At times, it can seem overwhelming to think about what you will write about next. Let’s take some of the guesswork out for you. These 13 popular blog article formats are tried and true. They are top performers that readers tend to gravitate towards.
-Do you struggle with trying to figure out what your next blog post topic will be about?
-Are you looking for some tried and true, top performing types of blog posts that readers gravitate towards?
-Do you find yourself clicking on links to articles that start with certain words or numbers that reel you in every time?
13 Popular Blog Article Formats
- Blog Series
- Listicle
- Round Up
- How To / Tutorials
- Guide
- Comparison
- Long Form
- Personal Success Story
- Controversial
- Interview
- Trends
- Infographics
- Reviews
1. Blog Series
Sometimes an idea is just to big for one blog post; and it will perform better if you break it up into a 3-part or 4-part series for readers to consume the information. By doing this, you build anticipation for readers to look for your next post and this ultimately can improve your SEO. Be sure to link to the other posts in the series within each blog post, just in case someone doesn’t follow along from the beginning of the series.
2. Listicle
List articles are content powerhouses. People love them. These types of articles are typically easy to follow along and read because they are numbered and bulleted, making it easy on the eyes. This type of content not only makes it easy for the reader to digest, but it’s also great, shareable content.
Bonus Tip – Use odd numbers instead of even numbers in your title since odd numbers tend to perform better.
3. Round Up
These types of articles are great because you can source your information from other experts in the field. Outreach peers and colleagues to provide recipes, tips, or have them answer a specific question on a predetermined topic so you can quote them in your round up article. These round ups help readers get a holistic view on a topic since multiple people are responding to the same question, each with their own angle, opinion, and insights.
4. How To / Tutorials
Since the goal of a how to/tutorial blog is to solve a problem, readers will be inclined to click on your post. These types of posts also help to show authority and credibility among your industry or niche. When possible, elevate your how to/tutorial blog post by embedding videos into your post. When people can connect a face to a message, they are more likely to trust the content. Also, video tends to be easier for people to process the information. And when the information is easier to process, they are more likely to take action.
5. Guide
Guides are typically longer form blog posts. With these posts you are really going into detail about a specific topic at hand. This type of content is great because many times it is evergreen meaning you can use it and promote it all year round to help drive traffic back to your site. It also helps to position you as a leader and expert in that specific subject. Also, when the post is a longer form blog, then you can usually rank for multiple keywords or key phrases which is always a plus for search engine optimization.
6. Comparison
These posts help your audience make a decision between two products or services by showing the pros and cons of each. You can even share your personal opinion or experience with the specific product or service. You are helping to solve a problem for your reader since they are struggling to decide between two options. When you can list out the facts about each and also share your opinion as a subject matter expert, you are helping your reader make an educated decision.
7. Long Form
Typically, long form content is considered to be anything over 2,000 words. A guide or how to/tutorial post can sometimes end up being a long form post just by nature of the post. Long form content gives you the opportunity to really dive deep into a specific topic so that it’s a one stop shop for your reader. They get the chance to learn everything they need to know about that topic in one place. This type of content can also result in more likes, comments, and shares. It also allows you the chance to add more internal and external links, as well as the possibility of ranking for more keywords or key phrases.
8. Personal Success Story
There is nothing better than showing a reader a personal success story with your product or service. Sharing testimonials and success stories from current or past clients is one of the best ways to get referrals and keep your business growing by generating more leads. But make sure you really tell a story. You want to share the numbers, statistics, and facts, but you’ll want to do it in a way that the reader can enjoy reading the story in the process. Be sure to add a call to action at the end if the reader also wants to achieve similar results as the person you highlighted in your post.
9. Controversial
Taking a controversial stance on a hot topic will surely help you to gain traffic and engagement with your community, especially if it’s on a topic that your audience is passionate about. Be prepared to have some thick skin though as the comments may be all over the place.
10. Interview
Interview posts with colleagues and peers are always fun to create. Not only does it help you to network with others in the field, but you learn so much in the process by interviewing other people and learning about their best practices, favorite products and tools, and more. These types of posts also help to break up the content heavy blogs on your site. Sometimes readers just want to enjoy a light and easy read versus a “heavier” type blog post.
11. Trends
Trends are a great way to share your industry knowledge and expertise by rounding up multiple reports or studies to predict future trends. People are always looking ahead to what’s next. These types of posts also tend to spark some great discussion through comments, questions, and even controversy.
12. Infographics
Images always perform well on social media and blogs. However, infographics that are integrated into your blog posts will outperform images any day of the week. And what’s even better, people are more likely to share infographics over standard images on their social media platforms. Utilizing tools like Canva to create simple, beautiful infographic images makes it easy, fast, and painless.
13. Reviews
Reviews are popular blog article formats because people want to hear about someone’s experience using a product or a service. There are many blogs out there that have made their business solely by reviewing other people’s product and services.
Check out this free resource that highlights the 13 top performing blog article formats – available on RD2RD Marketplace!
This is a great list, Liz!