There\u2019s just no oomph, no pazazz, no zeal, behind your words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If this sounds a little too<\/em> familiar, then perhaps it’s time to explore the underrated art of content outlining. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the secret weapon used by professional marketers\u2013including the team<\/a> here at Omniscient\u2013that creates a consistent high-quality output of content without compromising on speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we\u2019ll share a proven framework for writing a solid content<\/a> outline. Additionally, we’ll provide a few actionable tips and recommendations from the Omniscient team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table of Contents<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A content outline is a carefully considered roadmap that lays out the purpose and direction of your content. It\u2019s your overarching blueprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two main forms that a content outline can take. It all depends on whether you\u2019re writing a piece of story-led thought-leadership content or a more traditional technical post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s the breakdown:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Typical format: emails, social media and short-form blog posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Typical format: long-form blog posts, whitepapers and e-books<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you have a clear outline in place, you always know what to cover next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This eliminates the frustration of staring at a blank page and gives you the confidence to dive into each section, making the content writing<\/a> process smoother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Content outlines allow you to strategically align your content with your product-focused goals<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, you can structure your outline to address pain points that your product solves, highlighting its unique features and benefits. This approach ensures that your B2B content resonates with your target audience while showcasing your offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a well-defined outline, you can focus on creating content without constantly worrying about the structure or missing key points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This speedier process ensures that you produce content more quickly while maintaining the high standards expected in B2B marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you share a detailed outline, team members can quickly understand the content’s direction, tone, and SEO objectives<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This consistency ensures that everyone is always on the same page, contributing to a cohesive content strategy even as your team grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before diving into the writing process, it’s crucial to identify your target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Alex Birkett aptly states<\/a>, “Quality is not for you and me. It\u2019s for the reader.<\/strong>” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Quality hinges on the reader’s perspective\u2013whether it\u2019s a TikTok meme or a comprehensive whitepaper. It all depends on their goals and preferences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to content strategist, Nia Gyant<\/a>, crafting an effective Ideal Customer Profile<\/a> involves addressing three fundamental questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBefore starting the outline, I make sense of the brief, in part by telling myself the story of the audience based on their: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, if you were creating a blog post for an email marketing software product, here\u2019s what this may look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While creating a detailed profile of your ideal customer persona might feel excessive, it pays off immensely as you move into the outlining phase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Armed with this knowledge, you can align your keywords with critical issues that matter to your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Already Done Your Keyword Research?<\/em><\/strong> Feel free to skip to stage 3.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you’ve honed in on your ideal reader and their journey, it’s time to bridge the gap between their needs and your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We want to figure out what our article\u2019s actually going to cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on our research, we know that these are the main topics our ideal reader wants to explore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To aid in this process, SEO tools like Ahrefs<\/a> can be incredibly helpful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, continuing with our example, let\u2019s explore the topic of \u201cSaaS email marketing\u201d. Here\u2019s what we find:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moderately high keyword long-tail keyword volume + low keyword difficulty = Perfect target keyword! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Top Tip:<\/strong> While it might be tempting to chase after high-competition keywords that giants like HubSpot target, remember that tailoring your content to relevant<\/a> and specific topics<\/a> is often more effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you can hope to rank for a search term, it\u2019s important to figure out the search intent<\/a> behind the keyword. This ensures that you don\u2019t waste your efforts writing a detailed piece that doesn\u2019t address the reader\u2019s expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to do this is to start by scouring the SERPs. Google literally tells the type of content most likely to perform well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s typically seven main options to choose from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, let\u2019s take a look at our current plan for \u201cSaaS email marketing\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It looks like How-to guides and listicles are the best route to take in this case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, it\u2019s time to find the unique spin for your content. What is the direction you can take in order to stand out from the crowd?<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Alex Birkett, there are several different ways to figure out where you could take your article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTake in all the information you can on the topic. A quick Google is tablestakes. Ask ChatGPT to explain the concept to you like you’re 5, 10, 15, and 20 years old. Scour forums, like Hacker News or Reddit, and see what’s been written and what’s being asked. Ask friends who are experts. You want as big of an information pool as possible to start from, and then you whittle down to the essentials from there.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As Nia adds, we want to dig until we can spot the hidden opportunity\u2013not yet existing amongst the competition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUse sources that others won’t. Many won’t take the time to conduct an interview, listen to a podcast, or attend a webinar to gather expert insights. If you do, your content will automatically be more valuable to your audience and more unique.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So, returning to our outline example, let\u2019s say take a look at our target persona and a few potential important topics to mention:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the stage where you can begin to organize all of your research into your writing. It\u2019s where you outline the specific problem you\u2019re seeking to address in your writing and how you\u2019ll resolve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A great starter for figuring out your main topics is to look closer at the existing search results. You want to make sure that you\u2019re answering the right questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to do this is to explore the long-tail keyword variants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although there are many great tools for finding the outline structure of published articles, my favorite is SEMRush\u2019s Outline Builder<\/a>. It shows you all of the ranking pieces, broken down in a really accessible format. (It can even help you write out your article’s meta description!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, you can draw inspiration from sources like Google’s “People Also Ask” section in the search engine results page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And for extra hidden secondary keyword opportunities, I like to use Answer the Public<\/a>. It\u2019s not quite so intuitive as Ahrefs, but there\u2019s a wide array extra keywords to explore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n After reviewing the long-tail keyword data, here is our unedited blog post outline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Title<\/a>: The Definitive Guide to SaaS Email Marketing<\/p>\n\n\n\n I: Introduction\u2013What is SaaS email marketing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n II: Benefits of SaaS email marketing<\/p>\n\n\n\n III: Why is SaaS email marketing important?<\/p>\n\n\n\n III: Effective email marketing strategies to try in 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n IV: SaaS email marketing examples worth studying<\/p>\n\n\n\n V: The best email marketing software (Picked by SaaS experts)<\/p>\n\n\n\n VI: Conclusion<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just before you begin writing your first draft in Google Docs, there\u2019s one final question worth considering: \u201cIs your content MECE?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Ryan Law shares in his exquisite article<\/a> for Animalz<\/a>, great content outlines often fulfill two criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that your H2\u2019s and H3\u2019s warrant their own sections. Each section should address a specific aspect without overlap or repetition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you don\u2019t want to write headers like this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n They are redundant sections because they cover the same information from a slightly different vantage point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And\u2013If a reader is already familiar enough to search for a specific long-tail term like \u201cSaaS email marketing\u201d\u2013odds are they don\u2019t require endless convincing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A “Collectively Exhaustive” content outline basically means comprehensive. The subject matter doesn\u2019t leave any obvious gaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The main rule here is to avoid ambiguity. Leave no room for misinterpretation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anticipate this at the content outline stage and you\u2019ll find it much easier to remedy any unnecessary stumbling blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, it\u2019s better to have specific promises in your outline like, \u201c7 Affordable SaaS Email service providers\u201d rather than a more vague header like \u201cEmail service providers\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, I find that the MECE test is a great final way to check if your outline is logically sound and ready to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve done all the heavy lifting of research, brainstorming and organization, MECE highlights any obvious knowledge gaps or areas of incoherence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, here\u2019s our final content outline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crafting a content outline is the secret weapon to crafting superior, efficient, and scalable content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An effective outline not only bolsters your SEO rankings but also equips your writers with a clear roadmap, fostering consistency and quality. It supercharges your content ideas<\/a> by containing it within a logical narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
What, exactly, is a content outline?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Story-led thought leadership content<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Technical How-to Guides<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What are the benefits of a content outline?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How to Create a Content Outline (5 steps)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Ideal](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/9Y6Nw_3M2JGWbu96b5UZfJmcjBuUHJiV5u4BkK-K-VfVOPVHnRxZIBihka0iKV_BeVTIleBXNLTM0kgLXEJXzSOd5YQKhLuCUig1YwyP4W3KP7uE1qTebTiv0HqPQexc9cix7Dob1DOFvvDSMyuNTOE\")
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![\"Ahrefs](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/35M5zxkBAHuSjvEqr0OECZ_1rbjwiiM_gBFEeku6UwIdmhYtomjtf_VmTEnriq2-eql-kjK8llljlCXfLgXOUor_9OVzlAqCbtE_GmVp0WNncgJyA1_69xNWwnBE9Z8XSpRvSm39OaX_RCxpd9lYm3A\")
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![\"Google](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/SJwCLRXuoSqXAKZAZmGHmEPBM04kTHL_MFr4pZmMqAkCygv9w0W2sQFYpvHIbmYpNlLEBjFEhO_-jpk-yD81Gp5tooyDLdiSAtRUkyB37Mk81DO9kLn7EX6Rz3Ooui-43K1i0EvQXX5cxlhvEbjxf9Y\")
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![\"SEMRush](\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/FYYWqMc1IFb-vvDfePmlehIIViNdjwuNrUcFpJH3OVBntanvN3QzGxvisW8OZaqxqO2f-ZJjfNeMielahBJ1jLoOWn6irLxiMNybyLnPCzrlyQGXurkAZ4yidKiCdb-vTOkFY3l5yecCBVtiwiJNa6Q\")
![\"Google's](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/8q9bEmPMOXrRRcqNCBC8OOSQgHbmJ0w0h2TaEmhGMGC_Vn9KaFdjU76LFcO-sPfhVkKWocxzlkT26P-5O5FfG2ilGLXYbGSDLTHu7jHRvCDbrnxKCM-Lga4avTLcxoIr4vsq4jCKYVEUr8UOWyo53Qo\")
![\"Answer](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/Jb79SncoQDD1yV5AZn2rwGmAVZzeUK3D-wZXN-9loB-D52wso8KMBgn_8mmbat5poXbArvfM5ol0QY_a5FQT0jMZk2Y4mNMy8qzcnCWPMhGCBhYhUtU72caN2Z8iUVL_xhfaw_z1OLpFM1iq5IxPA_M\")
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Is your blog post MECE?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Outline](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/2IOqMb_dIX6P7ESpKG1s2r3OsjHEMIK0GgRIjNQnBvPsnELTCtDcUOFl6WE4b4C_j_lqyyJOLTKejUvkpk7pwffl0gF5TZpV-_OPyLlmSi851UNWTDbBGG5v2fpBMtQZKdZy5RfLKD4igE6nJOFTdI4\")
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![\"Outline](\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/QL7Fy1iz6XwK2QF9Ygqy0T54enZvEv5LqViSjTuCEgDv7dIjy1gHWuvZYZGAddEjjs3b5U3zdgNYcZUoYUzKirp0ybxT8heson_IJs9JmloCn2ES5RUIfgIiAmIrJVQcYzQ5UySy2EqG2abGNxrARxY\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/fbnr6wBM1JvsLPJt7hRU72_ST4CdU9RQXShyj8mIoXXdBeNUywUe1O7HOaYyss6rCSQC-lK3l_IDOPWI1LPAVnHkAK3AlTRmoI5u0b2hz3rKZzOpuH-MZr8s0vcjuwT11H7Bg3j6rNpEzeng18jgEMY\")
Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/beomniscient.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Content-calendar-1024x535.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"