You’re staring at a blank white sky of a document with the blink of your cursor the only thing showing signs of life. All the drive and hope and enthusiasm you built up to get you to this moment is drained with each stationary blink.
If you think it’s because you don’t have what it takes, I’ve got good news. Even the most seasoned writers know the gargantuan hurtle that is the empty page. You are not alone, and plenty have found a way to make the leap from wishful, longing looks to victory on the other side.
How did they do it? They started axing the blank page by following their own curated formula or template instead. And you are in luck: You’ve stumbled on the perfect beginner guide to get started.
Shall we begin?
STEP 1: Idea Generation is 24/7
Approaching the blank page before you even have an idea is like turning on the stovetop and warming the pan before you’ve decided on what to cook. You can’t whip up a meal before you’ve even made a grocery list for ingredients!
Contrary to the idea that nothing good happens after 2 AM, the truth is it can be when the best ideas come. Consider keeping something to write down ideas by your bed, or dedicate a space for ideas in the notes app on your phone. As an added bonus, when you go through your ideas list in the morning with a coherent brain, you’ll get some laughs. I suggest making a note on your phone just in case your idea hotspot ends up being while you are drafting an email response to an angry coworker.
STEP 2: The Hook
So you made it through the night and weeded out “cat videos but with dogs” and “broccoli in peanut butter – hear me out” to find an idea that might just work. What’s next? Now it’s time to craft an engaging introduction that hooks your reader and piques their curiosity. Think of a story or an interesting fact that is related to the topic of your post and brings your reader from the broad range of “everything under the sun” into your little corner of the internet where they can sit and relax for a moment. Another option is to use humor or an appeal to emotion to get the reader interested in staying.
The hook serves the purpose of securing initial engagement. You need a good one. But at least you won’t have to worry about keeping them engaged if they never show up!
STEP 3: Research
They call it RE-search for a reason. A single click after a google search is not going to get you the information you need to write a whole blog post. The truth is, the less you read the more you risk writing something that is closer to plagiarism than an original post. Search and re-search until you have – and this is important – developed your own thoughts on the topic at hand. Are you giving tips? Listing options? Sharing an opinion? Let your purpose drive your research and take notes on the things that stand out to speed up the process of writing the body.
STEP 4: The Body
After you have developed your thoughts, you have the materials you need to write the body. Some call it the meat and potatoes, the steak and spuds, the beef and tubers. The body of a blog post is the main course.
Armed with your freshly conducted research, the trick with the body is to avoid simply listing information. Think about your audience and what they might be going through in their daily lives and consider linking it to specific experiences they have likely had. If you are unsure about your audience, just remember that you know they are humans who have human experiences. Conjuring specific positive and negative emotions throughout the course of the body is going to help keep the reader from losing interest.
STEP 5: Conclusion
Congratulations! If you made it this far you found the diamond in the rough of your sleepy notes, chewed your way through some research and wrote the bulk of your content. Don’t stop now!
The conclusion wears many masks. For most any post, the first thing you want to do is recap the reader’s progress so far. This is a party favor to your reader that helps them file the information away into specific compartments while it is fresh on their minds.
The next step depends on your goals as a writer. You may write a call-to-action for the reader to go to your main website, store, or to contact you for your services. You may offer a thought provoking question to consider, or remind them of the relevance or importance your post has to them. Many writers will skimp on the conclusion because they feel their work is done in the body. Don’t do this! The conclusion is hands down the most important piece to get right if you are looking to drive results.
STEP 6: Review, Revise, Edit
Go ahead, roll your eyes. Since your first essay in grade school these words have been hounded into your ear. Well I am here to tell you that it was warranted.
I was speaking to a colleague of mine and they said the number one pet peeve they have is bad grammar in professional writing. With the rise of the internet, the art of perfecting grammar has taken a dive, even on major news sites. No, no, don’t cry! We know grammar is important to you, but this is actually a blessing in disguise.
Take the time to run your post through grammar correcting programs and always get a second pair of eyes on your post before you make it live.
Conclusion (But For This Post)
You did it! You took a great idea, researched it, wrote out a post, drove it home and polished it up. It’s finally time to post your content! The more you work your way through these steps the more naturally this process will become. Before you know it, blog posts will be a language you can speak fluently.
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