There are multiple blog post formats you can use in the blogging sphere. But finding the right format that brings traffic, engages the audience, and turns them into customers is key.
How do you use the types of blog posts that give you all three?
You don’t always have to write long-form blog posts. Neither do the blogging formats end at how-to guides and listicles. Many other interesting blog post formats engage the reader while educating them. And they help you establish your business’s authority and expertise.
All these formats contribute to building a successful business blog for you while making reading your content fun.
I’ve curated a list of 14 blog posts that any business can leverage to escape the boring-content syndrome and enjoy blogging.
Download 5 FREE Ready-to-use Blog Post Templates
1. How-To Post
How-to posts are outlines of structured, chronological steps that guide readers in accomplishing a task. The search intent for a how-to post is usually to learn how to do something specific, solve a problem, or complete a task.
Here’s a template for a how-to post:
For example: This blog post, “How to write your first blog post,” provides a step-by-step guide to writing your first blog post.
How-to posts are among the highest traffic-boosting posts, offering educational value and establishing expertise. When done right, they give an instant and systematic solution to readers’ problems.
2. Listicle Post
Listicles are content formatted as a numerical list that breaks down tips, product/service roundups, or key takeaways.
When searching for listicles, readers look for a quick scan option, compare choices, or get a general overview of a topic.
Here’s a template to show a listicle post:
For example: The blog post “13 Ways To Use ChatGPT For Content Writing (With Prompts)” offers a quick yet brief overview of the options for monetizing AI.
The key is to keep the listicle:
- Easy to skim by adding a table of contents to jump to a certain point.
- Easy to implement by making it actionable.
- Easy to understand by using lists that make sense.
Listicles only make sense with topics with a limited scope and not much to unpack. Since topics like content writing, SEO, marketing, etc., have too many layers to be covered, they don’t make for a good listicle.
3. Definition Post
As in the name, a definition post focuses on thoroughly explaining and defining one particular term or concept. It answers a topic’s WHAT, WHY, and HOW, unlike how-to posts that only cover the HOW.
Sequentially, a definition post comes before the how-to post. Understanding the topic to its root comes before using actionable steps to solve a problem related to the topic.
Here’s how a typical definition post looks like:
For example: Here’s a definition blog post by Search Engine Land on “What is SEO?”
4. Comparison Post
These blog posts directly compare and contrast two or more similar products, services, concepts, etc., in depth. For example: this article by Notion about the comparison between itself and Asana.
Here’s a template of a comparison post:
It goes in depth defining and explaining the contrast between all key features of each content type.
The search intent for comparison posts can vary:
- Evaluating alternatives
- Finding the best value
- Researching new products
- Satisfying curiosity
It’s also important to note that comparison posts aren’t only about products or a buying intent. You can write a comparison post on any topic in your niche, as we had for our content writing vs copywriting blog post.
5. Content Hubs
Think of content hubs as a one-stop place for finding all blog posts under one category.
The hubs contain a pillar page that answers important queries about that category/topic. Followed are interlinked articles on related keywords.
This hub-and-spoke structure helps spread the authority to all pages. The authority passes from broad top-level to precise subpages.
For example: The marketing content hub in the Hubspot blog. It features the category’s latest posts, feature posts, marketing studies, and YouTube videos.
6. Case Studies
These are actual instances of how you resolve a customer’s issue using your product/service. Case studies are a great way to establish authority and increase sales. It’s a bottom-of-the-funnel format that never fails.
As case studies offer insights and data-driven conclusions, they improve SEO by getting you backlinks.
Here’s a case study example from Ahrefs about Zapier’s SEO strategy.
You can also feature other companies or products in your case study. What matters is you sprinkle your product in the content, as Ahrefs did with this case study. The goal is to establish your expertise and make your readers see the use of your product.
Effective case studies:
- Have a clear takeaway for the audience.
- Feature a company/product that is well-known in your target audience.
- Lead to developing a buying intent in the customers.
7. Checklists
They’re a list of action steps or items needed regarding a particular process. They’re similar to how-to posts but more specific and clear.
How-to posts can be long and may take longer to give a clear takeaway. But, checklists make the information clear, concise, and easy to remember.
One other benefit of checklist posts is that you can convert them into social media postings. It also drives traffic to the blog post long after it’s published.
For example: This blog post by Copyblogger is an excellent example of how to write a checklist blog.
8. Templates
Want an easy way to earn email subscribers? Cash in on the template posts. These posts are downloadable formats for documents outlined in the post.
For example: This blog post by ClickUp is about content calendar templates.
You can also consider this blog post you’re reading as an example. I’ve added the usable templates in a few of the blog post types mentioned.
You can either offer the template as an image or make it downloadable (to gain those email subscribers we discussed.)
The key is to mention how you can use the template to simplify the readers’ job. Once they buy your solution, they won’t miss the template. Readers look for blog posts that:
- Save time and effort
- Apply a proven framework
- Help get started with a project easily
If you offer useful and easy-to-follow templates, you’ll pave the way to high traffic and potential leads. As people looking for the templates are likely to look for solutions you offer, they fall into your ideal client personas.
9. Curated/Round-Up Post
These posts can give you huge traffic and backlinks.
They’re a roundup of existing online content about a topic with links/commentary.
You can create curated posts in two ways:
- Creating a round-up of your own posts.
- Linking to other blogs and mentioning them in your blog post.
The second way is where you’ll see a spike in the traffic. When you mention other bloggers, you link to their content and tap into their existing audience. In other words, you borrow their audience.
A few things to remember before linking to other bloggers:
- Reach out to them and get permission before posting their content.
- Big bloggers may not always get back quickly. Consider the buffer period when writing curated posts.
- Reach out to all kinds of bloggers (big to small) to increase your chances.
- Ask the bloggers you mentioned to help you promote the blog post.
10. Thought Leadership Post
This post type may not impact SEO like the others, but it establishes your brand as an expert in your industry.
The purpose is to bring out the business’s or its founders’ unique perspectives on industry trends.
To aim for traffic along with authority and expertise, write thought leadership posts on keywords related to topics that have a traffic potential. Align your analysis and commentary to the target keywords.
Note that this blog post’s intent is informational, not commercial. It’s purely to present your thoughts to your audience and let them be the judge.
For example: This blog post by Buffer stands out to me as a thought leadership post for its different-than-usual take on AI’s use in content writing.
11. Interview Post
It has a Q&A discussion format with an industry leader. The key to making these posts work is interviewing someone with enough recognition in the field.
Let that someone be sought-after in their field, but make sure there’s room to leverage SEO. That is someone who doesn’t have much online content that can overshadow yours.
An example of an interview post: Groove HQ published an interview with Neil Patel on their blog.
Here are some tips for writing effective interview blog posts:
- Research the interviewee and their background so you can ask informed questions.
- Prepare a list of 8-10 interview questions in advance, but leave room to ask follow-up questions organically. Focus on open-ended questions.
- Use compelling quotes from the interview throughout your post and link back to the interviewee.
- Pull out 3-5 key takeaways or pieces of insights from the interview to highlight.
- Close with a summary of the main points and any calls to action for your readers based on the interview insights.
- Promote the interview on social media and other channels, highlighting the interviewee.
12. News Post
Consider it a commentary on the latest developments in an industry. They provide analysis and insights on timely and relevant industry updates, product launches, company announcements, and other happenings.
The key is to publish your news before other publishers grab a hold of it. This is true, especially when the news has industry-wide coverage and is not related only to your business.
For example: The news articles about Apple Vision Pro.
How to write news blog posts:
- Include the 5 W’s – who, what, when, where, and why- to cover the essential details.
- Offer perspective, analysis, and opinions rather than just summarizing.
- Quote industry experts and link to factual data sources.
- Use multimedia like images, charts, and videos to complement the text.
Since these blog posts are timely pieces, SEO considerations are important for them. Update keywords to stay relevant as the news cycle evolves. Build links and awareness of the post while the news has buzz.
13. Product-led Post
Product-led content is your answer if you want the perfect blend of high-traffic and high-sales blog posts.
These posts are guides and other content assets specifically focused on educating potential customers about your product or service. The main goals of product-led content are:
- To showcase your product’s features, capabilities, and value proposition in detail.
- To highlight real use cases and examples of your product solving customer problems.
- To help move leads further through the marketing funnel toward becoming paying customers.
This content is typically more bottom-of-the-funnel. The key is to deeply understand your target personas and create content directly addressing their needs and pain points that your product can solve. The content should make it easy for users to experience and self-serve with your product.
Some common examples of product-led content include:
- Product tutorials and how-to guides
- Product feature announcements and updates
- Product comparisons vs. competitors
- Customer case studies and success stories
- FAQs addressing common product questions
- Free tools/resources that integrate with the product
For example: This blog post by Ahrefs seamlessly adds their keyword research tool while explaining the process of ranking YouTube videos.
14. Podcast Post With Text
These posts allow you to repurpose podcast content into written form on your blog. The main benefits are:
- Increased visibility of your podcast via text searches.
- Potential ranking for relevant keywords within the podcast transcript.
Use AI transcription tools to convert the full audio into a text document. Edit and format the transcript to match your brand voice.
Pull out key quotes and insights into bullet points. Add a link to the original podcast or embed the audio.
For example, this blog post from Copyblogger features the transcript of their podcast interview with Seth Godin.
Use Blog Posts That Will Position Your Blog As An Expert In Your Niche
The purpose of any blog post is to add to building your expertise in your industry. The types of blog posts we discussed aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. The same topic may need different blog post types to cater to different audiences in the funnel.
| Suggested reading: Creating content for different stages of the buyer’s journey
Use the structured data/schemas to help the search engines understand your blog post type. Plugins like RankMath and Yoast offer a myriad of structured data schemas.
Select the blog post that will bring you more traffic and revenue. But also focus on creating informative content purely for educating your audience.
Even mix different formats to match the user intent. The ultimate goal is to satisfy your audience’s needs.
Suggested reading:
- Benefits of blogging for business
- How to find a profitable blogging niche
- 14 Ways to Promote Your Blog for Free
- Pillars of SEO for blogging
