10 Types of Blog Posts (and How to Use Them Effectively)
You’ve got a great idea for a blog post and are ready to dive into researching and writing. But there’s one important piece you may not have considered – which blog post format should you use? With so many to choose from, it can be hard to decide on the right one for your audience and topic. In this post, we’ll cover 10 types of blog posts and how to know which is right for your project:
- Listicles
- How-to guides
- Problem–solution posts
- Compare and contrast posts
- Definitive guides to…
- Thought leadership posts
- Checklists and/or templates
- “What” posts
- “Why” posts
- Case Studies
How to Format a Blog Post
No matter which format you choose, your blog post should include four key elements: a title, an introduction, main body content, and a conclusion. This basic blog post structure can be applied to all the most common formats, and including these features helps readers comprehend your topic and easily scan the material to digest what you’ve written.
Next, let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of blog posts and the types of content they’re most used for. Note that there will be some overlap among most of these format types, and you may notice that some types fit into more than one category (e.g., a listicle that is also a problem–solution post).
10 of the Best Blog Post Formats
Below are 10 popular blog post formats and how you can use them effectively (with examples).
1. Listicles
A listicle is a type of blog post that is structured as a numbered or bulleted list of ideas, tips, facts, etc. Each item on the list is typically accompanied by a brief description or explanation. They’re especially popular with news and entertainment websites because they’re ideal for skim reading and can easily and concisely present a large amount of information. For example:
10 Simple Ways To Become More Productive at Work
5 Tips to Help Teachers Put the Joy Back in Reading
2. How-To Guides
One of the most popular blog post types is the how-to guide. How-to posts are essentially instructional guides – they’re informative, step-by-step articles that walk the reader through a particular task or explain how to do something. For example:
How to Build a Simple Bench With Shelf
3. Problem–Solution Posts
Problem–solution posts present a problem or challenge, usually in the introductory paragraph, and then discuss possible solutions throughout the main body content. While there may be some overlap between the contents of how-to and problem–solution posts, there is one main difference. How-to posts provide an exact step-by-step guide to completing a specific task, while problem–solution posts usually discuss more general methods or tips to solve a particular challenge. For example:
7 Habits of Highly Effective Grocery Shoppers
How to Organize Your Life So You Can Stress Less
4. Compare and Contrast Posts
Compare and contrast posts do just what the name implies: They take two or more ideas, products, places, etc. and compare and contrast them to help readers choose the best option. Many compare and contrast posts remain objective, meaning they don’t favor one option over the other. For example:
Headphones vs Earbuds: which is best for you?
Renting a House vs. Renting an Apartment: Which to Choose
5. Definitive Guides To…
A definitive guide is a type of in-depth blog post that extensively covers a specific topic. These types of posts tend to go into much greater detail than other guides and, as a result, tend to be longer. They’re more authoritative than other types of blog posts and may be written by an expert in that particular field. For example:
The Definitive Guide to Painting Your Home’s Exterior
6. Thought Leadership Posts
Thought leadership posts are a way for industry leaders to showcase their (sometimes unconventional or controversial) insights and innovations within a specific domain. Like definitive guides, they’re not the kind of blog posts you can brainstorm and write in a single day; rather, they’re the result of a substantial amount of research, consideration, and even consultations with other prominent industry leaders. For example:
Futureproofing Europe: How the NextGenerationEU programme is inspiring companies to transform
Adobe’s CEO says digital content has a persistent tailwind
7. Checklist and/or Template
A checklist post provides a structured, actionable list of items to be completed, while a template post presents a model example of how to do something or an outline for the reader to follow. For example:
Ultimate Blog Post Checklist: Things to Check Before and After Publishing
Letter of Recommendation Template (With Examples)
8. “What” Posts
Unlike definitive guides and thought leadership pieces, “what” posts are geared toward beginner readers. These types of posts introduce a topic or explain “what” a particular concept is (and why you should care about it). They may provide links to additional resources at the end of the post to further explore the subject in more detail. For example:
9. “Why” Posts
“Why” posts emphasize the significance of a particular topic, industry, concept, etc. Like “what” posts, they tend to be aimed toward a beginner audience. They are used to persuade the reader to believe a certain way and typically incorporate supporting evidence, such as data or statistics, to back up claims. For example:
Why Reducing Is Better Than Recycling
Why You Should Learn a Second Language
10. Case Studies
A case study is an in-depth examination of a particular person, group, or series of events in a real-world setting in order to understand the context in which something occurs. They are often structured in a way that tells a story (with a beginning, middle, and end) and are primarily used for academic research or business marketing purposes. For example:
How the Linux Foundation Streamlined Their Editorial Process
How Handled Scaled From Zero to 121 Locations with HubSpot
Becoming A Freelance Writer
Do you want to learn more about the different blog post formats and how to be successful as a freelance writer? Check out our Becoming A Freelance Writer course! It teaches you everything you need to know about writing successful content and launching your freelance writing business. Claim your free lessons and get started today!
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