Templates / Blog post outline
Blog post outline template
A skeleton you can reuse for any post, with the job of each section written next to it, so you know what a section is for before you write a word in it.
A blog outline is not a list of headings. It is a list of jobs. Each section has one job, and the moment a section has two, the post starts to wander.
This template gives you the skeleton plus the job of every part. Copy it into your doc, delete the job notes as you fill each section in, and what is left is a draft with a spine.
There is a filled example at the bottom for a how to post, so you can see the skeleton with real headings in it.
How to use it
- 01Copy the skeleton block into a fresh doc before you write anything, including the job notes in brackets.
- 02Write the one sentence promise at the top first. If you cannot write it in one sentence, you do not have a post yet, you have a topic.
- 03Fill in the H2 headings next, all of them, before writing any body copy. Read them top to bottom as a list. That list should make sense on its own.
- 04Under each H2, write three to five bullets of what goes in it. Still no prose.
- 05Only now write the draft, section by section, deleting each job note as you satisfy it.
- 06Write the introduction last, once you know what the post actually says, then check it against the promise you wrote in step two.
The template
The skeleton. Copy this whole block.
The bracketed text is the job of that section. Delete each one as you fill it in.
Working title: [full sentence, contains the search term, promises one specific thing]
Primary keyword: [the exact phrase someone types]
Reader: [who this is for, one line from your persona doc]
The promise in one sentence: [by the end of this post the reader can do X]
Word budget: [target word count]
Call to action: [the one thing they do next]
H1: [the title, written for the reader, not the search engine]
Opening, 3 to 5 sentences. [Job: name the reader situation in their words so they recognize themselves in line one. No throat clearing, no history of the industry.]
Promise paragraph, 2 to 3 sentences. [Job: say exactly what they will be able to do by the end and roughly how long it takes. This is what stops the back button.]
Optional: what you need before you start. [Job: list tools, access or information required. Only include it if something is genuinely required.]
H2: [The context or the why, one short section]. [Job: give the minimum background needed to make the steps make sense. If the reader already knows it, cut this section entirely.]
H2: [Step one or point one, written as an action]. [Job: one complete idea. Ends with the reader having done something or decided something.]
H3: [Sub point if the step has a fork in it]. [Job: handle the if this then that case without breaking the main flow.]
H2: [Step two or point two]. [Job: build on step one. If it could be read without step one, reorder them.]
H2: [Step three or point three]. [Job: the payoff step. This is usually the section people screenshot.]
H2: [The example, filled in]. [Job: show the whole thing done once, end to end, with real specifics. This section is why people bookmark posts.]
H2: [What goes wrong]. [Job: three to five mistakes, each with the fix. This is also the section that answers the objection forming in their head.]
H2: [Frequently asked questions]. [Job: catch the three questions people ask that did not fit the flow. Question as the H3, answer in two to four sentences.]
H2: [What to do next]. [Job: one instruction and one link. Not a summary of everything above, not three competing CTAs.]
Word budget for a 1,500 word post
Rough proportions. Use them to spot the section that is eating the post.
Opening and promise: 120 to 180 words.
Context section: 150 words, or zero if the reader already knows it.
Each main step or point: 200 to 300 words. Three of them is the sweet spot.
Worked example: 250 to 350 words. Give this the room. It is the most reread part.
What goes wrong: 200 words, roughly 40 per mistake.
FAQ: 150 words, three questions.
What to do next: 60 words. If it is longer, it is a new section pretending to be a CTA.
Opening formulas that work
Pick one and fill it in. Do not write a fresh opening from a blank page.
The recognition open: You have [SPECIFIC SITUATION]. You already tried [OBVIOUS FIX]. It [WHAT WENT WRONG].
The cost open: Every [TIME PERIOD], [READER ROLE] spends [EFFORT] on [TASK]. Most of that is [THE WASTED PART].
The correction open: Most advice on [TOPIC] says [COMMON ADVICE]. That works when [NARROW CONDITION]. Here is what to do the rest of the time.
The question open: [DIRECT QUESTION THE READER HAS ASKED SOMEONE THIS MONTH]. Short answer: [ANSWER IN ONE LINE]. Long answer below.
The scene open: [ONE CONCRETE MOMENT, two sentences, present tense]. If that is familiar, this post is for you.
Heading patterns that survive skimming
Someone reading only your H2s should get the gist. Test that before you draft.
How to [ACTION] in [TIME OR CONSTRAINT]
The [NUMBER] questions to answer before [DECISION]
What to do when [SPECIFIC OBSTACLE]
[ACTION], step by step
A worked example: [SPECIFIC SITUATION]
What goes wrong with [TOPIC]
When not to [ACTION]
Avoid: Introduction, Conclusion, Overview, Final thoughts, Wrapping up. They say nothing and they cost you a slot.
Filled example: a how to post
The skeleton above with real headings, for a made up bakery selling wholesale to cafes.
Working title: How to price wholesale orders when you are a small bakery
Primary keyword: wholesale bakery pricing
Reader: owner baker, under five staff, currently selling retail only, first wholesale inquiry just landed
The promise in one sentence: by the end you can quote a wholesale price you will not regret in six months.
Word budget: 1,500
Call to action: download the pricing worksheet
H1: How to price wholesale orders when you are a small bakery
Opening: the cafe down the road asked what you would charge for forty croissants a week, and you said you would get back to them, and that was nine days ago.
Promise: this walks through the four numbers you need, in the order you need them, and ends with a quote you can send today.
What you need before you start: last month ingredient invoices, your hourly labor cost, your oven capacity per session.
H2: Why retail pricing does not survive contact with wholesale
H2: Step one, work out your true unit cost
H3: The costs everyone forgets, packaging, delivery, waste
H2: Step two, decide your minimum order
H2: Step three, set the price and the review date
H2: A worked example, forty croissants a week
H2: What goes wrong with wholesale pricing
H2: Frequently asked questions
H3: Should I discount for bigger volume?
H3: What if they ask me to match another bakery price?
H3: How often should I raise a wholesale price?
H2: What to do next
Before you hand the outline off
Five checks, two minutes.
Read the H2s as a list with nothing else. Do they tell the story on their own?
Does every section have exactly one job? Any section with two becomes two sections.
Is there a worked example with real specifics, not a hypothetical?
Does the promise at the top match what the last section actually delivers?
Is the call to action one thing? Count the links you plan to include and cut back to one.
Where this usually goes wrong
- Outlining with topics instead of sentences. Pricing is a topic. How to work out your true unit cost is a section. Topics let the writer wander.
- Writing the introduction first. You do not know what the post says yet, so the intro promises something the draft does not deliver.
- Building the outline around your product instead of the reader task. If the product only fits in one section, that is honest and it converts better than sprinkling it through all of them.
- Skipping the worked example because it takes longer. It is the section people come back for, and it is what separates your post from the five above it.
- Nine H2s on a 1,200 word post. Every section gets 130 words and none of them says anything. Three to five main sections, then depth.
Common questions
How long should a blog post outline be?
About a page. Full headings plus three to five bullets under each. If the outline runs longer than two pages you are drafting, not outlining, and you have lost the ability to reorder cheaply.
Do I need a different outline for a listicle?
Same skeleton, different middle. Replace the three step sections with your list items, keep the opening, the worked example, the mistakes section and the single CTA.
Where do keywords go in the outline?
Primary keyword in the title and the first H2 where it fits naturally. Related terms sit as their own sections rather than being sprinkled in. If a term does not deserve a section, it probably does not belong in the post.
Should the outline include the sources?
Yes. Put the link next to the bullet that needs it while you are outlining. Hunting for a source mid draft is what breaks writing flow, and it is how unsourced claims end up published.
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