Are you overwhelmed?
I mean, if you are a blogger or a freelance writer, you could be overwhelmed by the amount of writing you handle on a regular basis.
Let’s be honest here, please.
I know you love your career as a blogger or a freelance writer – but often times you have too much writing to handle and you’re stuck.
“Stuck” could mean writers block or the inability to finish your gigs/writing tasks on time.
As a blogger or a freelance writer it is mandatory that you create content on a regular basis. Otherwise you simply cannot be present (live and kicking) in this blogging business.
Now, there are various forms of content – text blog posts (or articles), audios, videos, infographics etc. In this article I will concentrate on text format blog posts which require actual “writing”.
And I won’t be talking about writing headlines either. I will focus only on writing the core content.
Before I dive in – let me ask you a question: What do you “need” to actually write a blog post?
(i) An idea for a blog post
(ii) An outline or the big sub-headings within so that you can fill it up
(iii) A message (you need to check on this one before you start writing your post; and if your post doesn’t seem to have a message, don’t write it)
Basically that’s it.
And, some SEO knowledge, eye-catching image(s), ability to proof read, etc. – all of these are needed after you finish writing your blog post and are not directly related to the “core” writing process.
The core writing process is actually the hardest bit which most bloggers hesitate and some actually struggle with it.
So let’s dive in –
The blog post idea
If you are not getting ideas for writing a blog post I’ll say you are finding an excuse. Any living brain is capable of thinking and generating ideas (I don’t mean just the idea for your blog post here).
But all it needs is fodder.
So if your brain is on a halt and refuses to generate any ideas, just feed it and you will get the output. How can you “feed” your brain.
Read more.
If you are a blogger, you gotta have a reading list. You should not be producing content on a monotonic basis. Reading other blogs in your industry helps you keep up to date on happenings in your niche. You don’t want to sound like an idiot and write about a very old strategy that doesn’t apply any more.
In addition to that, reading helps improving your writing. You can write pretty fast if you are a regular reader. Your brain gets its nourishment and enough work out when you do a lot of reading.
You can (and should) actually do a lot of “off-niche” reading as well, since this will help your brain relax (with some fresh air). What can you read out of your niche? There are so many wonderful blogs that are not about blogging, internet marketing and business (if you know what I mean, these are all the serious stuff!).
Subscribe to a handful of off-niche blogs and visit them once a week (or lesser if you don’t have the time).
In addition, do not forget real books – I mean, books made of paper.
Shop (online of offline) for real books that are totally un-related to your business (I know people tend to fill their bookshelves with books related to their business, but this is also important).
Feed your brain and see the magic.
Capture the idea
This step is so crucial. Most bloggers don’t fail to generate ideas, they do; but they fail to capture them and the result of both is the SAME.
It doesn’t matter if you are able to generate tons of ideas for your blog posts or not, unless you capture them, they will be gone and you will be like just any other failed blogger who cannot generate ideas.
Not capturing ideas = inability to generate ideas (I mean, the end result is the same).
How can I capture blog post ideas? There is no excuse (especially in the current age we are living) for not doing that.
We have so many facilities available as opposed to people who lived 20 years back. We have the cloud, smartphones, email, wonderful applications, computers, and notebook+pen is still in use!
Never miss any idea.
I’d recommend collecting all your ideas in ONE place – say a notebook, Scoop.it, Evernote, a folder in your computer, a folder in your email, whatever – and sort them in some fashion that is convenient for you.
Setting the blog post outline
Do not start writing a blog post unless you have the outline for it. The outline is something very simple to put into.
Start a blog post without the outline and you will most probably end up rambling.
Ask yourself – what are the points I want to convey in this post? Write them down, re-arrange them, add or remove points to see if you deliver the message. See that the post delivers useful, practically applicable stuff with the points you have written down.
And that’s it! You have the outline.
When you have the outline it is easier to fill in the separate bits. And then you can re-work on the post to make the flow smooth between different bits.
Having your first draft quite fast will actually make everything else faster (I hope you know what I mean here). There is a big difference between starring a blank screen and polishing a big piece of content. The second is usually done pretty faster.
And how to get to the first draft faster? – By writing your outline first.
Write a useful blog post fast: Takeaway
I wrote this very blog post in the same manner I have explained above. In fact I write all my posts in the same manner.
I get ideas from different places and at different (and usually odd) times. I capture them, save them and pick one when I want to write a post.
Having an idea bank also has another advantage – instead of pushing myself to write on one topic and eventually starring at a blank screen, now I have a handful of ideas to write a blog post on.
So if I am currently not in the mood to write on topic 1, I can simply put it off for now and choose topic 2 from my bank and start writing it. I can pick a topic that suits my mood at that time; this way I am not “pushing” my brain to write.
And, writing becomes more enjoyable and it usually gets done pretty FAST!
A great set of tips to write that blog post or any piece of writing for that matter. There is no doubt that we are all overwhelmed by what is happening all around us be it SEO, blog writing and reading other people blog posts and product reviews. There is a lot of things happening at the same time and many of these times we are stuck. You’ve hit the nail by mentioning off-niche. I think this is very important, a lot of ideas can be picked up this way.
Shalu that’s right. What so many bloggers misunderstand is this – they only read blogs in their niche! This is a constraint on their creativity.
Hey Jane,
I find speed at which we create blog posts to be real important, the more useful blog posts we can create the more content we have. But making the whole process that such more efficient. Everyone hates looking at a blank screen thinking.. what else should I write..
Simmeon ironically, the more frequent we write the easier it gets! But the crucial point is to get started 🙂
Great tips Jane. It all starts with the idea. When I don’t have anything to write, I usually surf other blogs until an idea comes to my mind. The hard part is how to write it fast. However, as much as would want to finish it, I usually let myself take a rest if I run out of ideas. Thanks for the great tips!
Adam, instead of taking rest (which occasionally works but still…) if you start dumping what comes to your mind and train your brain and fingers to just write – you will see the magic. Writing will become a lot easier with time.
Ma’m one thing always makes me confused while writing any blog post (including ones that I love to write on). And I want to know what you do in such condition, I’ve been asking the same question to many experienced bloggers.
But, sadly no body did guide me the best! So, now got your post in my feed reader extension, hence asked the same to you.
After all, you’re really an excellent blogger and writer.
BTW, guest post is really awesome, eye-cachy, but again I couldn’t understand the idea of outline properly..
SO, here’s the question (which I think, I must ask YOU)…
Writing the main points that I want to tell my blog readers, is called OUTLINE?
Really enjoyed you post, and I’ve already grabbed your Killer Content Course, that’s rocking and is written with HUGE efforts.
Thank You very much, for all things (including this post) you did for us.
forgotten to tell you the confusing thing (really sorry)..
Confusing thing is STUCKING while writing a blog post.
Hi Mairaj,
One thing i do to ensure i don’t get stuck in the middle of my writing is conducting a thorough research on a topic. I also create an outline or draft during the research process before actually embarking on the real writing process.
One other thing is to do your writing during times when your brain is feeling creative as during these times one is always more productive.
Well, nice to see what you do.
Better tips.
I’ve a lot to write in my blog post always, that is conducted without researching (most times).
I don’t get stuck while writing the meat of blog post, nor the thing I want to tell my blog readers.
But, I do get stuck while starting the topic/introduction..
Now you got my point/problem?
Simply, I get stuck while starting my post, not while I had get started (I mean introduction)..
Thanks for your response.
Mairaj, I also would like you to watch this video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r27HRBBw0o
Hi Mairaj – thanks 🙂 glad that you liked the post!
As to your question, yes – that is the outline! So in this post
The blog post idea, Capture the idea and Setting the blog post outline is the rough outline and then under each headline I usually put a couple of lines to remind myself what I want to convey under that heading.
Saw the video you told me to above ^.
That’s fantastic, and is recorded with many efforts, and knowledge.
Really a BIG thanks, for such an video on the same topic you wrote. I’m really proud to come to know about you enough earlier.
BTW, I’m on my way to become a BETTER writer, and a blogger who inspires others.
Proud of you, and trying to read more on Problogging Success, blog made for me (the most) and other newbies and bloggers eagerly willing to write KILLER..
Hi Jane,
Practice. Write posts frequently. With practice you can churn out posts in 10 or 20 minutes…or less. Excellent tips here.
Write lengthy, value-packed comments on blogs and social networks. Work on your writing skills persistently. Churn out blog posts with ease. Why? You practiced writing mini blog posts all day long, penning helpful comments. Churn ’em out and it becomes easier to expand on these ideas for a full post.
Record ideas IMMEDIATELY. On a note pad. Or online. Use any tool to capture an idea or you will likely lose it, and the inspiration for an excellent post.
Thanks Jane!
Ryan
Ryan you’re so right. We create a lot of mini blog posts while commenting on other blogs! They are a great source of inspiration 🙂
Hi Jane,
These are great tips for any blogger or writer looking to create great content consistently.
As you mentioned, having an idea bank is actually as important as coming up with the ideas themselves
Yes, having an idea bank makes the process of writing a lot easier – more than that, it makes kick starting the writing process which is usually the hardest part.
Hi Jane,
As you have mentioned in your title,these are really simple but often ignored steps while writing blog posts.You have delivered what you have said,thats why a blogger is here to do.
Appreciate your insights.
Thanks Aditya 🙂
Hi Jane some really simple and great technique that helps me get stuff done is to concentrate on doing tasks for less time, apparently that is the optimum time span for productivity.
What I usually do is I always open my evernote, and list every idea that pop in my head, links that is interesting, snippets, tips, and when it’s the time to create a post I will review them and create / research about the topic and post them. It works for me 🙂
Shadir, yes Evernote is so handy when it comes to capturing ideas and conceiving them. Some even write their full post (until complete) in Evernote.
This is an impressive Post Jane. I found writing is not so easy as it seems and creating a post quickly is also tough but yes if we structure the post in Points then its likely to create a post quiikly.
That’s right Atish. If we have a simple strategy that works for us, writing posts will be a piece of cake process.
Jane,
I think this is a great post…
However, I must disagree with you on one point. I don’t think that every blog post you write needs to start with an outline. I think that certain types of post should be outlined…
A nonoutlined post can let your true personality and beliefs shine through. It doesn’t feel scripted or overly polished. It’s just you.
And people connect with that…
Thanks!!
Ryan H.
Ryan I completely agree with you. Not every post needs this hard rule (or strategy). But if one finds it hard to start writing, this strategy works. And only when writing becomes fluent enough (and a painless task) one can write blog posts as they want!
And yes I agree with you that more personality can be expressed with posts that are just written with the flow 🙂
Lots of good advise, I’ve just started blogging but i find that ideas come to you when you’re out and about and not thinking about work, I tend to write ideas down and then when I’m back home I can then expand on them. I’ve got several at the moment. I also find it useful reading other people blogs, as you said just by reading can help your brain get creative.
Thank you for the great advice – it is good to have a reminder that writing for a blog needs to be done in the same manner you would write a paper for school or work. Just because it is easy to post your content online these days, doesn’t mean that you can’t plan out the content and make it readable and useful first!
When I’m writing a blog post, I do have an idea and know the big outlines. Message is often a problem though. Mostly it’s about educating/informing my visitors.. but I don’t know if that’s a real ‘message’ ? What’s your opinion on this?
I’ve always been a fan of creating content more efficiently (and by efficiently, I generally mean quicker), but I sometimes find that it’s more destructve to allot myself a shorter amount of time. It kind of toggles on that inner-stress-level to skyrocket because I know I need to get done. I generally find the quality suffers.
I am a firm believer that you should sketchout your thoughts no matter what. Make sure you have everything listed that you need to talk about, the sections it will go in, etc. It generally will allow you to be more organized and more effective in delivering the message that you’re trying to deliver. Great post, keep up the good work! 🙂
Great one Jane! Loved the part for the books! I actually don’t have a SINGLE book related to internet/marketing/blogging etc! All I read is great novels (fiction and non-fiction)! But I get all my blogging/internet knowledge right from my laptop/iPad 🙂
Oh you should be a lot creative then, Raaj. Appreciate your cool reading habit!
Thanks. I never get writers block because I never get talkers block. But I do sometimes take unnecessary detours telling a story or blog post. So I like that idea about writing and using an outline, That should help me stay on track. I may make this blogging thing work yet. Mostly I write about and for my family, so i haven’t run out of ideas or stories yet. If I do, where do you look for new ideas? Thanks again for your help.
“I never get writers block because I never get talkers block” – haha that’s so sweet Grampa. When you write about yourself and your family I don’t think you need to look anywhere else. In fact you will be having a lot more ideas than you can actually make every one of them into a blog post 🙂 I’m sure!
I actually just wrote a post about writing articles on Monday and these tips are completely different, yet super helpful.
I feel like this could help with anyone writing anything which is great!
Thanks a bunch,
-Gabe
Hi Jane!
Excellent post and for me some people seems unable to get the ideas regarding blog post and capture them for writing a great blog post and you mention great points and I think it also depends on timing with the passage of time you learn and gain experience to write and awesome post.
Thanks for providing wealthy information and at the right time for me. 🙂
Oh yes Ayaz, writing gets better and easier with practice and time!
I agree with your point. Blogging doesn’t mean just to write content regularly. We must read others blog, learn blogging style, technique from different source. Then we can proceed writing unique content
Yes Ahsan, there is no point in simply writing content without reading what others are writing!
Very insightful.
What you can do to keep up to date on my niches, is to get the top blogs on the niche rss feed, maybe add a youtube feed for the keywords I target. You can add many other sources of feeds that way
Then I will create one feed from them all using Yahoo Pipes and subscribe to it. This way, all feeds are presented nicely on one feed and I can keep track of what’s happening in my niche.
Nice article you covered all the aspect which a blogger face while writting an article and trust me admin …..i check more then 4 -5 times a day that whether you have shared some article ………..on not …….
You’re welcome Puneet 🙂 I’m glad!
such a great post for those who are interested to write orignal content. blog post idea is a great technic
excellent points, for new bloggers. i do not know more about seo but i learn many thing from your blog basicblogtips, thank you for sharing us.
Basic Blog Tips does it again! Love the simplicity and simple tips that sooooo many of us writers/bloggers truly do ignore. It really is the simple things that keep our blogs engaging and sharable. Nice post Jane!
Just getting ideas is not enough. You need to capture those ideas right at the moment so you can expand on them later. Definitely not getting ideas is due to not feeding your brain with enough fodder.
Those tips are very useful, Jane!
Thanks.
Yes Faissal, that’s why we need to read a lot to keep our thinking fresh. Thanks for your comment!
Great post Jane, I think you covered all the important aspects. It is good to use an outline, but it is not always pratical.
Hi Jane,
If we are interested in writing articles and have free time, then we can easily write 2-3 posts and schedule them to use for future, when we are exhausted and cannot write more articles. And, I rarely post on my blog because I have contributors who regularly contribute at the site, does this affect the blog rankings?
Hi Naser it doesn’t matter if you publish the blog posts that are written by you or by your contributors. As long as the content is of good quality and useful, your rankings should not be affected. If you do not publish content at all, then yes this might affect your traffic and hence rankings (like that of Alexa).
What about the links which every guest blogger gets Jane? If daily, a new contributor publishes the post, a dofollow external link is added to the list.
Thanks Jane for putting together this awesome article.
We all sometimes need to produce a quick article that can help us get through.
Yup, we never know when an emergency occurs – it occurs all the time lol!
Having an outline idea of all that content we want to write beforehand is a good idea I read in your post. Once we have a mindset about the topic and the data we want to write in it, it becomes easier when we actually put down the details making it complete faster and better.
nice i generally keep my notebook wid me always. and whenever i get new things i put that in it. and later i use it in my blog…:)
Yes I agree, an already decided idea or thought would help the post wind up faster. We can keep different topics and genres or niche of subjects ready in our heads to put together everything in the end and get the output as fast as possible.
thanks for the post bro.its really helpful for us.i would like to ask you one thing that am trying to post like an assignment style,is it okey?
Thanks for the tips. I alwways struggle to get the message across on my WP blog. I wirte almost an article on each post rather than an interesting message that promts people to vist my site and have a look round. I have taken your advice on board and have printed it out to refer back to. Thanks again 🙂
Help tips. I often sit in front on my computer with no clue as to what to write about. I have even started to ask for guest post to lessen the load of having to write. I am sure this post will help me in my journey.
Thanks!
This post has really proved that you’re not only a great Blogger, but also a great writer. Nice work Jane.
All are valid points, but especially the last one. I think I also have to open an Idea bank where I should save all the ideas which I get from other places. BTW, I always have ideas in my mind to write a blog post, but this tip is something might be helpful for me in future.
Thanks for the great write up Jane.
You are so welcome Ehsan. Yes make sure you capture every idea so that you can jump start writing your post when and as you sit down to write 🙂
Thanks so much for your tips here, Jane. I have to admit, I spend about three hours a day just writing one blog post. I have been looking for ways to cut this time by about half so that I can write more and do other things as well. Going to start doing all the suggestions here starting on my next post. Wish me luck!
Good luck with that Adeline. Hope these tips will help you cut down your blog post writing time!
Really awesome and helpful tips for newbie blogger.
Interesting read. I wish I could make
myself write such good posts onto my own blog.
I guess I just need to try harder.
You are welcome Puneet 🙂
Great tips. I always struggle with writing blog posts in a timely fashion!
Thanks Jane for some great advice on writing blog posts.
Writing is something I have to work really hard at, but is is also something I enjoy very much. I like your idea of creating an ‘Ideas Bank’, I use something similar myself and find it very useful to dip into from time to time.
You have outlined a very simple approach to your blog writing and I will certainly give your suggestions a try when I am preparing my next post.
Thanks for sharing,
– Phil
Blog Posts are the building blocks of a blog. whatever you call them, killer or useful, they should serve the purpose. Information given in any blog post should be accurate and content should be put together in a manner in which it is pleasing for the reader.
Thanks for the tips.
Hello Jane,
This post is fantastic. You have answered the troubling queries of many bloggers who face these situations occasionally. When we love blogging, we can never give up regardless of the challenges we face.You have shown the way and also motivated many of us. Thanks a lot for writing this post.
Regards,
Sanjib
I am totally impressed with your wonder full, Idea & explanation about Blog Posting. If you looking to make blog as different & unique blog than others than you need follow up these top steps & idea for your blog. I appreciate your all tips but I woud like to say about image post in blog post ! While we post a image with content in blog it looks more better & unique & it increase look of blog post so alway prefer to post a Image.
I seem it’s a great tips for blogging. It’s contain lots of advice for blogger who try to start writing best. when I don’t have anything to write , I usually surf other blogs until an idea comes to my mind. While i post an image with content in blog it looks more better and it bring more traffic.