How To Write A Blog Post Like A Pro: A Step-By-Step Guide

Want to know how to write a blog post that readers will actually finish?

You want them to reach the end and think, “Yes, this answers my question. And I like this blogger’s content!”

This guide will walk you through the key blog post writing tips, from the basics of writing blog posts to an easy-to-follow blog format that can help your content stand out.

Writing blog posts is one of the top activities for bloggers, and it takes up a big chunk of our time.

However, not everyone finds the process easy. For some, blog post writing can be confusing, and it’s one of the key topics I cover when I’m blog coaching.

It took me a while to figure out a formula and post format that made it easier to write good blog posts, no matter the niche.

The goal is to create content that people find useful, interesting or entertaining. Learning how to write blog posts that keep readers engaged and on your site longer can help you on the road to becoming a successful blogger.

Whether you’re a beginner blogger writing your first post or you’re looking to improve your skills, learning how to write a blog post well is an important part of growing your blog.

Quality blog content is good for SEO because it gives readers a reason to stay on your blog and explore more of your content.

In this post, we’ll look at the basics of blog post writing, the key steps to follow and an easy-to-use format that works well for most blogs.

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.

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What Is A Blog Post?

A blog post is content published on your blog that shares information, answers a question, solves a problem, or offers your insights on a topic. It can be a how-to guide, list, personal story, review, opinion piece, or another type of article.

The goal of a blog post is to give your readers useful information while helping them discover you as a topic expert and your blog.

When you write a blog post, consider its purpose:

• Educational
• Inspirational
• Entertaining
• Persuasive

When you know the purpose of your blog post, you can apply a structured blog writing format that makes it easy to read. Your post should flow easily, taking readers from one point to the next.

Before we jump into the key steps of writing blog posts, let’s look at the most popular types of blog posts you should consider writing.

What Are The Types Of Blog Posts You Can Write?

It’s easy to fall into a routine of writing blog posts that all have the same style.

I’ve fallen into that trap many times myself. Here’s one of my blog post writing tips for beginners: try a variety of blog post styles to see what resonates with your readers.

I’ll show you a simple “how to” blog post format in just a moment, with an intro, body and conclusion. However, there are many different types of blog posts and formats that you can consider publishing.

Here are some of the most popular blog post types and formats:

• Cornerstone blog posts on core, broad topics for your niche. They provide a comprehensive resource and can act as a category hub topic.
• Pillar posts or topic cluster hub posts that cover a key subtopic and link to related content in the cluster.
• “How to” tutorial blog posts that teach readers how to do something.
• Seasonal blog posts that provide timely content around holidays, events or specific times of year.
• Listicles or list posts that organize ideas, tips, resources or recommendations into an easy-to-scan list.
• Blog series where you write more than one post around an umbrella topic.
• Affiliate product reviews that help readers understand the features, benefits and potential drawbacks of a product.
• Comparison posts that help readers choose between two or more products, services or options.
• Curated lists or roundup posts that bring useful resources, ideas or recommendations together in one place.
• Interview posts featuring insights, advice or stories from another person.
• Case studies that show how a strategy, product or process worked in a real-life situation.
• Opinion or commentary posts where you share your perspective or take on a topic.
• Podcast or vlog posts that complement or expand on audio or video content.

Don’t get stuck in a rut writing a blog post in the same style as all of your other posts! Experiment with different formats and look for ways to keep things fresh and useful for your readers.

The right format will depend on your topic, your audience and the purpose of the post. When you’re learning how to write blog posts, understanding these different formats gives you more options for presenting your ideas in a way that works for both readers and search.

Now, let’s look at my step-by-step guide to writing a great blog post.

Discover how to Develop A Blog Writing Schedule That Works For You

How To Write A Blog Post: 8 Easy Steps

The first thing I want to share with you is that writing blog posts doesn’t have to be hard. It can seem cumbersome when you’re first starting out, but the more you write, the easier the process becomes.

If you’re just starting a blog, as a first step, I suggest you read my complete post with tips on what not to do when writing your first blog post. It includes blog writing tips on how to wow your readers from the start.

I’ve often seen new bloggers asking for tips on how to write a blog post that gets lots of shares and clicks.

They may have started a self-hosted blog with a host such as my recommended NameHero. It’s been set up to look professional, and there’s some content.

But they’re failing to get traction with blog traffic.

One reason is that they’re writing for search engines, not readers. They’ve tried publishing blog posts, but the content doesn’t seem to generate interest or keep people engaged.

Writing a blog post is more than sharing your ideas and adding a few visuals.

There’s a structure to follow when writing blog posts. I like to think of it as a recipe: introduction, body and conclusion.

If you like, picture it like an OREO cookie, with the body being the creme in the middle.

In the eight steps below, I’ll walk you through the blog post writing process, from choosing and researching your topic to structuring, writing and optimizing your post.

1. Choose Topics That Answer Questions Your Readers Have

To write a great blog post, start with a question your readers have that they need to get answered.

Evergreen blog posts are particularly useful for generating long-term, ongoing blog traffic.

Think broadly at first, rather than going super niche. You can drill down into a more specific topic based on your audience and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) opportunities.

For example, “How to make a chocolate cake” is broad. You could niche it down to “How to make a keto chocolate cake.”

When you’re focusing on optimizing your blog posts, you’ll also want to use the “hub and spoke” approach. This is where you write one key cornerstone post on a big, broad topic, and follow it with blog posts covering specific subtopics that stem from the original topic.

Here are some questions to ask yourself for inspiration:

• What are my readers’ pain points? What are they trying to solve?
• Which blog posts are my most popular? What can I write that builds on that successful topic?
• What are hot topics on Google and Pinterest? Which topics are trending?
• Can I write a useful, in-depth blog post? Can I provide information that answers the reader’s question thoroughly?

Write a blog post for your readers, not for Google rankings. When you start thinking this way, your content improves greatly.

Getting Inspired By Others To Write Good Blog Posts

The second-to-last point in the list above is important when you’re starting to write a blog post.

By researching your topics on Google and Pinterest, you get a sense of what information your target audience is seeking.

Read what other bloggers are writing about. Keep a list of topics and ideas that you find interesting.

I have a running list of blog post ideas that I write down in a Google Sheets doc. It’s organized by subject matter and is part of my blog editorial calendar.

When I’m stuck on ideas for new topics, I look at my notes. I also go to Pinterest as my next go-to source of ideas.

Like Google, Pinterest can give you prompts for popular and trending topics.

Pinterest’s SEO system includes specific Pinterest keywords. Enter one keyword, and you get a broad range of related topics.

When you add more words to that main keyword, you get more specific, long-tail Pinterest keywords. Writing blog posts on these specific topics can help you find opportunities where there may be less competition.

Here’s an example of a key phrase on Pinterest:

You can also save popular Pins to a secret board to refer to later for inspiration. Look at the pin designs, descriptions, headlines and keywords to get ideas for your own Pinterest content.

The best blog posts consider what the audience wants to know more about and deliver that information in an engaging, useful way.

I’ve also drafted a list of lifestyle blog post topics if you’re stuck for inspiration!

PRO TIP: Be careful when getting inspired by others to write blog posts. Research what is already out there, but don’t copy someone else’s ideas, structure or wording. Look for ways to add your own experience, examples, perspective or information to make your post more useful.

2. Research The Blog Topic & Keywords

The next key step in how to write a blog post that your readers will love is to research keywords and the topic.

Here are my key steps:

• Research commonly used phrases. Learn what people are using on Google and Pinterest by using the search bars. They both populate potential search phrases.
• List the keywords. I write my main keyword and a few similar long-tail keywords to use when I write my draft.
• Gather my information on the chosen topic. I may have a very good idea of what I’m going to write, but I want to see what experts are saying.
• Save relevant topical links from informative, authoritative sites. I can reference them in my post. SEO tools like the Keywords Everywhere Chrome extension show a site’s domain authority, so you can identify authoritative sites.

Your readers will find your blog entry more valuable if you give them information that is useful to them. This includes adding a few internal and external links.

At this point, I’m also making sure I have my facts straight. If it makes sense to add some stats in my blog post opening, I will make sure I have the right ones from reputable sources, surveys, and studies.

If I’m writing about something technical, I make sure I understand the key things my readers will need to know and that I can relate to it without any jargon.

Plain English is key!

Writing a blog post means you put in the time to know what you’re writing about in the first place!

3. Write An Outline For Your Blog Post

Most blog posts have three main parts:

• an introduction
• a body
• a conclusion, which may also include a call to action

What I’ll be sharing with you here is an outline for a standard blog post.

Blog pros can sometimes wing it and write blog posts without this key step. But when you’re learning how to write a blog post, one of the first things to do is create an outline.

I still take this step, even if it’s simply a draft post in WordPress. It acts as a guide, helping my points flow from one idea to another.

It’s very easy to get off topic and “into the weeds” when you’re writing.

This is why I recommend creating an outline. It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated, as long as it gives you a clear flow of points from start to finish.

A good blog post outline also makes the actual writing easier because you already know what you want to cover before you start writing.

Read: How To Write A Blog Post Outline That Speeds Up Content Creation

A Blog Post Format: The Four Main Parts Of A Blog Post

Here are the four key sections of my blog writing format that work well for most blog posts.

When you break your post down into sections, it’s easier to organize your points and ideas and make sure your content flows from beginning to end.

1. Headline: Grab The Reader’s Attention

The first thing to do is to write your blog post title!

It can take some time to craft a blog post title that’s catchy, clear and gets clicks.

Some people write their blog post titles first. I sometimes go back and re-edit my initial blog post title once I’ve finished writing the post.

You can use the free version of Headline Studio analyzer to get some feedback on your blog post title and see whether it has the potential to attract clicks.

Remember, there are two types of titles you may need to think about: the headline that appears on your blog post and the SEO title that can appear in Google search results.

They can be the same, but they don’t have to be. Your SEO title should clearly tell searchers what the page is about and, where appropriate, include your primary keyword. Your blog post headline can be written with the reader in mind to make them want to click and read.

2. Context & Connection: The Introduction

When writing blog posts, always think about the reader’s first impression.

How do you start a blog post?

Use an opening that grabs the reader’s attention and quickly lets them know what they’ll get from your post.

In your introduction, address the following: What is the situation, question or key problem the reader is looking to solve?

It can be something like this:

“Many bloggers are frustrated when nobody reads their blog posts. As a result, new bloggers can become discouraged and give up. However, the good news is that by structuring your blog writing process, you can produce quality posts that people enjoy reading.”

You can also make the introduction more personal by sharing how you felt when working through the problem. Make it relatable to the reader.

“I, too, was frustrated when I produced 10 awesome blog posts in my first few months of blogging, and nobody was reading them. I was so ready to quit!”

Another approach is to write the introduction as a transformation. Show how someone went from having a problem to finding a solution.

Throughout the blog post, you can share the process, showing the transition from “problem” to “problem solved.” This approach works very well for case study blog posts that demonstrate how something can be achieved.

Your introduction may only be a few paragraphs long, but it should give readers a reason to keep reading.

Remember to include your main or long-tail keyword in the introduction when it fits naturally. Getting your main keyword into the first paragraph can help make it clear to both readers and search engines what your post is about. But don’t force it in just for SEO.

RELATED: 10 Different Ways To Write A Blog Post Introduction

3. Body: The Main Points And Key Information

The second most important section when writing blog posts is the body. This is where you show the reader how to solve the problem you’ve outlined in the introduction.

The easiest way to fill out this section is to create a bullet-point list of the main points or solutions you want to cover.

For each main point, you may want to include:

• The key point or solution you’re sharing.
• Supporting information that explains the point.
• Examples or anecdotes that make the information easier to understand.
• Your personal experience, when relevant. What did you do to solve the problem? What did you learn?
• Relevant internal and external links that give the reader more information.

If you have several tips, consider making this into a list post. “Listicles” are a popular blog post format because they’re easy for readers to scan. They also work well for search and social media.

I like to write out my key points with notes supporting them, as well as relevant links. This helps me keep track of what I want to write without forgetting something!

Don’t forget that the body of your blog post should actually answer the question you set out to answer. You don’t want readers reaching the end and thinking, “But you didn’t tell me how to do it!”

PRO TIP: Always ask yourself: “Did I properly answer the question? Did I answer the core question and any follow-up questions my reader may have on this topic?” It’s OK to include a FAQ section before the final summary and call-to-action section to answer some of these potential reader questions.

4. Call To Action: Summary And Engagement

Next on the list of how to write a blog post is the one that many bloggers forget to do. That is, they forget them what to do next!

First, summarize the key takeaway, and then share with them what you would like them to do. This is called a “call-to-action.”

• Do you want them to download a worksheet and sign up for your newsletter? Add your opt-in lead magnet.
• Do you want them to comment on your post? You may also want to end it off with an uplifting statement such as, “I hope these tips help you achieve XYZ. Let me know how it goes by dropping me a comment below!”
• Entice them to share the post via your social media sharing buttons.
• Do you want them to read other related posts?
• Do you want them to connect with you on social media or contact you if you’re offering a service?

Write down your notes as to what you want to write for this section.

This makes it so much easier to write a great blog post that your readers will feel gives them all the info they need.

| RELATED: 7 Powerful Ways To End A Blog Post

5. Draft Your Blog Post

If you’re following your outline, chances are you’re doing a good job with writing your first draft.

Don’t worry about making it perfect. The first draft is simply about getting your ideas down. You can edit, improve and refine your writing later.

It’s also good to take a break and step away from what you’re writing.

If you’re writing a long blog post like the one you’re reading right now, you’ll get tired after a while. Taking a break gives you a chance to come back to your post with fresh eyes.

I’ve seen Pinterest Pins that claim you can hammer out several new blog posts in 30 minutes. But at what cost?

Want to know how much time my blog writing process took me to write the draft for this post, and how many breaks I took?

A total of two hours and four breaks.

But this isn’t a problem.

Why?

Because in between those breaks, I would step back and consider what I’d written and what I was missing.

I’d go back after each break and tweak something or note down a new idea on the outline to include later.

There’s no prize for writing a blog post as quickly as possible. Take the time you need to create something useful for your readers.

Infuse Your Blog Post With Your Personal Brand

One of my key blog writing tips for a new blogger is to add your flair to your blog content.

There’s nothing more boring than reading blog posts that sound like technical manuals, especially when they’re from personal business blogs like this one.

Sure, they answer the question. However, they fail at one important thing: showing the personality of the person who wrote the content.

Blog readers are naturally drawn to finding out more about the author of a post. Are they credible? What’s their expertise? Who is the person behind the blog?

If they like your blog’s style and voice, they’re more likely to stick around and follow you.

This is why working on your personal brand is important as a blogger.

So, consider your tone of voice, wording and style when you write your blog content. Share your own experiences, examples and opinions when they add value to the topic.

The best thing to do is to read your post out loud to see if it sounds like you. If it sounds stiff or like something anyone could have written, go back and add more of your own voice.

Want to learn more about personal branding and your content? Learn more about my personal brand and online presence coaching services.

| RELATED: How To Find Your Own Brand Voice For Your Blog

6. Optimize Your Blog Post For SEO

One of the best blog writing tips I can share with new bloggers is not to skip optimizing blog content. It may seem too complicated and like a long process.

However, doing a bit of research to see what kind of high-volume, low-competition keywords readers are using and adding them to your blog post can greatly help you grow your ranking in search engine results and your position as a niche expert.

So what should you be doing?

• Use good SEO practices – sprinkle your keywords throughout the blog post.

• Add relevant headings (H2, H3, etc.) to break up the copy.

• Add your keywords, where possible, to your alt-text for your images.

• Make sure you have an SEO title with your keyword.

• Optimize your images: correct dimensions, small file size, correct title and alt-text

Read this in-depth guide to optimizing a blog post.

PRO TIP: A great keyword research tool is Keyearch. Find out which keywords on your topic will rank faster than others, especially if you’re a new blogger!

7. Do A Final Check And Hit Publish

The final step for blog writing is to do a final check-through of the blog post and all necessary sections.

This means I hit the “Preview” button to check what the blog post looks like.

What does this entail?

• Does it look well-formatted? If it’s cluttered, it’s time to create some white space
• Read the post out loud: fix any section that sounds too wordy or has grammatical errors
• Check the sentence structure
• Do all the links work correctly, especially affiliate links?
• The required affiliate disclosure – did you add it before the first link?
• Categories and tags: did you choose them correctly?
• Feature image: make sure you’ve added this

If everything looks good, then it’s time to hit publish.

8. What To Do After You Publish A Blog Post

What happens next? Sharing your post on social media platforms is just one step.

Here’s what I do:

• Get internal links to it: add a link to this post in older, relevant posts (at least 10 if possible)
• Submit it to Google Search Console to prompt indexing
• Pin a Pinterest image to a relevant board
• Share it on key social media platforms

I also share my new blog posts in my weekly Blogging Insider newsletter.

Promotion is a key activity, so don’t skimp on it!

Formatting Blog Posts: Create A Blog Post Style Format

Want to know how to write a blog post that looks good?

It involves creating a consistent blog post format that follows website content best practices, as well as a text editing process.

If, in the first few paragraphs, you have spelling errors and convoluted sentences, your readers will move on to other content.

Adopting a good blog writing format for each and every post you produce will make you a consistent producer of great content for your readers.

Using an editing process is the second-to-last step before hitting “publish”.

After writing the first draft, give yourself a day and do the following:

• Read the blog post out loud. Fix spelling and grammar mistakes, and improve sentence flow.
• Change text-heavy paragraphs into lists, like this one.
• Break up text-heavy content with visuals: relevant photos, infographics, Pinterest pin images, graphs or screenshots.
• Use a spellchecker to ensure that you haven’t made any mistakes.
• Make sure you have white space for a pleasing aesthetic on the page: shorter sentences and smaller paragraphs!
• Add links to relevant and related internal links. And make sure you’ve included quality outbound (external) links.
• Make sure you have quality stock photo visuals to break up the text. I’m using Styled Stock Society and LOVING IT. Add alt text to photos with some form of keyword phrases included. Center images properly.
• Edit your photos so that they are small file sizes. Use one of my favourite free online photo editors.
• Create and add to your post at least one Pinterest pin. I like to create two to give readers an option as to which one they want to post on Pinterest.
• Add an awesome, enticing free lead magnet that’s relevant to this blog post. Include it at the end of your blog post as the perfect call to action.
• Don’t forget to add affiliate links! If you can recommend one product that helps solve the problem, either add an affiliate link to it or point the reader to a full, in-depth review you’ve written on it.

Once everything looks good and you’ve added all your necessary elements, do a last lookover of the blog post preview.

If you’re happy, press Publish!

That’s the process for how to write a blog post that makes your readers happy.

Writing Blog Posts For Specific Niches

Not all blog posts will be the same. There are considerations for specific niches as well.

For example, when you’re writing food blog posts, you’ll most likely need to add a recipe. There’s a “flow” that readers expect with posts: introduction, information about ingredients and various tips for the recipe, and finally the recipe.

Writing travel blog posts involves much more storytelling and visual proof if you want your readers to view you as credible.

Successful mom blogs involve much storytelling and examples as well.

Determine what your audience needs and give it to them: they’ll likely turn into loyal readers.

| RELATED: How To Infuse Your Blog Content With A Unique Brand Voice And Personality

What do the majority of the best bloggers do to improve their writing?

Instead of looking at how to write a blog post fast, learn how to write a well-written, well-formatted, engaging blog post that’s a worthwhile read.

Taking a quick survey of the blog writing tips posts from the best bloggers, I’ve noticed many of them do five things. I do these too!

1. They search for topics that answer a question their readers have
2. Researching content and SEO keywords for successful blog posts
3. They create an outline including the introduction, body, and conclusion
4. Writing the first draft, they take their time in crafting it well
5. They do a final review and edit before formatting and publishing

Ultimately, the blog entry is well-written and well-researched, and it achieves your goals.

Should You Use AI To Write A Blog Post?

You definitely should, but wisely. It’s easy to get lazy and copy and paste what ChatGPT or your chatbot produces. Successful bloggers will grow their personal brand, authority and credibility by writing blog posts.

Wondering how to write a blog post with AI? Here’s how:

• Generate outlines
• Conduct keyword research and understand users’ search intent
• Determine what content you should be including
• Reviewing your content
• Providing you with suggestions as to what you may be missing

This is just the start. AI can also help you with SEO tasks to optimize your blog post. Writing blog posts with AI is like using a copywriting and editing assistant to produce quality content.

Start Writing Blog Posts: More Blog Topics

Check out these evergreen lifestyle blog post topics:

Over 100 Trending and Popular Lifestyle Blog Post Topics

300+ Mom Blog Post Ideas

And for seasonal blog post ideas, check out these:

• 100+ Fabulous Winter blog post topics
• 31 Wintery ideas for December blog content
• 30 Inspiring January blog topics for the new year
• 28+ Fun February blog post ideas
• 100+ Sensational Spring blog topics
• 31 Inspirational March blog post ideas
• 30 Fresh April blog post topics
• 31 Popular blog post ideas for May
• 100+ Summer Blog Post Topics
• 30 Fun June blog post ideas
• 31 July blog topics
• 31 Popular blog ideas for August
• 30 Sensational September blog topics
• 120+ Fall blog topics
• 31 Fun and festive October blog post ideas
• 30 Popular November blog topics
• 31 Cool December blog post ideas

Consider other ways to find blog post ideas your readers will love.

Write Blog Posts With Confidence

When you want to improve your blog’s authority, Google ranking, and traffic, the key thing every blogging expert will tell you to do is to create amazing content.

Learning how to write a blog post right from the start of your blogging journey can make things so much easier down the line.

How many blog posts will you need to launch your new blog? Well, that’s up to you.

I hope that my list of blog writing tips has been helpful. The effort you put into writing awesome blog posts and creating a great blog writing format is what matters.

Create great content, promote it smartly on sites, search engines and social media channels that your audience uses, and you’ll see a definite change in your blog’s success.

| Related:

How I Grew My Blog Traffic By 200% In 2 Months

How To Write Affiliate Product Reviews That Convert

Finally, make sure you read about blogging legally!

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QUESTION: What are your blog writing tips? What do you think makes a great blog entry?

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