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Imagine you’re sitting in your favorite coffee shop. Your latte is hot, your laptop is open, and you’re ready to write your next brilliant blog post. Where others see a blank page, you see a limitless sea of possibility, waiting to be filled with your persuasive prose and captivating copy.
You start tapping away at the keys, sipping your coffee, thrilled with your progress.
Then you try reading what you’ve written and realize it’s hard to follow. In fact, you’re not exactly sure what you’re even trying to say. If you’re confused, your readers will be confused too. The awesome article you hoped to write is turning into a mess.
Where did you go wrong? You started writing without creating an outline first.
It’s an easy mistake to make. Fortunately, it’s also a mistake you never need to make again. We’re going to show you how to create effective blog post outlines that will help you write better articles more quickly. Plus, we’ll give you a copy-and-paste template to make the task even easier.
Blog post outlines are simple documents that describe the angle and structure of your article. They make it easier to write clearly and efficiently while staying focused on your topic. At a minimum, a good outline should include the following items:
Your topic: What are you writing about?
Your angle: What’s your perspective on that topic?
Your structure: What specific points will you make to support your angle?
You can also include working titles, though some writers prefer to write headlines after their post is finished. This helps make sure your selected headline actually fits the finished article.
Different writers have different approaches to creating outlines. Steal this process to get started, then feel free to adapt it to fit your own needs.
Let’s say you want to write about your most recent vacation. You had an awesome time and you’re sure your readers want to hear about it. But rather than summarizing the entire trip, you want to share a story about something specific. You could start narrowing down your topic by asking:
Where did you go?
Why did you go there?
When did you visit?
How did you travel there?
What did you do at your destination?
These are simple questions but there is a purpose to this exercise. I’ll share some example answers from an actual vacation my wife and I went on:
Where: Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Why: To see the fall colors, to see a state we’ve never been to before, and to see where the sun first rises in the United States.
When: In the fall (to see those leaves along the mountainside turning colors).
How: Plane and two rental cars (the first car got hit by a semi-truck).
What we did: All kinds of stuff! Hiking, climbing, catching lobsters in a net, and more.
From this simple list, you can see there are a ton of topics I could write about. What happens when you get into a vehicular accident with a rental car on vacation (and how did we survive)? What’s it like taking a tour on a lobster boat? What does it look like when the leaves hit peak fall colors in New England?
Suddenly, our blog post about a vacation just got a lot more interesting, and it might actually turn into multiple different blog posts on specific topics that people might enjoy. By asking yourself the five W’s (what, when, where, why, and the honorary 5th W, how), you can break down any broad topic into more specific points too.
Anyone can copy content they’ve found through Google but not everyone can bring a unique perspective to their topic. That’s where developing an angle for your blog post comes in.
An angle is the intersection of your topic and your perspective. It’s part of what blog post introductions are intended to establish, helping the reader to understand not only what they’re about to read, but why they should care about it in the first place.
For example, to continue with the vacation example from the previous section, let’s say our blog post is about Acadia National Park. Some good angles might include:
Why is Acadia National Park the best place to see the fall colors in New England?
What do you wish you knew before tackling the toughest trails in the park?
Where is the best destination to find a lobster roll near the park?
These angles not only address the topic but also the perspective. Instead of dry facts and information, they give the reader an incentive to care, and they’ll be more likely to click, read, and stick around the blog. That’s the power of having an angle.
Step 3: Determine the format for your post
Different topics will lend themselves more easily to different formats. Here are some types of posts you could consider and when each one might make the most sense for your article:
Type of blog post
Best suited for these types of topics
Example headline
How-to
Instructional guide on completing a task or learning a skill.
How to Get Started With Mountain Climbing
What-is
An extended definition of a term or topic.
What is the Most Difficult Mountain to Climb?
Why-is
Answering a question that people commonly ask (or perhaps don’t ask often enough).
Why is [PRODUCT] the Best Option for [TASK] When Mountain Climbing?
When
Informing readers about what to do in a given set of circumstances.
When Should You Avoid Mountain Climbing If You’re Unsure About the Weather?
Essay
Writing about a personal experience.
What I Learned From Climbing a Mountain
Review
Covering a product you’ve used or want to recommend.
Why I Recommend [PRODUCT] for Mountain Climbing
List
Rounding up your favorite things or options within a category or topic.
10 Things You Should Know Before Mountain Climbing
Comparison
Stacking two products or options against one another.
[MOUNTAIN A] vs. [MOUNTAIN B]: Which One Should Beginners Climb First?
Interview
Sharing a Q&A with an individual or a feature article based on an interview.
A Conversation With a Famous Mountain Climber
Feature Article
Deep dive into an interesting story based on interviews and research.
The Interesting Story About the World’s Best Mountain Climber
There are more types of blog posts that could consider writing, but these are some ideas for common formats that you might choose. What matters most is that you understand which one you are writing before you begin, rather than getting too deep into your post, and realizing that you need to change direction after you have already spent time working on a draft.
If you do decide to pivot or start over, that’s okay too. This process is only meant to avoid that from happening, but there’s no shame in changing your mind.
Step 4: Figure out the main points of your post
One blog post isn’t enough to cover everything about our vacation, so we’ve narrowed down one specific topic. We’ve also narrowed down an angle that combines our topic with our perspective. Next, we need to identify the main points that our blog post needs to make, in order to follow through on our angle.
In order to construct our outline, we’ll identify three to five points we want to make (you can include as many as you need, but if you have fewer than three main sections in your blog post, you might not need to write an outline).
Going back to our vacation example, let’s say I’m writing about what I wish I knew before hiking in Acadia National Park. Here are some things I might want to cover:
Know your skill level and choose trails accordingly.
Make sure you have the right footwear for the terrain.
If you’re afraid of scaling rock faces, how can you overcome that fear?
If you only have enough time for a few trails, which ones should you prioritize?
What times are the trails usually the most crowded?
That looks like a solid list. Next, we’ll need to figure out what we’ll say for each of these items.
Step 5: Nail down the specific subpoints you’ll make in each section
Once you have the main points of your blog post mapped out, think about what you’ll say for each one. This can be as simple as two or three bullet points per section.
Let’s take the first item from the list of trail tips in the previous section:
Know your skill level and choose trails accordingly
Some trails will stretch your abilities but some are for experts only
You can get a trail map that will help you find ones you’re comfortable with
Difficult trails sometimes have alternate routes you can take if you get tired
Straightforward stuff, right? Continue with each subsection until you have two or three subpoints for all of them.
Step 6: Think about your conclusion
Generally speaking, a conclusion should wrap up the main points of your blog post, and bring your topic to a resolution. But there may be other details here to consider. Take a moment to think through the following:
Is there a specific action I’d like the reader to take after reading the post, such as signing up for emails, making a donation, purchasing a product, or registering for an event?
Is there a specific point you really want to drive home before the reader moves on?
Are there other similar articles on your blog that you could direct the reader toward (and continue to hold onto their attention)?
It’s okay if the answer to one or all of these questions is “no,” but it’s worth taking the time to be intentional about how you’ll end your post.
Step 7: Review the structure of your outline
Follow steps one through four, and before you know it, you’ll have a completed outline. Take a moment to read it over and make sure your angle fits your topic and everything flows in a logical order. If it doesn’t, try moving some sections around, and see if it clicks. The time you spend on this now can save you much more time later.
An example blog post outline you can follow
Now, let’s take a look at an example outline you can follow. Here’s what the finished product might look like when it’s all said and done:
Headline: Five Things I Wish I Knew Before Hiking in Acadia National Park
Format: List
Introduction (angle): Acadia National Park is a great place to hike, but it’s even better when you know what to be prepared for. Here’s my personal experience.
Tip 1: Know your skill level and choose trails accordingly
Some trails will stretch your abilities but some are for experts only
You can get a trail map that will help you find ones you’re comfortable with
Difficult trails sometimes have alternate routes you can take if you get tired
Tip 2: Bring the Right Footwear
Good hiking boots are a must on most trails
However, decent sandals may be sufficient for some trails
Bring multiple pairs of boots and shoes for different situations
Tip 3: Overcome Your Fear of Treacherous Trails
Some trails will take you up rocky portions of mountainside on very narrow walkways
They are safe as long as you’re careful (just don’t look down)
The rewards are worthwhile when you see the views from the top
Tip 4: Prioritize Trails to Make the Most of Your Time
If you know there are certain types of scenery you want to see the most (mountains, forest, ocean, etc.) choose trails that provide those types of terrain and views
Tip 5: Hike at Off-Peak Hours (If Possible)
The park is very busy
Consider hiking in the early morning or evening to beat the crowds
Timing your trip outside of peak vacation season can also help alleviate crowding
Conclusion
End with a link to the park’s website to find more information
This is a very quick and simple outline but it’s sufficient for demonstration purposes.
Use this copy and paste template
Now that we’ve walked through the entire process of crafting an outline, here is an easy-to-use template that you can copy and paste into a document. You can edit and update this template however you’d like (some suggestions might be to add sample headlines or a brief two or three-sentence section describing your angle):
Introduction (what’s the angle of this post?)
Type of Post:
Main point 1
Subpoint 1
Subpoint 2
Subpoint 3
Main point 2
Subpoint 1
Subpoint 2
Subpoint 3
Main point 3
Subpoint 1
Subpoint 2
Subpoint 3
Conclusion
Optional CTA
When should you write an outline?
If you landed on this article, then odds are you already knew you wanted to write a blog post outline. But you might still have some questions about why we actually take the time to write them in the first place.
Personally, I know some writers who are meticulous about outlining, and some who skip them entirely. Sometimes you just want to let your consciousness flow onto the page and sometimes that can produce great writing that can’t be planned. I’ve even bounced between being in both camps, sometimes choosing to write outlines, and sometimes choosing to skip them.
So, when does it make sense to put one together, and when can they safely be skipped? Here are some thoughts based on personal experience:
You’re writing a long-form post (approximately 1,000 words or more).
You’re writing about a complex topic that requires a lot of research to accurately cover.
You’re assigning a post to another writer for your blog and need to make sure they understand what you want the post to touch on.
Does it ever make sense to skip an outline?
The point is to clarify your thinking so you can clarify your writing and produce better content more quickly. However, the point is not to follow rules for no reason, and there are times when it may not be necessary to write an outline.
For example, if you’re writing a personal essay for your blog, you might prefer to let your thoughts flow in a more stream of consciousness sort of way. Or if you’re crafting a short news blurb, you could probably write your entire post in the time it’d take to outline it. Use your own judgment, because when it comes to learning what works for you, experience will be your best teacher.
Writing outlines doesn’t have to take too much time in order to be an effective exercise. Once you get into the habit of writing them before starting on blog posts, and start to see the benefits of doing so, you won’t want to break the habit. Now, go forth and write better blog posts, faster!
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