By skyforbes 
Writing blog entries is one of the top blogger activities. It takes up a big chunk of our time.
However, not everyone does it well – for some, the blogging process can be confusing, and it’s one of the key topics I cover when I’m blog coaching.
It took me a while before I figured out a formula and post format that helped with writing good blog posts, no matter the niche.
The ultimate goal of any blogger is to create content that people will find useful, interesting or entertaining. You want to become a successful blogger.
Whatever your blog post’s goal, these tips on how to write a blog post will have your readers staying on your page longer and sharing it with others.
Whether you’re a beginner blogger writing your first post or one who needs to improve your skills, focusing on writing great blog posts is key to blog growth.
Quality blog content is good for SEO because it’s content that keeps people on your blog entries longer.
This is how blogs grow and create a following! When you create something worthwhile that others find interesting, you’re doing it right.
Great content that meets a need, and has the reader sharing it is the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing. Right? If not, then you have to question why you’re blogging in the first place.
“A creative outlet” is probably not the top answer you should be giving me. This means you’re writing for yourself, not for others. So if you’re serious about taking your blog to the next level, let’s look at the top elements of writing blog posts!
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.
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How To Write A Blog Post: 8 Easy Steps
The first thing I’m going to share with you is that writing blog posts is not hard. It can seem cumbersome, but practice makes perfect.
If you’re just starting a blog, as a first step, I suggest you read my complete post with tips on what not to do when writing your first blog post. This includes blog writing tips on how to wow your readers from the start.
I’ve often seen many new bloggers asking for tips on how to write a blog post that gets many shares and clicks.
They may have started a self-hosted blog with a host such as my recommended NameHero). It’s been set up to look professional, and there’s some content.
But they’re failing to get traction with blog traffic.
They’re writing for search engines, not readers! They’ve tried publishing blog posts, but they seem to fail to generate interest.
Writing a blog entry is more than sharing your ideas and adding a few visuals.
There’s a structure to follow when writing blog posts. I like to think of it as a recipe – introduction, body and conclusion.
Write consistently & with care
What do the majority of the best bloggers do to improve their writing?
Instead of looking at how to write a blog post fast, learn how to write a well-written, well-formatted, engaging blog post that’s a worthwhile read.
Taking a quick survey of the blog writing tips posts from the best bloggers, I’ve noticed many of them do five things. I do these too!
- They search for topics that answer a question their readers have
- Researching content and SEO keywords for successful blog posts
- They create an outline including the introduction, body, and conclusion
- Writing the first draft, they take their time in crafting it well
- They do a final review and edit before formatting and publishing
Ultimately, the blog entry is well-written and well-researched, and it achieves its goal.
When you write a blog post, consider its purpose:
- Educational
- Inspirational
- Entertaining
- Persuasive
When you know the purpose, apply a structured blog writing format that makes it easy to read. It should flow easily, going from point to point.
Before we jump to the key steps of writing a simple, great blog post, let’s look at the most popular types of blog posts you should consider writing.
Writing Blog Posts: Top Types Of Blog Posts
It’s easy to fall into a routine of writing blog posts that have the same style.
Here’s one of my blog writing tips for beginners: try a variety of blog post styles to see what resonates with your readers.
I’ll show you a simple “how to” blog post format in just a moment – with an intro, body and conclusion. However, there are more blog types that you can consider publishing.
Here are some of the most popular blog post types and formats:
- “How to”tutorial blog posts
- Seasonal blog posts
- Listicles or list posts – with a series of ideas in a list or with a list
- Blog series: where you write more than one post on an umbrella topic
- Cornerstone or pillar posts are big, ultimate guides on a top topic you want to rank for in searches
- Product reviews
- Curated lists
- Interview posts
- Podcast/vlog posts
Don’t get stuck in a rut writing a blog post in the same style as all of your other posts! Experiment and look at ways of keeping things fresh for your readers.
Now, let’s look at my step-by-step guide to writing a great blog post.
1. Choosing Topics That Answer Questions Your Readers Have
To write a great blog post, start with a question that your readers have that they NEED to get answered.
Evergreen blog posts are the best for long-term, ongoing blog traffic.
Think broadly at first, not super niche. You can drill down a bit to get past the issue of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and getting found on Google. However, start big and narrow it down.
For example, “How to make a chocolate cake” is broad. Niche it down to: “How to make a keto chocolate cake”.
When you’re focusing on optimizing your blog posts, you’ll want to use the “hub and spoke” approach. This is where you write one key cornerstone post on a big, broad keyword topic, and follow up blog posts with specific subtopics that stem from the original broad topic.
Here are some questions to ask yourself for inspiration:
- What are my readers’ pain points? What are they trying to solve?
- Which blog posts are my most popular? What can I write that plays off that successful topic?
- Taking a broad topic, what are some of the top blog posts showing up on Google and Pinterest?
- I have a topic, but can I write a more than 1000-word post on it? (Improving reader engagement, which boosts chances for ranking higher on Google searches)
Write a blog post for your readers, not for Google rankings. When you start thinking this way, your content improves greatly.
Getting Inspired By Others To Write Good Blog Posts
The second-to-last point in the list above is important when starting to write a blog post.
By researching your topics on Google and Pinterest, you get a sense of what information your target audience is seeking.
Read what other bloggers are writing about! Keep a list of those which you find interesting.
I have a running list of blog post ideas that I write down Airtable. It’s organized under the subject matter and is part of my blog editorial calendar.
When I’m stuck on ideas for new topics, I look at my notes. I also go to Pinterest as my next go-to source of ideas.
Like Google, Pinterest gives you prompts as to hot trending topics.
Pinterest’s SEO system includes specific Pinterest keywords. Enter one keyword, and you get a broad range of topics.
When you add more to that main keyword, you get long-tail Pinterest keywords. Writing blog posts on specific topics is ideal. The chances of your Pins showing up are greater if fewer people are writing on the topic.
Here’s an example of a key phrase on Pinterest:
Also, this is a good time to save these popular pins to a secret board to refer to the pin for inspiration for pin design, descriptions and keywords. This will help you get your pin to the top of the list faster.
The best blog entries consider what the audience wants to know more about, and they engagingly deliver the information.
I’ve also drafted a list of lifestyle blog post topics if you’re stuck for inspiration!
PRO TIP: Be careful when getting inspired by others to write a blog post. Keep your content original. Stealing others’ content is never a good idea.
2. Research The Blog Topic & Keywords
The next key step in how to write a blog post that your readers will love is to research keywords and the topic.
Why do you need to do this?
Well, you want your blog post to be found in search results, right?
So, you’re going to need to start looking for keywords, and in some cases, get help from a keyword search tool.
Here are my key steps:
- Researching phrases that people are using on Google and Pinterest.
- Listing the keywords: my main keyword and a few similar long-tail keywords to use when I write my draft.
- Gather my information on the chosen topic. I may have a very good idea of what I’m going to write, but I want to see what experts are saying.
- Save links to authoritative sites that are informative so that I can reference them in my post. SEO tools like the Keywords Everywhere Chrome extension show a site’s domain authority, so you can identify authoritative sites.
Your readers will find your blog entry more valuable if you give them information that is useful to them. This includes adding a few internal and external links.
At this point, I’m also making sure I have my facts straight. If it makes sense to add some stats in my blog post opening, I will make sure I have the right ones from reputable sources, surveys, and studies.
If I’m writing about something technical, I make sure I understand the key things my readers will need to know and that I can relate to it without any jargon.
Plain English language is key!
Writing a blog post means you put in the time to know what you’re writing about in the first place!
| RELATED: 10 Blog SEO Tips For Beginners
3. Write An Outline For Your Blog Post
There are many different types of blog posts, but they all have three things in common:
- an introduction
- a body
- a conclusion (also called a call-to-action section).
What I’ll be sharing with you here is an outline for a standard blog post.
Blog pros can wing it and write blog posts without this one key step. But when you are learning how to write a blog post, the first thing to do is create an outline.
I still take this step, even if it’s in a draft post in WordPress. This will act as a guide, helping my points flow from one idea to another.
It’s very easy to get off topic and “into the weeds”.
This is why I recommend an outline. It doesn’t have to be fancy, as long as it has a complete flow of points from start to finish.
A Blog Post Format: The Four Main Parts Of A Blog Post
Here are the four key sections of my blog writing format that always work well.
When you break things down into sections, it’s easier to get your points and ideas organized.
1. Headline: Grab The Reader’s Attention
The first thing to do is to write your blog post title!
It will take you some time to craft a blog post title that’s catchy and gets clicks.
Some people write their blog post titles first. I sometimes go back and re-edit my initial blog post title.
You can use the free version of Headline Studio analyzer to see if your blog post title is catchy enough to warrant clicks.
Remember, there are two different types of titles: the great headline, which is what the person reads on the blog post, and the SEO title that appears in Google searches.
They should be different, as they serve different purposes. The SEO title is usually shorter, with your keyword and a few dynamic words to generate a click-through to your post.
2. Context & Agitation: The Introduction
When writing blog posts always think about the reader’s first impression. How do you start a blog post?
With a lead paragraph that instantly grabs the attention of the reader, giving them an indicator of what problem will be solved.
Ask yourself: What is the situation or key problem the reader is looking to solve?
It can be something like this:
“Many bloggers are frustrated when nobody reads their blog posts. As such, new blogs fail because bloggers give up. However, the good news is that by structuring your blog writing process, you can produce quality posts that people enjoy reading.“
Agitate the problem!
Make it a bit personal too: how you were feeling when dealing with the problem. Make it relatable to the reader.
“I, too, was frustrated when I produced 10 awesome blog posts in my first few months of blogging and nobody was reading them. I was so ready to quit!”
You can also write the intro as a transformation: how somebody overcame a problem.
Throughout the blog post, you share the process from “problem” to “problem solved.” These are case study blog posts that illustrate how something can be achieved.
This context section can be the first few paragraphs of your blog post.
Remember to include your long-tail keyword in the first paragraph if possible! Ideally, it should appear in the first 10% of your blog content.
3. Body: The Main Points And Key Information
The second most important section when writing blog posts is the body. This is where you show the reader how you solve the problem you’ve outlined in the Context section.
The easiest way to fill out this section is to create a bullet-point list of solutions. At a minimum, have three points.
If you have several tips, consider making this into a long list. “Listicles” are great, as they drive traffic.
If it’s an in-depth blog post that you suspect will be more than 1,000 words long, consider doing a “Top X list.”
I like to write out my key points with notes supporting them, as well as relevant links (internal and external). This helps me keep track of what I want to write, without forgetting something!
Also, don’t forget to share some of your personal experiences in the body: what did you do to solve the problem? Share anecdotes and examples if you can.
PRO TIP: Always ask yourself, did I properly answer the question? Did I answer the core question and any subsequent questions my reader may have on this topic? It’s OK to include a FAQ section before the last call-to-action/summary section to answer these potential reader questions.
4. Call To Action: Summary And Engagement
Next on the list of how to write a blog post is the one that many bloggers forget to do.
Summarize what you’ve written and share what you want the reader to do!
It’s the perfect time to ask them to do something – aka the “call-to-action.”
- Do you want them to download a worksheet and sign up for your newsletter? Add your opt-in lead magnet.
- Do you want them to comment on your post? You may also want to end it off with an uplifting statement such as, “I hope these tips help you achieve XYZ. Let me know how it goes by dropping me a comment below!”
- Entice them to share the post via your social media sharing buttons.
So write down your notes as to what you want to write for this section.
This makes it so much easier to write a great blog post that your readers will feel gives them all the info they need.
| READ MORE: How To End Your Blog Post In An Engaging Way To Generate A Reader Action
| RELATED: 7 Powerful Ways To End A Blog Post
4. Blog Writing Process: Take Your Time Writing The First Blog Post Draft
Want to know the secret to writing blog posts that consistently impress your readers?
Take your time!
If you’re following your outline, chances are you’re doing a good job with writing out the first draft.
It’s good to take a break and step away from what you’re writing.
If you’re writing a long blog post like the one you’re reading right now, you’ll get tired after a while. It’s good to take a break before you begin writing again.
I’ve seen Pinterest pins that claim you can hammer out several new blog posts within 30 minutes to half an hour. But at what cost?
Want to know how much time my blog writing process took me to write the draft for this post, and how many breaks I took?
A total of two hours and four breaks.
But this isn’t a problem. Why?
Because in between all those breaks, I would take a step back and consider what I wrote, and what I was missing.
I would go back after each break and tweak something or note down a new idea on the outline to include later.
Infuse Your Blog Post With Your Personal Brand
One of my blog writing tips for a new blogger is to add your flair to your blog content.
There’s nothing more boring than reading blog posts that sound like technical manuals. Especially if they are from personal business blogs, like this one.
Sure they answer the question. However, they fail at one thing: showing the personality of the person who wrote the content.
Blog readers are naturally drawn to finding out more about the author of a post. Are they credible? What’s their expertise? Who is the person?
If they like the blog style, they’re more likely to follow you.
This is why working on your personal brand is important as a blogger.
So, consider your tone of voice, wording and style when you write your blog content.
The best thing to do is to read your post out loud to see if it sounds like you!
| RELATED: How To Find Your Own Brand Voice For Your Blog
5. Optimize Your Blog Post For SEO
One of the best blog writing tips I can share with new bloggers is not to skip optimizing blog content. It may seem too complicated and a long process.
However, doing a bit of research to see what kind of high-volume, low-competition keywords readers are using and adding them to your blog post can greatly help you grow your ranking in search engine results and your position as a niche expert.
So what should you be doing?
- Use good SEO practices – sprinkle your keywords throughout the blog post.
- Add relevant headings (H2, H3, etc.) to break up the copy.
- Add your keywords, where possible, to your alt-text for your images.
- Make sure you have an SEO title with your keyword.
Read this in-depth guide to optimizing a blog post.
PRO TIP: A great keyword research tool is Rank IQ. Find out which keywords on your topic will rank faster than others, especially if you’re a new blogger!
6. Formatting Blog Posts: Create A Blog Post Format
Want to know how to write a blog post that looks good?
It involves creating a consistent blog post format that follows website content best practices, as well as a text editing process.
If in the first few paragraphs, you have spelling errors and convoluted sentences, your readers will move on to other content.
Adopting a good blog writing format for each and every post you produce will make you a consistent producer of great content for your readers.
Using an editing process is the second-to-last step before hitting “publish”.
After writing the first draft, give yourself a day and do the following:
- Read the blog post out loud. Fix spelling and grammar mistakes, and improve sentence flow.
- Change text-heavy paragraphs into lists, like this one.
- Break up text-heavy content with visuals: relevant photos, infographics, Pinterest pin images, graphs or screenshots.
- Use a spellchecker to ensure that you haven’t made any mistakes. I like using Grammarly.
- Make sure you have white space for a pleasing aesthetic on the page: shorter sentences and smaller paragraphs!
- Add links to relevant and related internal links. And make sure you’ve included quality outbound (external) links.
- Create and add to your post at least one Pinterest pin. I like to create two to give readers an option as to which one they want to post on Pinterest.
- Don’t forget to add affiliate links! If you can recommend one product that helps solve the problem, either add an affiliate link to it or point the reader to a full, in-depth review you’ve written on it.
Once everything looks good and you’ve added all your necessary elements, do a last lookover of the blog post preview.
If you’re happy, press Publish!
That’s the process for how to write a blog post that makes your readers happy.
| RELATED: 16 Types Of Blog Posts That Drive Crazy Traffic And Engage Readers
Get a free SEO cheat sheet and printable checklist for when you write your blog posts.
PRO TIP: Before I play around with my blog post format, I focus on my spelling and grammar by checking it with the free Chrome extension, Grammarly.
7. Do A Final Check And Hit Publish
The final thing that I like to do before I hit publish is to do a final check-through of the blog post and all necessary sections.
This means I hit the “Preview” button to check what the blog post looks like.
What does this entail?
- Does it look well-formatted? If it’s cluttered, it’s time to create some white space
- Read the post out loud: fix any section that sounds too wordy or has grammatical errors
- Check the sentence structure
- Do all the links work correctly, especially affiliate links?
- The required affiliate disclosure – did you add it before the first link?
- Categories and tags: did you choose them correctly?
- Feature image: make sure you’ve added this
If everything looks good, then it’s time to hit publish.
8. What To Do After You Publish A Blog Post
What happens next? Sharing your post on social media platforms is just one step.
Here’s what I do:
- Get internal links to it: add a link to this post in older, relevant posts (at least 10 if possible)
- Submit it to Google Search Console to prompt indexing
- Pin a Pinterest image to a relevant board
- Share it on key social media platforms
I also share my new blog posts in my weekly Blogging Insider newsletter.
Promotion is a key activity, so don’t skimp on it!
Writing Blog Posts For Specific Niches
Not all blog posts will be the same. There are considerations for specific niches as well.
For example, when you’re writing food blog posts, you’ll most likely need to add a recipe. There’s a “flow” that readers expect with posts: introduction, information about ingredients and various tips for the recipe, and finally the recipe.
Writing travel blog posts involves much more storytelling and visual proof if you want your readers to view you as credible.
Successful mom blogs involve much storytelling and examples as well.
Determine what your audience needs and give it to them: they’ll likely turn into loyal readers.
| RELATED: How To Infuse Your Blog Content With A Unique Brand Voice And Personality
Should You Use AI To Write A Blog Post?
You definitely should, but wisely. It’s easy to get lazy and copy and paste what ChatGPT or your chatbot produces. Successful bloggers will grow their personal brand, authority and credibility by writing blog posts.
Wondering how to write a blog post with AI? Here’s how:
- Generate outlines
- Conduct keyword research and understand users’ search intent
- Determine what content you should be including
- Reviewing your content
- Providing you with suggestions as to what you may be missing
This is just the start. AI can also help you with SEO tasks to optimize your blog post. Writing blog posts with AI is like using a copywriting and editing assistant to produce quality content.
Start Writing Blog Posts: More Blog Topics
Check out these evergreen lifestyle blog post topics:
Over 100 Trending and Popular Lifestyle Blog Post Topics
And for seasonal blog post ideas, check out these:
Consider other ways to find blog post ideas your readers will love.
Writing Blog Posts Takes Time
When you want to improve your blog’s authority, Google ranking, and traffic, the key thing every blogging expert will tell you to do is to create amazing content.
Learning how to write a blog post right from the start of your blogging journey can make things so much easier down the line.
How many blog posts will you need to launch your new blog? Well, that’s up to you.
I hope that my list of blog writing tips has been helpful. The effort you put into writing awesome blog posts and creating a great blog writing format is what matters.
Create great content, promote it smartly on sites, search engines and social media channels that your audience uses, and you’ll see a definite change in your blog’s success.
| Related:
How I Grew My Blog Traffic By 200% In 2 Months
How To Write Affiliate Product Reviews That Convert
Before I wrap up this post, make sure you read about blogging legally! Protect your content and yourself. legally and financially.
QUESTION: What are your blog writing tips? What do you think makes a great blog entry?
