10-Step Pre-Publish Blog Post Checklist to Build an Audience

We could pour our heart and soul into creating content, but honestly, it won’t mean much if our readers don’t see what we’ve created.

Why wouldn’t they see it? Well, we can tell by checking what makes readers want to click and read—that’s the title.

Whether it’s on social media, a search engine, or other platforms, the title of our blog post is the first thing readers see. So, before we publish, we make sure our title is catchy and click-worthy.

Writing a compelling title is easy; we just need to follow these three steps to craft a great blog post title:

1. First, pick the best words to describe the content.
2. Next, tweak it to highlight the value or purpose of the blog post.
3. Finally, add things like action verbs, superlatives, emotional appeal, and power words to make it more click-worthy.

Remember, we steer clear of clickbait titles. Readers hate them, and they can seriously damage our blog’s reputation.

To me, the introduction is probably the most crucial part of a blog post. It’s where readers quickly get a sense of whether the post is worth their time.

For example, look at me, I instantly bounce off a blog post if its intro sounds like it was written by AI or if I can’t find anything relevant to what I’m looking to achieve.

Chances are, others do it too. That’s why I include the title as one of the checkpoints on this list.

So, what should we do? Before publishing our blog post, we make sure the introduction grabs readers’ attention and shows them the content is worth their time.

I have several tips for writing an engaging introduction, but at the very least, readers should immediately see the relevance of the blog post. For example, how it can inspire, educate, or help them with their problems.

THIS — if the blog post offers information or a solution that we think is better than others, make sure to mention it! Readers will definitely appreciate seeing it.

For topics that require authority, expertise, or experience, include a credibility statement, but keep it humble.

And if you’re using SEO, make sure the introduction doesn’t sound robotic with awkward keywords.

Since content is our business, we can’t let readers have a bad experience with our blog posts.

That’s why we make sure our posts are well-structured, organized, and easy to read before we publish them. This helps readers access and understand our content more easily, giving them a better reading experience.

Remember, when readers have a great experience, they’ll come back for more!

So, how do we improve our content’s structure? I’ve got a list of do’s and don’ts to make blog posts more reader-friendly, but here are some of the most important ones to try:

1. First, write short paragraphs and make sure the ideas flow smoothly.
2. Second, don’t forget to use headings! Keep it simple with H1 to H3, and instead of using H4 to H6, use numbered lists or bullet points.
3. Lastly, avoid inserting widgets (and unrelated media) between paragraphs—they can distract readers and break the flow of the discussion.

As AI gets better at providing general information, the best way for us bloggers to stand out is by sharing unique content.

After all, it’s our fresh perspective and original insights that will attract readers, since AI will handle most of the common questions.

So, before we publish our blog posts, we make sure they offer something new to our readers that they can’t find anywhere else.

If you need an example, look no further—this checklist is unique content!

For an even better example, check out this blog post, which I guarantee has fresh, original ideas. In it, I highlight different ways to make our blog posts stand out with unique content.

Here’s a quick summary: share real-life experiences, personal stories, expert opinions, fresh perspectives, and even ethical judgments. Just remember, we should always share helpful insights related to the topic we’re discussing, not nonsense.

Tip: one way to boost the uniqueness of our blog post is to put real pictures, videos, and other visuals that no one even AI can’t copy.

As humans, we’re social beings—we all want to feel understood and connected, and that includes our readers.

That’s why, before publishing a blog post, we make sure there’s a part where we share our passion, mission, values, or unique voice that readers can connect with personally.

In essence, we need a distinct brand or identity that connects with our audience or readers.

On the other hand, branding matters because it helps us stand out and succeed as bloggers. It sets us apart from the competition and the overwhelming amount of generic content on unbranded blogs.

Now, the question is: how can we add branding to our blog posts? In my quick and easy guide for bloggers on building a brand, I covered three ways to do that. Here’s the summary:

1. First, share personal experiences to showcase our values.
2. Second, share our opinions to express our voice.
3. Third, we explain the context or purpose behind our projects or blog posts to share our passion and goals with our readers.

As the content creator industry gets more crowded and AI changes everything—from how we write to getting traffic—building an audience is now a must for long-term success.

We need to build an audience because they’re key to creating a stable online business. They protect our blogs from the risks of algorithm changes on traffic sources like search engines and social media.

As a beginner, I have to tell you that building an audience is tough. But it shouldn’t be too hard if we show our readers our true selves.

After all, people are drawn to authenticity, and readers love when they can tell the words are genuine. That’s why it makes sense to add a bit of authenticity to our blog posts and double-check it before we publish.

Does the draft feel lacking in authenticity, or doesn’t it sound human after reading it?

• Try revising it to make it more conversational.
• You can also turn other sentences into questions and expressions.
• Let our personality shine by sharing personal stories, adding humor, and, of course, being transparent!

For more details, check out my post about crafting a blog post with authentic human touch.

Links and references are some of the first things I look for when I’m researching online.

Why? Because it’s the internet—full of both information and disinformation. I’ve got to be careful.

While not everyone is like me, there are definitely readers who do the same, which makes links an important part of our blog posts if we want to prioritize our readers.

In addition to boosting our post’s credibility, references and links help readers discover more topics that might be useful to them.

With these reasons in mind, it’s clear why we should always check our blog posts for links and references before hitting publish.

Before publishing, we shouldn’t forget to follow some tips and best practices when linking our sources. For example:

• only link to credible sources.
• When adding links within paragraphs, make sure:
  • they’re relevant to the topic
  • the anchor text is descriptive
  • and they fit naturally into the content.
• And if you care about SEO, don’t forget to add a “no-follow” tag to sources you don’t fully trust!

As great bloggers, we always aim to overdeliver in our content. While that’s a good thing, it’s not always necessary.

What do I mean? When we add too many details, say many fluff, or include information that’s not really relevant, we can end up giving readers the opposite experience we want.

Readers might find our posts frustrating or overwhelming, which could make them lose interest or, worse, look for other sources and leave our blog altogether.

Of course, we don’t want our readers to lose interest, so before publishing our blog post, we make sure it’s the right length.

Ideally, our blog post should be long enough to satisfy readers and achieve its goal, but not so long that it could be split into multiple posts. By “goal,” I mean things like teaching a skill, solving a problem, telling a complete story, and so on.

With that in mind, word count shouldn’t be the only thing we focus on when writing our blog posts.

For more tips, check out my guide on the perfect blog post length that readers actually want.

One mistake I made in my early blogging days was not writing an excerpt for my posts.

SEO experts at the time suggested it wasn’t necessary anymore because search engines create their own excerpts for our posts.

That was a mistake because other places on the internet where our blog posts are shared don’t create excerpts for us. An excerpt, which can help increase CTR (click-through rate), would’ve definitely benefited me a lot. That means more traffic!

So, yeah, don’t forget to write an excerpt, especially since it’s only 160 characters long.

The thing is, excerpts are also really beneficial for our readers. They show respect for their time, letting them decide if the post matches their interests or is worth reading, even before they open it.

So, when we review our blog post before publishing, we need to make sure it has elements that show readers how the post can improve or benefit their lives. It could be a big promise, an interesting idea, or a simply solution to a problem.

Here’s everything you need to know about writing an engaging excerpt for blog posts.

Of course, proofreading is a must before we publish our blog post.

Why? It’s no brainer — proofreading is key to a great reading experience for our readers. I learned this the hard way, which is why I strongly recommend making it a top priority every time.

When proofreading, though, there are a lot to keep in mind:

1. grammar
2. spelling
3. readability
4. simplicity
5. brevity
6. tone
7. fluency
8. clarity
9. consistency
10. punctuation
11. style
12. formatting

Here’s a guide for proofreading. Anyway, if you want to proofread faster, try using tools that fix mistakes or give you suggestions right away.

I personally use two AI tools, like ChatGPT Temporary Mode and Microsoft Editor. They help me proofread three times faster than before.

Check out my post, “Proofreading Blog Posts Using AI,” to see my process, prompts, and what I keep in mind when proofreading with AI.