How to structure a great blog post: 5 simple steps

What makes a great blog post?

A good blogger will write good content.

But a great blogger will grab your attention.

A great blogger understands that it is not just the content of the post that matters, it is how you present it.

We’ve all had the experience of reading the first few words of a blog post and quickly flicking on to something else. We don’t hang around long enough to find out what the blogger is trying to say. We lose interest and we move on. As bloggers, we may not be aiming for a readership of millions, but we are hoping a few fellow human beings will visit our blog site and stick around long enough to read what we have written.

So, assuming we have created something worth reading, how do we structure our blog posts so that we grab our readers’ attention?

If you want to learn how to do something skillfully, it’s always best to study an expert. Luckily, there is no shortage of great bloggers on the web and I have spent a few weeks analysing how good bloggers set about constructing their posts. Here is what I have discovered: there are a few simple steps you can follow to structure a great blog post.

Five simple steps to structure a great blog post

1. Choose a killer title.
2. Start with a punchy first line.
3. Keep it short and structured.
4. Break up text with bullet points, lists and pictures.
5. Provide useful links.

Can it really be that simple? Yes, it is. And I’ll expand on each of these steps in subsequent posts.

‘Hang on,’ I hear you shout. ‘Surely this presentation stuff is only fluffery. Isn’t great content the most important thing?’ Well, have a look below the line, where I have reproduced this blog post in a different format, and see what you think.

Examples of well structured blog posts

How to Craft a Blog Post – 10 Crucial Points to Pause
Some medicines that don’t work

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An alternative method of writing a blog post for those who think content is everything, format doesn’t matter and who are not particularly interested in attracting readers

A good blogger will write good content. But a great blogger will grab your attention. A great blogger understands that it is not just the content of the post that matters, it is how you present it. We’ve all had the experience of reading the first few words of a blog post and quickly flicking on to something else. We don’t hang around long enough to find out what the blogger is trying to say. We lose interest and we move on. As bloggers, we may not be aiming for a readership of millions, but we are hoping a few fellow human beings will visit our blog site and stick around long enough to read what we have written.

So, assuming we have created something worth reading, how do we structure our blog posts so that we grab our readers’ attention? If you want to learn how to do something skillfully, it’s always best to study an expert. Luckily, there is no shortage of great bloggers on the web and I have spent a few weeks analysing how good bloggers set about constructing their posts. Here is what I have discovered: there are a few simple steps you can follow to structure a great blog post.

Five simple steps to structure a great blog post: first, choose a killer title; secondly, start with a punchy first line; thirdly, keep it short and structured; fourthly, break up text with bullet points, lists and pictures; fifthly (and it’s a miracle if you are still reading at this point), provide useful links.

Can it really be that simple? Yes, it is. And I’ll expand on each of these features in subsequent posts. ‘Hang on,’ I hear you shout. ‘Surely this presentation stuff is only fluffery. Isn’t great content the most important thing?’ Well, have a look above the line, where I have reproduced this blog post in a different format, and see what you think.

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