics to keep in mind

By now you probably have a good idea of how to write a blog post.

Your job isn’t quite done yet, though.

Becoming a better blogger is an ongoing process that’s far from over once your posts go live. To wrap things up, here are some quick tips for bloggers to create high-performing, share-worthy content over time.

Analyze your top-performing blog posts

If you want to figure out which of your blog posts are your “best,” look no further than your analytics.

In addition to traffic for individual posts, consider how metrics such as bounce rate and clicks can clue you in the posts that readers interact with the most.

The same rules apply to metrics such as social shares and clicks. Through social analytics , you can discover common threads between the types of content that your readers share.

Don’t forget to promote your content on social media!

Given the hours involved in putting together a quality post, content distribution should be a top priority for each post you publish.

And consider how social media is central to promoting your blog to current and new readers alike. Through Sprout’s social media scheduling and publishing suite, you can schedule and reschedule your posts across social media to maximize your readership. Additionally, tools such as Viralpost ensure that your blog-centric posts go live when readers are most likely to see them.

Be willing to practice and learn from other bloggers

This might be cliche, but becoming a better blogger doesn’t happen overnight.

Through consistent reading and writing, you can develop better writing habits and style all your own. When you spot a blog post that you find engaging, take the time to dig into  why it clicked with you.

Was it the writer’s voice? Was it the level of depth that the post went into? Paying attention to these points and emulating them in your own writing can put you on the path to more compelling content yourself.

How to find and pay blog writers

It’s totally understandable that for many brands and marketing teams, doing all the writing in house is a daunting task. In that case, you’re most likely looking for outside assistance in the form of freelance bloggers.

Onboarding and managing freelancers brings its own set of tasks, but can be well worth it to expand your publishing scale.

One of the most common questions when starting the search is how much you should be paying for a blog post. This can vary greatly based on expertise, the uniqueness of your content or brand niche, and the need to research or source images for the posts you’re requesting.

You might find a writer in the $25 to $150 range for one article on a simpler topic or shorter word count. Posts on more complex topics requiring detailed research, interviews or stats may start at $150 and go much higher depending on factors like the word count or experience level of the writer.

Ready to start writing better blog posts?

Writing a high-quality blog post isn’t a simple as it seems.

At the end of the day, your end goal should be to produce better content than what’s already out there.

Whether it’s through a distinct sense of style or in-depth information, you can figure out how to write a blog post that provides value to your readers.

With the help of these tips and plenty of practice, you can do exactly that sooner rather than later. Learn more about the fundamentals of a winning content marketing strategy to improve your blog.

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Writing an Effective Blog Post

Use the guide below to learn about the elements of a blog post and how to gain an audience.

What blog posts can do Elements of a blog post Why having an audience matters and how to get one

What blog posts can do

Blogging, or writing short entries on a website, can allow you to offer opinions, share ideas, or do independent reporting, but most importantly, blogging can help writers have conversations with readers. What makes blogs so different from journalism, as the authors of The Elements of Blogging: Expanding the Conversation of Journalism suggest, is the discussion between writer and reader. Blogs can be a forum for writers to get feedback on half–formed ideas and emerging stances, and through comments, readers can talk with and back to writers and build communities. But what draws readers in? Read through the material below to learn how paying attention to a range of blog elements (including clear headlines, engaging pictures, and distinctive ledes) will help you build an audience.

Elements of a blog post

In The Elements of Blogging, Mark Leccese and Jerry Lanson dissect blog posts in order to identify and examine their key parts. Below are some of the elements they highlight as well as some examples from local blogs.

Headlines (Titles)

A headline or title not only helps draw in readers’ attention with an interesting hook, but by containing keywords that Google and other search engines use, the right headline can bring anyone to your blog. As Leccese and Lanson note, search engines work by creating indexes of the words they find on the web. By using keywords in your headline, there is a greater chance that more browsers will find your blog. Headlines, however, are more than just keywords. They need to be short, 10 words or less, and intriguing. Look at the headline on this article from University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Limnology’s blog .

Through this blog, the Center for Limnology communicates with university colleagues, Madison residents, and students about current fresh water research and reflections. In this post center staff member Adam Hinterthuer writes about the presence of an invasive species in Lake Mendota. The post’s clear, engaging title uses keywords so that this post appears in the first several search results for anyone looking for information about “zebra mussels” and “lake mendota.” When possible, your headlines should be in the present tense, and you shouldn’t repeat the headline in the first lines of the post.

The first sentence of a post should have a conversational tone and articulate the main point of the blog post. Internet readers can easily navigate away from a post, so making your lede interesting and to the point is important. Look at the opening lines from University of Wisconsin–Madison Antrhopology professor John Hawks’ blog post “Bringing together climate and ancient DNA to look at a micro–instance of extinction”:

Ed Yong describes the results of a cool new study of mammoth extinction on Saint Paul Island, in the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia: “The Lonely, Thirsty, Final Days of the Doomed Alaskan Mammoths”.

Hawks’ post opens with his main point: how scientists determined when and how mammoths went extinct on the island and why it is a interesting case study of extinction. The assessment of the study as “cool” is conversational, and immediately mentioning this study suggests to the reader that this post will both summarize and highlight the methods scientists used. The title of the study itself is intriguing, invoking a dramatic scene. Even though both the study’s title and the content of the post could easily be in hyper scientific jargon, Hawks’ opening sentence previews his particularly accessible approach for talking to the public about science.

Pictures not only break up text on a page, but they can also help make your point clearer. Pictures tell stories, but they need to be part of the discussion. Include captions by your images that explain how the image adds to the point you are making. For example, look at these two images from Professor Elizabeth Hennessy’s post “Global Visions: Rethinking the Globe and How we Teach it” published by University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Edge Effect digital magazine:

The blog post is an instructor’s reflection, summary, and analysis of an environmental humanities course and the resource website developed by the students as a final project. These images effectively communicate what the blog is saying about our knowledge of the world, which in greatest part is from maps. In teaching this class, Hennessy strove to have her students consider that “global space is a historical product rather than a planetary scale,” and thus, global space needs to be understood from the stand point that the “global” is produced by “histories of exploration and imperialism, uneven economic development, scientific inquiry, and environmental change.” The 17th century map that opens the blog and the telegraph cable map embedded further into the text emphasize history and imperialism’s role in thinking about what “global” means.

Hennessy’s caption for the telegraph map not only connects the image to her point, but it also provides copyright information. If you use photos on your blog you must give credit to the source. The Creative Commons on Flicker and Wikimedia Commons both have public domain images you can use while giving the photographer credit.

The photo on the above Center for Limnology post is interestingly composed and serves as an object lesson for the post as a whole.

Links give extra information to your readers. In Hennessy’s post, she often links to the site her students created and to the specific syllabi that encompass each of the four frames for understanding “the global” that her class analyzed. Having links that provide a direct route to information and resources allows your blog to make the most out of being on the web.

Block quotes

Block quoting gives readers’ eyes a break and bolsters the author’s credibility. Using a source’s words instead rephrasing shows that your points are well supported.

Final Words

Writing a good take–away can, as Leccese and Lanson point out, help readers remember and engage with your post. For the most part, Hawk’s blog summarizes and applauds the study of mammoths on Saint Paul Island, but he ends the post by saying:

However, I hesitate on one point. I would not so quickly assume there was never a short or intermittent presence of humans on the island, and that humans may have been involved in the mammoth extinction.

Questioning the study and the impact of humans is a provocative alternative view. It makes readers think more critically about the study and develop their own opinion, and in doing so, Hawk’s post invites a conversation.

A Note on Organization

Effective posts make at most two or three focused points and provide evidence to support them. Each of the three examples offered exemplify clear, brief points. “Global Visions” reflects on the class and the four frames of understanding “the global” the class used. Numbering in your post can help you as a writer limit your points and can help your reader understand the organization of your post. By clearly identifying what you want to analyze or argue and by providing support for your main points with research, anecdotes, or examples, you can establish a clear focus.

Why having an audience matters and how to get one

Blogs have the unique capability to allow readers and writers to interact. Thinking carefully about how to not only get readers to your blog, but also how to foster community and conversation are important elements of writing a blog. People often find blogs on the web through social media. UW–Madison student Ashley Hampton’s Raw in College lifestyle and food blog has reached nearly a million hits in part because it is linked to Hampton’s twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts. Once readers have found a blog, they might check it once a week to see what’s new, but posting on Facebook about recent entries will help establish an audience.

Allowing comments on your blog will bring readers back because by engaging in conversation you build a network of people who are interested in your blog’s topic and want to continue thinking about it with others. Sometimes it can be hard to build up your comment section, so don’t be afraid to ask friends or family members to comment and get the discussion going. You could also end your post in a question.

Happy blogging!

Works Cited and Consulted

Lanson, Jerry. Writing for Others, Writing for Ourselves: Telling Stories in an Age of Blogging. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011.

Leccese Mark, and Jerry Lanson. The Elements of Blogging: Expanding the Conversation of Journalism. Focal Press, 2016.

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How to Write a Blog Post Outline: A Simple Formula to Follow [+Tips from Our Blog Team]

Published: December 02, 2022

What makes a blog post bad? The most pervasive problem we find is poor flow. The post jumps from one idea to the next or the post reads like a stream of consciousness – except it’s not a stylistic choice.

One way to prevent this is by creating an outline for your blog post.

Below is my method for outlining posts and organizing my thoughts to create a cohesive, logical piece.

Table of Contents

How to Write a Blog Post Outline

Outlining tips from hubspot bloggers, blog post outline example.

• Nail your working title.
• Write down as many distinct takeaways from the article as you can.
• Break up those takeaways into larger sections.
• Add more takeaways to some sections.
• Revise, remove, and reorganize details in each section.
• Include links to your examples and/or data.
• If any details come to you that you don't want to forget, add them in.

1. Write down as many distinct takeaways from the article as you can.

Start with a brain dump.

Write down all the things you want your readers to get out of the article. These won't always be the main sections of your article – it's just all the things you want your readers to know by the end of reading your post.

This is the only time in the whole process you're not worried about organization – just let your ideas flow naturally. You need to get out all of your wild and crazy ideas now so they won't muck up your post later in the process.

For example, say my article is on using images to generate leaders on Twitter, I'd probably want readers to know:

• What sets a good image apart from a bad one on Twitter
• Where they can find images to use legally
• How they can create images on their own
• What sizes they need to make images
• How often they should tweet images
• How to actually upload an image to Twitter
• How they can generate a lead on Twitter
• How long their tweet should be with the image in it
• What results they should expect to get

Notice how these are really unfiltered and all over the place. That's OK. We'll rein it all in in the next step.

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2. Break up those takeaways into larger sections.

Now, we'll take that jumble of ideas and place them into overarching sections.

Think of it like sorting laundry – each thought belongs to a different pile. From your brainstorm, you should come up with a few big themes.

Sometimes, one of your brainstorming bullets will be a theme in itself, but usually, several bullets will fall under one overarching theme. You may also realize that there's a theme that you may not have any bullets for, but the post definitely calls for it.

Many recommend sticking to three or four large sections, but it really depends on what type of post you're writing. If you're writing a comprehensive guide, you might need more.

If it's a quick how-to post, fewer sections would be ideal.

Using the same example, here’s how I’d bucket my ideas into the following buckets:

3. Fill out the remaining sections.

At this point, your outline may still look bare in some areas.

You may have some sections with multiple bullet points and some without any. Now's the time to fill in those gaps.

What did you miss in your initial brainstorm? Thinking about what's missing is always hard, but it will help improve your final post significantly.

During this step, conduct some competitive research to see what other publications have covered on the topic and what readers are responding to.

Below shows how my outline evolved. I italicized all the things I added, and the outline is becoming closer and closer to being a post:

• Images work really well on Twitter (find study)
• Should you tag people in images
• Should you use photo collages
• What colors you should use to stand out
• Which metrics to look at
• How to find them in your analytics
• How to adjust the above to get better results

Essentially, you're re-doing the second step, but in a more focused manner.

4. Revise, remove, and reorganize details in each section.

Now comes the fun part: editing your outline.

You've already done the hard part of actually thinking of your ideas. Now, you're tightening up your outline to include only the most relevant information, revising the sub-bullets to actually make sense, and reorganizing the sub-bullets to tell the most logical story.

First, let me show you what I'd cut – shown in bold.

• How to generate a lead on Twitter
• How to actually upload an image to Twitter (This is a pretty basic step that someone would already know if they're reading this post.)
• Where they can find images to use legally 
• What colors you should use to stand out (Don't believe there's hard data on this, just speculation. Let's cut it.)
• What results they should expect to get (The study in the first part should cover this bullet point.)

Next, we'll reorganize the remainder of the sub-bullets and rework them to sound like actual takeaways. We'll also turn some of the sub-bullets into sub-sub-bullets. Here's what this outline looks like now:

• Images tend to work really well on Twitter (find study)
• How lead generation fits in with the rest of your Twitter strategy
• Creating it on your own
• Finding images to use legally
• Sizing images for Twitter
• Tagging people in images
• Using Photo Collages
• How long the tweet should be with the image in
• How to choose the right image
• Optimizing the image for Twitter
• Optimizing the rest of your tweet
• How to adjust your strategy to get better results

Ta-da! A much more comprehensive outline that makes your post easy to write.

5. Include links to your examples and/or data.

This is purely a time-saving trick.

After you've fully fleshed out and then trimmed your outline, you should look for examples and data to support these claims.

Once you find a source to support your arguments, just add them as a note underneath the section. That way, when you go to write it, you don’t have to go digging.

6. Nail your working title.

Now that your outline is fleshed out, you can create a headline that summarizes the purpose of your article into something action-driven and eye-catching.

Some components of a great title include:

• Action verbs
• Descriptive adjectives

The goal here is to have a title that gives you a very clear idea of what the whole piece is about. You can make it sound catchy later .  

Review my final outline in the next section.

• Images tend to work really well on Twitter
• Reference Anchorman line: "Come and see how good I look."

In addition to the steps outlined above, our HubSpot writers are sharing additional tips they’ve collected over the years.

If you’re struggling to think of sections for your blog posts, Senior Marketing Manager Basha Coleman suggests checking the “People Also Ask” section on the Google SERPS.

This section will have questions related to your initial search query. Take our example article. When you Google “using images to generate leads on twitter,” these are the questions that come up in the People Also Ask search feature.

Don't forget to share this post!

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The Anatomy of a Perfect Blog Post

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How to format a blog post: A complete guide for new writers

Smart formatting is the secret weapon of the most successful blogs, all it takes is these 5 steps.

You're reading this article because a myriad of factors came together in just the right way.

Whether it was the title, feature image, or keyword that led you here, you're reading this because our strategy succeeded.

Now, the real work begins: enticing you to actually read the article.

Most blog posts aren’t written for humans

Many blogs optimize for robots. The content is systematically pumped out in order to satisfy digital markers, not human eyes.

But this is changing.

Search engines are starting to take into account more factors around what makes written content, whether it’s a blog post or newsletter, not only accurate but reader-friendly.

Formatting is one of the most powerful factors at play.

Great formatting will help your content get read more often and more completely. It can also help it achieve higher search rankings as well as garner more social media shares.

Need proof this advice works?

You’re still reading. 😉

How to format a blog post in 5 steps

Below you’ll find a collection of blog formatting tips arranged in five simple steps.

Each one is a time-tested best practice, and you’ll see that we use several of them directly within this article.

#1 Organize your content logically

An organized blog post will mean different things to different publishers depending on the type, length, and style of your content.

However, there are a few standard practices that will boost reader engagement for any article.

Create a beginning, middle, and end

Although the way people read has changed dramatically over the last few decades, many of their expectations remain the same.

Readers crave order .

Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them.

The above quote is most often used in reference to crafting a great speech, but every piece of writing is like a speech delivered inside one’s head. It must connect the dots.

Use section headers to arrange ideas

Few readers have the patience or desire to read long blocks of text. That’s why headers are an essential formatting tool.

They allow writers to organize their content around central themes, making the content easier to read and digest.

In Ghost, publishers have access to H1 and H2 tags, allowing them to create multiple layers of organization in their posts (e.g., like the one you’re reading).

Insert a table of contents to guide readers

Once your content is organized, offering readers an easy way to navigate it will go a long way toward them appreciating what you’ve made.

A table of contents in a blog post links to the section headers available within an article.

#2 Make your blog post scannable

Scanning an article is not cheating. There is no morally right way to read a post.

The best publishers understand and optimize for this.

Making your content scannable doesn't mean draining it of its complexity. Instead, it means using the available tools to make your article as visually attractive as it is useful or entertaining.

Format your text to emphasize what’s important

There are so many ways you can modify text:

• Bold specific words or sentences to draw readers towards the main idea
• Italicize titles, foreign words, or proper names
• Use header tags to divide sections and organize your reader’s journey
• Add block quotes from interesting figures to support your writing

You can also use markdown to highlight , strikethrough , insert code , and more.

It’s best practice to use these sparingly. Bolding everything defeats the purpose.

Draw the eye with lists

Lists are the cornerstone of scannable content.

To this day, listicles are still one of the most popular forms of content because of their user-friendliness.

Lists come in two customary forms:

• Bullet points
• Numbered lists

Use bullet points when the order of the list doesn’t particularly matter. Use numbered lists either when the order does matter or when the list is longer than five items.

Keep sentences and paragraphs short

“Most sentences can be cut in half.” — Josh Spector

A blog post doesn’t need huge blocks of text to communicate depth.

Let the value of your content speak for itself.

By keeping your sentences (2-12 words) and paragraphs (2-4 sentences) short, you gift the reader with more whitespace.

Additional whitespace has been shown to increase reading speed and comprehension.

Help readers get more from your writing by giving them less.

#3 Incorporate media intentionally

Some things are best explained visually.

That’s not a knock on blogs or newsletters. It's an invitation to learn how to combine different media types to give your readers the best experience possible.

Use images and gifs to explain complicated topics

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then using images, diagrams, and graphs can significantly cut down your word counts.

On the Ghost blog, gifs are frequently used to visually explain how to use the tool.

Here’s a quick list to keep in mind for when and how to use images effectively :

• Ask does this image serve a purpose ? If it does, use it. Otherwise, it’s simply taking up space.
• When explaining a technical subject, combine short paragraphs with images so that readers must scroll. The task of scrolling will help them feel like they are making progress and keep them engaged.
• Ensure that images are high quality and relevant. Poor images give the impression of weak content. When appropriate, create your own images such as screenshots, drawings, or otherwise.

Embed videos and podcasts to support readers

Readers have high expectations when it comes to blogs.

They want valuable content as well as a guide to what to do or consume next.

Offering readers an embedded video to watch or podcast to listen to can immediately satisfy this desire and keep visitors engaged for longer than a simple text article could.

The Ghost editor allows users to embed videos (YouTube, Vimeo) and audio (Spotify, SoundCloud) directly within your blog posts.

#4 Match the reader’s intent

If you want to improve your content dramatically, ask this question every time you publish: what is a reader expecting to see when they click on this blog post?

Every piece of formatting you include should help you answer that question while fulfilling your reader’s intent.

Feature templates, formulas, and graphs when needed

Every reader that clicks on a blog post is expecting to leave with something, whether it be an answer, a resource, or a next step.

Your goal as a publisher should be to give them what they're looking for in the most direct way possible.

Downloadable templates, formulas (or embedded calculators), and graphs (interactive or static) are some of the best tools to accomplish this while exceeding a reader’s expectations.

Keep your blog post the appropriate length

Not every question requires a long-form article to answer.

Some of the best blog posts accomplish their purpose in only a few hundred words.

Everything comes back to the reader.

What do they need? And what is the most efficient way to give them what they’re looking for?

#5 Experiment to get noticed

Some rules are made to be broken. Which ones those are is up to you.

Great content is as much an art as it is a science.

If you ever feel pigeon-holed by a formatting convention, take a step back, ask yourself what purpose that rule serves, then see if there's another route to accomplishing it.

Many of the best practices blogs now follow were once experiments themselves that caught on because they worked. The future of blogging will be shaped through the same process.

This can be done by creating sections with distinct headers, modifying text elements, and splicing in pictures and media, all in an effort to draw the reader's attention toward what's most important.

But formatting is merely a collection of tactics. Obviousness is the strategy.

If you can be obvious in a way that no one has before, go for it.

Purposeful formatting brought you to this point, and it will carry readers through your articles as well.

Great formatting prioritizes the human reader by providing them with organized, scannable, media-rich, intent-driven content. All of these are now in your toolbox after reading this article.

Remember, getting people to click on your article is only half the battle. The other half is getting them to this point.

— Read this next —

5 ways to repurpose content like a professional creator

Get trends & tips delivered to you.

A weekly roundup of emerging trends, products and ideas in the creator economy, trusted by 50,000+ readers.

We’re reviewing our resources this spring (May-August 2024). We will do our best to minimize disruption, but you might notice changes over the next few months as we correct errors & delete redundant resources. 

Writing Academic Blog Posts

You might have been asked to write a blog post for a class, or maybe you’re interested in writing your own blog post for your personal blog, a school website, a community newspaper, or on one of the many blogging networks like Medium.com. Although personal blogs where people share stories about their lives are very popular, they aren’t necessarily the best way to communicate research: in that case, the Academic Blog post is a more appropriate genre.

What is it?

An academic blog post is a place for you to share your own unique take on a topic you have spent some time researching. Academic blog posts use evidence and analysis like an essay, but they’re written in more conversational, informal language. You may not need a formal thesis statement, but you should still present your perspective on an idea, issue, or current event.

Call to action: Blog authors often end their post with direct language that asks their readers to do something. The purpose of an academic blog post might be to inform, educate, or debunk misinformation, so the call to action might be something “Now you know how important it is to exercise your civic duty in your next municipal election” or “Remember that next time someone tells you that history isn’t important.”

What does it look like?

Because blog posts are online, you should make use of the multiple modes of communication at your disposal: not only can you use different fonts and formatting, but you can also embed links to other websites, include images, gifs, and even embed audio and video. In fact, the most engaging blog posts are the ones that make the most use of their digital space and embrace this multi-modal communication.

Tip: Avoid using more than 2 fonts. You could use a serif font (something with ‘tails’ on the letters, like Baskerville Old Face) for headings, because those fonts stand out, and a sans-serif font (something that is plainer, without any frills, like Arial) for the text, since they are easier to read on screens.

Readers of blog posts expect to see short paragraphs broken up with images, block quotations, or even headings. These can help your reader skim through the post before they decide whether or not to read it. You should also use simple, clear language – don’t be afraid to use personal pronouns (e.g. I, you, and we). These all have a place in academic blogging.

Block quotations: repeat an important sentence or quotation in a different font to emphasize the point.

What is it about?

Although academic blog posts can be about any topic that the author has researched, the real value lies in the author’s unique perspective on something they care about. The best blog posts offer insightful commentary on events that matter to the readers today. Think about what experiences, identities, education, or informed opinions you have and use those to help your readers understand a timely topic from a new point of view. For example, a Rec and Leisure student who plays in a women’s hockey league might have something insightful to say about the pay gap between professional women and men’s hockey athletes.

What Should I Read?

• Read lots of different blog posts.
• Research credible sources like newspapers, journal articles, and peer-reviewed books.

Why Should I Read?

• Reading widely will help you learn what blog style you enjoy. Will yours be funny, personal, formal, inspirational, educational, or something totally different? Check out the WCC Blog for some great examples. Reading posts on your topic will also give you real opinions to respond to.
• Research credible sources like newspapers, journal articles, and peer-reviewed books. Although blog posts can be personal, academic blog posts should use credible evidence to support opinions and arguments. Ask your instructor about quoting and citing.

What Should I Plan?

• Figure out who your audience is.
• Identify your main message and sketch out the points you need to make to support that message.
• Find pictures and develop metaphors and analogies.

Why Should I Plan?

• Even though blog posts are often public, you should still identify a specific target audience so that you can use what they know and care about to choose appropriate language, arguments, and explanations.
• Not all blogs have explicit thesis statements, but they do still communicate a central message that is relevant today. Many blog posts also include a call-to-action or a final statement to remind their readers of the point of the post.
• Use pictures, memes, and gifs as well as written metaphors and analogies to make your topic relevant to your audience. References to current events help your audience understand why they should be reading the post now.

What Should I Draft?

• Write a first draft.
• Test out different hooks to grab your audience’s attention.
• Brainstorm different snappy titles.

Why Should I Draft?

• Good blog posts usually have a strong opening statement to ‘hook’ the reader. This might be a funny or relatable story, an insightful question, a surprising fact, a personal confession, or something intriguing.
• Blog posts rarely have formal titles like you see in journal articles. Instead, they tend to be catchy and intriguing. Think about the titles that make you click on something to read or watch: they are simple, clear, and enticing.

What Should I Format?

• Choose appropriate fonts and formatting for different sections.
• Include links to other blog posts, websites, articles, and videos.

Why Should I Format?

• You can make headings, important concepts, and block quotations stand out by using a different font, size, and style (bold, italics, underlined, and even strikethrough).
• Linking to other online material not only shows your reader where you got your information, but it also tells them that your writing is relevant to other conversations.

What Should I Revise?

• Look over your draft and revise it for clarity, conciseness, and relevance.

Why Should I Revise?

• Bloggers tend to write in the active voice, because those sentences feel more urgent and personal. See our “ Active and Passive Voice ” resource. Like any form of writing, blogposts should go through multiple revisions. See our “ Revision ” resource.
• Get feedback from a friend, an instructor, or the Writing and Communication Centre: book an appointment !

The Thesis Whisperer: Starting an Academic Blog by Inger Mewburn:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylj85vD3kJo

Verbara, Marcos. (2018, Feb 7). Finding 'The Write Stuff': Creating an Academic Blog Post. SJSU Writing Center. Retrieved from:   https://sjsuwritingcenter.wordpress.com/2018/02/07/finding-the-write-stuff-creating-an-academic-blog-post/

Rubinstein, E., Ostrow, S., Rufo, J. & Williams, S. (2021) “Writing Academic Blogs” Hamilton College. Retrieved from:   https://www.hamilton.edu/academics/centers/writing/writing-resources/writing-academic-blogs

• Schools & departments

How to write an engaging blog

Find some specific resources to help you in the writing of your blog.

General best practice on writing a blog

(1) The importance of a title  -  Writing a catchy title  can help people get interested in your post. In an academic context especially, it might be good to show your audience that your content can be just as entertaining as a good book or social media. Make sure you reveal the theme of your content in those first words. Be wary: being catchy does not mean turning to clickbait. It is favourable if your reader knows exactly what they will be reading about in this context.  

(2) Spoilers can be good! -  This counts for more than your title. Don't tease your audience and wait to tell them exactly what they'll be reading about: state your theory, argument or theme from the very beginning. You might want to use headlines and summaries to give readers a little snapshot of what your writing will consist of. 

(3) ' You talkin to me?' -  Decide on a tone for your blog. It is true that writing for an academic blog is not like writing a dissertation. However, this does not mean it is the same as writing a caption for an Instagram picture of your holidays. It is crucial that you reflect on who your audience is going to be and adapt your tone to match that. Make sure your blog posts are honest and relatable – if people are reading a blog about your theme and not an article, it is to get a sense of the author as well: don't forget to be you.   

(4)  Make your content scannable -  How are you going to organise your thoughts? There are different ways to blog. Some might prefer to directly address the audience and mimic direct speech whilst others might want to narrate in a reflective manner. This is a decision you can make based on the type of blog you will decide to use. A key point to structuring and formatting your blog is to  make it scannable : people will get a visual idea of your blog before they even get to reading it.  

(5) 'Oh I just skimmed through...' -  Keep your paragraphs and sentences short: most people only read 20% of a page. Having fun with language can be fantastic but simpler writing will help people relate to what you are telling them whether they know about the subject at hand or not. Use headings to break your page up so it is easier to scan.  Find out more about how people read on the web . 

(6) What is that about?  - Asking your readers questions can be a great way of involving them. When writing, ask yourself 'why should they care?'. You don't only want to be recounting your thoughts, you want to be sharing it with other people. Making the reading experience more interactive will make people feel involved and interested. 

(7) Make it visual! -  Adding media  to your blog can be another great way of making readers relate and feel part of your experience. Visual tools can help your reader see what you are describing, but they can also give them the opportunity to relax from the reading effort. This is especially the case if your writing is a quite dense academic text. Images add an interesting opportunity for formatting, structure and narration. 

(8) Proof-read, get critical and edit! -  This is perhaps most people's least favourite part. Sadly for you it is essential: proof reading and editing your text will help you cut out pieces that aren't useful. Getting a friend/colleague to read it for you will give you another perspective on your work and enable you to assess whether you have written for the right audience. Do not be afraid to ask for feedback. Getting feedback should be a very constructive and helpful process.

(9) Archiving appropriately - There is nothing more confusing for readers who are looking through your content than having a monthly site archive and no search bar. Make sure people can find what they are looking for without having to click a million times. Categorising and tagging posts is not time consuming and can be really helpful for your audience.

(10) Don't let readers forget about you! -  Posting regularly and promoting your work is especially important if you want people to visit your blog regularly. Creating a schedule might help you keep on track – because posting regularly means you have write regularly. Thankfully, there are many ways for you to promote your work other than relying on loyal readers. Social media links and enabling search engines to index your blog can help so make sure that you explore your settings to maximise your crowd.    

Want to learn how to create a blog post step by step?  Try this LinkedIn Learning course about writing a compelling blog post .     ( find out how to get access to LinkedIn Learning )

Guidance for specific types of blogging

Do you need more personalised guidelines? We have put together some writing tips based on professional, research, community and learning & teaching type blogs. 

Blogging for professional development 

• Scrap the title - This blog, as opposed to research or community, is meant to represent you above all: your name is the best option for a title. 
• The importance of your blog structure  - Structuring your blog is especially important as you want to look professional, accessible and easy to contact. If content is hard to find, people are more likely to simply leave your page. Make your readers' browsing experience as easy as possible by inserting a header with different pages: a bio, contact details, role, track record.... Make sure your content is extremely scannable and potential employers can find your contact details at any moment.  
• Opting for a professional tone  - As you are showcasing your professional potential here, it is important that you match your tone to what you are saying. While you want to demonstrate a positive attitude and motivation it is important to show a reflection of what is acceptable within the workplace. 
• Writing a great bio  – This section might be the only one employers consult: it is crucial that you spend time writing a bio that is compelling and matches the sector you work in. While it might be optimal, for example, for a radio presenter to make multiple puns, a recently graduated student might want to write more professionally. This is your decision to make depending on what you believe will showcase your potential best. 
• Details -  It is crucial for you to include as much detail as possible in your pages and posts. Write the full titles of recent posts or studies, include the department or School and stay consistent with spelling and capitalising.  
• Formatting for clear, concise information -  There are many ways to make your content scannable whilst being precise: consider breaking long sentences into bulleted lists, for example. Use headings liberally. Make your blog look nice using other, non-text, media.
• Being employable also means being approachable  - Linking external professional profiles can be a great way to expand your readers' experience. Contact past schools and employers to ask if you can link them into your blog – this will help employers to get an idea of your past workspaces. 
• Remember your digital footprint -  These days, employers will not be afraid to do some research on potential employees: holiday photos might not be your most flattering facet so make sure you are aware of your digital footprint. Updating and editing your different social media outputs is an idea to consider. Want more information about your digital footprint? Learn about it through the [University's guidance page] on how to present yourself online. 
• Make sure you update your profile -  It would be a shame for you to forget to mention your latest achievement just as it would be a pity for an employer to come across information that is expired. Make sure you update your profile every month or so.  

Blogging for teaching, learning and assessment

• Consider platforms that might help you assess work - we have many different blogging platforms available to you. Some might be better than others depending, especially, on what assessment features you require. Consult our [Blogging Advice] for more information on what they offer.  
• Consider using dynamic and interactive plug-ins for embedded quizzes, forms... -  Our new blogging platforms offer many different ways for you to add a fresh dimension to your teaching/learning experience. You could create interactive quizzes or forms embedded within your blog. This is a way to chop up the reading experience and make viewers collaborate. 
• Monitor comments and published content -  In a learning and teaching environment especially, it is very important that rules are established concerning comments and content. Be aware to inform students of plagiarism and copyright laws as well as our [Take Down Policy] rules. A good way of doing this is to monitor content carefully. 
• Set expectations -  Using blogging as an assessment or reflective method for assessment can be best managed if you set time and word limits for your students. Help them understand what is required from them by outlining clear expectations. Why not write guidelines personalised to the particular task at hand? 
• Consider your privacy options -  It is worth thinking about whether you want the wide public to access your learning and teaching blog or whether you would prefer the content to stay within the scope of your class. [Read more] about our different blogs to know which privacy options are available to you. 
• Link interesting material  - Whilst a blogging platform is the perfect space for students to express themselves, it is also a platform for you to share additional content. Don't hesitate to illustrate by using multimedia or embedding interesting links. 
• Consider personal journals/diaries - Blogging can come under different forms. It could be interesting for you to set a journal/diary assessment to increase your students' literacy as well as expanding your grading methods. 
• Your blog does not replace the classroom  - Do remember that learning and teaching blogs should be an extension of the classroom, not a replacement of it.  

Make sure you consult our [exemplar Learning and Teaching Blogs] for an idea of how these work.

Blogging for research

• Decide how you want to hook readers - Making the description of your research clear while still being compelling is important: many readers will know very little about your research topic, so you should keep that in mind when writing for your blog. A good title will help draw readers in.
• Presenting your topics and projects clearly - This part goes hand in hand with a compelling title. It is important for your introduction or headline to be very clear: stray from complicated vocabulary and make your posts clear for anybody to understand. 
• Accessibility - Define complicated terminology or arguments that might not be self-explanatory. You might additionally want to embed images or videos to make your case more compelling and posts easier to read and digest...
• Referencing -  This is an essential part of all research blogs: fellow academics or potential employers will be expecting well-referenced sources to consult. Make sure you make the most of footnotes and bibliographies.
• Link additional material - Where did you get your inspiration? Are there any articles or videos people could consult to expand their knowledge on the subject you have raised? Adding a 'More Information' page is an optional possibility to expand your readers' experience. 
• Consider building a profile section -  If you are in charge of the whole blog, consider building yourself a profile section. This could be a space for your readers to explore your academic profile or consult external professional platforms such as LinkedIn.   

Blogging about community or student experience

• Be personal! - It may be possible for you to stray from the strict Academic style you might have to use in other blogging instances. Let a little bit of your personality shine through while staying professional. 
• Reflect on your own experiences –  This is an account of your personal experience. Try to base it on things that have happened to you rather than outside sources or peers' ideas. People want to read more about this community through your own eyes. 
• Remember you are writing for a group –  While we want the writer's tone to be explored, do remember you are writing about your experience within a larger group. Don't forget to reference your community, whether College, School, departmental, unit or student based.  
• Help people understand what your community is like from the outside - Explain specific terminology, abbreviations and sayings as others might not be aware of what these mean.     

How To Write An Essay Style Blog Post

As the Virtual Marketing Officer predicted in an  early 2009 post , social and digital content marketing  has become a very important—even critical—marketing investment for you and your law firm marketing team.

Publishing to the web is easy, writing well is not.

It’s easy to publish to the web. All you need is a blog or social media account. It is not, however, easy to write well. Writing well means not only avoiding spelling and grammar mistakes, it includes not BORING readers to death. Luckily there is a fairly straightforward fix for boring content: learn to write a basic essay. (Or, refresh your memory…)

If you work these 8 steps below you will have a better chance of producing something people will read. And, you’ll get better in the process. The more often you write, the more natural it becomes, and you won’t even have to think twice about writing an excellent post or article that connects and communicates with your audience.

How to write an essay in 8 steps

(1) Pick the topic: Preferably, you are genuinely interested in writing about the topic. If you like the topic, others will “feel” your interest and be interested. The topic should also have a human angle. Even if you are writing on a piece of legislation, ruling, or other dry topic, you must conjure up the human side. For example, a cyber security topic could include a story about a business owner or IT director. A new employment law might allow you to fictionalize a workplace scenario. Or, a television show episode might illustrate a pertinent topic related to your practice.

(2) Be the expert: If you’re not an expert on the topic, do the research and become familiar with the issues. Think about the common problems or objections people have with this topic. Then, ask yourself a dozen questions about the topic and answer them in writing. This activity will lead you to exactly what is important and what is humanly relatable.

(3) Pin down the main point: Your thesis, hook, or main idea captures the essence of why readers should care and why they should read your content. You must write this in one sentence, summing up concisely where you’re going to go with your essay and why. It’s practically impossible to write a good blog post or article without this type of anchor. The sentence you write does not necessarily make it into the article; rather, it serves you, the writer, as you develop your article. When you feel yourself getting sidetracked, e.g., introducing a B or C plot line, you go back to the thesis statement. Does the extra plot line help readers understand your main point? Probably not. I’m an experienced writer, and I do it all the time. As I write, I think of one or two other things to “add.” Yet, they rarely aid understanding. In most cases they would confuse the reader. But, if it’s something really good, I make a note and use it for another day, another topic.

(4) Build your outline: Make a list of facts, ideas, and examples that support your main point. Don’t worry about writing paragraphs; write a simple statement on each in a series of single ideas that support your thesis. Then, play with their order. Move them around: What is most important or least important? You’ll fill in the details later.

(5) Write the introduction: Now that you have the key pieces in place, it’s time to write. Start with the opening paragraph or lead. The opening is where the reader will decide whether or not your article or post is worth their time. Is there a story that illustrates what you are writing about? That will be your best lead. It can be a personal anecdote—a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature—that illustrates your main point. Or, for a legal topic, you could use a case study, a current news story, a business example (it can be fictitious), or the results of a recent survey to illustrate your opening. The idea here is to create human drama, something the reader might relate to. Avoid simply reporting details in the first paragraph. In cases where the topic is current, the media has already reported on it. Don’t waste your time rehashing. But, if you must get the details front-loaded, try describing the situation in conversational terms. Honestly, there is nothing less inviting than an opening paragraph that reads like this:

On January 7, 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the court held that (add more legal jargon here), which reverses the U.S. Circuit Court’s ruling in the case that applies the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act (FSIA) (case site here), on behalf of (full name of company) (full name of state where incorporated) (Date/Year).

Obviously, if your only audience is the legal profession, then go for it. But don’t expect a client to read it.

(6) Fill in the details: Each of the points in your outline (step 4) is a paragraph or two. Use subheadings that tell the reader in one or two words the main point of each section.

(7)  Cut: Remove  non-essential words . There are dozens of books and educational videos on how to do this. I’m not suggesting that you take out your personal voice, which for lawyers can involve legalese or flowery language; rather, look at every word and decide if it adds or detracts from the understanding and clarity of what you are attempting to communicate.

(8) Review your work: The best way to ensure you’ve written something worth reading is to read it aloud. Does it flow? Have you made your point? Is it free of spelling and grammar errors? Don’t depend on spell check. After you’ve done that, ask someone else with a fresh set of eyes to review it for you.

You may also want to read this post: Content Ideas for Lawyers 

Signing off for now…

Charleston, West Virginia | Newspapers Move Online Commenting System to Facebook, Exclusively

You may also like, building a law practice-specific social media strategy | examining user behavior, the struggle for the perfect attorney bio page, tips for hiring a law firm marketing consultant: part ii – the endgame.

The part “How to write an essay style blog post in 15 steps” is very interesting and helpful. Please, don’t get offended, but in such a bulky article you didn’t mentioned different types of essays. As we know different types of essays and essay-like blogs have their own definite features that differentiate them out of all the other genres. In this article https://abcessays.com/en/essays describes almost all the types of essays and given tips as to their writing. For me it was very helpful, I hope you will like it also))

My students always have an assignment to do a blog post. They usually search for examples of past students, but i will always think that it is the best to be original

I appreciate the extensive information you provided and the blog excellent fit with the “How to write an essay style blog post in 15 steps” . If you’re interested in sharing your work, I urge you to go on the link below. Link: https://assignmenthelpz.com/

Master the art of essay-style blog posts with this enlightening guide! Learn how to structure and write engaging content that captivates readers. Whether you’re a blogger or a content creator, these tips will enhance your essay writing prowess significantly. Happy writing!”

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8 Guidelines To Follow For Writing Longer Posts Faster

Do you shy away from writing longer, authoritative blog posts in fear of how long it will take?

All you need is a better approach to writing blog posts in general.

In this post, we cover a process that will help you write blog posts much faster, including longer posts.

The 8-step process for writing longer blog posts faster

Here’s each step in the process we’ll be covering below for writing posts faster:

• Know the topic before you begin.
• Craft a rough outline as best as you can.
• Research the topic.
• Craft a final outline.
• Write the body section first.
• Add placeholders and short descriptions for images.
• Add placeholders for internal links.
• Write the post’s intro and conclusion last.

1. Know the topic before you begin

If you don’t really have a process for writing new blog posts and simply write what comes to mind, you may find it difficult to stay on topic.

Even worse, you may not even realize you’re doing this.

In reality, you should have a clear idea of the topic your article is about before you start working on it.

Have these two items prepared before you begin the next step in the process:

• A title for your blog post.
• One to three sentences that describe the primary topic of your post.

The title you write here doesn’t need to be perfect. A working title that accurately describes what your post is about is good enough. You can even come up with a few titles if you want.

Conduct thorough keyword research for your niche if you need help coming up with concise topic ideas.

You can also research your audience by seeing what topics your competitors write about and what topics gain a lot of traction on social media and community websites, such as Reddit and niche-specific forums.

2. Make a rough outline for your article

Assuming you know a little bit about the topic you’re writing about, make a rough outline of how you think the structure should look.

Use bullet points, and structure your rough outline into H2 subheadings .

You can also jot down notes under each subheading.

Here’s what my rough outline for this article looked like:

• Introduction
• Research the topic thoroughly
• Make a detailed outline
• Focus on main section of the article first
• Use placeholders for images
• Final Thoughts (H2)

That’s all you need for this stage.

What this does is demonstrate that you know exactly what you’re writing about. It also gives you a baseline to work with as you begin your research during the next step of the process.

3. Research the topic thoroughly

This is the most important step in the process. The more research you do before you start writing, the easier writing will be.

Not only should you conduct research on the topic you’re writing about, you should create a separate document to collect that research in.

You can even organize your research document into subtopics.

Google should be your main source for research, especially if you only want to use one research method.

All you need to do is enter the primary keyword you plan on targeting into Google, and see how the top one to five articles on the results page covered the topic.

These are the posts that rank the highest for the keyword, so they’re your best bet when it comes to determining what content should appear in your article.

However, it’s important to understand that these articles are also your biggest competition for this keyword. That’s why doing thorough research to look for additional insights on the topic is so important.

Other sources for research can include forum posts, YouTube videos and podcast episodes.

Another possible source are SEO optimization tools like Frase .

These tools have lists of recommended keywords to include in your article. What these lists also do is give you additional ideas for topics to include in your article.

One of the most important features these tools offer are recommended blog post lengths, which are based on the average blog post lengths of the top-ranking articles for the keyword you input.

Having a specific, data-backed blog post length in mind can prevent you from spending too much time writing a post that’s longer than it needs to be.

You should only make it longer than this recommended length if you feel the additional content would benefit your audience.

4. Create a final outline for your article

Create an official outline for your blog post by doing the following:

• Breaking the article up into different headings.
• Filling in each section with your research.

Structuring your article into different headings

Using your research, your own knowledge of the topic and guidance from your competitors’ articles, break up your article’s primary topic into at least one primary sub topic.

Make each primary subtopic an H2 heading in your outline.

Our outline for this article had two H2 headings: one for the main “The X-Step Process for Writing Longer Blog Posts Faster” section and one for the conclusion “Final Thoughts.”

Add additional H2 headings to your outline if you feel there are more primary subtopics your article can be broken up into.

Otherwise, use H3 headings to break up your H2 sections even more.

The majority of this article is made up of H2 and H3 headings.

Break up H3 headings into H4 headings if it feels appropriate. That’s what we’re doing in this section. “Structuring Your Article into Different Headings” and “Filling in the Outline with Your Research” are H4 headings under the “Create a Final Outline for Your Article” H3 heading.

You can use H5 and H6 headings as well, but you’ll rarely come across a need for them. In reality, if you find yourself needing them, consider if you’re able to break up the post into additional H2 and H3 headings instead.

H1 headings should be reserved for the blog post title you input into your content management system, such as WordPress .

The most important purpose of this step is the way it helps you stay on topic during the writing phase of creating a blog post.

Without an outline, you simply write whatever comes to mind or whatever pops up first when you research.

Filling in the outline with your research

Now comes the hardest and second most important step: taking all of the relevant pieces of information from the research you conducted and placing it where it belongs in your outline.

Having this info readily available in your outline will make the writing phase of creating longer blog posts go much quicker.

5. Write the body section of your post first

You may be tempted to start your post at the beginning, but it’s much more constructive to write the body section first. This simply means to leave the introduction and conclusion last.

You can either write in the order you have the outline structured in or write in a way that makes sense to your brain. This means writing the easiest or most difficult sections first, depending on what you want to get out of the way first.

Refer to your outline (and your research document if you need to) often as you write. This is the key to writing faster.

6. Create placeholders for images

The writing phase goes much faster when you don’t stop to handle other tasks. This includes creating images for your post.

Unless you’re creating an instructional post in which you need to capture screenshots as you work your way through a demonstration, it’d be much more efficient to create placeholders for images in your article instead.

This way, you’ll know where you want to add images in your article and can work on them during the editing phase.

7. Create placeholders for internal link ideas

Any disruptions to the writing process can cause delays and distractions that keep you from getting the article done. This includes ideas you may have for internal links as you write.

Instead of going to your website in search of an internal link you feel you should add to your article, use your word processor’s highlight tool to highlight the bit of text you want to add an internal link to.

Then, add that internal link during the editing phase.

8. Write the introduction and conclusion last

Coming up with the perfect way to open and close an article can be difficult.

This is why it’s best to save the introduction and conclusion of your article for last. It’ll speed up the writing process overall.

Bonus tip: optimize your writing environment

Outside distractions can do a lot to hinder the writing process. Try to optimize  your writing environment as much as you can to help you stay focused.

This could mean getting your own office, working in a coffee shop, trying different types of music to listen to while you type and wearing headphones to block out outside noise.

Put your phone on Do Not Disturb.

You can even install apps for your phone, computer and browser that block your access to distracting apps and websites if you need to.

Final thoughts

Once you’re done writing your article, the next step is to edit it.

This involves reading through the entire thing to make corrections and remove anything you don’t feel is necessary.

This is also where you should create and add images and internal links .

Be sure to read our mega list of blogging tips if you need more help.

Lyn Wildwood is a member of the Blogging Wizard content team and a freelance writer for hire with over a decade of experience in the marketing space. She loves sharing new tips on WordPress, blogging, and online business as a whole.

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How to Write the Smith College Supplemental Essay 2024-2025

Smith College is a private liberal arts women’s college in Western Massachusetts. The school boasts small class sizes and close advising for over 50 areas of study. Smith is also part of both the Five College Consortium , which allows students to take courses and participate in extracurriculars at Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College, and UMass Amherst.

Smith is pretty selective, so writing a strong essay can definitely help increase your chances of acceptance. Here’s how to respond to their supplemental essay prompt.

Smith College Supplemental Essay Prompt

What personal experiences, background or abilities would you bring to this residential environment to share with your neighbors and what would you hope your neighbors would share with you (250 words).

Smith wants to know about your individuality and worldview through your experiences, backgrounds, and abilities, and this aligns most with the Diversity archetype . Showcase how your unique perspective benefits the community and how you engage with others. As there is an emphasis on “neighbors,” make sure to prioritize community as a theme, whether that’s about embracing differences, serving the people around you, or any other variation of being a contributing member of your community. 

Essentially, you are being asked to reflect on the aspects of your identity, skills, and personality that will shape how you engage with Smith College’s residential campus community. Admissions officers want to know how you can enrich the experiences of your future neighbors, as well as what you hope to gain from living in a diverse and tight-knit environment. It’s an opportunity to highlight your ability to contribute to a communal space, while also demonstrating humility and openness to learning from others.

To brainstorm some ideas for what you’ll write about, think about the following questions:

• What personal experiences or aspects of your identity (culture, family background, hobbies, talents) would shape your role in a residential community?
• How have you contributed to your community in the past? How would that translate to a college campus or dorm environment?
• What specific values or qualities do you want your living space to reflect?
• What are you curious about learning from others who may have different backgrounds or interests than your own?
• How do you envision creating meaningful relationships with your neighbors?

Like any supplemental essay, a good response will be specific and personal. Make sure to share details about your life that impact how you interact with others; this could include any aspect of your identity, including ethnicity, race, culture, religion, socioeconomic class, gender and sexual orientation, hometown, illness or disability, and even interests and hobbies. 

How can your experiences or abilities related to one of these dimensions enrich the lives of the people around you? Think about how you contribute to your community or how you will. Then, dive into what you hope to gain from your peers to express your openness to learning from others—engagement is mutual, so don’t neglect this part of the prompt. 

Check out these examples below:

Good Example : “ I’ve always felt that food is a way to bring people together. Growing up in a Filipino household, Sunday afternoons were spent cooking lumpia and adobo with my cousins. I want to recreate this sense of warmth and familiarity in my life at Smith by hosting cooking nights where we can share our favorite family dishes. I can already imagine the smell of sizzling garlic and soy sauce filling the kitchen as we cook and talk about the comfort foods that remind us of home. But more than that, I hope my neighbors will share their own stories and traditions with me—whether it’s teaching me a new dance move, introducing me to their favorite songs, or showing me a special recipe that I can add to my collection .”

This example gives a vivid picture of how the student will contribute to the residential community by sharing memories and traditions related to their cultural background. It also balances their desire to learn from others, creating a sense of true exchange. The focus on food as a way to connect adds a personal and tangible element with elements of storytelling.

Bad Example: “ In the Smith dorms, I would bring a positive attitude and help others when needed. I’ve always been someone who people can count on, and I hope that my neighbors will see that I am trustworthy to talk to when they need help. I also hope that I will meet people from different backgrounds who can teach me about their experiences when they come to me to talk something out. It will be great to live with people who are different from me and learn from them. Creating authentic connections with my neighbors is an important way to create a community and make sure everyone feels supported. ”

This example is generic and doesn’t show any specific aspects of the student’s background or personality. While it mentions wanting to help others and learn from peers, it lacks detail on how the student plans to engage with the community. It could be written by anyone and doesn’t provide any personal reflection or depth to the writing.

Your response should be intentional and reflective when it demonstrates how your personal background and abilities will enrich your residential community at Smith. This will help show admissions officers that you’re ready to be an active, engaged, and open-minded member of the campus community who contributes to the culture of the college.

Where to Get Your Smith College Essays Edited for Free

Do you want feedback on your Smith College essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

Need feedback faster? Get a free, nearly-instantaneous essay review from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!

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5 Tips for Writing a College Essay

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The Common App to apply to PLU is officially open for the Class of 2025—so it’s time to start thinking about your college essay. Your essay is your moment to show colleges what makes you unique. Ready to get started? Here are five tips to help you write a standout college essay that truly reflects who you are. Let’s dive in!

Be Yourself

Colleges want to know you , not just your grades. Share your story in a way that’s authentic and true to who you are. Whether it’s a unique hobby or a personal challenge, let your personality shine through.

Show, Don’t Tell

Instead of saying “I’m a hard worker,” share a story that shows how you’ve worked hard. Use specific examples and details to paint a picture of your experiences. Even if you’re writing about a tough experience, focus on how you’ve grown or what you’ve learned. End on a high note—show how you’ve turned challenges into opportunities.

Don’t write what you think admissions officers want to hear. Write what matters to you. Authenticity is way more impressive than trying to fit a mold. Don’t feel like one prompt is better than another. Choose the writing prompt that you connect with. FYI, some essay topics are overdone (like sports victories or mission trips). If you choose one of these, make sure you bring a fresh perspective or unique angle.

Revise, Revise, Revise

Your first draft isn’t your final draft. After writing, step away from your essay for a bit, then come back with fresh eyes. Edit for clarity, grammar, and impact. Get feedback from someone you trust. Also, typos happen, but too many can distract from your message. Proofread carefully, but don’t obsess over perfection. Your voice and story are what matter most.

Be Proud of Your Work

Once you’ve put in the effort, be proud of what you’ve created. Your essay is a reflection of you—own it with confidence!

With these tips, you’ll be ready to craft an essay that truly represents who you are. Good luck, and remember, you’ve got this!

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How to Write a Review That Stands Out: A Guide for English Learners

Writing an online review is a powerful way to share your experiences and help others make informed decisions.

This guide will help you understand how to write clear and effective reviews that offer valuable insights and help potential customers make decisions.

Things to consider before writing a review

What are you trying to achieve.

Before you start writing, think about what you want to achieve with your review. Are you trying to share a positive or negative experience? Do you want to provide valuable insights to help others? Do you just want to express your feelings?

Your review can influence a business’s online reputation and guide other customers, so be clear about your goal to make sure your review is helpful and effective.

How to format your review

Formatting your review properly is important to make sure it’s clear and easy to read. Start with a brief introduction that summarises your experience. Then, provide specific details about what you liked or didn’t like.

Use paragraphs to separate different points and make sure to proofread your review for any spelling or grammar mistakes. A well-formatted review shows your attention to detail and makes a stronger impact.

Consider your audience

Think about who will be reading your review. Are you addressing the company to provide feedback, or are you writing for other customers to help them make informed decisions?

Shape your language and specific details to suit your audience. For example, if you’re writing a review for other customers to read, focus on how the product or service met your needs and why you would highly recommend it (or not).

If you’re addressing the company, be sure to provide constructive feedback that could lead to improvements.

Types of reviews and how to write them

How to write a book review.

When writing a book review, include specific details about the plot, characters, and writing style. Mention what you liked or disliked and why. Your insights can have a significant impact on other readers.

Book review example sentences:

• “The author’s descriptive writing made the scenes come alive.”
• “I didn’t enjoy the book because it was slow and uneventful.”
• “The plot was engaging and full of unexpected twists, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story.”

How to write a movie review

A good movie review should talk about the story, acting, and direction. Share your positive or negative thoughts and provide details. This helps others decide if they want to watch the movie.

Movie review example sentences:

• “The actors delivered outstanding performances.”
• “The direction was sloppy and uninspired, lacking any clear vision or creativity, which made the movie difficult to follow and unenjoyable to watch.”
• “The story was captivating from start to finish.”

How to write a product review

In a product review, describe how the product or service worked for you. Mention any customer service experiences. Be honest and include both pros and cons to give a balanced view. Good reviews are clear and helpful.

Product review example sentences:

• “The product worked perfectly and exceeded my expectations.”
• “I had a terrible experience with customer service, they were very unhelpful.”
• “I would not recommend this product to anyone; it broke after being used once.”

How to write a restaurant review

For a restaurant review, talk about the food, service, and atmosphere. Would you highly recommend the food? How was the customer service from the wait staff? Your review can help guide others looking for a great dining experience.

Restaurant review example sentences:

• “The food was delicious and beautifully presented.”
• “The service was slow and unprofessional.”
• “The atmosphere was noisy and uncomfortable; I would not eat here again.”

How to write a travel review

When writing a travel review, include specific details about the location, accommodation, and activities. Mention what you enjoyed and what could be improved. This helps others plan their trips better.

Travel review example sentences:

• “There were plenty of fun activities to do, and all within walking distance.”
• “I highly recommend this beautiful destination to other travellers.”
• “The hotel was hard to find, with poor signage and confusing directions, and once we finally arrived, it was not worth the effort due to its outdated facilities.”

How to write a customer service review

A customer service review should focus on the quality of service you received. Did the staff respond to your needs? Were they helpful? Customer reviews that highlight good or bad service can influence a company’s online reputation.

Customer service review example sentences:

• “The staff responded quickly and resolved my issue.”
• “Everyone was friendly and went above and beyond to make sure we had a good time.”
• “I’m very disappointed with the service. The staff were unresponsive, and my issue was not resolved despite multiple attempts to get help.”

Leave us a review in the comments section below!

Now that you’ve learned some top tips on how to write a review, it’s time to practice your skills! Leave a comment below and tell us what you thought of this article.

If you enjoyed these tips and want to improve your English even more, explore our English Online courses – they come highly recommended, as you can see in the review below!

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British Council Online Course – the best course I have ever had

I am happy with the course as it is informative and educative. It has helped me to improve my knowledge of the English language. English is my second language. I’ve become a much more confident speaker of the English language thanks to this course.

I have enjoyed having classes in group as well as doing pre-class tasks on my own. I am happy that our group has had different teachers as we can improve our listening skills while listening to a new teacher and stay more focused on the material of the lesson. British Council teachers are professionals who help us a lot with learning and understanding the topics better. British Council, thank you for your work. 🙏

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