When you’re writing an article, or multiple articles a week, it can be a daunting task to sit down and just type out a whole 500-1000+ (or more!) word piece. Even the best struggle with writing beginning to end, so we’ve established some super helpful fill-ins which will help get you started, and encourage you to better form and strategise your writing.

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The best way to start an article is with an outline, but if you want your article to be targeted towards a specific group of people then it’s also good to fill in a few other notes before tackling that outline.

What is the topic? (Be specific)

Why would ____________ [your specific, targeted audience] read this post?

Why might ____________ [your specific, targeted audience] share this post?

With the topic in mind, what will the overall tone be for this post?

Once you’ve answered the questions above we suggest you fill in the following:

Main Points Or Aspects In Article (brain dump, it doesn’t have to be in order, nor do you have to fill ALL of them in):

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Resources To Reference (all definite facts should be cited to a reliable source)

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Approach That You Will Follow (Will it be a big list? A smaller, numbered list? Will you include an infographic? Will you use visuals – images, graphs, screenshots – to make your point? Etc.)

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Three Different Ways I Could Word The Title For This Piece (don’t guess, do some keyword research and plug them into your title for higher organic search numbers!)

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Note: It seems strange that we would save the title question for last, but often times writers begin with a title, and then one of two things will happen, 1) they try too hard to confine themselves to the title, and can no longer think outside of the box, or 2) the title is too vague and thus attracts less readers.

So we save the title for the very end so it can be the ultimate sum-up of what your article encompasses, and then you can use keywords from your article, rather than the other way around (where the ‘other way’ can also be very confining). HOWEVER, if staring with a title genuinely works better for YOU then do that! This is only a guide, they’re not strict rules.

Here’s an example using the exact guide above:

I’m the owner of a small health-food bakery business in Singapore, and I want to appeal to busy working professionals.

My services/products consist of: storefront bakery downtown, catering to professional events (seminars, conferences, board room meetings, etc.), and in-store group workshops on how to make healthy baked goods taste AND look good.

What is the topic? (Be specific)

Making healthy baked goods your new, easy go-to snack or treat

Why would professionals, executives, and small business owners read this post?

They’re busy and need snacks that are easy to make, yet healthy for themselves and their family.

Why might professionals, executives, and small business owners share this post?

Because it will be super helpful with a list of quick healthy snacks from other well-known health food experts. **This is also a bonus because some of the experts linked in the article will also share the article itself (after I tag them in it or send them a personal message) gaining me and my business more exposure.

With the topic in mind, what will the overall tone be for this post?

Convincing, professional, knowledgeable + foodie lingo if applicable

Main Points Or Aspects In Article

1. After a long busy day you don’t want to be grabbing packaged junk food
2. If you’re on the run out the door but know you’ll need something to munch on, having something healthy prepared in advance will help
3. Healthy food doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste
4. Title of healthy baked good linking to trusted resources
5. Busy, working people need quality family time and rest, so quick snacks give you more time

Resources To Reference

1. 2-Ingredient Cookies (Plus The Mix-Ins Of Your Choice!)
2. 13 Healthy And Gluten-Free Ways To Make Pizza
3. 17 Healthy Snacks To Pack In Mason Jar
4. 21 Clean Lunches In Under 10 Minutes

Approach That I Will Follow

1. Address the hectic, not-enough-time schedule of busy, working people
2. RELATE to the reader, and explain why this is important to us (and slip in a mention of how this reason helped forge our small business – attach a link)
3. List two of my own recipes at the top of the list, and maybe one or two more throughout (depending on length of list)
4. Then list the others, linking to all of them (again, make sure they open in a NEW tab)
5. Close with encouragement, and make your Call-To-Action a command to bookmark this page for future reference, and share it with their friends who also need such a list
6. *You can have your approach listed in any way you like, and it can be as long as you like. The more detail you include in this outline, the faster you’ll be able to make a great article!

What are three different ways I could word the title for this piece?

• Awesome Resource List of Quick, Healthy Snacks
• Fast, Healthy Snacks For Busy Working Women
• 25 Quick Healthy Snacks for Busy Families (Moms?)

Now that you’ve got this guide, you can copy-paste it into a Word document and save it on your computer to use anytime, or if you like to write down your outlines, jot the template down and fill it in when you’re in a writing jam! You could use this template literally every time you are looking to write something new because once you’ve got an outline you can physically see, all your knowledge and expertise will just come pouring out to fill in the gaps!

Have fun writing!