Are you trying to become a full time blogger but you are having a hard time writing more than one or two blog posts a week? Do you feel like it takes hours to write a post? We are going to share our tips for writing blog posts fast. These writing tips will help you speed up your writing and produce high quality content.
Keep a list of related topic ideas
Topic ideas will come to you at the strangest times. I’ve learned my lesson to keep small notepads in key areas of my house and in my car.
When you get inspired with a topic idea, jot it down in a journal, put it in the notes in your phone, or email it to yourself right away. You may even feel the need to elaborate on the topic and jot down key points.
I’ve even used the voice recorder on my phone while on hikes and spoken out entire blog posts within minutes.
Whatever you do, record your ideas when the ideas are flowing. That “flow” is not always on, and it can be hard to make it turn on when you sit to write.
Also the more you can elaborate in the moment, the better. I often start with a topic idea, open up a new post in WordPress, and then write out the title and key points for the post. When it comes time to write (which I’ve scheduled into my week… here’s a post about scheduling), I glance at the whole list of post ideas and see which one I feel most called to complete.
Related: How to Start a WordPress blog on Bluehost
Outline your posts
The best method for writing a blog post fast is to outline key points first. Outlining your posts ahead of time can help you structure your post. Write 4-5 subheadings and include the keyword for SEO in these headings. Then you can move topic headings around within the post to help with the flow of your article.
This is also a good time to add bullet points under each heading if you already know the key points and have ideas about what to say.
A great way to outline your posts is to keep an online journal in Google Sheets. Simply set up a Google account and then open a new sheet in Google. Title it “Blog Posts.” You should be able to add a Google sheets app to your smart phone and log in to your Google account. When you are on the go, you can open your “Blog Posts” sheet and add notes or outline posts.
Research or include a stat or two
Once you have your main points down, you may want to do a little research to back up your ideas or support your claims. This would be a great opportunity to look up stats about your topic. A simple internet search will help you find stats, tips and tools to add to your post. Make sure to give credit to the company or researcher by linking to their article.
For example, if you are a financial blogger writing a post about buying a home, you may want to research and share stats on what real estate lenders ask for when you apply for a loan.
One trick I use when it comes to research is to notate my post where I’d like to include a stat, tip, tool or link. I keep writing (again, don’t stop the flow) and once I’m done, I grab all the research I need and add it into the post.
Include helpful links
One way to improve the quality of your post very easily is to provide helpful links in your post.
If we are using the example above of the financial blogger, you might provide a mortgage calculator link for readers to plug in numbers along with an affiliate link to a lender.
You can find affiliate links for all sorts of niches at affiliate marketing companies such as Flexoffers, Share-A-Sale, and Clickbank. Keep a spreadsheet of your favorite affiliate links easily accessible so you can copy and paste the link into your post.
Related: How to Make 6 Figures a Year with Affiliate Marketing
Just write, even if your introduction comes last
Don’t spend hours trying to start writing or coming up with a catchy introduction. Instead, just write the parts that are coming to you. You can fill in around the edges later.
Once you are writing, you don’t want to stop. Allowing yourself to write the parts that are flowing will allow you to create some momentum. If you get stuck on a particular point you are trying to make, or you can’t find the right word to use, simply fill in the space with an “XX.” When you go back to edit the post, the right words will often come to you.
You might also find that a few of your key points can be condensed to create your introduction and conclusion. Mostly focus on your key points and make sure your SEO keyword is included throughout the post. Here’s a popular post about how to use SEO to rank higher in search engines.
Don’t let perfectionism stop you
I admit I’m a perfectionist. But when it comes to generating blog posts, I realized it was better to just get the post out there. Better to be done than perfect. Your blog should reveal your personal style a bit, so it’s okay to write with personality, just be careful about offending people.
It’s easy to let things like perfectionism and fears to keep you from hitting publish on your post. Realize that you can always go back and update posts and even delete them altogether if need be.
Some of my favorite bloggers out there have kept their first few years of posts online. These blogs were done by people who started blogging without any intention of making money. They just wrote snippets from their day or commented about something they read or experienced, and their blog slowly gained traffic. Many of these bloggers admit they had no idea what they were doing when they first started writing. But with time, their writing improved tremendously.
Do your best to proofread your post before hitting send. Fix typos, bad grammar and spelling mistakes. But at some point, call it done and hit publish!
Note: One way I was able to learn many tricks about writing was by enrolling in a freelance writing course. Check out this interview with my friend Kristen who makes a living off of freelance writing and developed the course I took.
Practice writing posts
I noticed a significant difference in my ability to write blog posts fast when I started writing every week. In the past, I would try to publish one blog a week. I often fell short, and as a result, only came up with one to two blogs a month. When I switched to blocking off time in my schedule to write posts and made it a goal to write three in a week, I actually got faster!
When you practice anything consistently, you will see improvement with time. And you can dramatically improve if you practice more often.
As you write, challenge yourself to do things in new ways and experiment.
Use a timer to help you with writing blog posts fast
I figured out this trick when I decided I wanted my newsletters to be an easier and faster process. Before using a timer, I would sit to write my newsletter and get distracted with email or something else. Eventually I would start writing my newsletter, but I thought it needed to be amazing and epic. Finally, I realized I could simply use my newsletters as a way to give a quick tip or share a tool with my readers.
I set a timer for 30 minutes and decided that was all the time I had to produce my newsletter, and you know what happened. I got it done in 15!
Using timers and working in time blocks can greatly increase your speed and productivity. Try experimenting with time blocking to see if it helps you simplify your process and focus more. You could even pretend you have an old fashioned newspaper deadline and HAVE to get your blog post done within an hour. What would you share in your post then? You’d probably start with the most important content and fill in the gaps until time was up.
Related:
Make Money as a Freelance Writer
Life Coaching Business as a Side Hustle- How to Get Started
Take breaks
Writer’s block is a real thing! I’ve found that it creeps in either when I’ve done too much writing or fallen off with practiced writing. It’s important to find a balance, and one way to do that is to schedule in breaks.
Stopping to take a break can actually make you crave getting back to work on a post. It’s a good idea to stop and do something briefly that has nothing to do with writing… go outside, stretch, walk, make food, or go run a quick errand. Whatever you do, allow your mind to clear and then you can come back to your writing with a fresh perspective. Hint: this is also when I will re-read my post and correct a few items.
Final tips for writing blog posts fast
Selecting the time of day for writing can greatly increase your writing speed. Everyone differs in their “magic time” for writing. Some people work best first thing in the morning, and others love to write when the household is quiet at night.
Whatever time of day you choose, you must be in the right mindset and be committed to sitting down to write for a period of time.
My best suggestion is to practice writing with the goal of writing three posts a week. Try working yourself up to this number and don’t give up if you can’t produce three a week in the first few months of blogging.
With consistent practice, you will not only get better at writing, but you will get faster too!
How about you! What are you favorite tips and tools for writing blog posts fast? Which tips will you implement for your writing?
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