Newcomers to blogging, as well as seasoned bloggers, have one trait: the constant urge to arrange our ideas. It takes more than a stream of consciousness to put words on the paper to write a blog article.
The outline, as it was in high school writing classes, is the key to a good blog article. Writing a strong outline for your article will make it much simpler to arrange your thoughts logically, determine which portions are vital and which aren’t, and stick to your word count targets without over-fluffing certain areas.
Different people establish their own blogging strategies, but almost everyone uses an outline at some point.
The Advantages of Blog Outline Template:
If you’re not sure why you should utilize an outline or what the goal is, here are some of the advantages I’ve found when composing them.
11 Steps on How to Write a Bullet-Proof Blog Post Outline in 5 Minutes
1. Memory Advantages:
First and foremost, you gain memory advantages. I don’t know about you, but I have a habit of coming up with ideas for sub-topics or points to make in a blog article, but then forgetting to include them when writing the piece.
I can add those items in nearly the same spot in the article as they would be if I wrote an outline, and make sure they’re covered. It allows me to make my work more information-dense and beneficial in general.
2. Logical path :
Second, it enables you to create a logical path from point A to point B to point C. You may have a rough idea of what your introduction will be and what conclusion you want to reach at the end of the piece, but you get lost along the way.
It’s all too simple to want to get from point A to point B to point C, only to discover that you forgot to include point B in your article. When people read the jump from A to C, they could think it’s not very beneficial because it’s a logical leap with no support. You have the backing, but you didn’t record it.
3. Editing:
One of the main reasons I use outlines so often is for editing. I’ll make a rough outline with my main ideas, and then I’ll consider the piece’s logic, grouping, and arrangement, as well as its structure.
4. Embedded material:
Outlines can also be useful for determining how to distribute embedded material. You may add picture placeholders, figure out a balanced link distribution, and rearrange your material to your satisfaction.
How to Write a Great Blogging Outline: 11 best Steps
Plans for blogging differ slightly from outlines for writing an academic paper or anything like that. You’re not as restricted, and it’s more of a tool to help you arrange your thoughts than an assignment for which you’ll receive a score. Here’s how it works:
1. Lay the foundation for a strong post:
The first thing you should do is set yourself up for success, which isn’t actually part of the planning process. Here’s when your keyword research, subject brainstorming, and reader persona analysis come in handy.
You may create a blog outline for any topic, but how do you determine if it’s worth writing about? You must lay the basis so that you may write with confidence, knowing that your material will elicit at least a minimal level of attention.
2. Look into what’s currently available:
Some consider this part of the foundation, as the first step in creating their own framework. Almost any topic you might possibly wish to write about has already been covered by other bloggers, potentially even your rivals.
So, go through a few blogs and get the idea. It can spark ideas and provide more data points, both of which are beneficial to the outlining process.
3. Determine what your main points will be:
Simply get everything on the page so you can see it, read it, and use it as inspiration for future points. You’ll eventually combine this and the next several phases into a single core procedure.
You’ll train your brain to generate these concepts in a rational manner, reducing the amount of restructuring required.
Nonetheless, this stage of the process aids in identifying gaps in your coverage, writing down vital information that you would otherwise forget, and including key links that you must include in your final article.
4. Organize your arguments in a logical order:
Begin organizing your large list of points and bits of information once you have it. It’s not uncommon for some of your points to become sub-points for additional points during your first brainstorming.
You’ll have a partial outline with some key subjects, sub-topics, room for another big topic or two, and potentially a few sections you want to eliminate since they aren’t that important.
Consider what questions you would want to ask to broaden portions as you go through this. More importantly, consider what kinds of questions your readers could have as they read.
Is there anything you should offer further material to cover that they haven’t addressed yet? This is your finest opportunity to add important points and solidify your post’s general structure.
5. Dissect each point into its most important facts, conclusions, or arguments:
Every subsection should cover a number of topics. Larger or more complicated subheads may be a good place to include a bulleted list. In some ways, each part may be thought of as a mini-blog post in the making.
It’s a smaller, more focused topic than the broader topic, but it still requires the same intro, meat, and conclusion structure as the rest of your piece. Some subjects will be extensive enough that you may want to divide them further into sub-sections.
6. Determine what data is required to bolster your claims and include it when appropriate:
This is when you start filling in the important elements in your outlines. If you’re going to draw a conclusion, be sure there are stages leading up to it.
If you’re going to claim anything as a fact, be sure you have facts to back it up. In general, whether it’s first-hand facts, anecdotes, charts/graphs, or case studies you link to, you want to make your piece as well-supported as possible.
7. The portions should be balanced:
Determine if something isn’t necessary and can be eliminated, or whether it is essential and must be extended. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, a point you want to express just won’t fit.
You may put it away and make another blog post on it later if it’s a conclusion you truly want to write about. If it’s only a tangential conclusion, cut it; it’ll be OK.
A larger segment may be 400 words or so in total, but if they grow too long, you might want to break them down more completely and add another subheading.
8. Rearrange your arguments according to your extended framework for a logical flow:
You may now evaluate your outline to see if you like it or if it still requires improvement. If it’s not quite where you want it, go back to step three and repeat the process. However, this “step” isn’t always a step in a process.
It may mean that I write in a less ordered manner than other people, but it seems to be working for me so far.
9. Create an initial draught:
Start writing your draught once you’ve completed the procedure and are pleased with your plan. Expand on each of the points you’ve written down.
You’ll be able to transform your outline into a blog post in no time if you expand each point into a paragraph or two. You could notice that your points aren’t aligning the way you want them to as you write.
You can occasionally bend your flow back into place, and other times you’ll need to rework your outline. Both are OK; keep in mind that you are not being assessed on any of this.
10. Improve and revise your draught:
Some people create excellent first draughts that just require modest revisions to make them publishable. Others will require two or three rounds of revisions to get their manuscripts in tip-top form. After you’ve enlarged your outline into a draught, now is the time to do it.
11. Make a title for your post:
Some folks that supply their own techniques recommend that you first come up with a title. Your overarching theme may have evolved at this stage, and a fresh title would be preferable.
Also, you should attempt to improve your titles as much as possible, which might include anything from audience feedback to split testing. Isn’t it true that titles are really important? Make sure to take a close look at it.
Blog outline template
Now, as I mentioned at the beginning, I’m going to provide you some blog post templates. Here are a few that I’ve discovered and enjoy.
HubSpot’s Fill In The Blanks Template: This is a fine template for a basic blog post, but it’s short and template-y. It will get you something usable in the 500-1,000 word range, but you need really expand it for a solid modern blog article.
Content Rules’ Homework Sheet: This is a PDF from Content Rules that includes a template that functions similarly to a worksheet. With some simple rules, it lines up each piece of a blog article and asks you to fill in what you’d want in that spot.
Writers Write’s Post Template: This template is an infographic-style breakdown of the elements of a blog article, presented in a visually appealing arrangement. It may assist you with layouts as well as rationalizing the many elements of an article.
Quick Links
Conclusion- Learn Blog Outline Template in 2024
Before I let you go, let me say this: template-based blog postings aren’t all that fantastic. You’re eliminating your voice and style from the equation when you use a template.
At that point, you’ll get a higher return if you just pay a professional writer to perform your blogging for you. Templates are a terrific place to start, but the more of the template that remains at the conclusion of the blog article, the less successful it will be. Use your own voice instead of using pre-build formats.
