From Brief to Blog Post: My Workflow for Writing, Designing & Publishing Content

Great content is rarely created in a simple straight line. It loops, twists, and doubles back on itself especially when you’re juggling writing, design, SEO, publishing, and promotion. My enjoyment spans across copywriting, journalism, digital storytelling and design, so my process had to evolve into something structured enough to handle strategy and flexible enough to make space for ideas.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to take a blog from first spark through to publication, you’re not alone. Creativity doesn’t die when you add structure it breathes. Here’s how I turn a brief (or a vague idea I had) into a finished, branded and optimised blog post that reaches the right people.

Every blog begins with a brief, even when it isn’t formally labelled as one. Sometimes it’s a detailed document full of goals and keywords. Other times, it’s a WhatsApp voice note, a napkin idea, or a scattered collection of notes. Either way, I treat this stage almost like a translation.

My first aim is always to pull the out all of the ambiguity. I define who the audience is, what the blog needs to do, how it should sound, and what comes next once someone reads it. If the start isn’t clear, everything that follows feels heavier than it should.

To keep my own mind tidy, everything gets organised early into folders. There’s something so oddly calming about filing a brief before you’ve even written the first sentence.

My Go-To Brief Essentials:

• The goal of the post
• The audience it targets
• The tone and voice it should adopt
• The SEO focus keywords
• The call to action

This clarity protects the creative process, because it ensures the blog isn’t just written and that it’s purposeful.

The research stage isn’t about hoarding information it’s about relevance. I look at what other blogs or brands have already published on the topic, but really, I’m scanning for the white space in between. What are they missing? What question hasn’t been answered yet? What conversations are people genuinely searching for?

These details then feed into the outline. This step remains a non-negotiable. Without it, drafting feels messy in the wrong kind of way.

For keyword research, I use search insights to identify the phrases people ask aloud, “how to publish a blog post”, “tools for freelance writers”, or “blog design tips” are examples of queries that reflect real intent. These become the skeleton of the blog’s SEO strategy, placed where they support meaning, not interrupt it.

Drafting is where I let instinct lead. The outline directs me, but momentum pulls me through the page. First drafts aren’t designed to be perfect, they are designed to exist. Editing too early slows the voice down, so I give the words space to come out their way first.

I write like someone reading it might be juggling dinner, notifications, kids, or deadlines. Paragraphs breathe, hooks work harder, and the introduction earns the scroll.

The intro always has 3 jobs:

1. Hook them in
2. Relate to them
3. Convince someone to read the next line

Headlines serve the same purpose. They don’t waffle; they invite.

Editing is where it tightens. I start with transitions, making sure each section clicks into the next like it was meant to. Then I polish for clarity, cutting anything that add to the word count without having earnt its place.

Proofreading is the final sweep, and it includes my trusty read-aloud test. If it trips on the tongue, it trips in the brain. Blogs should move smoothly through the mind not snag it

Then comes design, where words put on their outfit. Layout, typography and visuals aren’t there to decorate, they are there to guide behaviour. Visual structure determines whether people decide to skim, stay, or share.

My most regularly used tool is Canva for branded graphics, layout planning, and for custom vector assets, paired with licensed imagery platforms. But the tool is never the point. The point is consistency: visual voice, typography flow, emotional tone, and brand alignment.

To avoid clunky visuals, I stick to a few foundational decisions:

• Clear header hierarchy
• Generous spacing
• A confident visual hook image
• Supporting graphics that expand meaning
• No design noise that distracts from the story

A blog without visuals works, sure, but rarely inspires someone to hang around.

Optimisation is where it earns discovery. My SEO workflow is always reader-first, algorithm-second. That means keywords land in the places they matter most: title, introduction, headers, alt text and meta description.

So a post may contain a line like:

“This content creation workflow takes you from a copywriting brief to publish, blending writing, blog design tips, SEO and promotion, without making the process feel overwhelming.”

It includes internal links to existing posts, references outbound authority where helpful, and places the primary keyword early enough to signal intent to search engines and humans alike.

Here’s a small version of the SEO blog checklist I use before publishing:

• Primary keyword in H1 + intro
• 2–3 related keywords in subheadings
• Internal linking to relevant older content
• Alt text added to every image asset
• A clear meta description + CTA
• Compressed visuals to protect load speed

Publishing isn’t the finish line. It’s the doorway. Once the post is uploaded to the CMS and formatted, I sweep through one last check spacing, visuals, link behaviour, and CTA clarity. Then it’s time to share across LinkedIn posts, Instagram Reels or Stories, Pinterest pins, or email newsletters.

Promotion doesn’t have to scream. It simply has to intrigue enough to point someone from platform to page.

And then comes data. I keep an eye on page views, read time, bounce rate, search behaviours and CTA performance. Analytics don’t scare me off, but they also don’t steal my excitement either. They quietly inform what comes next and help the workflow improve without losing the storyteller’s voice.

A workflow’s job isn’t to tame creativity it’s to protect it. It holds the strategic pieces in place so the fun parts can feel fun, not frantic. Whether you’re writing for yourself or someone else, having a process makes the difference between content that floats in the ether and content that connects.

Need someone who can take your content from brief to publish, including writing, design and SEO? Let’s build something brilliant.