Mix your content: 9 different types of blog posts for effective content marketing

You’re stuck. You have no idea what to write. Your head seems empty.

If you’ve been blogging for a while, it’s a writer’s block or bloggers block – I’m not making this up, this is blogging jargon! – unavoidable.

In our previous article you could read how you can find inspiration for the topics of your blog.

But you can also vary in the style of your blogs. There are so many types of blog posts that you can use to mix your content.

Not only does mixing the blog posts help to overcome your writer’s block, but if you change things, your readers will stay involved because you are not that predictable.

No inspiration for your next blog post? Then check this list with different types of blogs. This time an infographic, how-to-tutorial or list?

The 9 best types of blog posts
1 / How-tos and tutorials
How-tos or how-to blogs are blog posts that explain how something works or works. “How should I assemble an Ikea cabinet? How do I save for retirement? “These are the most popular types of blogs. Why? Because people search the web for answers to their questions. Your potential customers also have questions that they will ask Google at one time or another. You can help them by addressing their problem step by step in a post – a tutorial – and thus offering them a solution.

Many entrepreneurs seem to be scared of these types of posts because they think that people no longer want to hire them once they have shown their knowledge. But here they are completely wrong. First of all, it is impossible to put all your expertise in a blog post. Even if you explain to someone step by step how to paint a room, they will probably still come to you for advice, buy your paint or hire you for the job if they don’t feel like it in the end. They have heard of you now and may come back to you in the future or recommend you to friends and family. How-tos and tutorials help you build your credibility and expertise with your audience.

A personal example of a how-to blog post is: How to start keyword research.

2 / Lists
Lists are very popular as blog posts because it meets our urge to find the best information quickly and efficiently. “The 10 best tips to lose weight” or “5 must-haves for your wardrobe this summer”. There is so much information available on the internet that people often no longer see the forest for the trees. As a blogger you help them to create clarity in the chaos. It is also a nice way to share your own insights, based on your years of expertise or recent experiences.

A personal example of a list post: The 11 best tips to start a business blog.

3 / Receiver item
This is very similar to the “lists” post with the big difference that it is content from others that you “curate” in the form of a list. This is an easy post to write if you are learning about a new theme in your field. You have already done the necessary work, why not list this and share it with the world? You can also ask experts in your field for tips on a specific topic and then collect them in a post such as “20 online marketing tips from experts”. They also always do well.

An example of such a post is our post about SEO learning: here I share my best sources and links to learn search engine optimization myself (and for free).

4 / Checklists and cheat sheets
Checklists and cheat sheets or cheat sheets (try saying that!) Also meet the human need to have everything under control and not to forget anything. For example, a pharmacist can offer a checklist for the travel pharmacy. A broker a list that you should pay attention to when viewing a property. The lists can then be downloaded as a PDF via the website and of course have your logo and contact details on it.

An example is our blog about the essential parts of a good website.

5 / Definitions or “what is” posts
Explain to your readers a concept from your field in understandable language. That can be a trend, technique or product. It is important that you feel that many people do not know it yet or do not understand it properly and are looking for clear information.

An example of such a post is our article about online marketing: what is it? How do you start ?.

6 / Reviews
Reviews of one product or comparisons of multiple products are extremely popular. Most people simply don’t have time to delve into it so they look for a quick solution online. It can bring you many visitors.

7 / Infographics
Infographic charts allow you to share a lot of information in an easily accessible way. People like interesting statistics that are easy to understand and also look nice. Info graphics are often shared on social media.

8 / Interviews
Interviews with customers, experts or colleagues can be processed in a nice blog post.

9 / Questions from customers
You may often get the same questions from customers. Turn these questions into a blog post. What makes this type of post very strong is that you can formulate the question in such a way that it matches the questions people ask Google. Ideal for SEO!