Have you seen those successful bloggers that put out some crazy amount of content?
They write everywhere: on their own website, on Linkedin, Medium, Social Media. Everywhere.
How do they manage to write so much?
You probably think they were born with this gift. Or that they are somehow much more creative than you.
Not so. It’s much easier than you think.
If you want to learn how, I’m gonna show you how you could write a killer article in 3 hours, even if you’re not a writer and have zero inspiration.
Think I’m exaggerating?
Well, I know it sure sounds like.
Because the truth is, if you’re not a professional writer with lots of experience, is damn hard to push out article after article.
If you’re a business owner, you have to do almost everything, right?
You’re the one who has to get new clients. You’re the one who has to manage the team. Or the one who makes sure the services/products are delivered on time.
So, how on Earth could you possibly have the time and creative energy to write articles, right?
If you’re just starting out as a writer or content marketer, you don’t have the experience and the knowledge, so you’re sometimes staring at a blank screen for hours, isn’t it?
And then the deadline comes and you start getting stressed. And when you’re stressed, you can’t think well and be creative.
I know the feeling.
But fortunately for you, I found an absolute great method that allows me not only to write faster but also better.
And the best part is that it’s super simple and anyone can do it if you follow the right formula. You don’t need to be a super-creative guy or have a lot of writing experience.
Let me walk you through the whole process.
Step #1 – Find your blog post ideas
Think about it this way – your article usually solves a problem. It answers a question people might have about a particular subject.
So, it’s super easy to come up with an article idea IF you know this single trick: you don’t have to invent a blog post idea.
You just have to find some questions people have about a particular subject that are related to your industry.
Where do you find these questions?
Here’s how I found my ideas for this blog post:
1) Answer the public
This is a tool that finds a bunch of questions people asks online related to a certain topic you choose. It is very useful if you want to better understand your target audience.
For instance, I wanted to write something about blogging so I wanted to see what questions people have related to blog posts.
Then I played a little bit and I changed my seed keyword from “blog post” to “how to write a blog post” (topic idea that I found in my first search if you look at the print screen).
And I found some interesting questions that gave me the title of this article.
But this isn’t the only place to find blog post ideas.
Here’s another one.
2) Quora
Quora is one of the first places people go to ask for help (after Google, of course).
3) Google Suggestions
I wrote “how to write a blog post” on Google and here are some other suggestions Google gave me:
Some of these are useful ideas that I could cover in another article. Like “How to write a blog and make money” or “How to write a blog about yourself”.
But there are some topics that are also a great fit in this article. Like ”blog post template” or “blog writing format” (you’ll see that I used them a little bit later in the article).
4) Keyword Planner
This is super-useful.
It’s a free tool from Google where you introduce a seed keyword and it gives you a lot of other keywords that people use on Google. If you want to increase organic traffic on your blog, you should start with this tool.
Step #2 – Create an outline by asking questions
If you want to learn how to write articles fast, you need an outline.
Why?
Well, for 2 reasons:
- If you create an outline, it will be very clear to you what ideas you want to express. If it is clear for you, it will also be for your readers.
- If you don’t create an outline, you might jump from an idea to another without having a clear path. And if you don’t have a logic structure, you’ll confuse your audience.
Now, you might say that you still don’t have enough ideas to cover in the article.
But here’s a trick.
You can create your outline in less than 10 minutes.
How?
Simply by asking questions.
What questions?
Well, the questions your readers would ask about a particular subject. You can use your intuition or you can put directly the questions you found in step 1.
Here’s how the outline for this post looks like:
Step #3 – Write your first ugly draft (don’t stop even if you make mistakes)
There are 3 steps that I use and I found them very effective, but you don’t need to follow the same pattern or do them in the same order.
It’s up to you. Test things out and see how it feels right for you.
1) Research
This step fires up your neurons and puts the „creativity wheel” into motion.
As I said, you can skip this step, especially if you already know your topic very well. But if you don’t, starting with research will help you avoid staring at the blank screen for hours and getting frustrated.
Because remember: words are just an expression of what it is already in your mind!
2) Introduction (copy this template)
I usually write the introduction first, but sometimes the right words just don’t come out.
So I start creating directly the “body” of the article and then almost miraculously my intro starts taking form in my head.
So again, it’s up to you when you choose to write the introduction.
Anyway, here’s an introduction template that draws people in and makes them want to read the rest of your article.
VERIFY something the reader has observed or experienced.
Here’s an example:
“Have you seen those successful bloggers that put out some crazy amount of content?
They write everywhere: on their own website, on Linkedin, Medium, Social Media.
How do they write so much?”
VALIDATE their internal conclusion or response.
Let’s continue with the example we started earlier:
“You probably think they were born with this gift of writing. Or that they are somehow much more creative than you.”
Use this as a VANTAGE point to pivot into the topic of your choice and PROMISE the solution.
“Not so. It’s easy. If you want to learn how, I’m gonna show you how you could write a killer article in 3 hours, even if you’re not a writer and even if you have zero inspiration.”
[Optional] Share a common VALUE to cement rapport that pulls you together from inside.
The example is the remaining part of the introduction of this article 🙂
3) Write like your life depends on it
Here’s a trick you won’t find on many blogs.
If you want to avoid staring at a blank screen and getting frustrated, you just start writing what you have in mind.
You don’t stop for grammar mistakes, punctuation or to check if it makes sense. You just dump all that.
Still, have no idea what to write?
Start with blah blah blah.
Yup, you’ve read that right. You start typing blah blah blah blah blah until some ideas pop up and you start writing those.
Don’t believe me. Test it. I’ve heard about this trick from the legendary copywriter Gary Halbert and it changed my (writer) life since then.
Step #4 – Edit
Now you start polishing your article. The order in which you do the next parts is not really important, but it’s very important to do them.
1) Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes
This one is pretty obvious. The fastest way to do this is to use a tool like Grammarly.
2) Make sure your article is easy to be read
Use subheadings to make it easier for the eyes
A lot of people scan the articles and if something interesting grabs their attention, they stick. So if you have a wall of text and nothing sticks out, you’ve lost your reader.
Use bullets for important pieces of information
The same as above. Make it easy for people to get value out of your article. You could lose a lot of traffic if you don’t design your content for both scanners and those who read every the last word.
If you have a long list, add it as a bullet point list. It is way more readable and gives the articles much needed dynamic.
Use images to convey important messages and break up large blocks of text
A lot of times it’s easier to use an image instead of trying to explain certain concepts in words.
Use maximum 2-3 sentences per paragraph
Which of these is easier to read?
Use bucket brigades to lure the reader into reading your whole article (without them even noticing it)
Ok, let me explain.
You might have noticed that I tend to use short sentences like these:
“Think I’m exaggerating?”
“But not anymore.”
“The best part?”
These short, nifty little sentences are designed to keep people on your page.
Think about it: you read something like “here’s the secret of this:”. Do you stop there and quit the page? Of course not, you’re curious, right?
You know what?
Let me give you some more words like these that you can steal (see what I did here? :D):
Here’s the deal.
But there’s a catch.
What’s the real story?
How can you actually use this?
The best part?
Why does this matter?
That’s not all…
Look:
For Example:
You know what?
Well, anyway, this all leads me to
But don’t let this scare you
What else should you…? Well, one thing.
By the way
Guess what?
But why do I stress arm development so much?
Here’s something to remember
What that means is…
Now, that’s no sin
Now, don’t get the wrong idea and start…
The point is this:
Don’t get me wrong
Here’s a couple of more good ideas
You might be wondering:
Want to know the best part?
But you may be wondering, “where do I put these words?”
It’s not an exact science. Place them wherever you feel the reader might hit the X button.
It could be after a longer paragraph. It could be in the middle of the article.
Use analogies/comparisons/metaphors (where it’s possible)
Metaphors, comparisons, stories, analogies are like a hidden trapdoor to the human mind.
People remember and understand any idea better if you use one of these.
Why? (see the bucket brigade again? :D)
Because the emotional part of our brain is highly attuned to symbolic meanings and to the mode Freud called the “primary process”: the messages of metaphor, story, myth, the arts.
Useful tip: You won’t always remember the perfect story to convey your ideas. That’s why a trick is to save all the stories, metaphors, comparisons you hear or read into a file, a folder or whatever. This way, when you write an article, you can always skim that folder for something useful.
Write at least 20 headlines
Ok, you probably know that there’s a debate going on here for probably centuries.
Some people say to first write the title and then the rest of the article, while some argue that it doesn’t matter.
I think it’s a matter of preference. I found it easier to write the title in the end because after I write the article, I have more ideas wandering my mind than when I first sit down to write it.
Here are some headline structures and examples to help you out:
Introducing [brand name] + benefit
Introducing the new Volvo XC10, a new SUV to access all areas.
Announcing [brand name] + your ideal client
An important announcement to homeowners
New + benefit
A new wonder drug to burn fat
At last + something people have been long waiting for!
At last, a toothbrush that lasts for more than 6 months
Variation of the “At Last” headline.
Has a remedy for the common cold been found at last?
News style
Discovered – amazing way to grow your hair
Why {significant amount of people} love/try {brand/personality/service}
Why do over 10k people love this new coach?
Why are all these people going crazy after this new watch?
Why do all these people spend their fortunes in this new car?
{significant amount of people} love/tried {brand/personality/service/course} and they overcome the {Unexpected Culprit} That Keeps them {Unpleasant Thing}
Over 100k people tried this exercise to overcome the body chemicals that keep them fat
1000+ people took this mindfulness course and got rid of that nagging voice in their head once and for all
1000+ people took this productivity course and they overcome the procrastination that kept them from growing their business
{significant amount of people} did/tried {solution} and they {desirable outcome}
10.000+ people read this book and become smarter
This book made over 1 million people smarter
80% of people who tried this course, doubled their revenue in 6 months
How a {Former customer} tried {solution} to {desirable outcome}
How one of my students used copywriting to triple her sales in less than 12 months
How one of my students used this course to quit her job and earn over 5k/month
How one of my students used yoga to recover from a severe depression
Give me ___ And I’ll ___
Give Me 5 Days and I’ll Give You a Magnetic Personality
Give Me Just 1 Hour a Day and I’ll Have You Speaking French like “Pierre” in One Month
Give Me a Chance to Ask Seven Questions and I’ll Prove You Are Wasting a Small Fortune on Your Advertising
How to Permanently Stop {Painful or Embarrassing Thing} (Even if You’ve Tried Everything!)
Botox injections for sweat:
How to permanently stop wet armpits from ruining your day (even if you’ve tried everything!)
How-to-negotiate course:
Permanently stop feeling underpaid and underappreciated (even if you’ve tried everything!)
Never start writing an article before doing this
Whenever you start writing a blog post, you can come back here and use this article as a guide. It’s simple and it works like a charm. I use it to write 4-5 articles per week without much effort.
But there’s one crucial thing I would like you to remember from this article: you can’t put content out if you don’t put content in.
Words are just ideas that are already in your head. This is why you have to read a lot if you want to produce great content that people will share.
And one last tip: Write all your ideas down. Whenever you read a blog post, you watch a video or you go to a conference, write the most interesting ideas down.
One day, those ideas could turn into articles.
Patrik is a growth hacking marketer and the owner of Strodin.com, where he helps dentists get more patients. He obsessively tests everything until he finds those details that turn strategies, concepts and words into sales.
