How many times have you sat down at your computer and stared mindlessly at the screen wondering, “What on earth am I going to write about today?!’
As a content marketer, I know all too well, the struggles of writer’s block, meeting deadlines and the pressure to produce good, quality content within an efficient allotment of time. There are times I can produce a great piece of content within an hour, and other times, when after five hours, I’ve managed to string something together, but am frustrated with the amount of time it has taken me to produce it.
Writing an amazing blog post doesn’t have to be difficult. Below are 7 steps to help you produce a quality blog post within an hour or less.
1. Choose Your Topic Ahead of Time
One of the most beneficial tools I have implemented with my content writing techniques, is keeping a curated list of topics and ideas. This allows for me to pick a topic, from a plethora of topics, that I feel I can pour my creative juices into at that moment.
Before, I would sit down at the computer, knowing I had a deadline and not have any idea what the topic of my article was going to concern.
Now, I keep an excel spreadsheet, as to utilize the columns. I am able to keep a list of topics with corresponding research links, keywords, key points and any other notes for each, individual blog post. This has helped me to increase productivity.
One of the greatest aspects to having this list, is that I have an active mind. By the time I am ready to sit down and write, I have already entertained some of these topics and have mapped out what I want to say or touch on, within the content. This helps me to write faster, with clear and concise points.
2. Identify the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How
Having the 5 W’s and the how (when applicable), helps the article to flow smoothly. This will keep the main topic of the article clear and focused, rather than cluttered with irrelevant side notes, needless tangents and other clutter or jargon.
3. Share Your Research
Naturally, to be a good writer, you need to research your topics. Pick one source of research and discuss it within the meat of the text. Properly cite sources, or link to the website. Don’t spam your content with links. I’d only link once or twice within your blog post.
4. Add Images
Break up the text with images that are relevant to the content. In Blog Big or Go Home, I touched on the importance of this,
Images. I repeat, images, attached to your blog posts, receive 94% more engagement and page visits than those published without.
All amazing blog posts, will incorporate images. Be aware of copyright laws, creative commons licensing and always site your image sources to avoid penalties for copyright infringement.
5. Include a Conclusion
Your conclusion should summarize the article while reiterating key points within the text. This article has provided steps to writing an amazing blog post. Some key takeaways, include: identifying the 5 W’s within the text, breaking your content up with images and sharing your research.
Of course, even as I am writing the article, I am not following the outline of these steps perfectly. That is simply because this is an outline and not a precise formula meant to be taken as a literal step by step approach. However, the crux of this article is simple, follow these basic steps and you will produce an amazing blog post.
6. End With a Question
I don’t always implement this step. However, I notice that when I do, I not only leave my reader with an end point, but it causes them to think and in many instances, engages them to respond on social media. Making the case for step seven!
7. Share Socially
While sharing the content is not technically part of writing the amazing blog post, it can lead to curating new topic ideas, thus tying this step back to step one of the process.
Sharing your content on social media venues is a necessity. It encourages others to respond. You can read through comment threads and attached introductions on personal shares, to get an understanding of some points that were of particular interest to the readers, or those that may require further clarification. Add those takeaways to your topic list!
What steps do you take in producing a quality blog post?