Writing a blog post is one of the many, regular duties a marketing department or entrepreneur performs to serve their product or brand. As a content writer, I regularly help clients with writing their blogs, and when I present them for review, I include a special little nugget of information that shows that the blog is written with true intention. I call it the blog box.

The blog box has several purposes, but perhaps the most important is to communicate the intention of the blog to the team. The blog box isn’t something I scrawled on a piece of paper during a meeting. Time and thought goes into it, and I place it front and center at the top of the blog for reference and the client’s convenience. Today, I share a little more about it with you!

Simon Sinek said every entrepreneur needs a “why.” Well, so does every blog!

Here is an example of a blog box for last month’s blog, on editing.

BLOG NAME  –  Editing Guidelines: BIW’s 10 Commandments for Editors

OBJECTIVE  –  To help readers know how to better review their own work or the work from other team members and clients.

BLOG TONE/STYLE  –  Casual, friendly

EXPECTED DATE FOR DISTRIBUTION  –  7.1.21

KEYWORDS. –  Editing guidelines, ten commandments of editing

DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY  –  Website, personal blog, social media

SOCIAL MEDIA TEASER  –  Editing is just as fun as writing! Today I share my 10 Commandments for editors. If you edit your own work or someone else’s, I hope you’ll appreciate these tips.

AUDIENCE  –  Potential clients

IMAGE  –  People collaborating over a computer

HASHTAGS  –  #BigIdeasWriting  #editing  #ContentWriter  #contentwriting

 

As you can see, the blog box is the who, what, when, where, why and how that particular blog post. By writing down every element of intention at the top of the blog, it keeps everyone focused, including the author. Everyone who reviews the blog will have a deeper understanding of the project because of the blog box and will therefore be able to contribute more productively. The blog box eliminates guesswork about why something is written a certain way, in a certain tone, and how it will be distributed. On a larger team it can serve as an order form to direct other team member efforts. And it can also be customized.

Depending on your enterprise, you might want to spell out other elements too, like:

  • List of links you want/need to be included in the blog
  • Word count requirements
  • Alternative images
  • KPIs- so you know how many likes and shares you want to see after distributing the blog
  • Call to Action (or CTA, which should be boilerplate and included at the end of the blog, but may vary, depending on the content)
  • Source Material (links to website research, or naming of those subject matter experts interviewed for the blog)

Another important point—if you have trouble “filling out” a blog box, beware! It is a sign you have not really thought through your expectations of the blog, its contents, and its “why.” Take a step back, clarify your vision and then try again. To proceed without clarity could be a recipe for disaster for your team and your audiences!

Intention is key to a well-received piece. Next time you’re writing a blog, try using the blog box to clarify your goals. Writing with intention is what we do at Big Ideas Writing. If I can help you jumpstart your blog program, please reach out at 630.778.6182.