Last Updated on November 28, 2021 by Kelly Thoreson
Writing blog posts is different from any other type of writing out there.
Even new bloggers who have always, “been good at writing” find themselves confused.
I know, because I used to be one of them!
Having a solid blog post format to fall back on can be the difference between blogging success and giving up before you make it.
Keep reading for my Perfect Blog Post Format and bonus tips to help you build your blogging empire.
Steal My Perfect Blog Post Format Template
Be sure to grab your free PDF of my Perfect Blog Post Format template here:
My Perfect Blog Post Format
My template for blog post structure is simple enough:
- Clickable title
- Introduction
- Blog post body
- Conclusion
Executing the blog post structure successfully, however, is an acquired skill.
Luckily you have the Killer Content Queen (me) here to guide you.
Let’s look at how to master each section complete with blog writing format examples below!
Clickable Title
Your title is by far the most important part of your blog post.
Why?
You could write the most mind-blowing blog post in the world, but if your headline sucks – no one will read it.
The point of a blog post title is to convince skimmers on social media and searchers on Google that they need to click through to your post.
The twist? You have only seconds to do it.
Pro catchy title tips:
- Use numbers (example, “5 Ways to Easily Beat Your Winter Cold”)
- Use emotion words (Such as: because; proven; free; insane; now)
- Include your target keyword if possible (example: if your target keyword is, “best cat brushes”, a great title would be, “10 Cat Brushes Proven to Banish Hairballs”)
If you really want to master the art of the click-through in less than an afternoon, snag the Sinfully Sexy Headlines mini course and start driving an avalanche of clicks to your blog.
Introduction
Your headline’s job is to get the user to click-through to your post, your intro’s job is to convince them to read it.
8 out of 10 people will read your headline but only 2 out of 10 will read your post. (Source: Moz.com)
👆 Those are not amazing odds.
The point of your introduction is to convince the reader that they will benefit from exchanging their limited time for your post’s information.
How?
Use these introduction tactics:
- Hit on the reader’s pain points
- Ask yourself, “Why did the reader Google this?” (this is called user intent)
- Use a hook to grab their attention, check out this short video on how to do just that:
Body
Ah, the body of the post. The meat-n-pataters.
The body of the post is where most bloggers get lost.
They ramble…
Include information that doesn’t need to be included…
Struggle to make their point …
Often, they get overwhelmed and quit before publishing.
The good news is that all the above afflictions are easily remedied!
And because you’re here reading this article, you’ll have a heads up over all the others, lost in the blog post woods.
Here’s how to rock your blog post body:
- Make an outline to keep yourself from rambling
- Edit after the rough draft is finished, remove any rambling at that time
- Keep the user intent in mind, this will ensure your point is clear and the information is relevant
- Start with the part of the outline your most excited to write about (that momentum will build on itself!)
- If you get stuck, don’t force it, just move on to another part of the outline and come back to it later
Important: trying to edit while you write will break your creative flow and hand your inner critic the microphone.
If you want your blog post to see the other side of the Publish button, wait to edit.
Conclusion
I like to call conclusions the, “Introduction Jr.”.
If the intro’s purpose is to convince the reader to look at the rest of your post, the conclusion’s purpose is to convince them to go back and really read it.
In this strange online environment, with blue light squelching our eyeballs of moisture and every blinking element on a page vying for our readers attention, the conclusion is your shot to convince super-skimmers to go back and read your post.
We’ll talk more about how to optimize for skimmers below.
For the sake of your conclusion, it’s important to understand that most users read only your:
- Title
- Intro
- Emphasized body text (bolded, highlighted, pull quotes, etc.)
- Conclusion
How do you write a conclusion that convinces skimmers give the body of your post a chance?
By offering them a congratulatory conclusion.
Congratulate them on how awesome their life is going to be now that they can solve their problems using the information you’ve given them.
Going back to the, “Best Cat Brushes” example …
What would the user intent be of someone typing this phrase into Goggle?
Why did they Google it?
What are they struggling with?
Let’s brainstorm … they’re probably:
- Tired of finding hairballs everywhere
- Spending a small fortune on lint rollers every month
- A little worried about their cat’s health
With that in mind, our conclusion (intro jr.) might go something like this:
See? If you had skimmed that article, wouldn’t you be convinced to go back and read it to reap those rewards?
Yup. That’s the magic of the congratulatory conclusion!
One More Important Tip
Don’t forget to add a call to action in your conclusion!
Because most will not read the body of your post but are likely to glance at your conclusion – it’s important that you add a call to action in:
Every.
Single.
Conclusion.
Does the thought of closing your blog post with a sales pitch, however soft and sweet, make you cringe?
I used to be uncomfortable with sales too.
Then, I read Meant for More by Lisa Sasevich, it changed my life (and bank account) for the better – no doubt about it.
Remember: we don’t write blog posts for no reason. Always add a call to action to your blog posts!
Pro Blog Post Format Tips
Alright, now that you’ve got the basic format down (title, intro, body, and conclusion), let’s talk about some blog post format tips and best practices.
The tips below are meant to keep skimmers from bouncing off your page (which hurts SEO) and make your blog posts the best on the market.
Use Relevant Media
Blog posts that use pictures, lists, and videos get 400% more shares than those with just pictures (source).
Knowing this, there’s really no excuse not to use all of them.
In WordPress, lists can be created in a couple clicks (click to watch a tutorial on how to do this).
There are endless free blog photos at your disposal 24/7.
Also, YouTube has a video about every topic under the sun.
No excuses.
From now on, you need to be including a wide variety of media in your blog posts.
If it’s relevant to your topic, it’s fair game.
White Space is Your Friend
Like I said above, the online space is like a meat-market for our reader’s limited attention spans.
It is full of blinking lights, noises, flashing colors and a bazillion other distractions.
Offer up a soothing user experience on your blog by providing the opposite of the meat-market: white space.
Here’s how to incorporate white space into your blog posts:
- If you have a sidebar, don’t fill it with clutter
- Widen your margins
- Use spacers between sections and around media (use the “spacer” block in WordPress)
- Increase your text line-height
Wondering how to widen your margins?
How to do so varies by theme but if you head over to Google and type in your theme’s name + “custom margins” – a tutorial should present itself.
If not, send a message to your theme’s help desk, it should be no biggie.
Bold or Highlight Important Lines
Have you noticed the highlighted text throughout this post?
Go back and look at it.
You could read only the highlighted text and still have a vauge overview of the post.
Emphasizing important text allows skimmers to scoot down the page easily.
Again, this will enhance your user’s experience, turning them into happy customers and improving your SEO at the same time. Win-win!
Dunno how to highlight text? No problem, this is a super easy to understand tutorial.
Font Matters
We can’t talk about how to structure a blog post without talking about font.
Just because you like a font doesn’t mean you should use it on your blog.
I really love the font, “Lobster”:
But you don’t see me using it on my blog posts. Look at what a hot mess that would be:
Can you imagine a whole post written like that?
Yuck!
In addition to being hard on the reader’s already over-worked eyes, it’s too cluttery.
It’s best to stick with simple, clean fonts for your blog overall and especially in your blog posts.
Caption Your Images
Just like emphasizing important text, image captions can allow skimmers to understand your content with little effort.
Adding captions only takes a couple minutes and can result in happier readers.
Which, again, opens the door to them becoming a customer and helps you rank in search engines.
When deciding whether or not to caption images, use common sense. Most memes and GIFs do not need captions.
Use Headings
Are headings really necessary?
You tell me!
Take a look at what this post would look like without headings:
Clearly, headings play a vital role in keeping your post neat and tidy.
A lack of headings is a sure-fire way to get readers to bounce of the page, right quick. And is bad for SEO to boot!
Keep Paragraphs Stupid-Short
Notice anything about my paragraphs?
They’re short.
Like …
Real.
Short.
When I first began blogging, I wrote blog posts like they were college papers.
They were long winded, full of boring details, and the paragraphs were HUGE.
FORGET the 3-5 paragraph rule.
You’re in blogging land now, which means paragraphs are no longer than 3 sentences long.
And that’s only if they’re shorter sentences!
You can read more about what I wish I knew when I first started blogging here: Your First Blog Post: 7 Tips for Viral Success.
Make Your Conclusion Obvious
Now, our human brains love patterns.
When it comes to blog post structure, most of us expect to see an intro, body, and conclusion, whether we realize it or not.
Patterns make our brains happy; the familiarity feels safe and warm like a Snuggie fresh out of the dryer.
Personally, I think every blog post’s conclusion should have a header, and the header should be named something obvious enough for the reader to know it’s the conclusion.
Such as:
- Conclusion
- Takeaway
- Wrap up
A clearly labeled conclusion is just one more way to quickly improve the user experience with very little effort.
Conclusion
Using my Perfect Blog Post Format template will help you create a blog post structure that:
- Keeps readers from bouncing
- Improves your blog post SEO
- Helps you make money!
In short, it’s going to help you become a successful blogger, faster – woohoo!
Don’t forget to grab your free copy of the template here!