How to Create a Blog Post Outline (Free Templates + AI)

To create a blog post outline, start with one search phrase and the reason people type it. Read the pages that already rank and the “People Also Ask” questions for that phrase. Turn every question the reader needs answered into a heading. Group those headings into main sections (H2), put smaller points under them (H3, and H4 only when needed), and arrange the sections in the order the reader will need them. Under each heading, write one line saying what it must answer. That is your outline, and the article is written from it.

Below: each step in detail, three templates to copy, and how to turn an outline into a full article with AI without losing control.

Key takeaways

• An outline is the plan of the article: the headings, their levels and their order.
• Build it from evidence: the top results, People Also Ask and related searches show what readers expect.
• Use H2 for main sections, H3 for parts of a section, and H4 only when an H3 really splits in two. Never skip a level.
• Order sections the way the reader thinks: steps in the order they are done, causes from most to least likely.
• A strong outline makes AI writing far more useful, because the AI fills in a structure you chose.

What a Blog Post Outline Is

A blog post outline is the list of headings your article will use, with their levels and order, plus a short note under each one. It is not a summary and not a keyword list. It is the skeleton the whole piece hangs on.

A simple outline for “how to clean a coffee maker with vinegar” might look like this:

• H2: What you need before you start
• H2: How to clean a coffee maker with vinegar, step by step
• H3: Mix the vinegar and water
• H3: Run a brew cycle
• H3: Rinse with clean water
• H2: How to tell when the coffee maker is clean
• H2: Mistakes that damage a coffee maker
• H2: Frequently asked questions

There is no “Introduction” or “Conclusion” heading. The opening paragraph answers the question without a heading, and so does the closing. Headings are for sections a reader might want to jump to.

Why the Outline Decides How Well a Post Can Rank

Search engines want to show the page that best answers the search. Your outline decides whether yours can be that page.

Intent coverage

Every search has an intent, the job the reader wants done. “How to clean a coffee maker with vinegar” wants steps to follow today. “Best coffee maker for small kitchens” wants products compared. If the outline misses the intent, good writing cannot save it.

Coverage also means the follow-up questions: how often to do it, and what to do if the coffee still tastes sour. When the outline answers those, the reader has no reason to go back to the results. That is what helpful content means in practice.

Heading hierarchy: H2, H3 and H4

Headings show readers, and search engines, how the page is organised:

Level	Job	Example
H1	The page title. One per page.	How to Clean a Coffee Maker With Vinegar
H2	A main section answering one big part of the question.	How to tell when the coffee maker is clean
H3	A part of the H2 above it, such as a step.	Run a brew cycle
H4	A part of an H3, only when it genuinely splits in two.	For machines with a water filter

Two rules keep it clean: the first heading after the title is an H2, and you never jump a level (an H2 is never followed directly by an H4). A skipped level confuses screen readers and makes the page harder to scan.

Logical order

Follow the reader’s thinking. A how-to runs in the order the steps are done. A “why is my X doing Y” article lists the likely causes, most likely first. A “what is X” article explains it, shows where it is used, then what to watch out for.

How to Create a Blog Post Outline, Step by Step

Step 1: Pin down the keyword and the intent

Write the search phrase exactly as a reader would type it: “how to clean a coffee maker with vinegar”, not “coffee maker maintenance”. Then write one sentence about what the searcher wants: “Simple steps they can follow at home with vinegar.” Every heading you add must serve that sentence.

Not sure which phrase to target? Google’s own search suggestions are a good source, and Affpilot’s write pages include a free keyword finder that reads them for you.

Step 2: Read the top results like an editor

Open the first several results. You are not copying them. You are noting:

1. What every result covers. If they all explain how often to clean the machine, readers expect it.
2. What they do badly. Steps buried under long stories, or nothing on what to do when it goes wrong. Those gaps are your chance to be more useful.
3. The format that wins. If the top results are step-by-step guides, a list of tips is unlikely to satisfy the same search.

Step 3: Mine People Also Ask and related searches

The “People Also Ask” box lists real questions searchers have. Open a few and more appear. The “related searches” at the bottom add more. Copy every question that fits your intent sentence into a plain list. It will be messy; the next step sorts it.

Step 4: Group the questions into H2 sections

Questions that belong together become one section. “What do I need?”, “Do I need white vinegar?” and “Can I use apple cider vinegar?” are all about supplies, so they become one H2, with the important ones as H3s.

A useful size guide: about one main section for every 250 words you plan to write. A 1,500-word article usually needs around six H2s. Fewer than four often means the topic is too thin; more than twelve usually means some sections should merge.

Step 5: Put the sections in the reader’s order

Preparation before the steps, steps before checking the result, troubleshooting after. Put the FAQ near the end, with only questions the rest of the outline does not already answer.

Step 6: Add a note under each heading

Write one line saying what each heading must deliver, for example: “Run a brew cycle: explain stopping halfway and waiting before finishing.” These notes stop you, or an AI writer, from drifting into filler.

Step 7: Check the outline against the searcher

Read only the headings and ask:

• Is the exact search answered early?
• Could someone understand the answer’s shape from the headings alone?
• Does any heading just repeat the title with two words added? Rewrite it.
• Does the same phrase appear in heading after heading? Vary it. Headings should read like questions a person asks, not a keyword list.

Reusable Outline Templates for 3 Common Article Types

Most posts fall into one of three shapes. Copy the one that matches your intent.

How-to outline template

• Opening paragraph (no heading): the short answer and what the reader will be able to do.
• H2: What you need before you start
• H2: How to [do the task], step by step
• H3: Step 1: [first action]
• H3: Step 2: [second action]
• H3: Step 3: [third action]
• H2: How to know it worked
• H2: Common mistakes to avoid
• H2: What to do if [the most common problem]
• H2: Frequently asked questions (3 to 5 questions as H3)

List post outline template

• Opening paragraph (no heading): what the list covers and who it is for.
• H2: [The list] at a glance (a short table or bullet summary)
• H2: [Item 1]
• H3: Who it suits
• H3: How to use it
• H2: [Item 2] (same H3s for each item)
• H2: How to choose the right one for you
• H2: Frequently asked questions

Comparison post outline template

• Opening paragraph (no heading): the quick verdict in one or two sentences.
• H2: [A] vs [B]: side-by-side comparison (a table)
• H2: The differences that matter
• H3: [Factor 1, for example ease of use]
• H3: [Factor 2]
• H3: [Factor 3]
• H2: Who should choose [A]
• H2: Who should choose [B]
• H2: Frequently asked questions

Article type	Search intent	Main H2 sections	Best opening
How-to	”I want to do this”	Supplies, steps, check, mistakes, fixes	The short answer and the result
List	”Show me my options”	At a glance, one H2 per item, how to choose	Who the list is for
Comparison	”Help me decide”	Table, key differences, who should pick each	The verdict

Turning the Outline Into a Full Article

With a good outline, writing becomes filling in boxes, one section at a time.

1. Revisit the opening last. It must answer the search in the first few lines, which is easier once the body exists. Our blog introduction template shows a simple way to do it.
2. Answer first, then explain. Start each section with the direct answer to its heading, then add detail, an example or a warning.
3. Give each H2 a sentence or two before its first H3. A heading followed straight by a sub-heading feels abrupt.
4. Use each heading’s note as your brief. When a section is done, delete anything that does not serve the note.
5. Let the outline set the length. The right length is whatever covers the outline well. More on this in how long blog posts should be for SEO.

Editing for Helpfulness

A first draft, yours or an AI’s, is never the finished page.

• Check every claim. Remove numbers, prices or facts you cannot back up. A wrong fact costs more trust than a missing one.
• Add what only you know. A tip from your own experience, a photo you took, a mistake you have seen. This is what makes your page different from the others on the same results page.
• Cut repetition. If two sections say the same thing, merge them.
• Make it easy to scan. Short paragraphs, lists for steps, a table where readers compare things.

For a fuller checklist, see how to write effective content. Still deciding whether AI belongs in your process? Should I use AI to write blog posts? covers the trade-offs.

Outline to Article With AI: How Affpilot Does It

The biggest complaint about AI article tools is control. You type a topic, the tool picks the headings, and you spend your time moving and deleting sections you would never have chosen.

Affpilot’s Outline to Article splits the job in two: plan it first, then write it. The AI suggests an outline, you change it however you like, and only then is the article written, under exactly your headings.

How to use Outline to Article

1. Open the writer. In Affpilot, go to Write Info Article → Outline to Article.
2. Type your topic or keyword the way a reader would search it, and choose the language and word count. A longer article gets more sections.
3. Press “Plan the outline”. Affpilot plans H2 main sections, H3 sub-points and, only where needed, H4. The plan follows the topic’s shape (a how-to in step order, a “why is my X” question with the likely causes first) and ends with a Frequently Asked Questions section.
4. Make the outline yours. Every heading is a text box you can rewrite. Move headings up or down with the arrows or by dragging, turn one into a sub-heading or bring it back out, remove any you do not want, or press “+ Add heading”.
5. Set the rest. Add the title, your brand voice or instructions, extra keywords, pictures, and the WordPress or Blogger site to publish to (now, as a draft, or scheduled).
6. Press “Write this article”. Affpilot writes under exactly your headings, in your order, at your levels. It adds none of its own and drops none of yours.

Planning is free. No words are used until you press “Write this article”, so you can re-plan until the structure is right.

Why writers who want control like it

• You choose every heading. The AI follows your structure, not the other way round.
• The hierarchy stays clean. The first heading is always an H2 and a level never jumps from H2 to H4, so what you see is what gets published.
• No filler headings. “Introduction”, “Conclusion” or “Overview” are left out of the outline; the opening and closing are plain paragraphs.
• It fits your research. Built an outline from the SERP and People Also Ask with the steps above? Start from Affpilot’s plan and rename, add and reorder until it matches yours.
• You can check the result. Every finished article has an SEO check panel covering the title, headings, keyword use, length, links, FAQ and meta description.

On publishing, Affpilot can add internal links to your own older posts and FAQ schema for Google automatically. Your part is what AI cannot do: the final edit, your own experience and the facts only you can check.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a blog post outline include?

A working title, an opening that answers the search, main sections as H2 headings, supporting points as H3s, and usually an FAQ. Each heading should carry a short note saying what it must answer.

How long should a blog post outline be?

Long enough to show every section, short enough to read in a minute. Plan about one H2 for every 250 words of the finished article, so a 1,500-word post usually needs around six H2 sections plus a few H3s.

Can AI create a blog post outline?

Yes, and quickly. The best results come when you treat it as a draft: check it against the search results, remove headings that miss the intent, and add what the AI missed. Affpilot’s Outline to Article is built around exactly that: the AI plans, you edit, then it writes.

Should every blog post have H3 headings?

No. Use H3s only where a section has parts a reader would scan for, such as steps or options. Sub-headings added just for symmetry make the page busy without helping anyone.

What is the difference between an outline and a content brief?

An outline is the headings and their order. A brief is wider: the outline plus the keyword, audience, tone, length, links and sources. The outline is usually the most important part of a brief.

Do I need an outline for a short blog post?

Yes. A 600-word post may only have three H2 sections, but deciding them first keeps it focused on one question.

Start Your Next Post With the Outline

How to create a blog post outline comes down to one habit: decide the structure before you write. Find the intent, study what already ranks, collect the real questions, group them into clean H2 and H3 sections, and put them in the reader’s order. Then write, and edit for the reader.

If you want AI to draft without taking away your control, try Affpilot’s Outline to Article: plan the outline, change any heading, and get an article written to your structure. You get 10,000 free words when you sign up, no card needed. Create your free Affpilot account. Plans start at $19 a month for 100,000 words; see the pricing page.