How to structure a blog post

WCB-Alberta takes on opioid addiction

I love it when my clients send me their rewrites after I present a writing workshop.

How to structure a blog post — **Step by step** Rethink your story with the feature-style story format. *Image by Galushko Sergei*

For one thing, it’s gratifying to see that people’s writing actually improves after I visit! For another, these pieces make great case studies in good writing.

Workers Compensation Board-Alberta writer Caren did a wonderful job rewriting an article during my Catch Your Readers workshop. Notice how her rewrite:

Focuses the angle on reader benefits. Caren moves from event to impact. Her original story angle was WCB’s new opioid claim rollout. The rewrite focused on how employers can help save employees from addiction and overdose by using the board’s new resources.
Uses the feature structure. This approach has been proven in the lab to be more effective at reaching readers. It also allows writers to plug and play their information into an existing format, saving time and effort.
Keeps the piece short. The revised piece weighs in at fewer than 200 words — a one-minute read. So you can use the feature structure even when you don’t have a lot of space.

Here’s how she did it, with a great blog-post structure that works every time:

1. Lead

The original lead focused on background — in this case, a history lesson:

Throughout 2012, Medical Services and Customer Service worked together to improve the resources available to help claim owners effectively manage opioid claims. The result included new eCO enhancements and some minor changes to the management process, all designed to help claim owners manage these often challenging claims.

There’s a reason the feature structure places the background in the third paragraph, not the first. Background — otherwise known as the blah-blah — doesn’t grab readers’ attention.

Instead, write a lead that hooks the reader with a startling statistic or another concrete, creative, provocative lead. That’s what Caren did in her rewrite:

In Canada, overdose deaths involving prescription medications now vastly outnumber deaths from HIV. By some estimates, prescription drug overdoses have killed 100,000 North Americans over the past 20 years.

2. Nut graph

Caren didn’t include a nut graph in her original news story, because inverted pyramids don’t have nut graphs.

But in her rewrite, she puts the story “into a nutshell” — and shows readers how they’ll benefit from the piece:

Good opioid claim management can literally save an injured worker’s life, but it isn’t easy. Here’s what you can do for your injured worker to help keep them, and you, on course.

3. Body

The original angle of the body is how the sausage was made. It’s not very interesting to clients whose employees are abusing opioids.

Business training facilitated information sessions to all Customer Service teams in November, referring to the analogy that the claim owner as the decision maker is in the driver’s seat. Claim owners have the task of ensuring injured workers receive the services they need to return to work. In cases of severe injuries where a return to work is not possible, claim owners provide services to improve an injured worker’s quality of life. The rollout focused on:

Moving opioid claim management to a point where it is an integrated part of claim management;
Establishing key measures that report on the status of opioid claim management;
Increased director, manager, supervisor, and claim owner accountability;
Improved consistency on how the policy is applied; and
Updated opioid procedures, forms, letters, and the introduction of opioid-specific eCO enhancements.

Readers want to know, “What’s in it for me?”

The revised body focuses on the readers’ needs with a list of tips for dealing with the crisis:

Familiarize yourself with the Opioid Claim Management process by referring to Business Procedure 40.11. Refresher training courses are also available through Business Training – talk to your supervisor about registering.
Engage and empower your claimants – Know the clues of at-risk behaviour by using the Opioid Use Checklist (Form FM035AFC).
Let Opioid Claim Management tools guide you throughout the process. You’ll find business procedures, policy, letter templates, tip sheets and tutorial videos.

4. Wrapup

There’s nothing wrong with this call to action, but it isn’t very rousing:

Find out more about our tools and resources for opioid claim management including new tutorial videos.

In Caren’s rewrite, on the other hand, the wrapup is nice, neat and sweet:

Solid Opioid Claim Management prevents addiction and overdoses and in essence, can save a claimant’s life.

5. Kicker

Here Caren ends with a bang and comes full circle by referring back to statistics in the lead:

By following these steps, you can help your claimant avoid becoming an unfortunate statistic.