In Grade 9 English, I was allegedly given the wisdom that would allow me to craft an amazing story. I won’t keep this a secret from you, as it was shared with thirty other Grade 9 students on that day. I typically do not recall many facts from my school days; I only recall the ones that had a profound impact on my life. This bit of wisdom that was passed on to me used a food analogy, so it stuck with me.

Let me share a two-point fact with you: I do not really enjoy writing, but I do enjoy cheeseburgers. Combining something that I enjoy with something that I dislike made it possible for me to learn from this wisdom.

Every Good Story is Like a Cheeseburger

This was the wisdom that was passed on to me, and the dialogue went along these lines: the top bun is the introduction, meat and cheese are the main story, and the bottom bun is the conclusion. Now don’t get me wrong, I love cheeseburgers, but solely bun, meat and cheese do not a good cheeseburger (or story) make! A good story, or blog post in this case, requires some seasoning, creativity and a few extra condiments.

A Good Story Should Be Like a Big Mac

Your blog post should contain the awesome power of “two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.” The Big Mac has the complexity and uniqueness that every good blog post should contain. Use the format perfected by the McDonald’s creative geniuses to improve your writing skills.

Now Put It All Together Like a Good Employee of the Month

At this point, we can deeper tap into the success of McDonald’s to garner more wisdom and increase the volume of awesome content that is being published on your blog. McDonald’s has created a repeatable system that allows a team of teenagers to run a billion dollar organization. It’s really quite simple, and it all comes down to creating a system that you can repeat over and over again to reduce the time required to blog.

Use “The Big Mac Blogging System”

I have a blog post template that follows the complexity similar to the structure of a Big Mac. It utilizes the systematic assembly line that has made McDonald’s so productive and efficient. Each blog post should contain the following:

Title: Much like the finely toasted Big Mac bun covered in sesame seeds, you need a title that will capture your visitor’s interest.

Interest/Shock Paragraph: Your first paragraph, similar to the Big Mac sauce, needs to entice your reader further. Get him interested or shock him in some way in order to keep him reading.

Transition Paragraph: Like the smooth flavour of processed cheese, take the reader from the attention-grabbing title and first paragraph and transition him to the main point you are making.

Headline to Main Point: The ‘All Beef Patty’ is what makes you bite deeper. Create a headline that keeps the reader biting.

Main Point Paragraph: The centre of the Big Mac is where your mouth meets both the patty and middle bun. It is here that you make the main point of your blog post and remind your readers why they are reading.

Headline for Secondary Point: There is a second patty on a Big Mac, just like there may be a secondary point to your post. If you need to make a second point, then create a new headline.

Secondary Point Paragraph: Biting through the cheese and beef. Make your secondary point right here.

Headline to Tie Things Together: Remember that special sauce that drew you in at the beginning? It’s here again at the bottom. This headline should tie together the first two paragraphs with your main point.

Tie in the Interest/Shock Paragraph: Draw the post to a conclusion by further explaining the relevance to the interest/shock paragraph with the main point. This last paragraph is the bottom bun that holds everything together.

Every Big Mac is Its Own Unique Greasy Snowflake

Whenever you order a Big Mac, it very rarely looks like the finely manicured photo on the menu board. You get something a little bit different every time you open that greasy cardboard box. Sometimes the lettuce has fallen off, perhaps the pickles were forgotten, or the cheese is hanging over the edge. Your blog posts need to work in the same fashion as every unique Big Mac. Follow the basic format that I have shown you, but vary it from time to time in order to keep your readers guessing.