Mar 23, 2020

Tools and Templates for Successful Blog Posts

1. Blog Post Writing Guide

Do you ever sit down to write a blog post and find yourself staring at a blank screen, wondering where to begin?

Do you ever get partway through a post, only to realize you’ve gone off on a huge tangent?

Do you ever publish a post that doesn’t seem quite right … only you’re not sure why?

All of these problems can be solved, or at least significantly helped, by the use of a checklist and a set of templates. The checklist will help you organize in your mind the ideas in your posts. And the templates can be used to help in all sorts of ways. 

In this toolkit, you’ll find five different blog post templates. I’ll be taking you step by step through each template and how it works … and I’ll be sharing real-life examples of each type of post, too.

Using a template to write your blog post has a huge number of benefits for you … and for your readers:

  • You’ll save time. A template takes the guesswork out of crafting a post: you know what sections need to be where, so now all you need to do is write them.
  • You’ll write better posts. Instead of having a post that meanders off the point, or one that stops abruptly with no conclusion, you’ll have a well-structured piece.
  • Your readers will find it easier to engage with your content. If you use a few different templates regularly, this helps provide a sense of consistency.
  • You won’t struggle so much with writers’ block. A template gives you the “bones” of your post so that before you even begin, part of the work is done for you.
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Introduction to Blog Post Templates
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Template for a List Post
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Template for a How-To Post
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Template for a Review Post
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Template for an Expert Roundup Post
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Template for a News Post

2. Blog Post Checklist

Do you struggle to come up with strong, workable ideas for your posts?

Do you find yourself rushing through editing or publishing posts that don’t seem to get much response?

Do you end up making frantic tweaks after hitting publish (like moving your post out of “uncategorized”)?

You might have told yourself that you need to focus better or remember everything properly next time. But what you really need is a checklist that will help you quickly spot whether you’ve missed out any crucial steps – or whether there’s anything you could do to make your posts even stronger.

How to use the Blog Post Checklist

The checklist below is split into three parts that take you through these three stages of the content creation process:

  • Ideas and Outlining
  • Writing and Editing
  • Publishing and Promoting

With each section of the checklist, all you need to do is start at the top and work your way down. For each question, check the color of your answer:

  • Green – you’re good to move on
  • Orange – check the guidance and see whether you might want to make changes
  • Red – stop and strongly consider making changes based on the guidance

All the orange and red responses have quick guidance for how to change things, so you’ll know what to do at every step of the way.

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Blog Post Checklist

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Joe Williams
Joe Williams

Joe Williams teaches search engine optimization at Tribe SEO. He holds a degree in Computing Informatics, and he’s been an SEO specialist for over 15 years. He’s consulted and trained many large blue-chip companies including The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, and Sky. He's on a mission to make SEO easy, fun, and profitable. You can catch him on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn.

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