Many important ingredients go into a high-quality blog post. The author should support each article with a sound content strategy and have a predefined target audience. They should be crystal clear as to what message they are trying to convey and have spent some time thinking about why this post is different from generic content available on the internet. Of course, there is something even more basic than all of these things, the article’s structure.
There are many ways to structure a decent article. It is one of the easiest elements to get right, but many writers completely fail to perform this basic step. Structuring an article is a question of logic. It is about guiding your readers and not confusing them. Ultimately the best structure for any given article depends on what message the article is trying to convey. For example, an article which is comparing two subjects will be structured differently to an article that tries to convince the reader about a new theory. However, there are some elements that all decent articles should contain in their structure. The importance of an organised may be obvious to some people, but you would be surprised how many writers on the internet don’t neglect to include the most basic elements.
The Minimum Viable Blog Post Structure
The minimum viable blog post structure is the absolute minimum. It contains the following:
- Introduction
- Cover image
- Bridge into the main content (optional)
- Main content
- Conclusion
Introduction
An excellent introduction should do more than announce the article’s subject. It should hook the reader and spark enough curiosity that they will want to finish reading the entire article. Feel free to get creative with your introduction. Sometimes it’s useful to tell a story or include quotes. Do whatever you need to do to generate excitement about the article.
Cover image
Your cover image should be similar to your introduction in that it grabs your reader’s attention and sparks their interest. The cover image will be present on the blog feed, and it is displayed whenever somebody links to the article on social media. Therefore, it needs to be relevant and interesting. Although I’ve called out the cover image specifically, it is good practice to include relevant and interesting images throughout your blog posts.
Bridge into the main content (optional)
Not all articles will require a bridge. It depends whether you need to set the scene before getting stuck into the content. In some ways, a bridge is an extension of the introduction. If you’re unsure, it’s always safer to include a bridge. It’s best to assume your audience is easily confused so take all steps necessary to make your article and train of thought as clear as possible.
Main Content
The main content is where you make your argument, perform your analysis, provide your list etc. The main content section effectively needs a structure of its own, and that structure will depend entirely on the subject of the blog post. For example, this article. I started with an introduction. Next, I included a bridge paragraph. Then I started the main content section by listing the bare skeleton structure of a blog post. I then expanded on this list by including a sub-section on each point in the list which you’re currently reading.
The main content of this article is the bullet point list along with the extrapolations on each point. Had this article been an analysis or argument, it would be structured differently. The most important thing is that the structure makes sense and is easy to follow. If you’re unsure, it’s always best to get it checked by somebody else.
Conclusion
The conclusion is where you bring everything together and make any final points that you have. It’s not always possible but try to finish the blog post with something thought-provoking to encourage your readers to come back for more.
Conclusion
Structure is important because it brings your reader onboard of your train of thought. It is a method of guiding your audience. If your audience stays on track, they will not get confused. For example, if you were to jump straight from the title into the main content section of your article, your audience is likely to get lost. Each section sets the scene for the next one. Remember that the structure outlined in this article is a simple template to help you ensure that you’re coherent. Provided your blog posts have an introduction, cover photo, bridge, main section, and conclusion they will always have some semblance of organisation.