There’s no short cut to success. If you want to build a profitable blog, you have got to put in a lot of stellar content out there for your audience. Not just that, you have to diversify your content strategy to use different types of content formats that work. There are plenty of fresh and interesting ways to present your content and grow the blog. Don’t know how? Here’s a list of different types of content that Will Drive More Traffic, also are proven to draw a large audience, increase engagement, boost SEO, and help you build a solid brand.
1. How-to Posts
Everyone loves step-by-step how-to tutorials which make the process of learning something new or solving a problem fairly simple. Any solution showing a how-to post or video is a golden opportunity for attracting a targeted audience. If laid out in an easy-to-understand, step-by-step, and detailed manner, these posts/ videos perform extremely well and go viral really quickly.
Pro Tip: Make it a long and detailed post, almost like a short report or book. It is great if you can include images or screenshots describing each step.
2. Latest News
You will not believe the number of pages that make money on the internet purely on shock value. Of course, unless your blog is an all-news blog, you can also use breaking news related to your industry in combination with other pieces of information.
The biggest advantage of breaking and the latest news is that you do not have to create it from scratch. You just have to put together the most important bits of information and rewrite it. Lots of blog owners curate news pieces from other sources and link back to them.
People love to follow interesting or important pieces of information related to their industry or area of interest. It goes a long way in establishing your blog’s credibility and authority, which is important if you want to get people to buy from you.
The way to get it right is by opting for quality over quantity. Do not populate your viral fed or blog with too many click-bait style breaking news pieces. Position yourself as an idea influencer in your industry. Offer only high value, useful, and insightful content. You can either publish a piece of breaking news daily or create weekly/ monthly news updates.
3. Infographics
Infographics are hugely popular, especially when it comes to social sharing. People love to share content that is presented in a comprehensive, yet condensed, format.
Human beings are wired to be attracted to anything that’s presented in an easy-to-understand, visual format. We dig interactivity, research, and stats that are packaged in a more digestible form.
Creating appealing and share-worthy infographics is time-consuming. You can do it yourself using an app like Canva, EDIT.org or Photoshop if you are more graphically inclined or you can hire someone from elance, Guru, or oDesk to do it for you. Visual.ly is also a good place for getting started with infographics.
If you do not want to make your infographics from scratch, share existing ones. There are lots of handy infographics available to be embedded through a simple Google search. Just ensure you have the permission to use it, and credit it to the right source. This types of content that Will Drive More Traffic and can boost SEO.
4. Lists
Again, it is no secret that people love lists, which explains the barrage of “10 best things to do” and “30 best places to head to” etc. on your social feed. Readers love content that is presented to them in a systematic, digestible, and structured manner.
Can you really resist clicking on list-based headlines that sound interesting and informative? This is the classic go to post for any content creator or marketer.
There’s a neat little trick to get these posts right. Start by introducing a problem. List possible solutions for the problem, and offer a strong, actionable conclusion that nudges the reader to act upon these solutions.
Provide value to the reader by making these list posts as detailed and comprehensive as possible. Most Important – be sure to give these posts attention-grabbing and non-misleading headlines. Your “10 Good Content Formats” (even if exceptionally well-written) may not grab as many views as “10 Outrageously Successful Content Formats That You Aren’t Using Yet.” If you need people to be all ears to your message, convey it with a punch.
Pro Tip: do not just list all the points to read like a grocery list. Take the time to discuss each point, offer your own insights, present numbers, and justify the item’s inclusion in the list. For instance, if you are telling people Greece is one of the best places for destination weddings in 2020, tell them why too (number of tourists, great weather, visitor friendly conditions, easy laws, etc.). Always focus on offering a strong value proposition to your audience.
5. Round-Ups
Expert round-ups may seem easy because you are not creating the content yourself. However, it may take time and effort to put it all together.
Round-ups are nothing but posts where several experts in your subject share their number one tip or answer a focused question related to the topic. For instance, if you are running a blog in the internet marketing domain, you may pose questions such as “What is your number one tip for growing social media followers or generating traffic for your blog?”
Roundups work because they are beneficial for everyone involved. Your readers get access to a whole list of expert tips. The influencers get to reinforce their expert status by sharing your post among their followers and readers. You get plenty of shares from different experts (imagine 20 different experts all sharing your posts among their followers to demonstrate that they have been featured as experts yet again).
However, it is not easy to put together a round-up. You need to approach influencers and get them to agree to be featured in the round-up. However, if you can pull off a few fantastic round-ups, you may manage to draw a swarm of blog traffic.
Some good tools for finding influencers in your niche are BuzzSumo, Traackr, Linkdex, and more. You can also search on social media using popular hashtags or keywords related to your niche.
6. PowerPoint Presentations and Slides
This is a highly proven format that seldom goes wrong. It makes for a visual and interactive way to get across information to a focused audience. Slideshare is a great platform for sharing information in a slide show format. This types of content that Will Drive More Traffic and can draw a large audience.
Keep it a mix of information and entertainment. Do not make the readers feel like they are being held hostage in a boring meeting or the boardroom. Even the most serious topic can do with a dash of humor. This is a simple yet highly effective way to put across a ton of information in a quick, understandable format.
7. Case Studies
Case studies are a perfect way to flaunt your expertise in the industry. The ideal way is to take up something that you have worked on yourself. If you can present to your readers how a particular approach helped others meet their goals, etc., you will automatically appear more authoritative and credible to them. If you are selling a product or service on your blog, it is a good idea to include a case study about the value it offered someone. You are doing nothing but validating your product or reinforcing its merit.
A great case study is similar to a how to post, only more focused, insightful, and detailed. Sum it up with the lessons readers can take back from it along with a powerful conclusion that gets them thinking. End with a strong call to action.
Pro tip: Do not simply rattle away facts and figures to appear intelligent. Weave the fact and figures into a story to make the case study more relatable and identifiable. Adding a human touch to it makes it more engaging than a clinical approach of merely rattling off facts.
8. Reviews
These are your manna from heaven where blog profits are concerned. Review-based posts are great for affiliate marketers promoting the products and services of others.
Richly written, pictorial, and detailed reviews, which are presented in an easy to follow format are hugely lucrative.
Ensure the reviews are broken up into short paragraphs. Include lots of bullet points (pros and cons of a product or service), tables, and visuals. Tables can be used to demonstrate what the product or service offers in comparison to similar products or services. This types of content that Will Drive More Traffic and can increase engagement.
The ideal structure is beginning with an introduction, sharing your experience with the product (merits and demerits), and a conclusion (stating whether you would recommend the product to your readers). Summarize the key points of the review to facilitate quick reading for those who do not have much time at their disposal.
Finally, include a powerful call to action.
9. Guides, eBooks or Short Reports
If you think there is a huge need for detailed and lengthy information related to a particular area of your niche, go ahead, and create a detailed guide or short report for it. These are more extensive in content and visuals than blog posts. You can offer your readers to download it in PDF format. What’s more?
This can be a huge bait for getting interested readers to sign up for your email list. Enlist the assistance of a graphic designer to help you put together the layout and cover for the guide or report
If you want to make the value proposition, even more, create an entire eBook related to the topic. You will get ideas for the book simply by keeping your ears close to what your readers are saying. For instance, if you own a travel blog and keep posting about your global adventures, readers may ask you about how you manage to travel to so many destinations or your favorite tips for traveling cheap. This is a great opportunity to dive head on into creating an eBook about budget travel tips. You get the drift? Identify an area where people are desperately looking for information within your niche. It does not have to be a 200 page document. You can create a short eBooks with an eye-catching cover and gripping, valuable content. This is also an effective way to attract more readers, social media followers, and subscribers.
10. Memes
Admit it, we have all shared memes that have made us laugh or touched us deeply. Memes are not just great for social sharing but also help your readers take a breather from more long-winded and serious content, and look at the lighter side of a situation.
Memes can be made without much time or effort using resources such as Meme Generator or Quick Meme. They can be customized for any subject or industry. If you want to put your point across in a smarter and more light hearted way, memes are the way to go.
Of course, they cannot be standalone pieces of content on your blog. However, they can be used for gaining some social media traction or complementing text posts. This types of content that Will Drive More Traffic and can boost SEO.
To avoid any miscommunication or controversy, ensure that you do a little background research to understand the connotations attached to different characters and what they stand for. Do not blindly lift images to create memes without understanding the attached significance. The last thing you want is a backfired effort.
11. Interviews
Interviews are another great way to impress your audience. The more authoritative and influential your interviewee, the better it is for your blog credibility. Your followers/ readers can learn a lot when it comes straight from the horse’s mouth. Pick an important figure within your industry, and get them to feature for a full-length interview on your blog.
You can either do a video interview, a live podcast, or send a list of questions for the person to answer in a textual format. Look at Mixergy for instance. The site is dedicated to interviewing accomplished people.
How do you go about conducting an interview?
Begin by introducing the expert. Highlight their accomplishments to make the prospect of listening to them attractive for readers.
Prepare a list of questions in advance by doing some background research about the experts. Of course, follow up questions will pop up throughout the interview. However, a set of prepared questions will lend it a structure. Conclude the interview by doing a quick summary of all the interesting and important things discussed in the interview. Offer your audience/ readers a clear takeaway. Make a conclusion more urgent and actionable. This types of content that Will Drive More Traffic and can increase engagement.
12. Printable Check Lists and To-Do Lists
This one sure makes the life of your readers easier by compiling all the scattered tasks or items into a single, organized list. It ensures that a task is done more efficiently, and nothing is left out. Wedding checklists, travel checklists, new baby checklists, blog creation checklist, etc., are extremely popular among their target audience.
Give your readers the option of saving these checklists in a printable PDF format. Checklists are great when it comes to getting readers to sign up for your mailing list.
13. Videos
Videos are a brilliant way to make your content both appealing and informative to your readers. Multiple studies have pointed to the fact that people register things more powerfully when they see it being done than simply reading about it.
Visuals strike a chord with your target audience and add variety to your content strategy. Social is becoming increasingly visual in nature. It is all about eye-catching visuals and slickly packaged, easy-to-follow videos. Also, YouTube is the world’s second most widely used search engine, which gives you a fair idea about the amount of video content people are consuming.
Make videos that show off your blog’s/ brand’s personality. It does not cost a lot to make basic, good quality videos. Use a smartphone for capturing a video, along with an editing software tool such as Camtasia.
Experiment with multiple video formats like screencasts (talking into the camera), fast paced videos, or explainer videos. Keep it short, power-packed and to the point, since people do not really have the time to view videos that ramble endlessly. Plus, putting up your video on YouTube boosts your social signal with Google, who sees all the engagement as a validation of your content and popularity among readers.
Pro Tip: Give your videos a more well-rounded context by including a blog post or a video transcript (that viewers can later refer).
14. Spotlight Posts
People love human interest stories that relate to other people. When you create personal spotlight posts, you instantly engage followers emotionally. It makes the content more interesting and digestible for people. For instance, you can create a behind the scenes story featuring your employees or clients.
Make your blog more personal by showing your audience how it works. It will invariably make your brand appear more human, identifiable, and approachable. This types of content that Will Drive More Traffic and can build a solid brand.
Alternatively, you can take advantage of a personal spotlight post by interviewing someone in or out of your company. This is especially beneficial if you can wrangle someone with a recognizable name, but this is not a necessity.
Personal spotlight posts can be beneficial in making you seem more personal, but they should not constitute the majority of your campaign.
