If you figure out how to write a blog post faster, you are one step away from taking your blog to a whole other level. This skill is the key to figuring out how to grow a blog fast.
I don’t care how many links you get, your blog is not going to grow as quickly as you’d like if you don’t have enough content.
Can you imagine pulling a lot of traffic from Google and social media but giving people the same set of content when they arrive at your blog?
They will quickly bounce out; whatever interest people have in what you’re doing is going to fade away.
It also means greater opportunities for visitor engagement and developing a genuine community around your content.
The Manual Way of Blogging Is Not Going to Cut It
I started this blog because I was frustrated with how I used to create content. Just like you, I used to type out my stuff. I can only type at a maximum speed of 60 wpm.
You might think that’s a lot but if you factor in self-editing, going around in circles, and second-guessing yourself, you’d be lucky to produce a fraction.
Sure, technically, most people would be able to crank out, maybe, 20,000 words per day if they push themselves.
That’s a whole lot of typing. But when you look at how you actually write, getting to that point is all but impossible.
This is why I dictate my blog posts. You can produce a lot more content because you only go through one take. Once you’ve said your point, you move on to the next outline item.
They second guess themselves; they think that what they wrote is far from perfect so they keep repeating over and over, and before they know it, they’ve blown through a huge chunk of time.
Also, when you speak at a normal rate you are spitting out 100 to 200 words per minute.
That translates to 6,000 to 12,000 words per hour!
Typing can’t even compare.
You can quickly go from script to script to blast out blog post after blog post.
How to Write Blog Articles Fast Through Dictation
Here is my ten-step process for quick blog post writing using dictation.
Step #1. Split research work from writing
Too many bloggers research while they write.
They would lay down a couple of sentences then they check Google, come across some new info, and then go back to what they were writing.
It can go on and on forever.
It’s also easy to get distracted.
It’s not a shock that people who write this way write very slowly. If you want to figure out how to write a perfect blog in no time, split your research work from your writing task.
Step #2. Split outlining from writing
It’s very tempting to look at your research for your outline and just write it out. You think you’re saving time.
The problem is writing an article for a blog that is worth reading takes a lot more discipline.
You can’t just write straight from your outline because it may be poorly developed.
You might not have enough facts.
The key to fast writing is to do things the right way the first time around.
And you can’t do that when you’re just automatically writing based on your research scribbles you call an outline.
Remember: Pack As Much Useful Info Into Your Outline as Possible
When you are outlining, you’re not fleshing out your ideas.
Instead, you’re trying to get as many different bits and pieces of info and ideas and pack them into a small space.
You have to be disciplined in doing this and one of the best ways to pull this off is to use lists within lists.
This is the key to figuring out how to write an amazing blog post in a short period.
You have to remember that excellent blog posts have nothing to do with formatting or how many pictures you have.
It’s all about the info and the value you pack into a limited space.
Step #3. Use templates to structure your content
A lot of bloggers think that there’s only one way to outline their posts.
They ask themselves how to write a blog post and they think back to the typical posts that they normally read.
They think it’s the only way to go. That is wrong.
Different topics require different structures.
For instance, some topics read well when presented as a list while others come to life if you present them as a story.
Understand that if you want to figure out how to write a blog post worth reading, you have to start with the kind of information you want to get across and fit it into a structure that would make it easier for the reader to understand, appreciate, and engage with what you wrote.
Step #4. Manually edit and tighten your outline
Once you’ve done your research, say, you’ve given yourself 20 minutes to get as much info from your sources, the next step is to manually edit your outline.
This is where you cut out bits and pieces of information that may throw you off.
You want your outline to be tight enough so you can remain focused as you dictate.
Dictate Your Outlines and Edit Hard
One of the fastest ways to come up with many outlines in a short period is to dictate them.
But you’re not just cranking out these outlines because you just want to jack up your numbers.
You also have to tighten these outlines after you’ve gotten them transcribed.
Whether you’re using a transcription app, a specialized speech to text software, or you are working with manual transcribers, you have to sit down and manually edit your outlines.
They have to be very tight.
Step #5. Include prompts in your outline
Writing prompts are time-saving tools and they could also be life-savers.
It’s easy to feel that you’ve gotten way in over your head as you speak through your outline.
You might even get this feeling that you’re talking in loops and wasting a lot of time.
When you include prompts in your outline that are tightly related to that specific subtopic, your finished transcription is going to look so much smoother and will take less time to edit.
Include prompts and you have to do this manually because it’s only after you’ve read your outline several times as you edit it that these prompts will come to mind.
Step #6. Decide on a fixed start time
So many bloggers think that what they’re doing is a hobby.
No wonder they don’t start on time.
They think they can blog when they feel like it. I’m telling you if that’s how you blog, chances are most of your output is going to be mediocre.
There are no two ways about it, you have to look at blogging as a commitment.
Decide on a fixed start time and stick to it. It shouldn’t matter how you are feeling; maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the bed; maybe things haven’t fallen into place.
Well, if you’re going to be waiting for the perfect time to start blogging every single day it’s not going to happen as regularly as you think.
You’re going to find excuse after excuse not to start.
Your feelings shouldn’t matter. Just commit to a start time and do it.
Step #7. Read the end of your outline first
This is important. When you decide to start dictating at a certain time, read your outline for the final time several minutes before you start dictating.
You have to read your outline the right way though.
Start at the end which is usually your conclusion.
What are the big points that you’re trying to wrap up?
Look for these points and the middle. After you have a clear idea of what you’re going to say, you read the intro so you can see how you’re going to position the information.
Extremely Important: Visualize Your Outline
After you’ve quickly read your outline, visualize your outline.
Imagine yourself talking to a crowd or giving a slide presentation.
What should those slides look like? What kind of reaction should you get from the crowd as you talk about the main points?
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to visualization. Everybody imagines different concepts in their unique way.
What’s important is you visualize because this creates a sense of emotional urgency.
What you’re doing is not theoretical; you’re not just going through the motions or some sort of dull, lifeless checklist.
When you emotionally get into what you’re going to talk about, you feel a surge of genuine excitement.
This is one of the keys to figuring out how to write an amazing blog post.
Step #8. Pace yourself
Put minute marks next to each outline section.
This is the time range you give yourself to start and finish that section.
Let me tell you that this is hard to stick to the first few times you try dictation blogging.
But as you get used to your pace and how you visualize and talk about concepts and then move on to the next point, your time ranges become more accurate.
Step #9. Use a free stopwatch or other app and pin it to the top of your recorder or PC
If you have a PC or a tablet device, download a free stopwatch app.
Even if you are dictating your blog post into a digital voice recorder, keep an eye on the countdown in front of you.
You should also look at the time range that you’ve given yourself for each of the points in your outline. Again, don’t expect to do this perfectly the first few times.
But as you get used to this process, the more you will stick to the schedule and speak faster.
When you know that you only have a certain period to get a point across, you become more efficient.
You feel a lot of pressure to think clearly and get the info out efficiently.
Step #10. Focus on completing your ideas and thoughts
Even if you have a clock doing a countdown in front of you, always remember that the key to a great blog article or an amazing blog post is the quality of your output.
This is not a race.
You’re only using the stopwatch and the time ranges to push you away from the normal tendency of bloggers to repeat the same point or to drill down on an unnecessary or trivial point in their outline.
That’s all the counter and time ranges are for.
You have to focus on completing your ideas and thoughts because these are what give your blog posts value.
Use These Best Practices
When you’ve gone through the ten steps above, it seems rough at first. Don’t expect anything different because you haven’t done this before. Why would it seem smooth? Give yourself enough time and space to adjust.
The key is to keep practicing and repeating until you become comfortable with the whole process. It will help you a lot if you follow these best practices.
Don’t Expect Perfection
Don’t think that just because you are dictating your blog posts that you will now crank out 2,000-word blog posts in 20 minutes like clockwork.
You will eventually get there but it’s not going to happen the first few times you follow the ten steps above.
Also, don’t expect the end product to be spotless. You’re going to have to edit. Look forward to the editing process because that’s when you’ll find out what you did right and where your areas of improvement are.
Start On Time
I can’t emphasize this enough. Many bloggers look at dictation blogging as some sort of shortcut. It is not. It’s a different way of writing. Also called dictaphone writing, dictation blogging is all about focus.
But it’s hard to focus if you keep postponing when you start.
Make it a habit to start on time. Again, you shouldn’t expect things to flow smoothly or be perfect.
Just start on time and once you develop that habit, everything will fall into place because you will get the amount of practice you need to fully polish your dictations and increase your output volume and the quality of your work.
Practice Dictation Blogging or Dictaphone Writing Daily
Using a digital voice recorder geared towards voice writing, practice dictating into it around the house.
Set aside 20-minute blocks and just dictate whatever comes to mind.
When you do this, you are accomplishing two things.
First, this process of speaking into a microphone to “write content” won’t seem strange to you.
It will become second nature to you if you keep doing it. You’re not taking a big break from your daily routine.
This removes your emotional objections to dictation.
Believe it or not, this can help loosen up your tongue as you dictate because it wouldn’t intimidate you anymore.
It wouldn’t seem so strange to you.
Second, when you carry around a digital voice recorder you never run out of things to talk about.
If you are a blogger, you know that ideas for blog posts or new blog concepts hit you at all times in many different places.
Most of the time you don’t get a chance to write those things down. With a dictaphone in your hand, you can easily dictate five to ten-minute verbal memos about ideas that came to you throughout the day.
The more you do this, the more focus you are on speaking and you will see the increased quality in your transcripts as you practice.
Take Notes On What You Got Right and Your Areas for Improvement
When you go through your outline and compare it to your transcript, you can instantly see the things you got right as well as the spots where you dropped the ball.
That’s okay. The more you see your areas for improvement, the more you detect patterns.
And before you know it, you start proactively correcting them as you transcribe.
You can also put workarounds to avoid certain dictation problem patterns you have at the outline stage.
Set Your Goal to Zero-Edit Transcriptions
After you’ve gone through the ten steps above a few times, you should set a new goal.
If you’re like a typical blogger, your main goal is to write fast. You just want as much volume as you can so you can grow your blog quickly.
Once you get the hang of dictation blogging, you should focus on quality. This is the key to writing a perfect blog post.
It’s all about the quality of the info that you give people who visit your blog.
The way to do this, of course, is to set your goal to zero-edit transcriptions. Put simply, what you dictate into your podcasting microphone or digital voice recorder, or your computer’s built-in microphone will be the final version. You may be thinking that this is impossible.
I know it’s a tall order right now because you just got started.
But as you go through the ten steps above and you adopt the best practices I shared with you, you will get to the point where every single word is as you intended.
This is a crucial turning point and the good news is you will get there eventually.
The key is to practice.
The Final Word On How to Write Blog Posts Quickly Through Dictation
You have to commit to this journey that takes place on two levels.
On one level, you need to boost your blog output every day, every week, or every month. At the other level, you have to make sure you’re producing amazing blog posts. For a lot of people, this is all but impossible because they believe you have to choose one over the other.
Thanks to dictation blogging, you can do both.
Dictaphone writing enables you to write whenever inspiration hits you. You also get the opportunity to push your imagination and creativity to a whole other level.
I’ve shared with you the ten steps to effective dictaphone writing that will truly help you write one amazing blog post after another.
I’ve been dictation blogging for over 9 years now and it’s truly changed my life. I teach fellow bloggers the ins and outs of voice blogging so they can take their productivity to a whole new level.
