Today’s post is all about writing that great post. The one that is going to attract new readers, build trust with the old ones, and engage every one who stumbles upon your blog to comment…

We’ve already talked about writing a blog post in 15 minutes, which is a great skill to have, and we also tackled the issue of being consistent.

Consistently creating great content is the backbone of any blog.

But how can you make that happen? Well, one option is to caffeinated yourself to the point of near death and stay up late the night before you publish your post.

But the better option is to spread the writing and editing process over a few days. Sounds good?

Quality over quantity

The truth is that publishing a great post once a week is better than posting mediocre content on a daily basis.

That’s what your goal should be: one weekly post that will attract attention, engage readers emotions, and turn them into loyal subscribers.

The idea is that you should be able to sustain the pace. Writing content on a daily basis is not easy to sustain, even if you dedicate a lot of your time on your hand.

So, how exactly do you write a great post a week? Well, let’s all take in day by day.

Day 1: Ideas and headlines

Start by thinking about your topic, and what angle you’ll approach it from.

Think of what the readers has to gain from reading your post. How exactly is your post going to help me? How is it going to make them feel?

What are YOU trying to make them feel?

Think of all these things as you write down as many ideas for a headline as possible. First impressions matter, so you need to create the best headline that is sure to attract attention.

While you’re at it, you can also write down your subheads. The general ideas of the post. Try to get a feel for it, to sense the direction in which everything’s headed.

That’s enough for day one.

The first step is the most difficult, and you’re off to a good start. Move on to the rest of your day, and prepare for tomorrow — it’s going to be a heavy one.

Day 2: The devil is in the details

First off, revise the headline and subheads you wrote yesterday. Do they still make sense? Are they still intriguing? Are you looking forward to filling in what’s missing?

If not, edit. Once you’re satisfied, it’s time to fill in the details. Ready? Set? Go!

I know what you’re saying right now. “It’s not a race.” Actually, it kind of is.

Don’t think, just write.

Don’t try to analyse your writing, don’t linger too much on any one paragraph. Write as fast as you can.

Punch the damn keys!

Write from the heart.

Finally, before you wrap up working on your post for the day, look for an image, something that will capture what your post is all about.

Now, it’s time to walk away. Stop thinking about your post. Take a break.

Day 3: Writing is rewriting. Also, editing.

On day three, read through your first draft to see how it looks today. You might want to read it out loud in a monotone voice to be sure it still makes sense and sounds good, even with no inflection.

Now, it’s time to rewrite and edit. Move text around, keep reading, keep tweaking.

When you’re pleased with the final result, it’s time to format your post. Add bulleted lists where you can. Add excerpts using block quotes. Break up long paragraphs into smaller chunks to make them easier to read on screen.

Last thing on your do-do list should be about checking a few more things:

• Does the headline make a reader want to know what your post is all about?
• Is the image intriguing enough?
• Do the subheads tell your story all by themselves?
• Have you asked an engaging question at the end to encourage comments and conversation?
• Did you add a call to action for a product, service, or your email list?

Ideally, you should be answering yes to all of these questions.

Day 4: This is the day

Now, don’t think that if you get to hit that “publish” button that your job is done. No. You also need to promote your post.

How can you do that? Try:

• Making yourself available to respond to comments, answer questions and converse with your readers
• Promoting your post across the social media channels you use
• Include it in your e-mail newsletter.

It’s not easy to write epic posts week after week, but dividing the work up over several days will make it a lot easier.

Building time into your schedule to get away from your post will make you a better editor.

What’s your writing schedule?

This is one way to write brilliant posts, but there are many others.

Do you have a favorite technique?

Let’s talk about it in the comments.