Drafting a new blog but don't know where to begin?
Your blog will strike the right chord with audiences only if the ideas are presented coherently and all relevant, critical points have been well-covered. You can organize your thoughts by chalking out a blog post outline before starting with content creation.
Tips For Writing Effective Blog Post Outlines
Creating a compelling blog becomes easier with a good outline. Read on to learn some actionable tips!
1. Select a Good Topic
The topic will allow potential readers to form an idea about what to expect. You can do a quick Google search with keywords to check how related blog topics are crafted. Remember, a catchy headline will attract readers, while a commonplace one will distract.
2. Determine the Most Important Takeaway for Readers
What is the central theme around which your blog will revolve? How will the blog benefit the readers? Which problem are you going to address? In which format (ex. How-to) will you engage with the readers?
Answers to these and similar questions will help finalize the flow of ideas in the blog.
3. Think About Your Blog’s Perspective
If your blog is about hairstyling, will you talk about how to do so like a professional or which qualities to embrace to become a professional?
For presenting your unique perspective, will you:
Showcase your expertise?
Seek expert opinions?
Crowdsource ideas?
Endorse your content with data?
Offer contrasting views to refute some established ideas?
You can begin by conducting a Google search to check how certain ideas are presented in authoritative blogs.
4. Create Questions and Conduct Research to Seek Authentic Information
For each sub-heading, ask questions related to the topic. You can research to validate your ideas through sources like Google, Google Scholar, textbooks, competitor sites, etc.
You can also do a content gap analysis to figure out how top-ranking bloggers (similar niche) may have missed out on certain topics for which people are conducting hot searches.
5. Finalize the Blog’s Structure
For the title, you can think about:
The format, i.e., ‘How-to’, ‘Best’, ‘Top 10’, etc.
The expected outcome
Number of steps involved or way to accomplish the goal in a concise manner
For the body, you can dwell on:
Your understanding of the issue
Brief intro about your solution
Data-backed proof that your idea is productive
Number of H2 and H3 headlines to use for segmenting the flow
How to conclude the blog with a compelling summary
A method to cut out the fluff
Images, infographics, and video snippets to include
6. Determine the Number of Bullet Points to Include Under Sub-Headings
Bullet points are very effective in drawing readers’ attention and keeping them glued to your blog. Consider the tentative number of bullets under each sub-head to make your post more persuasive.
7. Finalize the Introduction and Conclusion
Go by the PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solve) formula in the introduction to highlight the readers' pain points while offering a glimpse of a powerful solution to motivate them to read your blog.
In the conclusion, you can highlight the key takeaways, provide resource links for further reading, or assert your authoritative take for the readers.
Final Thoughts
Proper planning of the blog outline will help you create an engrossing post that will catapult your popularity as a niche authority. As we one of the best content writing services in the market.
Happy blogging!