It may be cliché, but it still stands true: content is still king. Among the many types, a blog seems to take one of the highest places. You just need to look at the statistics.
According to the data collected by OptInMonster,
- Over 75% of Internet users read blogs regularly.
- Marketers who focus on blogging are over ten times more likely to generate a positive return on investment (ROI).
- More than half of marketers also revealed that blogs delivered customers to the business.
- Meanwhile, B2B marketers could generate up to 67% more leads with blogging those that don’t do it.
To blog, though, needs more than a WordPress account and a few articles a month. You should create the right blog post types for the right audience.
The question is, which of the many options out there will deliver results?
1. Reviews.
In a world where customers won’t know the quality of the product until it arrives at their doorstep, reviews are a powerful tool. In a survey by BrightLocal, shoppers between 18 and 54 years old are more likely to read—and trust—reviews.
These blogs especially appeal to millennials, people between 18 and 34 years old. Why does this matter? This generation is one of the biggest demographics in the United States (and around the globe).
How to Write Reviews: Two ways. You can write a review of another product or service, or you can publish a third-party review about your business offers.
You can encourage customers to make one in exchange for a freebie or a discount.
2. How-Tos and DIYs.
Your buyers will want to squeeze every value from the product. Wouldn’t it be amazing if they learn a trick or two to make the most out of it? This is where how-tos and DIY posts can be helpful.
Besides, the DIY industry is GROWING. From 2020 to 2024, it could achieve a market value of a whopping $143 billion and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 4%.
How to Write How-Tos and DIYs: Use visuals, such as images and videos. Make the instructions short. Create a summary in the end. If you’re giving recipes, provide a printable recipe box.
3. Infographics.
What is an infographic? As its name suggests, it’s data in illustrations or pictures. This one demands more time, and you may have to work with a designer or an artist, but it’s something you cannot pass up for many reasons.
One, most people are visual learners. We’re able to retain information faster when we see a combination of texts and pictures (or sometimes videos).
It explains why children read picture books.
Second, many Internet users have a short attention span. Some studies even say that ours is much shorter than that of a goldfish! Third, our eyes seem to crave pretty things, or pictures appeal better to us. This makes an infographic a popular blog post to share on social media.
How to Write an Infographic: Present the essential points in the infographic. If you cannot hire a designer or artist, you can use tools such as Canva, which offers many templates and media files.
4. Comparisons.
Buyer’s remorse is real, and it can be costly. That’s why it’s not unusual for consumers to compare items before they decide. With your blog post, you can help them. Think of a comparison post as a review for two or more similar products or services.
How to Write a Comparison: Create a table that summarizes all the factors you use for comparison. Usually, these include price, features, and benefits.
If you’re into affiliate marketing, you can use this blog post type to refer the readers to different products and services by embedding your referral links. Make sure you are transparent about using affiliate links by mentioning it as disclosure in the article, or in the footer.
5. Interviews.
People read blogs not to buy but to educate themselves. “Is this the right product to buy?” What does this term mean?” and all other similar questions can hound them.
While you are the ultimate subject-matter expert, it doesn’t hurt to give them other perspectives or even more proof that your product or service works. One option is to interview other specialists or influencers in your industry.
How to Write an Interview: Create a transcript but don’t forget to include either an audio or video interview. Transcription software can include timestamps, so readers can review the content more conveniently. When writing the post, add an introduction of the person, perhaps even including a link to their website or blog. Post images. As they say, pictures or it didn’t happen.
6. Fishbone or list.
Question: did you go through everything of this post? If you didn’t, don’t worry, you’re part of the average population. With so many articles to read, most Internet users prefer to skim. That’s why listicles work! Also known as a fishbone, a listicle also makes any long-form content easier to read.
How to Write a Listicle: Create the best-of lists. You may curate the hit blog posts or those that deliver the most traffic or possess keywords that rank well on Google.
You may also pair a listicle with an infographic to boost its sharability. Are you doing reciprocal linking? Share other people’s posts too.
7. Guest post.
First, what is a guest post? It can mean two things. One, you’re creating content for somebody else, and two, you publish other people’s articles.
Now, for many people, both of these sound counterproductive. But even the likes of Neil Patel believe it’s one of the best inbound marketing strategies.
Guest blogging works for many reasons. It saves you the hassle of creating content, which usually lasts around three hours each. If you’re writing for someone else, you can maximize the link juice and drive more traffic to your site. If someone known in your industry publishes your post, it increases your credibility.
How to Write a Guest Post: Research about the blog where you want to publish. Ask, “Can I offer something that they haven’t published yet?” Make guest posting a habit. Meanwhile, be open to other people’s posts. That’s how you help build relationships within your industry.
8. Case studies.
Case studies are formal papers, and “formal” is boring for some. Well, they aren’t for everyone either. They are best for prospects, and that’s the primary reason you should write them.
With case studies, you can display your proficiency or knowledge about your industry. You can showcase your process, especially how you solve other people’s problems. They are also amazing tools for social proofing.
Since case studies are long, they can be bases for other blog post types, from industry news to infographic.
How to Write a Case Study: Make case studies visual by adding graphs, tables, and images. Include a table of contents as not everyone is happy to read long content. Dedicate a separate tab in your menu for all case studies. Label them properly.
9. Human interest.
Remember the saying “Love makes the world go round”? Emotions are basically what govern everything! All you need is to refer to the principles of Robert Cialdini to know that. What better way to appeal to them than through human-interest posts in your blog.
How to Write Human Interest: Focus more on images than texts. People want to see, not read, emotions. Even better, make a video. Talk about your team-building activities, outreach programs, and other corporate initiatives. Feature personal stories from customers, especially how the business helped them.
10. Freebies.
You love a freebie, I love a freebie—everybody wants a freebie! When almost everything comes with a price tag, anything that doesn’t is always refreshing or welcome. The good news is you can create a blog out of it. Whether it’s a free course, mini-guide, e-book, or giveaway, let your readers know about it.
How to Write Freebie: Make it short, but emphasize the reasons your freebies are must-haves. Maximize them as well by giving them when they sign up to your mailing list.
11. FAQs.
People will always have a dozen questions and concerns about products and services. As a business owner, you’ll see more of these when your offers are new or unique. Will it work? How much does it cost? What’s the science behind this? Is it legitimate? Spare them the queries by creating FAQ posts, where you answer the most common questions.
How to Write FAQs: Collate all the popular questions or foresee the most common queries. Write them as a list to make them easier to read and skim. Better yet, link sections in the table of contents. Every feature of your product, add a link to the FAQ page. It helps boost your internal linking strategies too.
Which one delivers results? All of them. In fact, when writing blog posts, variety is the name of the game.
You can even combine different blog post types in one post. Take, for example, interviews and human-interest stories, FAQs and listicles, and lists and infographics.
Either way, don’t forget the cardinal rule: build your brand. Use these blog posts to raise it up without resorting to hard selling.
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