Blogging could be time-consuming. The reason? It requires a systematic flow of thoughts drafted in a structured way. Yes, it’s the structure that plays a huge role in making or breaking the quality of a blog. Due to the increasing blogging trend, a lot of people are trying their hands on it, but most of them fail! All due to an under-looked loophole. And, what’s that? The failure in adhering to the blog outline template. You cannot jump, hence and forth with a bunch of thoughts. That does not work. Sticking to an outline pattern ensures a seamless flow of ideas beautifully linked to each other.
Remember how teachers used to emphasize the significance of an outline while composing the writing assignments? It’s the same with blogging. It ensures that your thoughts are presented in an organized way. This is one of the major reasons professionally written blogs are better in quality than the ones by a newbie. The experts do not jumble around the ideas.
In this blog, we are sharing how you can write an impressive blog post by following a blog writing outline template.
So, let’s dig in to understand this concept better.
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Why Is A Blog Outline Template Important?
A blog outline template could instantly transform your blog posts into professionally written copies. This is a technique that writers rely upon! After all, there are various compelling benefits of outlining.
1. Break The Creative Block
As a writer begins with the draft copy of a blog, a common issue is experiencing a creative block. You can easily overcome this issue by creating an outline.
Divide the entire copy into different sections which you can elaborate on afterward. It is natural to feel overwhelmed when you are asked to write on a subject. But, separating the entire piece into multiple parts makes things easy.
Let us look at a common example of an outline, to give you a rough idea of how you can break down a specific blog topic.
- Write an introduction to inform the readers about your subject in brief.
- The body where you must include multiple sub-headings relevant to the topic.
- The conclusion to wrap up the entire post.
Doesn’t it look a lot better than a blank page?
2. Maintain A Logical Flow
It is natural to feel clueless to start out writing on a subject without an outline. This often results in jumping from one thought to another, carelessly. The consequences? You end up with a blog copy that does not contain logic.
Before you start with a wordy blog post, invest some time in learning how to write an outline. This will help you in strategizing the entire write-up properly, without deviating in the middle. The outlining approach is meant to enhance your flow of thoughts.
3. Quality Research
If your blog is based on a topic that requires extensive research work, outlining is your best solution! How? Let us tell you.
Instead of spending hours gathering every available piece of information from different sources, invest in creating an impactful outline. It will help you stay focused on the blog requirements and ease up the research process. The outline in hand will give you a clear idea about the points that need to be included in your blog.
Transform your roughly-written writeup to professionally crafted blogs in a few clicks via reciprocating with a blog outline template.
4. Simplified Editing
A blog outline template could be considered as a blueprint for your final draft copy. You include all the major points that are essential for your blog post. Then comes the part where you organize the entire write-up in a proper logical structure.
This provides you a clear understanding of how you want the final copy to look like. Hence, once you are done with writing the blog it is easier to modify the content as per your desire. It also saves time.
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Write An Impactful Blogging Outline With Expert Tips!
When you start writing a blog post, one of the most crucial aspects is sticking to a blog writing outline template, throughout.
Now, that is not the same as the outline rule you followed in your academic paper writing projects! Professional write-ups help writers evolve with their specific techniques and writing styles. Regardless of that, following an outline works as a catalyst by providing ample scope for ideation, research, reviewing, and editing a logically written blog post.
Here, we will elaborate on the entire process to create an excellent outline template that will help you along your blogging journey.
But, before diving in make sure that you have done the groundwork. It includes keyword research on the concerned subject, ideation, and understanding the target readers. Doing this will guarantee a perfect outcome.
Now, let’s begin!
Step 1: Do Your Research
When you design an outline it is crucial to put research as the first step. This will help you look through different sources to identify what you can write differently on the subject. Scan the competitors’ websites and various other blogs to find what’s lacking in their posts. These tips will help you:
- What is the structure of their posts? Is there a scope for optimization?
- What are other bloggers trying to prove? Can you provide something different or similar to the audience? Can you apply a distinctive approach that others haven’t?
- Look for similar blogs and check if they are sharing important data that you could not find out. Are they using sources that you were previously unaware of? Including these blog writing outline template points will ensure your posts hold better quality.
- Notice carefully to find out whether others are using some useful practices or information that you lack. Try to understand their approach and include it in your writing style.
This will help you with new ideas and inspire you for writing an informative copy.
Step 2: Create A List Of Key Points
The next critical step would be enlisting the key points that are necessary for a well-informed blog. Make sure you include all the points that cover the essence of the topic. Pen them down as they will help you create a powerful copy.
This is another major step in designing the outline for your blog. It will stimulate your mind for producing ideas powered by logic. It ensures that your blog does not require much organization work later on in the writing process. You can smartly fill the void in your copy with engaging content that addresses all the essential points related to the topic.
Step 3: Logical Assembling
As you learn how to write an outline for blogs, you will understand the power of planning and organizing. Since you have a list of all the major points for your blog, it is time you arrange them in an organized fashion. Doing this will ensure all your points are covered and mentioned as per their relevance in the content.
When you start creating the pointers, you might be confused about their arrangement. Hence, this step! Organize the points and sub-points in a way that maintains a logical flow of information in the blog. This will serve as a rough outline where you can note down the headings, sub-headings, and modify the entire piece. You have to make sure that your blog covers all the major parts that address the reader’s queries.
Step 4: Divide The Blog Into Multiple Parts
As we have already explained, you must divide the entire write-up into different sections. It maintains a good flow of thoughts and makes the post readable. You can look up online for template outline examples.
There has to be the main heading, and the entire piece has to be further broken down into different sub-headings. Each sub-heading must highlight a different point. The number of sub-topics depends on your specific subject, but you can keep them up to 2-3. If you think that the topic is too complex, try including bullet points.
These sections will help you to focus on a specific part. You can utilize arguments and a conclusion to describe your idea.
Step 5: Gather The Data
One of the best ways to grab reader’s attention is by providing them the data that they need. This makes it easy for the writers to work on blogs that are too lengthy. Thus, make it a point to collect all the information and data related to your topic.
Now, there are two ways of doing that. You can gather the data first, and then create a topic out of it. Or, Search Keywords and decide upon a topic, then look for the data. Either way, you will find it easy to write a blog once you have collected all the necessary data from different sources.
Your blog must have supporting facts or claims from credible resources. Gather the data such as graphs, charts anecdotes, case studies to ensure your write-up contains authentic information.
Step 6: Create A Balance
Be mindful of the content that you include in your blog. You do not want to miss out on something crucial or include anything irrelevant.
Creating an outline template for your blog allows you the room for adding valuable information to the areas that require expansion, and also deleting the unnecessary details. This way, you get to balance the entire piece.
Here’s a pro tip: Do not throw away the piece that you have written even if you find it futile for the blog post. You can use this part in another blog where it fits in.
Also, always remember that the word usage for a blog is limited, so avoid exceeding that. If there is no such constraint, then you may present a much wider explanation. This will provide an in-depth understanding to the audience on the concerned topic.
Step 7: Logic Is Paramount
Now that you have created an outline, it is time to review and reconsider. It means you can thoroughly go through the entire blog outline template to confirm whether or not all important points have been covered. If you like it, then great!
If not, then review it to ensure your blog is structured logically. As you notice you will realize that this entire process may seem pointless if the ideas are not coherently aligned. You can even invent your writing technique that covers all these major suggestions. Do not forget that you can always modify the outline as per your requirements. Just remember to stay organized, and stick to the logic.
Step 8: The First Draft Copy
If the outline is up to your satisfaction, it is time you start working on the draft. The hard work that you put in creating the outline will make the draft writing process fairly easy. Bring out your list of ideas, and points. This is the time you elaborate on each one of them with the help of relevant resources.
You can modify the previously written headings and sub-headings. We have shared the example of an outline with you, try following it while writing the blog. You can use bullet points to ensure a clean, but effective copy full of appropriate information. This is when you transform the outline into a full-fledged blog post.
Step 9: Make The Edits
If you have worked hard to create a compelling first draft that has all the right elements, then only some small changes are required. However, if you feel that the draft lacks valuable detailing, and the structure seems disorganized, then you may need to work on it carefully.
Make the necessary changes in the blog post, even it means working on it multiple times to achieve the desired outcome. Do not worry, this may seem daunting, but once you are done, you will be able to leave a memorable impression on the readers.
Step 10: Pick A Title
What? Deciding upon a title is the last step? Shouldn’t it be the first?
Well, you can start with choosing or writing the blog title in the beginning. There’s no harm in it. But, to each his own. Once you are done with writing the entire blog it is time to come up with a title. This is the most crucial part of blog writing.
Your title has to be catchy, optimized and something that gives a clear idea about the entire blog, like a crisp and concise summary. The heading should be competitive, original, and something that induces an emotional sense in the audience.
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Additional Tips To Ensure A Great Blogging Outline
We have explained the entire step-by-step process of how to write an outline for blog posts. Let us now share with you all some bonus tips that will surely help you out.
1. Take Care Of The Headings:
You must take care of the word count, and this goes for the headings, too. While creating the outline, here is what you can do with the headings.
- Check The Main Title: It is time you review the title to verify its uniqueness and relevance as per the content.
- Write The Sub-Headings: Work on defining the H2, H3, H4, and all other sub-heading titles.
- Provide The Details: After writing the sub-heading titles you have to provide some short notes under each one of them. This will help you while expanding the content details.
- Word Limit: You have to divide your entire post into different sections. Also, decide upon a word count for each one of them. Doing this will help you stick to your plan.
2. Storytelling For Engagement:
So, you have created the outline and structured your post accordingly. Also, you have gathered the necessary data after spending a great amount of time on research. But, your blog still lacks an important factor, which is, storytelling.
Even if you load your post with information, keep it grammatically correct while citing all the authentic references, an inability to maintain the flow will make the readers lose their interest.
You can add a personal touch to the content which helps in achieving our aim. Your blog should contain the factors mentioned below.
- Introduction & Conclusion: You must include an attention-getter intro that is brief yet informative. Also, add a powerful conclusion that acts as a takeaway for the audience.
- The Flow: Coming to the body of your blog post, show your creativity. You can easily work on creating a post that is full of life and narrated in a story format. This is an awesome strategy to keep the reader’s attention captivated throughout the write-up. The end could lead to a positive ending. Also, create a link between all the ideas to depict a story, in a well-planned structure.
- Visuals: Usually, outline examples do not have room for images. But, as we know that blogs always contain visuals, and sometimes infographics. Thus, you must give it a thought while creating the outline. Otherwise, you will be clueless about placing the graphics appropriately.
Conclusion
When you adopt the technique of following the blog outline template, you will find that the entire process becomes a whole lot easier. This is how professional writers achieve lucrative results in blog post writing. This is an excellent method to write flawlessly written blog write-ups. You get to indulge in the brainstorming of ideas to address all the significant points.