Feeling stuck when it comes to writing blog posts? We’ve all been there. Staring at a blank page, wondering where to even begin. The good news is that there’s a way to streamline the process from idea to published piece
This four step guide will walk you through creating an ideal blog writing workflow. One that takes you from that initial lightbulb moment to hitting “publish” on a post you’re truly proud of. No more staring at cursors endlessly blinking.
Step 1: Ideation
Your first step is choosing a topic. This starts with a good old-fashioned brainstorming session. It can be as simple as jotting down every topic you can think of on paper. Or, if you prefer a more systematic approach, you can try this method outlined by The Harvard Review.
Whichever way you choose to brainstorm, the goal is to get those creative juices flowing. Once you have this list of potential topics, you can narrow it down to the one that feels the most compelling or the ones that are most topical.
Check out our blog on SEO topic clusters and how to use them for blog inspiration!
Step 2: Write
While this is the most obvious step, it might feel the most stressful. But it’s time to throw everything that pops into your head about writing out the window.
Let’s simplify this step. Just. Write.
Don’t think about what you want the finished product to look like. Don’t worry about grammar and spelling yet (although, if it really bothers you, you can use free tools like Grammarly to help you in real time). This step is simply about getting the ideas onto the page.
It’s an approach physician and author Silke Heimes recommends.
“The best way is to use the method of automatic writing. That means I set myself a short time window, maybe five minutes, in which I write continuously without thinking, without putting the pen down or rereading what I’ve written,” she says, “The goal is to get thoughts down on paper as unfiltered as possible so that an inner sensor can’t switch on – or at least doesn’t get too loud.”
Step 3: Initial Clean-Up
Now it’s time for the first review of your work. The nitty gritty edits aren’t important yet, just look at the big picture. Do all your ideas make sense? Do they flow together well? Are there any typos or grammar mistakes? (This is another place where Grammarly or a similar tool comes in handy!)
Once you’ve done a read-through, take a well-earned break. Step away for one to two days to come back with fresh eyes.
Step 4: The Final Touches
Return to your post to make final edits, align the writing with your voice, etc. Use this handy checklist:
- Incorporate appropriate keywords using a higher ed SEO strategy. Check out our recent post on SEO trends and tips.
Add images and meta descriptions.
Do a final comb-through for edits and typos.
Now all that’s left to do is schedule your post (or publish immediately). Remember to share your post via social media to grow your institution’s following and presence with the successful execution of this blog workflow.
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