Today, I’m going to teach you how to draft a blog post. Seriously, drafting blog posts has completely changed how productive I am as a blogger.
These tips work for my WordPress blog, on Medium and for my Substack newsletters.
The draft process I’m about to share is the exact process that I use for this blog. I always start my blogging time with a clear plan of what I’m doing and this ensures I am putting out a really good amount of blog posts.
A huge part of my business is writing and there’s no way I could maintain the level of content I produce each week without this article drafting process.
Now, I want to point out that I’m not a blogging expert, I’m a Mindset Coach and write mostly about positive mindset and share tips to feel your best, be your best and create a life you love.
But, I am a blogger/writer and this process helps me so much. I know many of my readers are also bloggers or content creators of some kind, so I wanted to share this tip with you.
AFFILIATE LINKS HAVE BEEN SHARED IN THIS BLOG POST
How to draft a blog post
- Add a title
- Add an introduction that includes a clear snippet that responds directly to the search query you want to rank for
- Add subheadings
- Add a call to action
- Add images
- Check the URL slug
- Add a meta description
This process of drafting blog posts saves me a huge amount of time, keeps my blog posts very focused, and helps to avoid blogger’s block (writer’s block) and overwhelm.
Add a blog post title
I choose my blog titles based on search queries I find in Google Search This means that I’m writing content people are actually searching for.
However, If there’s something I want to share with my readers, I go ahead and add it anyway. Some of my most popular posts have been posts like this.
Here’s a useful video by INCOME SCHOOL – Stop Using Keyword Research Tools (And do this instead!) – This video shows how to come up with keywords people are really searching for.
I recommend having an ongoing list of blog titles. Whenever I get an idea, I’ll pop it into my drafts, either here on this blog, on Medium or on Substack where I run my Positive Mindset Newsletter.
Once or twice a month I will also set aside some time to brainstorm ideas and see what’s being searched that relevant to me.
TIP: I like to have more titles than I think I’m going to need. This way when I come to drafting the post, if I look at the title and can’t think at that time what I want to write, I can simply move on to the next title.
Read my blog post on HOW TO FIND BLOG POST IDEAS for free and paid ideas that will ensure you never run out of things to write about on your blog.
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Affiliate links have been used in this blog post. This means I may receive a commission if you purchase anything using my link. It’s a thank you to me from the company for recommending them.
Introduction and snippet
Add an introduction explaining what you’re going to talk about and a snippet – This is a complete but brief response to the search query.
I like to add something personal in the intro to build a bit of a connection with the reader. In this post that was simply to say that I use this drafting process on this blog and it really helps me to be more productive.
A good snippet can get you to page one on Google a long time before you would naturally start ranking.
Income School explains how the snippets work in this video – Snippet Optimization Tutorial: How to Dominate the Search Results
Add subheadings – Mini blog posts
Your subheadings are the key points you want to cover in the blog post. This will keep the post focused and help you to keep to the point.
I can easily go off on a tangent but this isn’t helpful to the blog reader. Having subheadings already in place definitely keeps me on track.
When you come to write out the full blog post, rather than thinking I need to write a 1000-word blog post (or more) you can just focus on writing a mini-post for each of the subheadings.
Each sub-heading section creates a mini blog post.
Add a call to action to every blog post
At the end of your blog post, add your call to action. What do you want your reader to do next?
For example, my calls to action may include recommending people visit my ETSY SHOP for downloads I’ve personally created to help people create a life they love or I send people over to my POSITIVE MINDSET NEWSLETTER.
TIP: If you don’t have a SHOP or SPECIFIC PAGE you want your reader to go to, add a link to a related blog post that they may find helpful.
Do you want your reader to buy something? Do you want them to subscribe to your email list? Make it clear to your reader.
Add images
I use Canva Pro to create all of my images on this blog. I used the free version for a long time but now use Canva Pro as it gives me a lot more images to choose from and some special features that make the process easier and quicker.
2024 update: I’m adding fewer images to my blog posts these days. I generally add 1 featured image (this will show up in the main blog post list not in the actual blog post) and 1 pinnable image.
I then create several more images that I pin using Tailwind – This means the post builds views via Pinterest long after publishing day even if it doesn’t do well on Google.
P.S. I’ve given up trying to work out what Google wants so any sharing of this post is greatly appreciated.
I recommend clear, good-sized text. You want anyone who sees your pin to know instantly what to expect if they click through to your blog post.
Check out this post PINTEREST FOR BLOGGERS for details on how to use Pinterest. I try to update it regularly.
A slight alternative to the blog draft process
If you prefer, you can break the drafting process down even more. You could…
- Get your blog title list together (10+)
- Then draft everything but the images
- Then add a separate step where you go back to each post and add images
- Finally, complete the post in full and publish
It’s really bulking the tasks that are the most important.
Check URL slug
Check your permalink section and make sure that the URL slug is showing what you want. My slug for this blog post is draft-a-blog-post.
Generally, it will automatically pick up the title. My full title – How to draft a blog post is a little long for the slug, so I’ve just deleted the words ‘how to’ from it so that the whole URL isn’t too long.
Add a meta description
This is the text you’d like Google to use to describe your blog post. Now, even when you add text here, Google doesn’t always use it and will choose different text.
You always want your keyword included in the meta description with context about the blog post.
Bulk Draft Blog Posts
I highly recommend drafting your blog posts in bulk. This is a process that works really well. You’ve got everything set up and you’re in the right mindset.
I come up with 10+ titles in one go. Then I’ll draft 10+ blog posts in one go. Doing it this way creates momentum and makes the process faster for you.
I like to always have a minimum of 10 drafts at any time, usually more. This way if life gets hectic, I can still easily keep completing and publishing new content on my blog.
Blogging Challenge
This drafting process is the exact process I’m using to complete the Blogging Challenge. This blogging challenge is in two parts.
WEEK 1 is for preparation where you’ll go through the drafting process for 30 blog posts. Then you’ll have 30 days to complete and publish 30 blog posts.
If you’d like to kickstart your blog, I highly recommend you take the BLOGGING CHALLENGE with me.
I’m an experienced blogger and I’m actually intending to get my 30 posts out in fewer than 30 days. I’m able to publish 3+ posts in one day some days only because of the preparation work (drafting) I’ve done already.
Blogging Resources
Visit my ETSY SHOP for printable downloads for blogging, business mindset and creating a life you love.
If you’ve found this post helpful, head over to my BLOGGING RESOURCES page where I’ll explain what expenses are really necessary, some resources that are really useful but definitely not essential and lots of free resources to help you on your blogging journey.
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If you enjoyed this blog post, I’d love you to SUBSCRIBE TO MY POSITIVE MINDSET NEWSLETTER for practical and easy-to-follow tips, tools and techniques to feel your best, be your best and create a life you love.
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