Write Your First Blog Post In 9 Steps (+blog planner printable!)

Blogging is the foundation of successful content marketing. But transforming an idea into a piece of well-written web copy that generates leads and drives web traffic from social platforms can be overwhelming, even for experienced content creators. For beginners, even starting can be difficult.

Here's our step-by-step guide to blogging:

1. Brainstorm in whatever form works best for you.

Some people use mind-maps, others prefer to dictate a blog post into voice recording app and then transcribe it. Whatever your preference, start the blogging process by getting the idea down on paper.

2. Narrow down the 3-5 key points.

Chances are you'll have too many ideas to fit into one post. That's great, though, it just means more content for the future! The most successful blog posts are going to have 3-5 main points (or steps, if you're writing a guide or how-to post).

3. In one sentence, describe the value your content provides to readers.

Content should provide value to your readers, or you're wasting your time writing it. Think about the problem that your post will solve. For this blog post, the value is teaching beginning bloggers how to take an idea and turn it into copy that boosts ranking in search engines, while generating quality leads for their business.

4. Based on the value you provide, create a call-to-action.

Once your readers have finished consuming your content, what do you want them to do? We end each blog post with a way we'd like readers to interact with our brand. Scroll to the bottom to see what our call-to-action is for this post.

5. Choose your media.

Whether it is stock photos or branded infographics, copy that is accompanied by media performs better across the web. As an added plus, the alt-text you can assign media helps readers find you on search engines.

Don't have time or resources for original media? Pexels.com offers free high-quality images to fit any copy.

Want to create your own branded infographics or printables? Canva.com is a great place for beginning designers who need templates to start out.

6. Gather links (& don't forget affiliates!)

It may seem counter-intuitive to link to other blogs or websites, but search engines rank websites based on the number of outbound links they have. If you have a blog post or content on your site that you feel adds value to the post you're making, include it!

You stand to gain more from directing readers to valuable resources than hoping they'll wait for you to cover a topic in the future. In step 5 we linked to two resources that help Let's Talk get its start blogging.

7. Sit down with your outline and start writing.

The hardest part of writing a blog post is getting started. Now that you're armed with the bits & pieces of your copy, you've got to hash it out for the readers to read. Think about the tone of voice you want to write in before you start in, and who you're speaking to. If it's everyday types, use a casual tone like you're speaking to someone without much knowledge of the subject. If it's to a specific-industry, you can assume they have some basic knowledge. If you're speaking to businesses or experts, use a more professional approach.

Some people do better dictating blog content orally into a voice recorder and then transcribing it and editing. Everyone writes differently, so feel free create your own writing process.

If you struggle writing your first few posts, don't give up! It takes a while to find your voice. As you continue cranking out blogs, you'll settle into a routine and cut the time it takes to produce it, too.

8. Edit. Edit. Edit. Then post.

If you have someone else, like a partner or employee, run it past them. Read it out loud, and see if what you wrote makes sense. At the very least, run it through one of the many online grammar and spelling check websites out there. Grammerly is a free tool beginning bloggers should keep bookmarked (and it's premium features are pretty useful for writers, too!

When it comes down to it, you won't catch every mistake. So don't worry about it! When you've got a piece of content you're sure provides value, take the plunge and publish it.

9. Share & tag!

Your copy is on the web, but now you have to direct people to it. Use the images you pulled for the post and post a link to the content on your social media profiles.

Be sure to use hashtags when you post online, so it shows up in searches. Not sure how to use hashtags? Check out this guide from Wix.