Have you ever read a great blog post? Do you wonder how a writer creates consistently great blog posts? Do you want to write great blog posts? You can.
Yes, you!
You may not believe it, but writing is easier than it looks. Often we put great writers on a pedestal. We treat authors like J.K. Rowling like she is one of the wizards in her books. However, writing is not magic. Writing is a process. If you know the process, then you can write great content.
The process of writing can be explained in three simple steps: researching, drafting, and editing. Seriously, that’s it. All good writers do these three things for everything they write, from Shakespeare to Neil Patel. If you learn how to do these three simple steps, you will write great content too.
The Key to Good Research: Be Specific
If you’re going to write about something you will need information. You might remember your English teacher in high school saying the first step to writing a paper is your outline. Well, that’s not quite true. Think about it. Do you ever buy anything without doing some research? No, of course not. Before you commit to a purchase you learn about a product. It’s the same way with writing. To ensure you are creating the best content possible, you need to gather good information.
Research can be as simple as a Google search on your phone. Let’s stick with our shopping analogy.
For example, if you wanted to buy a coat you could type “coat” and see something like this.
This result can help you find a bunch of coats. A bunch of coats! You could search for hours looking for the right one. So instead of a generic search, be more specific. If you need a coat for cold weather like rain and snow, you could search for a knee-length black winter coat. Results on a coat like that would be far more useful to you.
Being specific with your research is key to starting your writing process. Think about the topic you want to write about. It can be generic like a coat. Then ask yourself, “what do I really want to know about my topic?” If you ask yourself this question you will make your research more specific.
Once you find the information you need to keep it. Take notes, make it a favorite, or send a link to yourself. You need to keep track of where you get your information from.
Why You Need an Outline
Now that you have your information you can start to write. Here is when you create an outline. Depending on your style, your outline can be a bullet point list with keywords or a collection of notes with details of what you want to say. Either way, this is where you begin your draft.
Use the classic introduction, body, and conclusion format. Doing this type of outline will keep you organized and prevent writer’s block.
For instance, a basic outline of this post might look like this.
- Introduction
- Research
- Drafting
- Editing
- Conclusion
It may not look like much, but it is a key step in the writing process. By having this outline you describe the key topics of the post and the order in which they appear. This not only helps your reader it helps you. On the internet, large blocks of text are harder to read. If you break up your content into different sections and headings, you improve the reader’s experience.
Okay, you have your information and you have your outline. Now, start writing.
Yes, I know this part can be frustrating. It can even be scary. Still, it has to be done. Writers write. You can’t stare at the blinking cursor forever. So, start writing.
Great Editing Requires Great Tools
So, you’ve taken your information and put it into your outline. You have a draft, a first draft. Good news, the hardest part is over. Whether your draft just needs a quick spell check or it needs to be run through Grammarly, the process is almost complete.
Speaking of Grammarly, it’s a great tool.
Most of us are not grammar nerds. If you are, that’s awesome! But if you’re not you don’t have to struggle by editing your work yourself. Use great tools like Grammarly. It’s free and easy to use. Plus, even if you are great with grammar it can still point out little things that will make your writing even better.
Let’s Recap What We’ve Learned
Did you start by researching your topic? Were you specific with your search? Did you keep the information you found? Good.
Did you create an outline? Did you write a draft? Great.
Did you edit your work with a tool like a spellcheck or Grammarly? Awesome!
Congratulations! You have learned the three simple steps of the writing process. Now obviously blog posts are more than just the words. Blog posts have pictures, links to click on, and sometimes even graph for data. If you don’t know how to do that, there is a ton of info out there to help you. Still, you have completed the heart of your content. Great job! If you follow this process, your writing will improve and your audience will grow.
If you found this post helpful, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
About Author
