I don’t know about you, but I love to write.
It seems to be a universal thing for us introverts.
Writing is how we best express ourselves.
I mean, I feel like I can convey my message a lot better through writing than doing videos (I’m still getting used to the whole YouTube thing, but it’s getting there I suppose…)
There’s nothing like a quiet morning routine with a little coffee, a piece of chocolate, Alexi Murdoch on the stereo, the rain tapping lightly outside, and writing a new blog post draft.
I love it.
Also, can you tell I just love the fall?
This article is not about the things I love about fall, although, I should really write a blog post on that topic due to my ecstatic passion for it.
This blog post is totally meta.
You’ll learn my step by step process for writing amazing content and blog posts that your audience will love.
Starting a blog is one thing (signing up for hosting, purchasing your domain, and all that techy stuff), but the blogging actually begins at you writing up your very first few blog posts.
You need to know how to structure your blog posts in order to have your audience leave your site feeling inspired, motivated, and ready to continue binging on your content.
So, how do you write a blog post when you’re a complete beginner?
I’ve got you, dreamer.
Related Reads:
- How To Start A Blog For Beginners: A Step By Step Tutorial
- Why Your Blog Isn’t Growing & What To Do About It
- Why Blogging Is The Perfect Job For Introverts
Here’s the YouTube video for all my visual learners.
There Are Two Things You Need To Know
Before we get started, there are two things that you need to know about content creation, audience building, and when it comes to writing amazing blog posts.
#1 You don’t need to be an amazing writer to make money blogging
Making money blogging has nothing to do with you being a great writer.
Yes, your blog posts have to be valuable but you definitely don’t need to have author-like-skills to provide your audience with true value.
I see so many bloggers make this mistake.
They think writing great blog posts are directly related to their ability to make money blogging.
That’s just not true.
You can be an amazing writer and not make any money online.
You can be an ok writer and make millions.
What it comes down to is strategy and authenticity.
Focus on providing value, storytelling, and being YOU.
#2 Your person matters the most (aka your audience)
The purpose of ANY blog post is to solve your audience’s problems.
That’s it.
You always want to keep your ideal avatar (your person) in the back of your mind when you’re writing your articles.
- How will your blog post benefit your audience?
- What will they walk away with?
- How will your blog post make your audience feel?
Focus on providing amazing value (I know I’m repeating myself, but VALUE is so important) and not so much about what you personally want to write about.
How To Write A Blog Posts For Beginners:
Okay, let’s get into the specifics and the step by steps you need to take in order to write an amazing and value-packed blog post as a beginner.
Step 1. Choose The Right Blog Post Topic
You always want to consider your audience when you’re choosing a topic for your blog posts.
Remember that your blog exists to solve their problems, so you need to write about exactly that – how to solve the problems they have.
Speak directly to them through your content and always keep in mind that you’re writing for their benefit – not your own.
Step 2. Keyword Research
What is your ideal person searching for online?
You need to find out what she’s searching for to get an idea of what kind of content to create.
This is called keyword research.
This is how you get blog traffic and start to build an audience – by writing content around what people are searching for in your niche.
My keyword research consists of 3 simple things:
- YouTube
I go onto these platforms and type in a keyword in my niche (personal development + blogging for introverts).
For example: blogging for beginners, blogging + introverts, goal setting + introverts.
What pops up? Well, the search will populate topics that are trending and what people are currently searching for.
And this my friend, is golden.
This is exactly what you’re looking for and what you’ll want to write content around.
Pinterest results to spark inspiration for blog post ideas.
YouTube results to spark inspiration for blog post ideas.
Google search results to spark inspiration for blog post ideas.
Step 3. Create a Content Calendar
Plan out your content and create your own editorial calendar.
After doing some extensive keyword research, brainstorm ideas for future blog posts, and put them on your calendar.
Trust me on this, you’ll want to have a plan for your blog posts in order to stray away from any last-minute “what the heck should I write about in the blog post that’s supposed to go live in one hour” situation.
I’ve been there and it ain’t fun.
Step 4. Get Clear On The Purpose Of Your Blog Post
Your blog posts have one job – and that is to solve whatever problem your reader is having.
They should be useful, engaging, helpful, and spark emotion for your audience.
Your content’s goal is to resonate with your reader and to build a connection.
To do that you need to be genuine and authentic when writing out your blog posts.
I mean you’re changing lives here so it needs to be valuable.
Always remember to have a clear goal and purpose with every blog post.
- What is the goal?
- Why are you writing this blog post?
- What is the action you want them to take?
- What’s the point?
This all needs to be crystal clear.
Your content should grab the attention of your readers and keep it, so you can nurture that relationship, build trust, and a loyal following.
Step 5. Create An Eye-Catching Headline
Headlines matter so freaking much – I cannot stress this enough.
I could write an entire blog post about the importance of headlines, but I’ll save that one for a later date.
Your headline is like the secret gateway to your blog, and it is what will lure your ideal person into your world.
So you have to make it pop!
It’s all about getting people in the door (your blog). by clicking on your Pin or blog post title in searches.
You need to create a stellar and click-able headline.
The only goal of your headline is to get people to click on it.
This is where you hook in your readers, and you get them to keep on reading.
Tips for creating click-worthy headlines:
- Include urgency
- Scarcity
- A solution to a problem you know your audience has
Your headline should clearly state the problem you will be solving for your reader.
The outcome your reader will get from reading your blog post should be clear.
Step 6. Outline Your Blog Post
Next up: Outlining your blog post.
I always outline before I start writing from my heart.
It helps to keep things organized and kicks my flow into gear.
- What are the main points you want to write about?
- What are the milestones of your blog posts?
- The most important takeaways?
- What are the things you want to highlight?
Step 7. Write From Your Heart
This is the part where you write your first draft.
Just write.
Don’t stop at grammatical errors or mess-ups.
Remember to write from your heart, let it flow, and EDIT later.
Do not edit and write from your heart at the same time.
This won’t be possible.
You’ll just end up killing your “flow.”
Step 8. Edit
Take a walk, sleep on it, and wait until you start your editing process.
If you can get someone else’s eyes on your blog post that would be ideal.
But if it’s just you, give your brain time and space before you start proofreading.
Ask yourself:
- Does the content flow easily?
- Does it make sense?
- Is it engaging?
- Does it align with my message?
- Does it provide value?
- Is the language YOU?
- Are you using your audience’s language?
- Have you delivered on the promise of the headline?
Try and get a “HECK YES” to all of these questions and you’re good to go, my friend.
Hot tip: Read your blog post out loud as you edit and proofread.
Step 9. Publish!
Who would’ve thought we’d get to this point.
It’s time to publish your masterpiece to the world.
Pat yourself on the back and repeat after me, “way to go, me!”
The Structure Of An Amazing Blog Post
- Headline – This is where you hook your readers in. Promise an outcome. Deliver on this promise in your post.
- Intro – Your intro should lure your readers to keep reading. It should be enticing, interesting, and pique curiosity. Make it clear how your article will benefit them if they keep reading.
- Body text – This is the meat of your content, where you’ll go into the specifics and tell them what to do. Give them the information, share stories, interesting facts, illustrations, examples from yours or other people’s lives. This is where you provide TRUE value to your reader.
- Conclusion: Wrap up your content in a neat and interesting way and lead into a strong conclusion. Reiterate your main points and takeaways (the solution to the problem). Have they learned something new? Have you provided the results ahead of time and delivered on the promise in the headline?
- Call To Action: There needs to be a clear call to action with every blog post. What is the action step you want your audience to take after having read your blog post? Read another post? Sign up for your email list/freebie? Follow you on Instagram? Comment below? Join your Facebook group? Be strategic.
Other tips for writing blog posts:
Make it skimmable
Break up the text with a lot of white space to make your content easily skimmable.
People need to be able to quickly skim through your content and understand what it’s about and how it’s going to help them.
Make it easy for people to digest.
You don’t want people bouncing because your blog post just isn’t readable or easy to navigate.
In conclusion, use very short paragraphs.
You’re not writing a novel here, you’re writing a blog post.
Something to keep in mind 🙂
Spruce up the text
Use bold, italic, and underlined text to emphasize a point you want to make and to break up the text even more.
Add photos
Photos are also great for breaking up the text and making your blog post (for lack of a better word) “less blah”.
People love a good visual!
Just make sure that you properly resize and compress the images you use so that they don’t slow down your site.
And also, be sure to add images that make sense for your blog posts.
Add a pinnable image
Speaking of images…
It’s also a great idea to add a pinnable image to every blog post to make them instantly shareable.
You might have noticed that I add a pinnable image to every single blog post I publish.
You should do the same.
I use the plugin Grow by Mediavine to add the share buttons at the top of this post but also the pinnable image below. ????
Busy bee? Pin this article for later.
Use conversational copy
Write as if you’re writing to a friend and don’t be corporate.
Pretend you’re on a phone with a friend.
How would you approach her? Speak to her? Address her?
This is what I do.
I’m always speaking to a friend and this can be reflected back to one of my keywords for my brand – which is “warm and friendly”
Let your personality shine through in your writing.
Find your unique blogging voice and connect with your ideal audience.
Share personal stories that relate to the problems your audience is having and show up as YOU.
Again, focus on value
Always focus on delivering amazing value to your content, and not so much on the word count.
Don’t fill your blog posts with fluff just to hit 1000 words.
Genuine and authentic value is what will turn you into a successful blogger.
Before You Go
As you can see, there’s quite a lot that goes into writing a bulletproof and amazing blog post – from the writing style to the structure and optimizing it for SEO.
A whole bunch of things, in other words.
The most important takeaway is to be 100% YOU while keeping your audience’s best interest at heart.
If you nail those two things, you’re good to go.
Before you go through, I wanted to ask you….
Are you a blogger? An introvert, a dreamer?
If that’s the case, I’d LOVE to see you inside my membership for introverted bloggers.
A safe online space for you to grow, learn, get feedback, and support on your blogging journey.
Thank you, Mia. This gave me a lot of value I have been looking for
I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂