This article explains how to write blog posts that read well, are SEO friendly, and fast to write.

Download: Blog Writing Template For Beginners

Blog Post Writing Guidelines

Write the blog post as follows:

Heading 1: Post Title [include keyword e.g. 5 Business Writing Mistakes]

Open the first sentence with a question. Why? This makes the reader curious and draws them in.

Heading 2: First Section [include keyword variation, e.g. 5 ways to improve your Business Writing skills]

Briefly describe what you’re going to discuss (1 sentence) and

• List the key points
• Bold the first word in each list

Heading 2: Next Section [include keyword phrase , e.g. 5 mistakes when writing business plans]

Briefly describe what you’re going to discuss (1 sentence) and

• List the key points
• Bold the first word in each list

Heading 3: Conclusion

Summarize what you’re described.

Ask the reader what they think, do they agree, or what you forget.

Why?

Get more comments.

Other tips:

Talk to the reader. Write about You.

Did you know that…  How do you… You can improve you’re….

Avoid big words. Don’t say utilize, say use. Be positive!

Write like you’re talking to a good friend that you’re trying to help.

Blog Post Example

In this example, we show how to write a blog post using the guidelines.

5 Ways To Write Action Plans [Action Plan is the keyword]

[Open with a question that includes the keyword]

What’s the best way to improve your Action Plan? Try not to get lost in the details.

Instead, identify the main objectives you want to achieve first and then write the document around this. Here’s how I do it [2 or 3 sentences is fine]

Action Plans: How To Write

[Keep it simple. Explain what we’re going to cover]

So, you’d like to know how to write a better action plan. Here are five ways you can improve your business writing skills and develop better action plans:

• Prioritize – List the most important activities that will be necessary to achieve each goal. Keep these realistic and ensure that the tasks can be performed within the timeframes. [two sentences for each point]
• Think Smart – Create Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-based (SMART) goals in when writing an action plan. Note that you can also assign someone to check that this task is completed.
• Ownership – Identify who owns each activity. Assign a person to each major activity and make them accountable for its accomplishment.
• Start and End Dates – You will have more success if you assign clear and achievable dates for both the start and end dates. Make sure that you do not assign too many tasks to the same person.
• Review – Finally, create a regular review schedule where you review the progress on the action plan and make the necessary corrections.

Action Plans: 5 Mistakes to Avoid

[Next, turn it around and discuss the negatives, mistakes, problems that they should be aware of. Essentially, you’re addressing the same points as above but… showing the risks, issues etc they should be aware of. ]

When you’re writing action plans, make sure you don’t make these five mistakes.

• Overlook Goals – Write a one page document that identifies what you want to accomplish. Drill down into the key assumptions, risks and issues that may arise and the contingencies to address these.
• Identify Tasks – The next step is to assign tasks to different team members. Depending on your setup, assign tasks by name or by role. For example, if you work in a large software company, and the turnover is high, then enter the role of the person rather than the title.
• Assign Tasks Based on Skills – Delegate tasks to team members who can perform these skills. Otherwise the person you assigned it to may not prove equal to the task, thereby undermining the project’s success.
• Lists Action Steps – Each task should cover one specific and measurable activity. Don’t merge two tasks into one line in the worksheet. Keep tasks as unique as possible as this helps trace the root cause should an issue arise.
• Update Status – In your MS Excel file, create a column and enter in the Status of the task. Example fields may be Assigned, Completed, and Under Review. Create a master To Do spreadsheet and rank them in sequential order.

Conclusion

Close with a Call To Action.

Typical CTAs are add a comment, subscribe etc. However, you also get a response if you are ‘upset’, feel wronged, are confused, or in a dilemma. If you are too much of an expert, others won’t comment as they assume you know it anyway. So, why bother?

Flip it around and look for ways to get them to help YOU understand better.

Chris Brogan does this a lot. Read his posts are ask yourself what emotional trigger is he trying to hit? A quick scan and you can see patterns emerge. If you add his blog to Google Reader it’s easier to flick thru the posts and see how he does it.

Those are some ways to improve your action plan. Remember to focus on the key points identified above and review your plans with trusted colleagues. In the next article [i.e. remind them to come back], we will look at how to encourage others to get involved and show them the benefit the Action Plan offers to their business unit.

What else would you add?