The Anatomy of a Good Blog Post
One of the most difficult things about blogging is writing good content. Not only do you have to come up with ideas, but you also need to write in such a way that readers connect to your content.
I often struggle with writing good content. That is why I have developed a basic framework for how I write blog posts
I have found that when I follow this template, the results usually turn out to be pretty good.
Michael Hyatt also uses a blog post template, which he says helps him write faster.
The Formula for a Good Blog Post
There is not just one good way to write a good blog post. What is most effective for you will depend upon your content and your audience. But the following is a good way to get started.
1. Start with a good headline.
This is one of the first things that readers will see on your page. Your headline also often serves as the title for your page.
2. Main image
Nearly all of the blog posts that I write have an image at the very top. This is because images can help get the reader engaged with the post as well help support a point.
For example, I’m choosing the image of a man with a magnifying lens for this blog post because it illustrates looking at something in detail.
3. Introductory paragraph
This paragraph is likely the most important of the blog post. The introductory paragraph should explain to readers the overall idea of the post without being too long.
4. Quote or short story
Right after the introduction, a quote or short story can help the reader connect with your story.
5. The meat
Everything to this point was an introduction which served to hook the reader. The next several paragraphs will be your actual content. I like to break my meat up into different sections using headings or images. You can, of course, also use lists to make data more appealing.
6. Conclusion
At the end of your post, it’s a good idea to summarize your main ideas so that you have tried everything you can to get your point across the reader. This is also an opportune time for you to include a call to action. I usually like to ask readers a question to try and get comments.
What Do You Think?
This is not the only way to write a good blog post, but it can serve as a great framework to get you off the ground running.
Are you currently using a framework to help you write blog posts, or do you just wing it? How similar is your framework to this one?
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Eric Binnion is a computer science student at Midwestern State University. When Eric is not online, he is usually volunteering in his community or enjoying time with his family. You can find Eric on Twitter.
Hi thanks for this post,I feel that I read the same stuffs in other blogs also,there isn’t any new things you mentioned here.
The thing here is that this formula for writing posts is pretty solid. I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that I have become the blogger I am today by modeling others.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
Very valuable post because I struggle with writers block. I have the starting trouble and I agree that having a simple framework like this would help solve the starting trouble.
After reading your points, what I have done is added these points as default text in the WordPress editor. So whenever I click on new post, these points of yours comes up :)
Sreejesh,
How hard is it to add the default text in the editor? I haven’t though about that!
Its very simple, I have wrote a post for you, read it here
Thanks Sreejesh. Very nice implementation.
Hi Eric
I’ll go with headline and image.
I spend a lot of time on both.
That image has to grap attention… straight away.
The headline has to do so many things – grab attention, provide a teaser and be great information for the SEO bots.
I think you’ve got the winning foprmula here Eric – easy to explain, but not so easy to do.
Hey Keith,
Thanks for dropping by! Headline and image are definitely some of the most components. What do you use to find your images? I use either Photodropper or Compfight.
Great ideas here man. This system will help for sure.
When I first starting blogging, I could bang out 2 to 3 posts per day no problem, but recently I’ve hit major writers block and I really can’t explain it.
I’ve been posting less and less, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing necessarily
I’ve actually un-followed blogs because they would post every single day about random nonsense. Quality over quantity is my modo when it comes to blogging.
If I could add one thing here is that the use of h1 and h2 headings throughout the article is huge because now a days people are “scanning” instead of reading, and the headings really make it easier to “stay” in an article instead of bouncing around.
Good stuff!
Chris,
I always love reading your comments! You’re definitely right about the headings to separate out content. Consider that added. :)
Thanks man! that means a lot! And I always love reading your posts, so we’re even :-)
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I like this. I’m going to try it for my next post. Thanks!
Good to hear! Let me know how it works out for you :)
Thanks for sharing this post Eric. It inspired me to write about 8 headlines for my business blog that has been gathering dust. Like others have said I know its not anything new, but it can be really hard to know where to start when feeling overwhelmed. Having a step by step to follow is valuable to turn ideas into action. Thanks.
Hey Mandi,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for leaving a comment :)
Plain and simple. But i find the content to be the same thing repeated over in all other “How-to-blog” sites. :(