3 Sample Outlines for Non-Fiction Content Articles

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title. Check with publications regarding their requirements for your headings.)</p><h1 id="3c95">Topic title (title format)</h1><p id="f8aa">Subtitle (subtitle format)</p><p id="a0be">(image)</p><h2 id="c9a5">Introduction (Sometimes will not have a heading)</h2><p id="dd32">Present topic and the three main points you will make in the article. Keep it short, to the point, and functional. This is not a place to wander off topic or present a lot of lead-in “fluff.”</p><h2 id="96c8">Lede point 1 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li></ul><h2 id="85e9">Lede point 2 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li></ul><h2 id="008e">Lede point 3 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li></ul><h2 id="54e6">Conclusion (H2)</h2><p id="3539">Reiterate 3 main points. Provide actionable takeaway.</p><h1 id="36c4">Sample outline 2: Basic outline 2</h1><p id="370a">This type of outline works well when the reader is likely to have questions that need answering about the topic. For example, health articles or informative articles.</p><h1 id="9926">Topic title (title format)</h1><p id="280f">Subtitle (subtitle format)</p><p id="4dde">(image)</p><h2 id="89c4">Introduction</h2><p id="78e4">Present topic and the 3 main questions you will answer for your reader.</p><h2 id="3e4a">Question 1 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point answering question(H3)</li><li>Supportive point answering question(H3)</li><li>Supportive point answering question(H3)</li></ul><h2 id="12df">Question 2 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point answering question(H3)</li><li>Supportive point answering question(H3)</li><li>Supportive point answering question(H3)</li></ul><h2 id="ef99">Question 3 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point answering question(H3)</li><li>Supportive point answering question(H3)</li><li>Supportive point answering question(H3)</li></ul><h2 id="d0aa">Conclusion (H2)</h2><p id="6d82">Reiterate topic and answers to questions. Provide actionable takeaway.</p><h1 id="cea7">Sample outline 3: Research topics and more complicated topics</h1><p id="5bac">For this type of article, Google is leaning toward more long-form, sectional mini-articles within the main topic. Break up the larger topic into smaller sections that can each be broken down into multiple H3s with supportive points. These make for good SEO articles.</p><h1 id="cdfb">Topic title (title format)</h1><p id="65e7">Subtitle (subtitle format)</p><p id="f9f2">(image)</p><h2 id="93a1">Introduction</h2><p id="5084">Present research topic and the 2–3 main sections of the topic. Present what information is pertinent and what the reader needs to know/learn from the ar

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ticle.</p><h1 id="d356">Section 1 (H1)</h1><h2 id="b2f0">Section point 1 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li></ul><h2 id="8231">Section point 2 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li></ul><h2 id="be29">Section point 3 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li></ul><h1 id="e69b">Section 2 (H1)</h1><h2 id="d63d">Section point 1 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li></ul><h2 id="e663">Section point 2 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li></ul><h2 id="7205">Section point 3 (H2)</h2><ul><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li><li>Supportive point (H3)</li></ul><h2 id="1d99">Conclusion (H2)</h2><p id="499a">Reiterate research topic sections and summarize main points.</p><p id="c698">If these three outlines are too complex for your topic or you have a shorter topic and plan to go into less detail, try this format, which works well for listicles.</p><h1 id="f676">Topic title (title format)</h1><p id="daa8">Subtitle (subtitle format)</p><p id="f2bc">(image)</p><p id="5705">Introduction to the topic and mention of the main points you will cover. (Again: Keep it short, to the point, and functional. This is not a place to wander off topic or present a lot of lead-in “fluff.”)</p><h2 id="69a9">Main point 1 (H2)</h2><p id="be50">Supportive paragraph(s)</p><h2 id="cd96">Main point 2 (H2)</h2><p id="fb4b">Supportive paragraph(s)</p><h2 id="f7e1">Main point 3 (H2)</h2><p id="4614">Supportive paragraph(s)</p><h2 id="839f">Main point 4 (H2)</h2><p id="bc16">Supportive paragraph(s)</p><h2 id="206c">Main point 5 (H2)</h2><p id="1a5b">Supportive paragraph(s)</p><h2 id="4d88">Conclusion (H2)</h2><p id="9148">Summarize / reiterate the main points and provide actionable takeaway.</p><p id="d7bf">If you follow the basic structures of any of these outlines, depending on which is better suited for your topic, and use relatable, readable language your reader can digest, your articles will be more organized and well-read.</p><p id="a708">Remember to use images as they fit in with your work and incorporate “white space” to keep reader absorption and scanning pleasant. Many readers will scan to the most pertinent sections of your article. These formats will allow your reader to absorb the most pertinent takeaways for them, which is pleasing for the reader and will hopefully give them confidence in your writing as valuable and relative to their life.</p><p id="d045">Thanks for reading. Write clean, write tight, and write on!</p></article></body>

Get your articles organized before you write

As a professional freelance writer, many of my clients provide formal training on the outlining of articles. I find these articles fall into three main structures in order to keep the main ledes (or if you prefer the spelling “leads,” as both are used) of the article out front and provide answers for the reader.

A well-organized article, structurally speaking, will tell your reader what value you will provide them and then deliver it in easy to follow materials separated by organized sections.

Here are the three basic article structures I use most frequently for article structure. They are laid out so that you can copy/paste the format into a Google or Word doc for future use.

A note on headings

Yes, the headings in H1/H2/H3 are much easier to do in Google Docs or Word if you are writing for a client for example. When using Medium, however, you only have 2 options: Big T and Little t. It will be up to you how to stack your headings so the sections make sense to your reader and follow the publication guidelines where it will be published. Many pubs have style guides that are very specific such as The Writing Cooperative and pub Koinonia. You can still use outlines and work within their style guides. It may benefit you to create your own template Style Guide outline for specific pubs that have these requirements.

Sample Outline 1 for Non-fiction article; the basic style.

This basic outline works well for any non-fiction topic that can be broken down into a few main ledes (the main points you make in your article). Each section needs smaller supportive H3 sections that prove the point you are making in each H2 section. (On Medium, your H1 section headings will be made with “Big t” and the H2 subsections will be made with “little t”. There is no H3 function on Medium so you can bold those section titles or simply put paragraphs there with no title. Check with publications regarding their requirements for your headings.)

Conclusion (H2)

Summarize / reiterate the main points and provide actionable takeaway.

If you follow the basic structures of any of these outlines, depending on which is better suited for your topic, and use relatable, readable language your reader can digest, your articles will be more organized and well-read.

Remember to use images as they fit in with your work and incorporate “white space” to keep reader absorption and scanning pleasant. Many readers will scan to the most pertinent sections of your article. These formats will allow your reader to absorb the most pertinent takeaways for them, which is pleasing for the reader and will hopefully give them confidence in your writing as valuable and relative to their life.

Thanks for reading. Write clean, write tight, and write on!