The Eight Types of Blogging Formats and How To Use Them

25
Apr 2023

As a digital marketing professional, I know that many businesses question the need for consistent blogging. Even though blogging comes with obvious SEO benefits, it is understandable that you would not want to get stuck in the rut of writing boring and predictable blogs.

I’ve worked for years with businesses across a myriad of industries, including those in industries with heavy technical jargon and industries marketing to the youngest demographics of consumers. No two blogging strategies are the same. Depending on your goals, an effective copywriter will deploy different blogging formats.

Related Article: 5 Copywriting Principles That Every Digital Marketing Strategy Should Utilize

Eight Types of Blogging Formats and Their Uses

In the same way that journalists ask good” who, what, where, when, and why” questions, an effective blogging strategy influenced by brand journalism will attempt to answer one or more of these questions. Generally, blogs will fall under one of eight blog types.

The “What Is” Post

A “What Is” blog explains an industry-specific topic in order to bring traffic to your website. It is best used as evergreen content — content that is relevant to your industry, regardless of current events. A “What Is” blog  can be beneficial for businesses in niche industries if you want to explain services to your intended audience. In a good “What Is” article, the writer will:

  • Drive organic traffic to your website with the best SEO practices
  • Be inclusive enough to answer any questions searchers may have
  • Address specific pain points that your audience has
  • Tell readers why this information should spur them to contact you
  • Speak to your intended audience, whether that be made up of industry experts or laypersons
  • Aim to contain content that could become a “Featured Snippet” – Content that is shown by google at the top of the page in search queries.

The “How-To” Post

The “How To” blog educates readers on a specific process, whether highly technical, or causal. It is best for businesses with products that need instructions and can act as a supplemental guide to get readers started before contacting you. In a good “How-To” post, the writer will:

  • Break down a process into logical steps
  • Understand and answer the questions the searchers are asking
  • Include a visual guide or a video if possible and beneficial
  • Summarize the steps with bullets at the beginning or the end
  • Make good use of header tags so readers can quickly find the information they are looking for

The “Why” Post

The “Why” blog explains an industry-specific topic, but may also include some elements of exclusive insight, theoretical, or historical information. This is best for businesses with industries that are particularly niche or if you value sharing expertise. “Why” posts can help you become an industry leader. In a good “Why” post, the writer will:

  • Take advantage of the elements of storytelling and journalism
  • Include in-depth research and further thought exercises
  • Understand why the topic at hand is important to readers

The Listicle

The listicle lists related information together in a way that describes a singular topic and is easily digestible. These post types are wildly popular, and can be beneficial if you want to compile a lot of information into one blog post. A good listicle will:

  • Make use of header tags
  • Include interesting visuals
  • Include all information relevant to the topic, without being too granular
  • Include helpful links to encourage readers to learn more or seek out your services

The Curated Post

A curated post is a blog that has been curated with helpful links surrounding a specific topic. These links can be either internal links to additional pages on your site or links to external sites. This is beneficial to you because it can keep readers coming back to a single page that has all the information they need about a topic, even if the blog itself encourages readers to click away. In a good curated post, the writer will:

  • Establish you as a thought leader
  • Be inclusive of all information that a reader may seek
  • Be well researched
  • Include informational visuals when appropriate

The Culture Post

This blog type demonstrates company culture. The tone may be as professional or fun as you want. It may show a behind-the-scenes peek into your culture, or it may show how you interact with your audience in the real world. In a good culture post, a writer will:

  • Match the brand personality and tone of your company
  • Create rapport with the audience
  • Build trust with readers

The News Report

This blog post reports on recent industry news. This type of post reports on insights your business has of which the general public may not have access. News Reports keep your website reputable and current by setting you and your business up as a timely source of information for your industry at a specific time by providing updates. In a good news report, a writer will:

  • Be sensitive and timely to the issue at hand
  • Seek many points of view before making an assertion
  • Feature your commentary, making sure not to say anything that will polarize or isolate your audience.

The Infographic

The infographic is a highly visual post that is meant to explain information in a succinct, understandable, and easily shareable format. Infographics can be created in partnership with designers, although they may still contain written elements. Infographics make complex topics easy to digest, and boost traffic to your site. A good infographic will:

  • Be informative and inclusive without being messy
  • Include your visual branding
  • Make use of alt text

73% of people admit to skimming rather than reading a blog post.

Effective copy presents the information that users need immediately.

Our team works as an extension of your team to carefully craft fully developed and expertly researched blog posts, landing pages, white papers, e-newsletters, and email drip campaigns that will keep your audience engaged.

Contact Us to schedule a complimentary brainstorming session on developing a blogging program for your business.

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