How to Tackle a Long-form Blog Post, Step by Step

So you’ve got a new keyword you want to try to rank for. Or a bright idea you want to put down on paper.

Google docs open? Check.

Coffee? Chrome? Check and check.

Then...

Look, I get it. Staring at a blank page is intimidating. Especially when you're up against a deadline.

In truth, it’s left me one too many nights like Carry Bradshaw, sipping a cocktail at my desk while my friends go out without me because “I have a deadline.”

The best thing you can do is take it step by step, or "bird by bird" as Anne Lamott puts it in her book under the same name.

Today, I'm breaking down how I take my blog posts bird by bird.

1) Research

This is also the brainstorming part. Gathering inspiration. Taking notes. Whatever you want to call it. You'll want to spent the majority of your blog post time simply researching.

Now, I meet a lot of writers who are afraid of finding their bright ideas in someone else's blog post during this phase.

This will happen. And it's okay. There's nothing new under the sun. You'll find a way to put your own unique spin on the topic, okay? Okay.

Some, on the other hand, are worried about plagiarism in this phase. “Am I totally copying their idea if I write about the same thing?” Short answer: no.

There's a big difference between getting inspired by content and actually copying it. It's a fine, fine line that’s usually defined by how you phrase your content versus how others have phrased it.

If you're afraid you’re writing isn’t unique enough, run your final post under Copyscape or another tool for checking plagiarism. If you're borrowing ideas, simply reference the original source and link to them. In fact, doing this is typically good for SEO and building community, so go for it!

Now, this isn't a lesson on citations, but it's important to note that too many writers and businesses are afraid to look online for some irrational fears and end up extracting every word from their brain. And that, ladies and gentleman, won't get you great content.

2) Create an outline

Once you have notes and ideas from your research, start to organize them. You’ll slowly see how it can come together. I like to put the correct note I’ve scribbled from the research phase under the correct section of the outline. If I’ve directly copied from an online source, I’m sure to keep a note, so I can give the proper credit.

You can also consider using a Chrome extension like Airstory which helps you drag and drop notes to the correct sections with ease.

I can get away with winging it since I write about the same topics every day (skin, health, nutrition, etc), but at the beginning of my career, I had to get my thoughts ordered on paper first.

3) Take things section by section

Once I have a jumbled mess of a first draft is when I really can get overwhelmed. To combat the self-doubt, I choose one section to fix up and I don’t read through the article until that single section is done. This is the “bird by bird” concept.

Do this a few times and you can have well over half a long-form blog post handled without ever realizing you did it!

4) Write the intro last

Introductions are important in the blog world. Can you hook your audience so they stay on the page? Give the correct information so they don’t bounce? Have you buried the lede? Don’t leave this up to chance. Tackle it once the blog post is done and you can tie it all together with a story or fact, two ways to hook readers into your blog.

5) Give it breathing room

The brain needs time to store information away, then come back to it. It’s absolutely crucial you give yourself at least a day between the first draft and the second draft. If long-form blog posts get you overwhelmed, consider breaking it up into three days.

-Kaleena