I use the same structure for almost every post I write. It is not exciting, and that is the point. A reader should spend their attention on the idea, not on working out where the post is going. This post shows the structure and why each part is there.
Readers scan first
Very few people read a post from the first word to the last. They look at the title, the opening lines and the headings. Then they decide whether to stay. The title gets a post of its own: how I write titles and meta descriptions.
So I write for the scan. If someone read only my headings, they should still get the outline of the argument. If the headings are vague, the post loses the reader before it starts.
The opening has one job
My first paragraph says what the problem is and what the post will do about it. Nothing else.
I keep it to three or four short sentences. I do not open with history, a definition or a big statement about the world. The reader arrived with a question. I show them at once that this post answers it.
Five or six sections, one idea each
The body of my posts has five or six sections. Each one has a plain heading and makes a single point.
Inside a section I keep paragraphs to two or three sentences. On a phone screen a long paragraph looks like a wall. Short paragraphs give the eye a place to rest.
If a section needs more than five paragraphs, it is usually two ideas. I split it.
Lists only where they help
A list is good for steps or for items of the same kind. It is bad for an argument, because it removes the links between ideas.
My rule is simple:
- One list in a post is usually enough.
- Each item should be short.
- If the items need explaining, they are paragraphs, not a list.
The ending gives one action
I do not end with a summary. The reader just read the post. They do not need it again.
I end with a single step they can take today. It has to be small and specific. “Think about your strategy” is not a step. “Write down four titles” is.
That ending is also why I use the same last heading in every post. A regular reader learns where to find the practical part.
Why a fixed structure helps
With a fixed shape I make fewer decisions for each post, so I write faster. My posts feel like they belong to one site. That is part of what a writing voice is. And when I use a tool like Sastras to draft, it has a clear pattern to follow.
A structure is not a cage. The ideas inside it change every time.
What I would do first
Take your last post and read only its headings, top to bottom. If they do not tell the story on their own, rewrite them until they do. It takes ten minutes and it is the cheapest improvement a post can get.