How to Write a Blog Post in 7 Steps
In this day and age, a writer’s job has become more diverse than ever before – there’s absolutely no doubt about it. That said, no longer is it simply limited to just penning down words for print, but it’s also become an integral part of web content too! And if you’re writing for the web, the chances are you’re going to be writing blogs. So, it’s of course crucuial to learn how to write a blog post in the first place before you even attempt to kick off your career in the digital realm of content. One thing’s for sure though, when you’re writing a blog post you’ve got to have a bit of moxie! Looking back 100 years ago or so, who would have known that writing was destined to have such a prominent role in digital media?
Has the Student Life Served You Well?
As a student, you may have studied the works of Shakespeare, Orwell and Bronte along with countless others. And as a result, your reading may have led you to write 100,000 words by the time you graduated. Yet, how many of those long discursive essays have ever been turned into blog posts? I’ll make a bet and say, “None.” Why? Well, for the most part blogging isn’t something you learn at school. It’s a skill that you try out, practice and learn about through reading other blogs. If you’d like to learn about how to write a blog post or posts or your own, check out our simple 7 steps below.
How to Write a Blog post
1. Choose an interesting topic to write about
Let’s get this straight – If you want to write a blog post and you want to do it well, the first thing you need to do is obviously choose a topic to write about in the first place. And whilst this may seem easy to you, as a writer who’s penned various articles for the last few years, I can definitely tell you that sometimes it’s easy to come up with a subject to write about and sometimes it’s really not.
Now if you’re struggling with choosing a topic to write about, my advice to anyone out there who’s trying to blog is to preferably stick to subjects you know best. This is especiallywhen you’re just starting out. However, if you’re in a bit of a different predicament and it is an absolutely necessary for you to write a blog post, do some research as to what your competitors are writing about. Then pick a subject that you like and decipher if you’re able to deliver or not.
2. Do some keyword research and select a keyword to target
Once you’ve chosen a title to write about, don’t just begin writing the article. Instead, take a step back and do it the smart way. Search for keywords to include in your article first. Primarily, what you should be looking for is a main keyword to target and related keywords (also known as Lsi keywords) to sprinkle into your article. There are several tools you can use to check keywords some of which are free and some which are paid for. For a list of keyword tools to use and how to use them, have a look at our article on keyword research for bloggers.
3. Brainstorm & take note of relevant information about the topic at hand
Now that you’ve gotten that pesky keyword research out of the way, the next thing you should do is brainstorm about the topic you’re going to about. Try to read up on the subject, even if you’re already knowledgeable about it. On the other hand, if there’s absolutely no information about what you’re writing about, look for inspiration elsewhere. When I’m in this situation, I typically like to look at pictures and videos in order to get my creative juices flowing. Take note of all that’s applicable to what you’re writing about.
4. Structure your blog
When you feel like you’ve gathered enough information, you should then try to come up with a structure for your blog. Bear in mind that the structure for writing blog posts is slightly different to when you’re writing for print. Other than having an introduction and conclusion, I always recommend using subtitles too for the paragraphs that go in between your opening and closing paragraphs.
5. Write the blog post
Once you’ve brainstormed about the topic, researched the keywords and structure your blog post, it’s finally time to start jotting down those first few words! Keep in mind that your primary goal when writing your blog post from start to finish is to get your point across by projecting your message clearly and if possible concisely. In order to do so, I urge you to set a space for you to just think clearly without being interrupted. Try to use keywords, anecdotes and imbue your writing with emotion for a strong piece. Ultimately, this is what will set your work apart from the rest.
For a full list of tips on writing have a look at The Bohemian Bubble’s article, Writing Advice from the Greats of Literature.
7. Edit and Optimize the article for SEO
Once you’ve finished your work, you’d probably think that you’re ready to publish it, right? Hmm…well not quite. Although you’ve learnt how to write a blog post and successfully done so, you’re unfortunately not quite done yet. But the good news is that you’ve made it all the way to the very last step in the process! Now’s the time you’ve got to edit and optimize your work in order for your blog post to have an impact on your readers and of course pick up some traffic!
When editing, the first thing to do is to check whether you’ve got typos and you can make it flow better. After that, you should optimize your work as best as you can. Yes, its a long process. And you will of course experience Writing Woes like many of us writers out there. Yet, editing is a crucial aspect of learning how to write a blog post the proper way.
I’m done! Now What? Time to Publish your work, of course!
Now that you know how to write a blog post and have successfully done so, it’s time to publish your work! Stay tuned for our blog post on Digital Publishing Tips!
I hope that you’ve found this post helpful and that you’ve gain some insight into how to write a blog post. Have you got any advice to give our writers out there?