3 content ⌨️outline tips (for speedy content creation)

In partnership with

It’s Friday and we ought to do something about it! But let’s not let hasty enthusiasm ruin a lazy afternoon if that’s what you’re plotting.

I’ve got juicy news and insights in this Week’s Marketing Wrap-Up (includes some fresh tools). We’ll get started with three solid tips for using content outlines the right way so you can speed up any kind of content production. 

I’m actually not a fan of using outlines (kinda hate ‘em), especially ones written by someone else for me to fill in, but that’s where a bonus tip will come in.

Let’s get after it…

Using Content Outlines

Nearly every well-known writer advises others to use article outlines. I’ve only read about a couple of famous writers who could just start writing, free and wild with no outline. 

I’m guessing they had the outline in their head - a natural talent - not a skill that can be taught. 

That tells me the vast majority of content creators should use an outline in one form or another - even the know-it-all at my keyboard.

And sometimes, an outline is going to be forced on you by the boss.

So you might as well get good at using content outlines.

3 Tips for Using Content Outlines for Faster Production

1. Wait to write the intro paragraph until the rest of the first draft is done

2. Don’t edit a single word while writing your first draft

3. Each part of the outline should be included in the body of the content

For some people, number three may be a no-brainer. It wasn’t for me and probably isn’t for other content creators who like to be less “constrained while writing.”

However, that tip is a God-send when writing about something you’re not super-interested in. 

As for number two, why waste time changing a word in a sentence or rearranging the sentence you may erase altogether in your final edit?

Then for number one, you’ll save time on fixing a mediocre intro you wrote before writing the meat of the article (or script or whatever). Also, your intro will naturally be better after you’ve thought about and written hundreds of words on the topic.

My Bonus Tips on Content Outlines

I had to dig pretty deep to find those three tips. There are millions of tutorials about writing the outline part. Hell, any idiot can make an outline! Filling in the big blank spaces between the subheaders is the hard part. 

Those three tips came from three different YouTubers. People who have nothing to do with the creator space, blogging, scriptwriting, or copywriting. One dude is a chemistry professor. Another helps new language learners. The third was a lady who teaches middle school.

That’s one of my tips… 

Sometimes, you gotta look outside your normal content consumption to find new and faster ways to do your job better. And doing that will usually suck. Do you think I have any interest in a chemistry professor from Minnesota?

97% of what’s in his brilliant bald head isn’t gonna be valuable to me. But digging for that 3% was worth it in this case.

My second tip will help a good number of you before you start writing a content outline. It works for outlines given to you by someone else too.

“What’s the story here?”

I write that question at the top of most of the articles I write. And the reason is… you need a path for all the details in your article to follow. The subheaders are just sections or information containers that lack natural flow.

If you have a story in your mind before you start writing, regardless of how great the outline is, the story provides the necessary flow.

Learn how to launch and grow an affiliate program for SaaS

Launching an affiliate program for your SaaS business can be intimidating if you’re new to it, but it is pretty simple. Rewardful has boiled it down to three core principles in their free online course:

• Principle 1: Make it simple for affiliates to earn money

• Principle 2: Run your program like a professional

• Principle 3: Build an affiliate recruitment system

By the end of the course, you'll have a clear picture of how affiliate marketing can work for your business.

Start Your Free Course Now

Inbox Hacking is read by go-gettin’ marketers like you and those at Nebraska University Sports and Allstate. Enjoy your weekend, and please share our newsletter with a buddy.

Shane McLendon, Copy Kingpin 

Bonus stat: Digital ad prices have increased more than tenfold compared to direct mail (Postcard Mania). Oh, and even Google uses direct mail to get leads.