How To Write A Blog Post | Steemit Mentor Lesson #1

As I invest my time and efforts into Steemit, I also want to invest in the community here. One way I'm going to try to do that is by writing weekly "Steemit Mentor" posts. These posts will focus on helping other users improve the quality of their posts, utilize different tools related to Steemit, keep a positive outlook, and figure out ways they can give back to the community.

If there are topics you'd like me to write about or questions you'd like answered, please feel free to leave a comment below and I'll add it to my list.

This first post is somewhat basic. I'm going to share the process of how I write a blog post for Steemit from start to finish. Hopefully, this will give newbies some ideas to develop a system of their own and encourage more quality content here on Steemit.

At the end of this post, I'm also offering to help out a few deserving newbies, so be sure to read all the way to the end...

How I prepare to write a post

Every good post starts with an idea. These ideas come to me while I'm feeding a baby, washing dishes, or sometimes right before I fall asleep :) I like to jot these ideas down in Google Keep, but others might prefer Notes, Evernote, or a plain ol' piece of paper!

If an idea really sticks with me, I might start brainstorming what I want to include when I write the post.

Choosing a platform

When it comes time to write, I prefer using busy.org. It allows you to save drafts, so there's no pressure to post right away. (As an aside, I use #busy when I post through the platform and sometimes get an upvote from them.)

I tried using eSteem on my iPad. I like that it has the option to schedule posts, but it can be glitchy. I prefer to write on my laptop anyway, so busy.org works best for me.

Drafting up a post

First of all, give yourself a time allotment. I try to keep my writing time to around an hour for 1000+ words. For some, that may seem like a lot of time - but if you're going to produce quality, it does take time. For those who tend to take longer, a time limit forces you to put your ideas on the page. And it helps keep you from getting burned out.

I take my idea from Google Keep and start elaborating. Sometimes I find that it's easiest to create an outline. I write out my headings and then start filling in the content.

If I get stuck, I move on to a different section. You don't want to be sitting at a blank page for too long and you can always come back.

Formatting my post

This is the fun part. Once I have my content laid out, I decide how I want it to look before I do my final read-through and edit.

When you're writing in busy.org, you get to see a preview of what the actual post will look like, so this helps a lot with formatting.

I know there are other tools to help with formatting (or you can just learn Markdown or html coding), but the app I like to use is called HastyMarkup by @odrau.

_{Want help editing your posts? Get HastyMarkup an app by @odrau}

You download it onto your computer and it opens as a small bar that floats over your open windows. Like this:

It's pretty easy to figure out once you get started, but if you're having trouble, I'd be happy to write a future post about how to use it. (Just let me know in the comments.)

Not only can you align your text and images with the click of an icon, you can also save "snippets" that you use regularly in your blog. For example, I provide a "Table of Contents" at the end of my twin blog posts. I keep that as a snippet. Just select the snippet and paste it into your post!

Final review

Because busy.org lets you see the preview (if you're using Steemit, then you have to be editing in html to see the preview), it's pretty easy to re-read and check your post.

It's tempting to just hit "post," but for the sake of your readers, take the time to read everything again. Something may sound different than you intended when you wrote it. And you never know what kinds of mistakes you'll find.

As an aside, I use Grammarly for work. There is a free version which is great for checking basic grammar, typos, etc. Because I have the paid version for work, it plugs into the website I'm working on and notifies me of errors as I type. A good tool to consider, especially if English isn't your first language.

Title, topics (tags), and publish

Usually, I save my title for last. You want it to represent what you actually wrote about, not just what you thought you were going to write about. Your title might be a question that you answer in your post. It could be a shocking statement.

If you want to catch people's attention, then you probably want a title that has strong "emotional value." To check this, you can try this tool.

Obviously, the title of this post isn't very catchy. Something like "How To Write A Blog Post And Make Millions" would probably have more impact, but I know I can't promise that :)

Tags

Next, choose the appropriate tags (or "topics" if you're using busy.org). There are lots of posts on how to use the right tags. It might be helpful to look up a tag before you use it to make sure it's actually related to your topic.

I was going to use #adoption for my twin blog, but it turns out that all the articles using that tag were referencing the adoption of Steem and crypto. Some #adoption followers may not have been too pleased if I'd turned up talking about my twins ;)

Time to publish!

I like to publish some of my posts on a schedule. Not only does it keep me accountable to write, it also helps my followers. Some can't be online every day, but they know when to check my blog. And they can upvote within 15-30 minutes after I post (which is supposed to be around the time you get the highest rewards.)

Keeping an eye on your post

As a side note, if you want to get notified when people upvote you or comment, you can either use Steemify on your mobile device (see @exyle's posts for the link to download) or busy.org has a notification system:

_{The notification is on the right, next to my picture.}

And that's my process from start to finish! I hope it was helpful ... if I missed anything or you need clarification, please let me know!

Help for newbies!

There are a lot of great helps for newbies including #newbieresteemday. I'm still learning how these work, but I thought I'd try to contribute in my own way. If you're a new user with reputation under 40, here's how I want to help you:

1. Give you some tips to improve your posts.
2. Share the SBD I make on this post.
3. Give you an upvote.
4. Help others find your content.

Here's what you need to do:

Be a good student and use this lesson to write a blog post.

You don’t need to use all of the tools I mentioned, but you do need to follow the steps and meet some basic criteria.

6 things you need to do:

1. Write more than 500 words

Busy.org has a word counter, so you can see exactly how many words you've written. Grammarly also provides a word count tool. If you aren't using either of those, then you can copy and paste your text into https://wordcounttools.com/ to check.

2. Include one picture to support your text

This picture shouldn’t be the focus of your post, but a picture that helps the reader understand your topic better. It should either be a picture you own or one that is CC0 licensed.

3. Format your post

Use bold and italics to emphasize important parts of your post. Maybe you include a quote or poem, try centering it. Spend some time to make your post enjoyable to look at.

4. Use sections and headings

Separate your blog post into sections and give each section a heading. You can format headings easily in busy.org or Steemit.

5. Check your grammar

Make sure you use correct capitalization and punctuation. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be clear that you tried to use correct English.

6. Share the link

When you finish your blog post, come back and share the link below in the comments. It should be a post that is newer than this one :)

I'll come by and take a look. If it looks like you tried your best to follow the process, I'll give you an upvote. I'll also share the SBD from this post with the best "students" and mention you in my future Steemit Mentor posts.

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My goal is to motivate new users to keep posting valuable content and try to improve their posts. I still have a long way to go myself, but we might as well keep Steeming together! If you have thoughts, suggestions, or ways I can make this better, please let me know in the comments!

_{All pictures are my own screenshots or licensed CC0}

_{Want help editing your posts? Get HastyMarkup an app by @odrau}