How to Write a Successful Blog Post in Less Than an Hour

by Cris Yeager
DIGITAL MEDIA GHOST
Writing

One of the most important parts of creating content for your website, business, or even your personal brand is blogging regularly and consistently. Writing a blog post, let alone a successful one can be quite a challenging task. One solution is to write more efficiently so that you can finish in less time and spend more time doing the other things you love! If you don’t want to spend hours in front of the keyboard, here are some tips to help you churn out successful blog posts in less than an hour, so your content marketing efforts don’t fall apart at the last minute!

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Nowadays, having the ability to crank out an article in less than an hour when needed is a great advantage. There will be instances when you have to publish a blog post, and you're not feeling up to it. It is very useful to know how to write a blog post in one hour in that situation. If you're a new blogger, that probably sounds like an intimidating goal, but read on and learn exactly how it can be done.

Know your topic
Before you start writing, it's important to know what you're going to write about. Spend a few minutes brainstorming ideas and choose the one that you're most passionate about. Once you have your topic, make a list of the key points you want to hit in your blog post. These should be the main takeaways that you want your readers to remember. Be clear on where the post is coming from. Stick to the facts!

Choose a unique attention-grabbing headline and google it. If it's too close to others, try again. Planning out your thoughts before starting will save you valuable time during the editing process. 
The first sentence is the most important because it will determine whether or not someone clicks through to read more. Remember that every sentence must move forward and not just repeat previous thoughts or topics.

Maximum time to complete: 5 minutes

Craft a quick outline
Once you have your key points, it's time to plan out your piece. Create an outline, with three or four points per paragraph. Make sure that each point clearly explains why you're making it and supports your overall topic. If needed, make a detailed timeline for yourself so that you can stay on schedule. Use this as your guide when writing the post. Convert your key points into full sentences and that will expedite the process.

Since your introduction is important, write it now during the outline process. Your already written sentences and key point sentences should be easy to string together for this paragraph.

Maximum time to complete: 15 minutes

Do some research
Though it may seem like you can just sit down and start writing, that's not always the case. To write a successful blog post, it's important to do some research beforehand. This includes figuring out who your audience is, what they want to read about, and what format will work best for your topic. Once you have this information, you can start writing your post. Quick and easy research to just confirm the facts is best. Add any information needed into your outline.

Maximum time to complete: 10 minutes

Start writing
Sit down and start writing. Use your outlined complete sentences as a starting point and fill in the facts! Don't worry about editing or anything else at this point, just get your thoughts down. Try sticking to around 300 to 400 words. This is more than sufficient for a blog post.

Once you have a rough draft, take a break for a few minutes to clear your head. Then, come back and edit your work. Try to be as concise as possible while still getting your point across. Once you're happy with the final product, it's time to edit! 

Maximum time to complete: 15 minutes
Add a break: 5 minutes

Edit and post
Now is the time to make any last-minute edits or changes. Make sure there are no errors and that you are using good grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Your readers will thank you for it! You may also use online programs like Grammarly to edit your writing. Give your blog post a final read-through before you hit the publish button. 

Maximum time to complete: 10 minutes

Summary
Now, let's take a look at how you did it. First, you identified your topic and audience. Then, you took the time to figure out what your readers wanted to know about that topic. Next, you outlined your post so that it was clear and concise. Finally, you wrote your post, edited it for errors, and hit publish! In less than one hour, you went from idea to published blog post - congratulations! Next time you're in a fix to crank out a blog post quickly, you'll know!

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