Outlining Blog Posts: How to Set Yourself Up for Success

— January 11, 2017

Churning out blog posts regularly is mentally exhausting, and it can push a blogger into the inevitable state of writer’s block. You know the feeling: staring at a blank Word document with no ideas good enough to get your fingers tapping and only a couple hours before you have to submit a worthy post.


Meanwhile, your faithful readers are (hopefully) oblivious to your desperate state and are expecting to be delivered an inspiring and informative post filled with shocking new data, engaging interviews, breathtaking graphics, and compelling stories.


You need a reliable system that will help you consistently pump out blog posts valuable enough to keep your readers returning. Instead of spewing out ideas in the hopes of channeling Ernest Hemingway’s free-flowing style, create an outline to guarantee a strong and cohesive flow.


Create a headline


Waiting until you’ve completed a piece of writing to decide on a title works best with longer pieces. For blog posts, which focus on a narrow and specific topic, creating a title first will help you define what you’re writing.


If you have trouble coming up with an interesting title, scroll through posts you’ve previously published. Not only will these give you inspiration, but identifying the headline structure of your most popular posts can also help your replicate their success.


As you create your outline and write the post, refer to the headline to help you stay on-topic. Once you’ve written a focused and coherent post, you can always adjust the title slightly to make it more attention-grabbing.


Come up with key points


Next, determine what you want readers to gain from your post. Jot down specific questions that your readers might ask about the topic as well as relevant background information you need to include. Start doing research to allow you to form a unique opinion on the topic or to compile information that isn’t easy to find in one place; fresh perspectives and informative, accessible information draw people to blog posts.


If you’re having trouble generating enough ideas within your topic, your headline might be too narrow. Expand your headline, and widen the scope of your topic to generate more ideas and information. Even if broadening your topic requires you to provide more context to your readers, that material can be included in your introduction.


Organize your points


After scribbling everything down, group the main points into two or three overarching categories, and organize the points in a logical order. Continue to research your subject, organizing supporting information into the appropriate categories.


Depending on your subject, it might make more sense to start by introducing the general idea and then narrow it down. For instance, if your post argues the benefit of digital marketing over traditional marketing, start by explaining each concept before diving into the pros and cons. For other posts, such a timeline of the history of content marketing, you might be able to explain your topic in chronological order. The order always depends on the content, so reorganize your outline until you find the best flow. But keep in mind: your readers are impatient, so don’t wait until the sixth paragraph to get to a main point.


Once your points are organized, create headings for each main section you’ve created. Doing this before writing your entire post will help you keep to a structure that maintains a sensible flow.


Create an introduction


It might seem odd to address the introduction last, but now that you’ve gotten a grasp on how you will write your post, outlining your introduction will be much easier. Start by brainstorming facts or stories that your readers will relate to, and use these to hook readers’ attention and set up the topic of your post.


Without even realizing it, you’ll have written most of your post. Now all that’s left is filling in the blanks. Easing into the process with a direct approach mitigates the all-too-familiar anxiety that accompanies writer’s block. The hardest part of writing a blog post is over, so grab some coffee and enjoy writing the rest!

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Author: Chandra Clarke


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