How to Plan Content Writing for Beginners in 7 Easy Steps (An Ultimate Guide)

Planning content writing makes it easier to write without interruption.

It helps you create clear, engaging, and effective content.

Once you create a clear plan, you can start drafting confidently, knowing you’ve already laid a solid foundation for your content.

How to plan your content: 7 actionable steps to follow

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to help you plan your content writing:

• Step #1. Set a clear goal.
• Step #2. Define your main message.
• Step #3. Create a detailed outline.
• Step #4. Determine your tone.
• Step #5. Plan the introduction and the conclusion.
• Step #6. Gather resources and examples.
• Step #7. Set a writing schedule.

I’ve used practical examples to make the steps easy to understand and apply.

So, let’s jump into them.

Step #1. Set a clear goal.

Determine what you want to achieve with your article by setting a clear goal.

A clear goal keeps your writing focused and purposeful.

Meanwhile, before you set your goal, define the purpose of the content.

The purpose is the general reason why you’re writing the content.

Do you want to educate, inspire, entertain, or persuade your audience — or something else?

For example:

If your topic is “How to know your personal style as a woman,” your purpose might be:

• “To inspire women to make confident fashion choices that reflect their individuality.”

Once you define the purpose, get to the goal.

The goal is the specific, measurable outcome you want to achieve with your content.

It’s the “what” you aim to accomplish to support your purpose.

Do you want to drive traffic, create brand awareness, increase engagement, drive sales from your audience — or something else?

For example:

If your purpose is “To inspire women to make confident fashion choices that reflect their individuality,” the goal could be:

• “To drive traffic by getting 100 women to read the article within the next 3 months.”

Notice how the goal aligns with the purpose.

You can’t inspire women to make confident fashion choices that reflect their individuality (purpose) without driving traffic by getting them to read the content (goal).

So, the goal supports the purpose.

Why you should set clear goals

Here are 2 reasons:

I. It helps you set your objectives.

Objectives are practical steps you take to reach your goal.

If the goal is unclear, you won’t know the exact things to do to achieve it.

So, to get 100 women to read your article within the next 3 months, you might set the following objectives:

• Optimise the article for SEO.

• Share snippets of the article on social media.

• Send a newsletter featuring a summary and link to the article.

• Team up with fashion influencers to review or share the article on their platforms.

Remember, you’ll have to take these steps within the 3 months.

Note: The objectives depend on the goal you’ve set.

II. It helps you track the performance of your content.

“When you set clear goals, you’ll know exactly what results to expect.”

Now, here’s the magic.

Setting clear content goals makes it easier to measure the success of the content.

Let me repeat that.

When you set clear goals, you’ll know exactly what results to expect.

For instance:

Since the goal is to drive traffic by getting 100 women to read your article, you can measure the outcome.

But how?

Well, it’s simple.

“If you don’t set clear goals, you can’t track the performance of your article.”

Use content analytics tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush to determine:

• The number of visitors and pageviews
• And the average time spent on the page.

With this information, you can tell if you have achieved your goal.

So, if you don’t set clear goals, you can’t track the performance of your article.

Step #2. Define your main message.

“The best way to define your main message is to write down the one main point you want your readers to remember.”

Define the central message you want to get across in your content.

This keeps your writing on track and ensures the content fits your main goal.

The best way to define your main message is to write down the one main point you want your readers to remember.

What key takeaway do you want your audience to have after reading your content?

This can be:

• A specific piece of advice
• An important fact
• Or a perspective you want to highlight.

For example:

If your topic is “How to create a content calendar,” your main message might be:

• “A content calendar is important for consistent and organised content creation.”

So, think about the most important thing you want to say in your content and write it down.

Step #3. Create a detailed outline.

A detailed outline is a roadmap for your writing.

It helps you organise your ideas and ensures a smooth flow.

What’s more?

It makes writing easier because you’ll know exactly what to cover in each heading.

So, how do you create a detailed outline?

First of all, the outline has 3 sections:

• The introduction
• The body
• And the conclusion.

Now listen:

Don’t worry about the introduction and the conclusion yet. (I’ll discuss them later in this guide.)

For now, focus on sketching out the body.

Here’s how to do that:

I. List the key points.

“Listing these key points helps you structure your content logically and makes it easier to expand on them when drafting.”

Break down your main message into 3-5 key points that support it.

Ensure the supporting points tie back to the central message. This ensures you stay on point.

These key points are your headings, essentially — and they guide your readers from understanding the topic to applying the information.

For example:

Using the content calendar topic, the headings might include:

• Importance of a content calendar: This point will show how a content calendar saves time, reduces stress, and improves organisation.

• Steps to create a content calendar: This point will provide practical advice on setting up a calendar that aligns with content goals.

• Tools for managing a content calendar: This point will recommend tools that make it easier to maintain and update the calendar.

• Tips for maintaining consistency: This point will show how to stay on track and adjust the calendar where necessary.

Finally, listing these key points helps you structure your content logically and makes it easier to expand on them when drafting.

II. Expand each heading into subheadings.

Break down each heading into supporting subheadings.

Example:

The screenshot below shows the headings for the content calendar topic.

Now, let’s expand the above headings into subheadings.

I. Importance of a content calendar

• Benefits of having a content calendar

• How it helps with consistency and time management

II. Steps to create a content calendar

• Step 1: Choose your content goals.

• Step 2: Decide on content types and frequency.

• Step 3: Use templates to organise your schedule.

III. Tools for managing a content calendar

• Overview of tools like Trello, Asana, Google Calendar

IV. Tips for maintaining consistency

• How to stay on track and adapt your calendar as needed.

Remember:

You can have as many subheadings as you want — as long as they support the main headings.

Step #4. Determine your tone.

“The tone is the voice of your writing and how it feels to the reader.”

The tone is like the mood you use in your writing.

It’s the general attitude or emotion you give off through your words.

This emotion makes your content more relatable to your audience.

So, choose how you want to communicate with your audience.

Some examples of tone are:

• Formal
• Casual
• Conversational
• Humourous.

For instance:

If your audience is new to the topic, you might choose a friendly, encouraging tone that’s easy to understand.

• Use: “Let’s get into how you can start writing helpful content.”

But if your audience is professional, you can use a formal tone and get straight to the point.

• Use: “This guide will provide strategies for creating effective content.”

So you see? The tone is about the emotional quality of your writing.

It can be serious, playful, or motivational.

How to choose your writing tone

The tone is the voice of your writing and how it feels to the reader.

But the following factors help you decide the tone to use for your writing:

I. Audience

Who your audience is and their background knowledge of your topic helps you know how to address them.

For instance, writing to a professional will require a different tone than a beginner.

This is also why you should know your audience well.

II. Purpose

The purpose of your writing influences the tone.

Are you trying to inform, persuade, or entertain?

An entertainment piece, for instance, will require a casual, humourous tone than an informative article.

“When choosing your writing tone, ensure your audience will easily connect with it.”

III. Style

Your personal writing style also contributes to the tone of your writing.

Some writers naturally have a more formal or informal style, and you can see this in their writing.

That’s simply their writing style.

How do you present your message or ideas, for example?

Think about your:

• Word choice
• Sentence length and structure
• Message complexity.

Finally, when choosing your writing tone, ensure your audience will easily connect with it.

That’s the most important thing.

Step #5. Plan the introduction and the conclusion.

Outline how you’ll start and end your content.

I. The introduction

The introduction sets the mood for your article.

It usually includes:

• A hook: This could be a question, an interesting fact, or even a surprising statistic.

• And a benefit: This is what is in it for your readers — the answer to their problem or simply what they’ll gain from reading.

II. The conclusion

The conclusion is where you wrap things up and drive your message home.

It often includes:

• A summary: This is just a quick rundown of the main points.

• A call to action (CTA): This is where you tell your readers what to do next.

The introduction and the conclusion help you leave a strong impression and engage your audience.

So, you want to plan them well.

Remember:

At this stage, you’ve not started writing — you’re just planning:

• How to hook the reader and present your main idea

• And how to restate the key points and encourage your audience to take action.

Step #6. Gather useful resources.

“Gathering useful resources makes the drafting process smoother and ensures your content is well-supported.”

At this point, list the resources you want to use in your content.

The resources include:

• Specific examples
• Statistics
• Or quotes.

They add interesting details to each subheading and support your points.

Example:

For the tools section of your outline, “Tools for managing a content calendar,” you might include:

• What statistics say about the tools
• A brief comparison of them
• User testimonials
• Your own experience using the tools.

Gathering useful resources makes the drafting process smoother and ensures your content is well-supported.

Step #7. Set a writing schedule.

“Setting a writing schedule helps you focus on each section.”

Sometimes, the content creation process can be overwhelming.

So, to prevent this and stay on track, set a writing schedule.

To do this,

• Break down your writing process into manageable tasks.

• Decide when you’ll write and how much time you’ll dedicate to each section.

For example:

• Monday: Write the first 2 key points.
• Tuesday: Draft the introduction and the third key point.
• Wednesday: Complete the final sections and conclusion.

Setting a writing schedule helps you focus on each section.

Challenges of planning content writing and tips to tackle them

Like researching, planning content writing can be tough.

Here are 3 common challenges you can encounter when you plan and tips for tackling them:

1. Overwhelming amount of information

The overwhelming amount of information available can make it difficult to decide what to include in your content and what to leave out.

Here are tips to tackle this:

• Filter information based on how well it supports that message.

• Focus on the most relevant and valuable points for your audience.

• Save useful information that doesn’t fit your current content for a future piece.

2. Underestimating the time needed

Planning your content can be time-consuming, and it’s easy to underestimate how much time you’ll need.

This can lead to rushed work or missed deadlines.

Here are tips to tackle this:

• Allocate specific time slots in your schedule for planning and stick to them.

• Break the planning process into smaller tasks, such as researching, outlining, and organising.

• Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need to account for any unexpected delays or challenges.

3. Balancing structure with flexibility

Planning provides structure.

But it can feel restrictive and limit your creativity and ability to adapt as new ideas come up.

Here are tips to tackle this:

• Ensure your outline is flexible to allow for adjustments as you write.

• See your plan as a guide rather than a rigid structure.

• Be open to revising your structure if a new idea enhances your content or if you find a better way to present your points during the writing process.

Wrapping up

Following this guide helps you effectively plan your content writing.

It makes the drafting process easier and more enjoyable.

Whether you’re writing a blog post or an article, a clear plan will help you stay organised and create content that resonates with your audience.

Start planning your content writing today to lay a solid foundation for your content.

I would love to hear from you

Did you learn something new? What did you learn?

Have any questions for me?

Let me know in the comments now.

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• simplymoses25[at]gmail[dot]com (simplymoses25@gmail.com).

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