What’s the Difference Between a Blog Post and an Article?

Do you know the difference between a blog post and an article? They may appear to be the same at first glance, but there are differences between them.

As a freelance writer, it’s important to be clear on your clients’ expectations before you start a project – especially if they use the two words interchangeably. Ideally, their expectations are clearly set in a content brief. If not, it’s best to check that you’re on the same page. Otherwise, you may need to spend extra time revising the content later on.

In this blog post, we define what blogs and articles are, point out seven key differences between the two, and share real-world examples to help you feel confident in telling them apart.

What Is a Blog Post?

The word blog is a portmanteau of the words web and log, which was condensed over time into the more recognizable blog. As the name suggests, a blog is typically published on an individual’s or a company’s website.

Blogs are one of the most popular forms of online content, with around 7.5 million new blogs being published worldwide every day. They can serve many purposes. There are personal blogs (where individuals share updates, experiences, and opinions), educational blogs, and corporate blogs used to market products or services – and these are just a few examples!

Blog posts can vary in length (anywhere from 600 to 2,000 words) but are usually on the shorter side and focus on one key idea. They tend to be more informal and conversational in style, making them a great tool for connecting with a target audience and building a community. Learning how to write and structure compelling blog posts can massively help you connect with your readers and convert them into clients.

Blog Post Examples

To help you get a better sense of what blog posts look and sound like, here are a few examples:

1. ChatGPT for SEO: Everything We Know So Far (HubSpot)
   This post is written in an accessible, conversational tone and uses short paragraphs, subheadings, and bulleted lists to engage readers. It’s clearly optimized for search engines and focused on solving a specific problem – all characteristics of a blog.
   
2. Design systems: What it is, examples, & how to create one (Webflow)
   Though it covers a technical topic, this post uses plain language, simple examples, and visual aids to communicate with a general design-savvy audience. Its approachable structure and how-to format make it a textbook blog post.
   
3. Best times to post on social media in 2025 (Sprout Social)
   This post is built around a recurring question in digital marketing and presents data in a highly readable, skimmable format. It’s meant to educate and support customers – a primary goal of business blogging.
   
4. 15 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science (Buffer)
   This is a classic listicle-style blog, combining research with friendly, motivational writing. It’s designed to entertain and inspire while driving engagement.
   
5. Slash Your Bills With a Phone Call: 7 Pro Negotiating Tips (NerdWallet)
   This piece uses a conversational tone, personal storytelling, and actionable tips to engage readers. It’s informal, skimmable, and framed around a relatable scenario.

What Is an Article?

Articles, on the other hand, are longer (usually over 2,500 words) pieces with a more formal tone. They tend to focus on the more technical aspects of a product, business, or industry, exploring a topic in depth. While blog posts usually stick to one key idea, an article may address several different points.

The intent of articles is also to inform readers about a topic, but the audience is more specific (e.g., readers with specific academic or technical knowledge). As such, the way an article is written is different from the way you write a piece for the mass market.

Articles tend to follow a logical rather than a narrative structure. They begin with a set of hypotheses, use evidence to build an argument, and conclude. The writer uses external opinions and quotes to back up their argument, citing their sources using references. Articles may be published on a website, but more often, they feature in technical/academic journals, magazines, and periodicals.

Article Examples

Below are five examples of articles that demonstrate how they differ from blog posts in tone, structure, and purpose. These pieces are formal, research based, and typically aimed at a niche or expert audience:

1. Understanding Stakeholder Capitalism: Serving All Interests (Investopedia)
   This article uses formal definitions, structured subsections, and citations to explain a financial concept in detail.
   
2. Do Your Marketing Metrics Show You the Full Picture? (Harvard Business Review)
   This business article combines expert commentary and structured analysis to challenge conventional thinking, a typical goal of thought-leadership content.
   
3. Superagency in the workplace: Empowering people to unlock AI’s full potential (McKinsey)
   This article presents an in-depth analysis with supporting evidence and forecasts. It’s written for a corporate audience and structured like a consulting brief.
   
4. The Case for Reparations (The Atlantic)
   A long-form feature article that uses investigative reporting, historical sources, and persuasive argument.
   
5. Britain must acclimatise to heatwaves – and fast (The Guardian)
   This article addresses a timely environmental issue using expert sources, public policy references, and a formal tone. It’s written to inform and persuade policymakers and engaged readers – not to entertain or casually educate.

Blog vs. Article: 7 Important Differences

Now that we’ve discussed blogs and articles individually, let’s compare some of the most important differences between the two.

1. Purpose

Both blog posts and articles aim to inform, but they do so in different ways and for different strategic reasons.

Blog posts are usually written to:

• • Attract new readers through content that integrates search engine optimization (SEO) and uses shareable formats

• • Educate or entertain audiences in an accessible, engaging voice

• • Showcase products or services and how they can solve a reader’s problem

• • Simplify complex topics so nonexperts can understand them

• • Encourage action, whether that’s clicking a link, subscribing, or making a purchase

Articles are typically written to:

• • Explore a topic in depth

• • Support claims with evidence, quotes, or expert sources

• • Demonstrate authority or subject matter expertise

• • Target a specialist audience who already knows the basics

• • Contribute to professional discourse or position the brand as a thought leader

For example, a fintech company might commission a blog post titled “5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score in 2025” to drive traffic from search engines and introduce readers to their credit-monitoring app.

That same fintech company might publish a long-form article analyzing “How Buy Now, Pay Later Is Reshaping Consumer Lending” – featuring expert commentary, original data, and industry projections – to position themselves as innovators.

2. Audience

Understanding who you’re writing for is essential, and it’s one of the biggest differences between blog posts and articles.

Blog posts are typically written for a general audience or professionals looking for quick insights. The tone is friendly and accessible, and writers assume limited prior knowledge of the topic.

Articles, by contrast, are aimed at a specific, informed audience, such as researchers, industry experts, investors, or policy professionals. They use a more formal tone and often include technical language, citations, or in-depth data.

For instance, BirdBonica is a birdwatching blog for the general public, with posts such as “The 10 Easiest Birds to Spot in Your Backyard.” The Journal of Ornithology, on the other hand, publishes peer-reviewed articles for academic ornithologists, such as “Population Dynamics of Arctic Shorebirds in a Warming Climate.”

3. Length

While there’s no universal rule for how long a piece of content should be, blog posts and articles tend to fall into different word count ranges.

Blog posts are generally shorter, falling between 600 and 2,000 words. Shorter blogs (under 1,000 words) might cover a single tip, tool, or how-to, while longer blogs often serve SEO purposes and may include lists, FAQs, or internal links to other resources.

Articles are usually much longer, often 2,500 to 5,000+ words, and require more time to plan, research, and write. They may include original interviews, in-depth data analysis, case studies, or multiple sections covering different angles of a topic.

A 1,000-word blog post titled “7 Ways to Save Time as a Freelancer” might use a numbered list format with a casual tone and quick examples. In contrast, a 3,500-word article on “The Evolution of the Freelance Economy in the U.S.” might include expert quotes, historical context, and market projections.

4. Formatting and Structure

The structure of a piece isn’t just about aesthetics; it shapes how readers engage with the content.

Blog posts are typically designed for quick, easy reading. They use:

• • Short paragraphs (1–3 sentences)

• • Subheadings (H2s and H3s)

• • Bullet points and numbered lists

• • Inline links to other posts or products

• • Visual breaks like images, charts, or quotes

They’re often SEO-friendly, meaning they follow a predictable, scannable format that search engines and human readers both appreciate.

Articles, by contrast, tend to follow a more traditional editorial structure. They might include:

• • An introduction that sets up a thesis or an argument

• • Sequential sections with topic sentences and analysis

• • Fewer subheadings and lists 

• • Footnotes or endnotes for citations

• • More formal transitions between ideas

A blog post might open with a punchy one-line hook, follow with subheadings such as “Step 1” and “Step 2,” and include a bullet-point checklist at the end. An article, by contrast, may begin with a multi-paragraph introduction, flow through longer, uninterrupted sections of analysis, and end with a formal conclusion or executive summary.

5. Language and Style

The tone and style of a piece often tell you more about its purpose than the word count does – and it’s one of the easiest ways to spot whether something is a blog post or an article.

Blog posts are usually written in a conversational, informal tone. They often sound like a helpful friend explaining something clearly and quickly. Contractions, rhetorical questions, and even mild humor are common. 

Articles, by contrast, tend to use a formal, objective tone. They avoid casual phrasing and favor precision, evidence, and neutral language. The writer may speak with more distance and structure arguments carefully, often with citations or quotes to support key points.

Healthline’s article on rapid COVID tests uses plain language and simple sentence structure to make medical information accessible to the general public. An equivalent article in The Lancet is dense, heavily referenced, and assumes a professional medical audience.

6. Research

It’s a common misconception that blog posts aren’t researched, but many are. The key difference lies in the depth and type of research involved.

Blogs usually rely on secondary research, such as reputable websites, news stories, statistics, or expert quotes already published elsewhere. The goal is to synthesize existing information and explain it in a simplified, engaging way.

Articles, on the other hand, often require more extensive or original research. This might include:

• • Primary research (e.g., interviews, surveys, and original data analysis)

• • Multiple source types, including academic journals, white papers, and industry reports

• • Formal citation methods (APA, Chicago, etc.)

• • Structured referencing to support each claim

For example, a blog post on budgeting might link to a few trustworthy personal finance sites. An article on economic inequality, however, might cite academic studies, feature original interviews with economists, and analyze multi-year datasets.

7. Distribution

Where and how a piece of content is published often signals whether it’s a blog post or an article.

Blog posts are typically published on a company or personal website. They’re often created with SEO in mind, using keywords, meta descriptions, and internal links to boost visibility. Many are also designed to be shared via social media or email newsletters, so the tone is reader-friendly and the structure scannable.

Articles, on the other hand, are often distributed through third-party platforms such as academic journals, media outlets, industry publications, or corporate white papers. They’re not usually written for SEO but for authority and influence. Discoverability is more likely to come through citations, syndication, or professional networks.

For instance, a blog post published on a brand’s website might be optimized to rank for the key phrase “best productivity tools 2025.” An article on the same topic might appear in a digital magazine or B2B report, intended for peer discussion or industry benchmarking.

Blog Post vs. Article at a Glance

Here’s a quick summary of the main differences between blog posts and articles:

Want to Learn How to Write Blog Posts?

Do you want to write blogs but don’t know where to start? Our Becoming A Freelance Writer course takes you through the process of writing a blog post or an article from start to finish.

Plus, if you pass the final assignment with a score of 80% or more, you’ll be offered the opportunity to build your portfolio by writing three blog posts for Knowadays!

If you’re still not sure, you can try a sample out for free.

Related posts:

What Is a Content Brief? (And Why You Need One) How to Write a Blog Title That Gets Clicks 9 Ways to Become a Better Writer What’s the Difference between B2B and B2C Writing?