How to Write a Blog Post: 5 Things You NEED to Know

how to write a blog post

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Why do people blog in the first place? Isn’t drawing attention to your website or Facebook page enough? Actually, one of the first things you learn in how to write a blog post is that blogging is not about keeping a diary of your business / hobby, nor is it a sales blog.

What a blog actually is, is a traffic generating tool that creates awareness about you and your product/service. A blog establishes your authority and helps your audience trust you. A storefront or a banner is not enough to gain trust. These days, , you need a “platform” in order to establish yourself as a professional and get people talking about important issues that tie in to your business.

In this article, we’re going to discuss how to write a blog post and eventually create a series of blogs that will increase your traffic and establish your presence online. And that authority is what boosts sales and makes you money!

How to Write a Blog Post: 5 Steps to Remember

Blogging can be a great source of income, especially considering that some authors are being paid millions to write blogs for major companies.

Links to magazine articles, blogs and videos get shared on social media and so your goal is to generate interest using social media, but then direct traffic to your blog.

According to WordStream, the secret of how to write a blog post is to plan your blogs in advance, by focusing on a topic and creating an outline. Knowing the topic and “theme” of your blog posts will allow you to create a better quality article, with research, fact-checking, and an organized outline that keeps readers interested.

Besides quality content, the experts also recommend paying attention to the headline (or title), making sure that it’s informative and dramatic. You should also enhance the blog post with images.

blog post ideas

But we’ve got more detailed information for you on how to be successful. Here are five “takeaway” points when planning how to write a blog post:

blog post ideas

1. Find blog post ideas by reading and listening

The first question you might have in discussing how to write a blog post is where do you get ideas? If you sell one product or service, won’t you run out of topics quickly? Naturally, one of the keys of good writing is to be interested in the subject you’re blogging about.

If you don’t have much enthusiasm for it, it will show in the way you write. Blogging “naturally” makes for a much more interesting blog. You write with more passion, more research, and more enthusiasm for the industry.

It’s also wise to avoid boring topics. Avoid any articles that have already been “done to death” and avoid “common sense” articles that really have no value to the reader. Only post about things that matter to you and let your reader feel the excitement.

When it comes to finding topics that really strike a nerve and get clicks, remember to research your market, your competition and your readers.

While you may have good instincts for articles and headlines (and that’s great if you do!) don’t underestimate trying what’s already been done and improving upon it.

Try to find fresh new blog ideas by checking to see:

blog post ideas

What keywords are popular on a site like Keyword Tool

how long should a blog post be

What the latest news is on your industry, hobby or subject of interest

blog post examples

What your competitors are blogging about

how long should a blog post be

What your readers or potential customers are talking about

Write down all of your ideas for future reference and study the traffic your blogs get, to see which topics might be worth exploring again in the future. You can earn money on your blog based on the traffic you gain. Find out more about how to start a blog for free and keep it profitable in our related article.

how long should a blog post be

2. Outline your first blog post

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It’s best when learning how to write a blog post that you plan out your blogs to be organized, easy to follow and logically arranged. Improvising too much or rambling on will not do you any favors. Your audience might start to think you’re uneducated on the topic and aren’t a very good blogger.

It’s best to write an outline before you blog so you can keep your thoughts organized. Outlining blog posts and learning how to write a blog post also means trimming the amount of research you did, choosing and highlighting your main points, dispensing with secondary information, and giving the reader some important “takeaway” information that they will remember.

blog post template

When you go about outlining and finding out how to write a blog post for better quality, it’s important to create “sections” of points: You take the free flow of ideas and then you create a few big points, followed by bullet points of supporting information that emphasize a central theme. For example, one detailed blog might have four or five larger sections of text.

The supporting information that draws attention to the major points should also be researched and linked to any studies, statements or verified facts, when possible, so that each point is proven and not just taken for granted.

When you’re leading an audience down a series of questions and answers, or a thread of evidence to prove a point, you must make sure that they stay with you. Proving your point with evidence and then emphasizing the “takeaway” is all part of creating a cohesive argument and a great blog. 

Consider this blog post template quoted at Search Engine People. Notice how some of these blog post examples are organized in an effort to persuade the audience to believe something and then take action:

blog post ideas
Tell a story related to the key issue
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Involve the reader in this discussion
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Identify the problem that is central to the story
first blog post
Mention the solution step by step
blog post template
Include a summary, with takeaways, and a call to action at the end promoting the product

This is an outline that online marketers frequently use because it boosts sales and impulsive buys!

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3. Leave your readers wanting more

How long should a blog post be? While the usual answer is that a blog post can be as long as necessary to prove all of the writer’s points, social media is quickly changing the game. People don’t read long articles as much as they used to and prefer shorter posts – especially if they have to go offsite.

Over at The Write Practice, one writer states that some radical bloggers believe 600 words is more than enough for a first blog post. However, the writer Joe Bunting says that some of his most successful blogs have been about 1,500 words or over.

blog post ideas

What this does tell us though with regards to word count and how to write a blog post, is that writing 3,000+ word blog posts is definitely too much for one sitting unless you’re writing about something highly technical, detailed, or for a very specific audience.

Rather than risk overwhelming your audience with too much information, try to break the detailed blog up into several different posts, each one following the same discussion.

It’s also a good idea to link one article to the next one in the series, so that the user can read in succession at their own pace, never missing any part of the discussion.

Revising and editing your outline and first draft is also an important part of the process, since you may discover various issues about phrasing or organization after reading the article for a second time.

Avoid publishing the article until you’ve read it over once or twice.

blog post template

4. Write a blog post that SELLS

blog post template

It’s one thing to describe how you’re supposed to write a blog, by journalistic standards, and by writing craft. However, what may actually be more important to discuss nowadays is what works. What gets clicks and what gets comments is what matters in learning how to write a blog post.

According to quoted studies, 80 percent of readers will read a headline but only 20 percent will go on to read the text. This should emphasize the grave importance of “selling” the story with the headline. This means not only writing a sensational headline, but also honestly reporting everything the headline suggests–no click baiting!

first blog post

5. Make your audience feel, not just learn

If writing newspaper-type dramatic headlines doesn’t come natural to you, treat your blog more like a sensory experience rather than just an intellectual one.

Engage your audience’s “senses”, by focusing on the visuals they see, sounds they hear, how something feels, and how something smells or tastes. These are the “human” details that make people pay attention.

If you want to learn how to write a blog post, put yourself in your reader’s mind and try to figure out what they want to know AND what they want to feel, by reading this blog. Which senses do they want engaged?

Giving away too much in the headline or summary text (the italicized sentence that follows the headline) is less satisfying and less successful.

Why…?

blog post examples

Because the audience wants to be teased, not merely told the whole story in just a few words! Enrich their reading experience by focusing on emotion and get more traffic!

As you can see, learning how to write a blog post involves learning the craft of writing, but also the art of appealing to your audience. Research them and figure out what emotional cues they respond to…this dynamic can be used to write a better quality blog that doesn’t just teach or inform…it captivates! It makes your readers feel something and makes them want to come back for more. The simple answer on why people come back? Not for more blogs but for more experiences!

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