The Ultimate Checklist for an Awesome Killer Blog Post
Jan13Written by:
2010/01/13 04:19 PM 
To succeed at blogging one has to be able to write good relevant content. People just will not read rubbish. In the beginning I just ran head on into posting content with out really considering the post.
I am still a bit trigger happy and disorganised, that’s why I like to have and go through some checklists. After a while this then becomes second nature and the check lists get permanently imprinted in your brain.
Here is my Checklist for Killer Awesome Posts.
1. I have determined the topic for my post.
No point in starting to write if you have no idea what you are going to write about. There are a bunch of ways to get blog post ideas if you are drawing a blank. The topic should be in your niche, offer value to your readers. If you are monetising your blog the post should also relate to that and offer value to your commercial sponsors.Write down your topic with a rough headline. Plan out how you are going to expand on the topic.
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2. I have done research on the topic.
Too many times I see people posting about topics they either do not know anything about or they have not done any or sufficient research on. This is why blogging takes so much time, for me anyway. It’s not the actual writing of the post, but the research that goes into it.
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3. I have a compelling eye catching title.
There is no doubt about it, headlines bring traffic. Headlines do 2 things: get humans to read the post, and get the post found by search engines. Think of your daily newspaper. What draws your attention to it. It’s the inviting catchy headlines. People are scanning through hundreds if not thousands of blog posts a day. What will make your blog stand out amongst the rest is, that's right the Title.
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4. I have created my blog post outline.
Before you start writing, create a bulleted structure around which you’ll expand the post. This will serve as a starting place for your main headlines as well as create a scan-able post structure. A lot of people do not read the full post for what ever reason. They would scan through the post and then if something catches their eye they will then continue reading in depth. A well structured and outlined post makes it easy for the eye to scan.
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5. I have expanded my points.
Once you have got your outline and points sorted out, it is time to add some meat to the post. Valuable relevant content is still king in this game. Make a good and brief argument for each point which will tie into the main topic of the post. Keep it simple.
6. I have added my personal touch.
What will make this post different from every other post on the net. There are large amounts of posts for any given topic, what will make yours stand out. It’s that personal touch. Reaching out to your audience. People do not want a mechanically churned out post.
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7. I have revised my post and added thoughtful keywords.
Search engines are one major source of traffic. Make sure your post shows up when some one is searching for those keywords. But do not stuff your post full of keywords. Keep it natural. remember you are not writing for the search engines but for your readers.
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8. I have some nice appealing pictures or media.
Too much text can be a turn off. Attract your readers with a good relevant picture or video. Including an image with a post is recommended when possible. Use your keywords in the image "alt" attribute when possible. A nice picture will beautify and make the post catchy and attractive.
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9. I have included relevant links to add value.
Having a good linking strategy not only gives more value to your post but also lends credibility to the post. Do not be afraid to link out to other bloggers, even those you consider your competitors.
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Is outbound linking worthwhile? Does it add to PageRank?
I Dare You to Link.
Does Google penalise back links from bad neighbourhoods or bad sites?
10. I have proof read my post more than once.
This is a big problem for me. I am dyslexic so spelling and grammatical errors are always prevalent in my posts. That's why I proof read, and then also get my wife to proof read. Mistakes especially typos can be very distracting, look unprofessional and break the readers’ flow.
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11. I have a provocative conclusion and a call to action.
So why is it that you wrote this post in the first place? Is it just to take up bandwidth or fill hard drive space in cyberspace. You wrote the post to draw a conclusion and to get your readers involved in some way or other. Whether their life is changed or you challenge their thinking. End with a call to action that invites audiences to comment and interact.
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12. I have tactfully promoted my post.
What good is it if you have this awesome killer post, but no one knows about it. You have to get the word out. Use Social Media tools like Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed to tactfully make others aware of your post. You can also promote your post in other communities and forums, like:
As well as through RSS and email feeds like:
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Conclusion.
Check lists can make us so much more productive. We use checklists for various other things. Ever been shopping with a shopping list?
Has this post helped you to be more productive? What is your checklist? Share your list with everyone in the comments below.
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