How to Write a Blog Post: (And Actually Get it Done) 10 Steps

Are you a busy professional with lots of experience to share, but lack confidence in your ability to write a quality blog post? If so, don't fear, you're not alone!

As a writer, one of the most common questions I receive is, "I'd love to create a blog for my company, but how? I haven't written anything in years."

If you'd like to add additional thought leadership to your marketing strategy with a blog, but don't know where to begin, then read on. I'm going to share a proven process for turning your knowledge and expertise into your first blog post.

First, a quick disclaimer:

This post is for subject matter experts who want to create a blog for their business or hobby – not professional writers.
The intent is to help you with the mechanics of writing a blog post. Not to delve into hosting options or other technical details.
Search engine optimization, keywords, tags, social sharing, and other technical optimizations are all important, but you need to get a blog written first. We'll review technical considerations in an upcoming post.

I believe the most useful blog posts are written by people with genuine domain knowledge, experience, and expertise in their space. There is a lot to be said for firsthand practical experience.

They've been through the wars and lived to tell about it. That's the type of person I want to seek out for help. As a result, if you're a subject matter expert, you already have a leg up on your blogging competition.

It's essential to have some degree of passion for your blog topic. What you are sharing should be valuable and relevant to those with interest in the subject. If your blog is based on the premise of passionately sharing useful information, you're already off to an excellent start.

One last thing to consider before we begin. Approach your writing with the intent of providing a service to your readers as opposed to purely attempting to drive traffic. Readers can tell the difference. Openly share your knowledge, and you'll be generously rewarded.

Ready? Let's get started! The upcoming steps provide a straightforward process anyone can follow to efficiently produce their first blog. It's not complicated and, like anything else, gets easier with practice.

Subject- You need to start with a subject for your blogs. What is your area of expertise that friends, family, and clients often ask about? You'll recognize those hotspots instantly and should have no problem jotting down 10 or 12 good ideas.
Outline- Now that you've got a topic, sketch out a point-form outline of what you want to cover in the blog. I suggest using a word processing tool like Microsoft Word so that you can easily change and move things around.
The goal is to position the key points in roughly the order they should be presented in. Don't list too many points; just cover the critical elements. You don't want to get “blogged-down” before you've even begun.
Five or six points is usually plenty of material for a blog.There is always debate about the optimal blog length based on various factors. Longer is better for SEO, but shorter improves readability and audience retention.
As a result, to begin, I suggest you compromise and aim for 750 words minimum and 1500 words maximum to find a happy medium. If your points take you over that, divide it into a two-part blog.

Fact check- Research your key points to ensure everything is accurate and cite references as necessary and expected in your domain. Some fields of expertise are more particular than others. Pay close attention to anything you provide your opinion on or think may be controversial. Even if you are an authority in your field, it's still important to make sure everything is verifiable and checks out.
When fact-checking, focus on source documents from reputable organizations. It's essential to conduct this process diligently to maintain credibility. As soon as you put your name and viewpoints out there for public consideration, be prepared. If you don't have all your facts checked, it will be done for you!
Writing- Now that you've established key points and verified all facts, its time to start fleshing them out and joining everything together to form the body of the blog. Don't be intimidated; think of it as an exercise in connecting the dots.
You don't need to be a word wizard; just start writing. Another trick is to write more than what you need and trim any excess back later.
Just write. I can't stress this enough; it doesn't have to be perfect prose at this point; it doesn't even have to be good. Just get your thoughts on paper and connect those points together. You'll have the opportunity to clean it up in subsequent steps.
Tip: It often helps near the end of this process to print out your rough draft and read through it. For some reason, when you switch from author mode to reader mode, you'll often discover better ways to phrase things. Try it – it works!

Important note: This is where most people stall in their writing process. They are so concerned with quality that they run into analysis paralysis. Focus on getting the main points connected and worry about wording later.

Introduction- Blogs are less formal than the essays we used to write in school. An introduction should personally address your readers and connect with them by identifying the problem they have.
You then want to briefly outline how your blog will help them. If you can achieve this in a few lines, that's an ideal introduction and will encourage readers to continue.
Conclusion- After you have tied your points together and the flow remains fresh in your mind, write a few summary lines. Illustrate how everything came together to solve your reader's problem and highlight the difference you made for them.
You want to end on a strong note by emphasizing the value you shared. You can choose to finish with a call to action, such as asking your readers to share your post or contact you if they require additional information.
Headline- The headline is a challenge for all blog writers. It is incredibly difficult to write compelling headlines that will appeal to and pull in a broad audience. Headlines are now more important than ever.
Without a well-crafted headline, it's less likely your blog will be noticed. In today's crowded digital space, a headline needs to grab immediate attention. This is a topic that deserves further consideration, and there is information available to help you nail the headline.
Formatting and Wordsmithing- Now that your post is in a rough draft, adjust the formatting to make it easier to read. Sentences should be short and punchy. Paragraphs short, and supported by lots of whitespace. Take advantage of additional formatting breaks where you can, such as bullet points, lists, numbers, etc.
This is also an ideal time to clean up your wording and ensure it’s concise and to the point. A tool such as Grammarly can come in handy with wording, spelling, and grammar. There are also many good resources available for further information.
One Sleep Proof Read- After you are done the meat and potatoes of the blog, it’s time for a formal proofing. An automated tool, such as Grammarly can again help with the initial proofing. Review your wording one last time to touch-up any trouble areas.

Tip: Remember, you are writing a blog; it does not have to be a literary masterpiece. Your information is what readers are seeking and is the real value of what you are sharing. As long as your blog is concise, to the point, and grammatically correct, the rest will take care of itself.

The last step is to sleep on it and then complete a final proofing the next day. This simple step has paid many dividends for me over the years. Overnight, our subconscious minds consider what we have been working on. When re-reviewing the next day, you will, without fail, notice opportunities for better wording, clearer points, and find typos you didn't detect the day before.

External Proofing- If possible, the final step should be asking a trusted third party to give your material a quick proofing before going live. Two sets of eyes are always better than one, and you will be amazed at the things they will find. Just a quick scan to ensure there are no glaring typos or grammatical errors, and you'll be set to release your first blog!

So there you have it, a very straightforward step-by-step guide for writing your first blog post. Hopefully, I have sufficiently conveyed that writing is a process with steps everybody must follow. Nobody produces incredible material on their first draft.

The key is to get the writing done without getting delayed at the start by quality or content concerns. As stated, if you have valuable information to share and follow these steps, you will be able to produce an excellent blog.

Writing is very personal, and I would love to hear your opinions and viewpoints on the process. Have I missed anything? Please comment and share if you think this blog would be beneficial for a friend or co-worker.

Thanks for reading and happy blogging!

Sean