The Best Blog Post Formats For You And Your Readers
There are numerous options when you’re picking the best blog post format for your readers. Making this decision is often difficult. And what’s the common error among bloggers?
Bloggers often use the same style for every post. But that’s a mistake because numerous varieties of posts exist, which make the content interesting. It’s notable that variation in the style of posts prevents writer’s burnout . The reason is, your content appears less predictable and monotonous for you, and the readers.
So how do you prevent content monotony? By injecting variety through different types of posts for your readers.
Maybe you’re good at making lists. Maybe you’re good at infographics. Or whatever else you’re good at.
But here’s the thing.
Just because you have a signature style of blogging doesn’t imply it’s always appropriate for all the content on your blog.
However, keep in mind that some post formats are more suited to particular concepts than others. And, in most cases, the structure will be determined by the perspective you wish to take on a certain subject.
So let’s have a look at some of the most common post formats to see which one is best for you and your audience.
1. How-To Blog Post Format
Guess what’s the best way to quench reader curiosity?
Tell them exactly how to do something.
Many people go online to learn how to do something ( in addition to checking Facebook and email) many times a day.
People are seeking answers to their problems, whether it’s making a recipe or learning to fly drones. They’ll probably click on the link to your site to read the article if they notice you have the solution they’re seeking for.
So how do you demonstrate to your audience that you know your beans well?
You do that simply by sharing your industry knowledge and thought leadership.
You create thoroughly researched how-to articles for your readers, allowing you to generate more leads. This essentially calls for knowing your audience well . The more you assist the audience, the more they will desire from you.
And the more content they will download.
By the way, videos are a wonderful method to physically demonstrate to your audience how to do something.No wonder vlogging is competing with blogging in many ways today.
2.Infographic Blog Post Format
An infographic is a visual representation of information. It includes Images, symbols, text, charts, and diagrams in order to convey information quickly.
And what do infographics influence most?
Traffic.
Although infographics aren’t the ideal tool for generating leads, they are an amazing tool to increase traffic to your site and raise awareness.
Let me explain why.
Infographics are undoubtedly simple to understand, educational, and interesting.
In addition, infographics provide a welcome change of pace from the typical wordy blog post.
And smart bloggers often use infographics for leveraging another advantage.
Let me elaborate.
You see, most experienced bloggers include an embed code in the infographic.
An embed code is a short code, usually in HTML, that users can copy and paste into a website. It usually includes the source link as well as the image’s height and width. This makes it easy for readers to embed it on their site.
Interestingly, there’s a concealed benefit of this embed code.
It boosts the chances of generating more backlinks to your site, whenever your content is shared by your readers.
So you got the secret, right?
The thing is to make sure you include the embed code, whenever you create an infographic. This way an infographic becomes one of the best blog post formats.
3.Listicle Blog Post Format
List posts can be found almost all over the internet. They’re also called listicles, and according to Ahref ,listicles are popular because they’re easy to skim, easy to digest, and easy to gauge
Here’s what they usually go like:
• 7 Weight Loss Recipes You Have to Try.
• 9 Reasons Why Everyone Is Talking About Soccer.
•7 DIY YouTube Videos That Are Worth Watching.
So if you notice, there are a number of options, or methods being offered in a list post.
And there’s a deliberate purpose behind the number of options.
Here’s what I mean.
Lists are an excellent method to organize information in an easily consumable format. And they can be shared easily too.
Often readers, don’t have time to sit down and read a complete blog piece.
So, in comes the list post.
Please note. A list post is loaded with useful information in a list style. And it gives the readers a chance to quickly grab all that information.
Interestingly, most lists generate a lot of traffic and are more likely to go viral than other forms of content.
4. Guest Blogging Format
Guest blogging is also referred to as “guest posting.” It’s when you write content for someone else’s blog. Typically, guest bloggers contribute to blogs in their own field.
Now a general observation is that often bloggers struggle to bring freshness to their content.
And the best solution to that is guest blogging.
Guest blogging has this advantage.
It enables a unique viewpoint on your product or service through another person. That’s the guest blogger.
Eventually, both you and the guest blogger stand to profit from this arrangement.
But that’s not all. Guest blogging has other benefits for you besides.
Here are a few benefits for the host blogger:
• Guest blogging connects you with a new audience
• It provides a fresh perspective that differs from your own
•It expands your network.
• Keeps your content schedule on track without having to create new content.
And what are the benefits to the guest blogger?
Well, the guest blogger stands to gain increased visibility on the internet.
5. The Interview Post Blog Post Format
There will be numerous moments when you’ll be gasping for breath. And yet you may not find time to write a well-researched article.
Eventually, you’ll be desperately hunting for an escape hatch.
But the situation needn’t become so catastrophic, because fortunately there’s a solution.
At such times an interview post serves as the best blog post format to tide over the situation.
That’s because interviews save you the enormous grind of study and research.
Instead of unaffordable, long hours of study, do an interview with an industry influencer. Provided that “expert” is relevant to your audience as well.
Here’s how it works.
Send that expert a list of questions, and have them fill out written answers.
Do some modifying and editing at your end. Then upload it to your blog.
It’s as easy as that actually.
And the benefits?
The greatest benefit is the broadening of horizons.
Interviewing a different industry expert to obtain their viewpoint on a concept has an incredible impact on your own worldview as well.
Besides expanding your horizons interview posts also have added benefits.
For example:-
•It increases your blog’s credibility (remember the Google EAT factor).
• Improves SEO. Because of the higher probability of inbound links to the site.
• Extends social media reach.
• Enhances networking possibilities.
However, there’s just one problem. The interviewer can tend to ramble or spin at a tangent from you.
But there’s also a solution to avoid that.
Make sure your interviewee understands the tone of your site. And for that, you need to send them your blogging guidelines. Gently remind them to avoid self-promotion.
But despite the little niggles there’s a huge advantage in interview posts.
It’s this.
The interviewee is most likely to want to share the content with their networks. This implies that such a post has tremendous potential for sharing. And traffic to your site can zoom.
How awesome is that?
6. Checklist Blog Post Format
The human brain can store about 4.7 billion books in its memory bank. But still, humans tend to forget things to do.
That’s because of the haphazard memory retrieval mechanism we commonly employ.
And yet there’s a simple way out. Checklists.They’re another great blog post format.
They help you organize your approach to work and establish a methodical “reminder set” for you.
The person using a checklist eventually comes away feeling a sense of accomplishment.
No wonder we all enjoy crossing things off a to-do list. Right?
A checklist essentially gives your audience a step-by-step explanation of what they need to do to accomplish a goal.
But how do checklists differ from “how-to” posts?
Well, they vary from how-to articles in that they do not allow for interpretation.
Here’s the thing.
Checklists swing into action particularly when time is limited. The most typical example is pilot- checklists in airplane cockpits. Remember, time is a premium there.
Guess how they benefit your audience tactically, in their day-to-day functioning?
Well, to comprehend that first, you need to admit that there are crunch moments in life. Moments, when all we want to know, is “what’s do I do next”?
That’s when a checklist becomes a lightning rod.
Checklists and cheat sheets serve as a quick reference tool for your audience at those crunch times. They can also be the difference between life and death.
So what’s my point about checklist-type posts?
Well, consider this.
Your audience will most likely want to read and share more of your content if you provide them a handy resource like a checklist. In fact, you even need to have a checklist for creating your blog posts.
7.Case Study
According to Hubspot.com a case study describes a specific challenge a business has faced, and the solution they’ve chosen to solve it.
If you attempt to convince someone that you’re a great cook,they may not be impressed much beyond politely praising you. And that’s only a formality.
But what if you actually cook for that friend and they are blown away by your incredible culinary skills? And they end up praising your cooking all over town?
So you see, there’s a big difference between someone telling you something, and actually demonstrating it.
That’s where case studies come in.
Case study blogs are excellent for converting leads, and for that purpose, they serve as one of the best blog post formats.
Why? Because they demonstrate the real-life relevance of a specialty!
And when readers see real-life examples, they’re more inclined to think you know what you’re talking about, making them more likely to become clients.
8. Personal Story Post
According to a Harvardbusiness.org article, storytelling helps people connect with one another and with ideas. Stories communicate the culture, history, and values that bind people together.
If I could have one gift, it would be the ability to tell incredible stories.
What for?
Well, the fact is, no matter what the topic, great storytellers can captivate their audience. And the more you can connect with someone on an emotional level, the more likely they are to trust you, which might lead to their purchasing from you.
A personal blog is similar to a lifestyle blog in that the blogger concentrates on personal topics, such as themselves or something they are passionate about.
A personal blog has no limitations, covering anything from technology to fashion to motherhood, done in a personal story form. This is what makes it a hugely successful blog post format.
In fact, when blogging first became popular many years ago, almost every blog was a personal blog. And today there are a huge number of popular personal blogs like TechSavvymamma.com,and Design for Mankind.co
But a word of caution. Personal tales should not be mistaken for self-promotion.
The goal of storytelling is to make a personal connection with your audience and strike an emotional chord while educating or inspiring them.
So it’s always best to consider this question: “What benefit does this content offer to the reader?”
And then, if you think your readers will find it useful, post it. If not, it’s time to start over.
9.News Article Format
Because of their timeliness, viewers are drawn to newsworthy stories.
People want to know what’s all the buzz about, and they’ll be more likely to click on your post if they believe it will help them “be in the know.”
It’s critical to inform your buyer personas whenever anything significant happens in your business.
If they see that you’re up to date on all of the industry’s latest trends, they’ll see you as a real expert and authority in your area, which also augurs well for your expertise in Google EAT score.
Eventually, they will consider you as someone they can turn to for all of the latest news and trends in the future.
The higher a person’s trust in you as a professional, the more likely they are to buy from you.
10.The Funny Post
An even better blog post format is the funny post, which works wonders to pep up your audience’s flagging morale.
In his book “Anatomy of an Illness,” Norman Cousins discusses how he used comedy to cure himself of a severe condition. He allegedly laughed hysterically when watching classic Marx Brothers movies. He believes that his own laughter cured him of his condition. He went on to enjoy a long and healthy life, well into his 80s!
Apart from the obvious health benefits of humor, who doesn’t like a good chuckle?
Because entertaining content is refreshing to your audience, it has a place in your content mix — as long as you utilize it sparingly.
When your audience is burned out, winding down, or needs a vacation from cerebral stuff on the web, these sorts of pieces are ideal.
But! Ensure that the topic of your entertaining article is connected to the subject of your blog. Also, keep in mind your target audience and make sure the content you offer will resonate with, fascinate, and entertain them.
11. The FAQs Post Format
Frequently Asked Questions are great topics since your visitors are likely to have previously googled these phrases in the hopes of finding an answer. And they also make excellent blog post formats for you.
You have a few options. You could address all of the frequently asked questions in one large post. However, creating a blog series may be more useful.
It is not necessary to inform your viewers that this is the first installment of a series. Simply answer a typical question once a week, and you’ll have fantastic content that will almostcertainly help your SEO.
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Conclusion
There are countless ways to divide the various types of content you could create for your blog. Every content creation business has a distinctive style and focus, with differences in quality, and perspective.
The same is true for your enterprise. And that’s your blog.
Years of writing and publishing are required to create a successful blog. It might be tough to scale if you continually promote the same sort of content.
The several types of blog articles I discussed in this article are essentially the foundation for developing your brand identity.
I would suggest you initially experiment with only one of these types of articles.
That, however, is only the beginning. To achieve the best results, make sure to promote the blog article widely on social networking sites.
Eventually, you need to craft and try out the best blog post formats on a regular basis.