10 Easy Steps to Writing a Blog Post
Perhaps you’ve gotten over the first hurdle of writing for your blog — finding a topic. Now it’s time to write. But that blinking cursor on your stark-white page is ruining everything. Whoever thought such a small icon could bring so much anxiety!
I’ve been there, but since then, I have created a strategic blog writing process that helps me put my ideas to paper (or word processor), with ease, every time.
My blog writing process is going to be different from other writers’, and it’ll be different from yours as well. But this is what works for me, and hopefully, it will act as a good starting point for you until you figure out what process works best for your creativity and workflow.
I don’t start actually writing most of the content until I’ve laid out a plan first. If I don’t have an outline, I tend to lack direction. Try and hold back on producing any writing until after you’ve completed steps one and two.
Step 1: Brainstorm Headlines
Some writers may choose to save headlines for last. I start with them because they give me a crystal-clear direction for my article. The headline will probably change by the time I’m finished writing, but the initial idea helps guide my writing and ensure that I’m on track. Finding the perfect headline can be really difficult. You want to use your keywords but in a way that is enticing. If you don’t come up with a headline that draws people in, then all your hard work is for nothing.
Step 2: Identify your Subheadings
Subheadings are the main topics that your blog article will cover. I come up with at least four per article (this one has 10). For long-form blog posts (posts over 1,000 words) I like to have at least five. I love subheadings, not only for the ease of writing, but for reading. People browsing the web are scanning for information. Subheadings allow your reader to find the exact information they are looking for and then skip everything else.
Step 3: Research
You would think this would come first, but for me it doesn’t. Before I do any research, I write down my own ideas. And I only write about what I know, because that’s the only way to write about something with authenticity. Once I’ve bulleted all the items I want to cover under each subheading, I conduct research, look for any holes in my content, and fill in the missing pieces.
Step 4: Write Body Paragraphs
The words should flow effortlessly now because all you’re doing here is connecting your points together in sentence form. In this stage, I don’t worry too much about grammar or spelling. I focus on getting my ideas out and being authentic, conversational, and easy to read. Don’t worry if a sentence doesn’t seem to sound right initially, you’ll fix that later. In step seven, you’ll go back and edit, delete, rewrite, and massage your words until they are just right.
Step 5: Write the Introduction + Conclusion
These are notoriously difficult sections for any writing endeavor! When you save the conclusion and introduction for last, they pretty much end up writing themselves. Introduce your topic by giving some background information and providing the why: why does anyone need this information and why are you the one to give it to them? The conclusion can be as short as 2–3 sentences, wrapping up your main ideas. The final sentences are your call to action (learn more, sign up, join us, buy now).
Step 6: Create Internal + External Links
Skim your post and link back to your website in relevant places. You might have a ton of links and you might have just one. That’s OK. Just make sure you’re at least linking to the places you want your readers to end up, whether it’s a product page, your contact page, or services page. Usually this is done at the end as part of your call to action, but it can also be embedded within the content itself. And never leave a hyperlink in your writing. Embed the link within the text. And if it works, link back to any relevant blog posts that you’ve already published.
Step 7: Edit + Rewrite
I usually save this step for the next day. It gives the article a chance to marinate and settle. I like to go back and look at my writing with fresh eyes. Usually I am aghast at my sentence structure and flow, but the ideas are there, my voice is there, and the content is there. Now I just edit, move sentences around, rewrite sentences, delete them, and add them.
Step 8: Print + Proofread
I always print my writing to proofread. When I was an English teacher, I used to have my students print their essays and then read them out loud to a friend. It’s a great way to find errors. If you don’t have access to a printer, then at least save the article as a PDF and proofread from there. Viewing your article from another format is super helpful. I might do this three times before I feel like I’m ready for the next step.
Step 9: Upload, Format + Proofread Again
Almost there! Upload your post to your platform. Read it again! It will look different and I guarantee you’ll find more mistakes. I always do. Make sure all your formatting is correct.
Perhaps pull an important point out and make it pop by enlarging the text, italicizing it, or bolding it, like this.
Step 10: Publish
Time to hit publish. I always post my writing with a relevant picture. After I hit publish I go back and read again, and clean up any tiny errors that may have slipped through the cracks.
Done! Try using these steps the next time you write a blog post and then tweak it so that it works for you. Soon, you’ll be banging out amazing content for your blog, consistently and with little stress.
