How to Plan and Organize Your Blog Posts
Many WA members have the same challenge. While there may be times that the words just seem to flow, sometimes we struggle with creating quality content for our sites. To help with this issue, here are a few tips for planning and organizing a new post.
Step 1: Begin With the End in Mind
The first step in the process is to decide what exactly you are writing and why. Who are you writing to? What are you writing for? What is your goal? What intended outcome do you wish your reader to achieve? Setting a primary goal for each and every post will go a long way toward helping you finish as well as improve the overall quality.
What are you hoping the reader will do as a result of reading your article? Leave a comment? Fill out your Contact form? Subscribe to your newsletter? Click on a link? Purchase something?
By knowing what it is you would like them to do you will know how to design the post to get them there.
Step 2: Outline Your Main Points
Begin by brainstorming as many ideas as you can. Don’t judge any ideas at first, but just get them down on paper (or screen). Don’t even worry about organizing yet, just get everything out of your head.
Then, once you have several related ideas, begin to create an outline of your main points that flows naturally. Feel free to move things around and try different approaches. Many an award-winning essay was created with little more than scissors and tape. Remember, no one has to see it yet, so have fun with it.
If you have too many ideas, but they are all interesting and useful, ask if an idea or several ideas can be spread across multiple posts. Who knows? You may even get several weeks worth of content out of a single brainstorming session. You won’t know until you try.
Step 3: Create a Killer Headline (and More!)
The number one job of an article title or headline is to capture (and keep) your reader’s attention. Here’s a little technique that works wonders…
It’s called The Bucket Brigade Method, and it’s been around in copywriting circles for decades.
A Bucket Brigade is an old-fashioned line of firefighters that scoop a bucket of water at the source, and then hand it, one at a time, to the person next to them. Eventually the water gets to the end of the line and is poured on the fire.
A big mistake that many bloggers make is thinking of a particular piece of writing as a giant block. Instead, think if it this way. What is the job of the headline? To make you read the first sentence. And what is the job of the first sentence? To make you read the second sentence. And so on.
As long as each sentence is compelling the reader to read the next, eventually the reader gets to the end and takes whatever action you need them to take, just like water to a fire.
Step 4: Create Intriguing Sub-headlines
This is just an extension of the Bucket Brigade concept above. You should be able to see a natural progression from your main headline, through the sub-headings, and on to your final conclusion.
Step 5: Include Resources and Bonus Material
Consider offering free resources and/or bonus material. It creates more value for the reader and helps establish a bond with them. Offer them a downloadable PDF, Free Guide, Audio, Video, Webinar, or some other gift they can easily obtain. And make it easy; if they have to work too hard to get it they likely won’t bother.
Step 6: Link to Yourself and Others
Finally, try to include links to other useful sites (make sure they open in a separate tab or screen), or even internal links to other related content. Readers love it when you give them more than expected and loads of useful information. And you know who else likes it? The Big G… Google :-)
Recent Comments
37
Thanks for this very useful information,
I will put them into practice for my next article.
Ingrid
Thus us how I like to organise my blog writing. It just makes it easier to expand your idea. Jim
Thanks for this post. I like the 1st step: Begin with the end in mind. It's so true! If we know what action we want our readers to take once they finish reading, then the whole post should be written to promote that action.
I'll incorporate these tips in the post that I am writing right now.
Cheers.
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Very nicely organized and written post. I'm one of the lucky ones whose posts sort of flow from my fingertips and had an excellent written communications class in college. I realize writing doesn't come as easily to a lot of people, and your post will be a big help for them. Carol
Agreed. It tends to flow for me, too, because I have been a professional writer of one form or another since the early 90s. Then again, even I hit the wall now and then, and it's good to have a road map to refer to when I do.
Thanks for sharing :-)
You're absolutely right!