Write blog posts quickly and efficiently with this FREE simple 1.7MB PDF form!
Writing a blog post doesn’t have to be a head bashing experience. I use this system to make it much easier on myself, and you can too. In this blog post I’m going to go over my PDF form, what each section is, why it’s in my PDf and what you can do with it. Then I’ll go over how to use the form to write a blog, almost entirely with cut & paste! Of course, what you really want, the download links are at the end of this post.
The sections of my form are as follows: Client, Purpose, Call-To-Action, Outline, Blog Body, Images, Sub-Headline, and Headline.
Client
This part of the form is an internal piece and should not make it to the final publish post, except in this case that is. I use this to keep in mind who I’m writing for. This will help ensure I maintain the client/brand tone when I’m writing. In this case, I’m writing for myself.
Purpose
Also an internal piece (not for publishing): What exactly is the point of writing this blog? Are you trying to get the brand exposure? Are you trying to increase sales? Maybe you’re introducing the reader to a new product or service? Could be a simple reaction to something you saw or heard. Everything that follows should be in keeping with this purpose. If you need to ask yourself, “How will this help me achieve my purpose” as you write things out. In the case of this blog post, I’m looking for exposure; I want to establish myself as an authority or at least as a person with professional knowledge in the field of blogging.
Call-To-Action
What do you want the blog reader to do when they are done reading your blog post? Everything leads to this point. The call-to-action should also help facilitate the execution of your purpose. That is, it should make what you want happen, well, happen. Also, keep is super easy. For example, “Click here to find [blank]” or “Find us at [blank]” These calls to action are literal directions to the reader. In this blog post, I’m going for “Click here to download my Blog Post Road Map today!” – why? Cause I want you to download the file I created!
Outline
Write a brief 3–5 sentence paragraph that explains what this blog post is about. This could work as the 1st or last paragraph in your blog post. I’m a big fan of the “Tell that what your are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them” formula of writing. This quick outline of content can easily fill the need of either telling them what you are going to tell them or tell them what you told them. For example, earlier in this blog post I told you…
Writing a blog post doesn’t have to be a head bashing experience. I use this system to make it much easier on myself, and you can too. In this blog post I’m going to go over my PDF form, what each section is, why it’s in my PDf and what you can do with it.
Blog Body
Keep your post easy to read and in line with your brand/company voice. Take what you wrote in the outline field of the PDF and turn it into a bulleted list that covers the entire blog post. This should show you everything you need to write out without being full sentences…unless that’s how you work, in which case, then full sentences are just fine. Always keep your purpose in mind when writing out your key elements. It’s alright to go back and look at your purpose as you. I do it all the time. Once complete, you can refer to these key points as starting sentences in your paragraphs.
Image(s)
An image is worth 1,000 words. Are you going to include images to support your copy? Some people start with an image, but I was taught that an image is there to help your words. This is entirely up to you. Will you need a photographer to take pictures for you? Include their relevant information in this field. For this blog post, I decided to create a simplified/stylized image of my form to help push the message across that this is a template that can be used over and over again.
Sub-Headline
In 1 or 2 sentences: Write out what the reader will get out of this post or why they should read it. A reader should be able to read the sub-head and say to themselves, “Yup, I wanna read this!” For this post, I went with “Write blog posts quickly and efficiently with this FREE simple 1.7MB PDF form!” I mean who doesn’t want a faster and easier way of writing blog posts. I’m not a professional copywriter, really, I hate writing, but people tell me I’m good at it.
Headline
Last but not least (but appearing 1st in your published post), Take what you’ve written and figure out an attention grabbing headline. Tell yourself “I have less than 4 seconds to get the reader’s attention with this headline”, because in truth, when they people are scrolling through blogs, that’s about the most time they’ll spend looking at the headlines before making the choice to read or close that window/tab. I’ll usually write up to 5 headlines and bounce them off other people and eliminate them until I’m down to one.
Putting it all together
You’ve taken the time and filled out my PDF, now what? Now is when you make it all happen online. I have a dual monitor setup, but you can tab between the two windows if you don’t have dual or a large monitor to work on. Open up your blog software of choice, I use wordpress. With the PDF open in one window and a new blog post open in another, begin copying and pasting what you have from the bottom of the PDF to the top into the appropriate parts of your blog post. ie: Headline to headline, sub-headline to sub-headline and so on. Then, once everything is pasted in, you may have to go back through your blog post and expand on your key points (found in the Blog Body section of my form) and make them into complete sentences and paragraphs. Upload the images you’ve selected/created/purchased and add your styling (h1, h2, block quotes, etc) and you’re pretty much ready to hit publish. It may seem like a lot to take in, but really, it’s a process most people go through without thinking about it. I just like to organize it into an easy to use for that I can refer back to. Once you’ve used it a few time, lemme know your thoughts. You can contact me via my contact page or on social media. Now, without further ado…
Click here to download my Blog Post Road Map today!
Click here to download my Blog Post Road Map that I filled out for this post!