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What started as personal blogging back in the 1990s has, today, evolved into garnering an audience for your brand and kicking in some solid conversions. Blogging is no longer only about sharing information; rather, doing it skillfully to build your brand’s image and attract potential customers.
However, let’s admit, blogging can be an uphill climb. Almost all your comparable bloggers or brands are sharing the same content that’s already in your content marketing strategy.
So, how do you stand out and serve the same old monotonous in an appetising way that attracts more readers?
You present it differently.
Blog writing formats are basically different anatomies your blogs can have. These are the structures in which you can present even the very basic information in a stylish, appealing and, most importantly, influencing way.
Different formats have varying purposes and the key to excel all these blog writing formats is to understand when and where to bring them into action.
Whether you’re just starting to explore the endless horizons of blogging and content marketing or are looking for inspiration to cure your writer’s block, learning the ABCs of these formats is what every business must know.
Given below are the 8 most interactive and lead-generating blog formats that can help you redefine content creation.
1. Listicles/ List
Simple, organised and easy-to-navigate, listicles or lists are psychologically attractive and enticing. That is, they intrigue the human brain more than any other blog type.
A blog titled “7 Reasons Why A Blog Section Is Essential For Your Website” creates excitement and pulls in more eyes than “Why A Blog Section Is Essential For Your Website”. Adding prime numbers like 3, 5, 7, 13, etc., to your titles can grab more attention. This also assures the reader regarding the content.
Moreover, listicles or lists are a great way to target even the busiest audience. They are always looking for information that can be scanned, digested and retained easily. And if you’re reading this, it’s enough proof.
2. How-To Guides
How-to guides are the best solution for blogs that require highly detailed, long explanations of doing a task, generally step-by-step. Such guides have efficacy in establishing your niche authority and trust within your readers.
For instance, “How To Write The Perfect Blog Post In 2022” would be a definitive guide. This answers a complex question in an informative manner that is also helpful. You can further use such a blog format to demonstrate the working of your product and hence increase brand awareness.
The world is overflowing with problems and a How-to guide can put a lid on all the mess. Give people the solution they need, and in no time, your blogs will have frequent visitors for more silver bullets.
3. Checklist/ Cheat Sheet
A checklist or a cheat sheet is very similar to a How-to guide. Although both offer solutions to a problem to the readers, checklists are crisper. It also acts as a cheat sheet for accomplishing a task.
Let’s understand this with a very basic example. Suppose there’s a how-to guide on SEO optimised content writing. This guide covers broad level steps like adding backlinks, interlinking your blogs, incorporating target keywords, etc.
A checklist on the same topic would include a completely designed plan to execute the same. For example, add at least 3 strong backlinks, keep the target keyword density at 2%, etc.
4. Reviews
Pretty self-explanatory, reviews are critical appraisals of products, services or brands in the world of business. They help readers make better decisions by verifying all the facts and providing a raw perspective into whatever’s reviewed.
Of course, writing reviews is also a skill. You’ll need to be honest with yourself and the reader to excel at it. Adding the sales-y layer to them will only make your readers distant from your blog and deem you unreliable.
5. News And Insights
News and insights are all about blessing your readers with the trendy and buzz worthy topics. These topics are the talk of your town, that is, your industry. Fill them in with the latest happenings related to your line of business as quickly as the event takes place.
Remember, news and insights are only valuable when they’re served hot and remain true to the core.
6. Interviews
Interviews are a great way to bring authenticity, especially when blogging for businesses. They are your golden chances to escape from the much-feared writer’s block. You can also add an expert opinion or influencer’s voice to your blog.
All you need to do is set a list of questions that convey your message and intent clearly. Then, have the interviewee fill out this questionnaire. Or you can also conduct the interview verbally and convert it to a written format that has the rawness retained.
Interviews work both ways when it comes to generating leads. The web sessions increase at your end. And when the interviewee re shares your blog within their network, chances of finding potential clients there as well shoot up.
7. Case Studies
If you’ve run out of blog formats and want something concrete that adds a professional touch to your website, writing a case study is what you need.
Case studies are all the rage today. It is a fact that they help build social proof and showcase your brand’s abilities, realistically. For instance, you can talk about your previous clients and how you helped them with your offerings. This elevates their user experience, backed up with client testimonials.
You discuss the issues tackled and strategies your brand adopted to gain the desired results. And your reader’s belief in your business’ potential strengthens.
8. Personal Storytelling
Personal storytelling has been the best way for imparting information to your readers for ages. It’s exceptional because regardless of being intangible, it can touch hearts and minds, and connect people together.
Penning down your brand story, the inspiration behind it and how it was founded. These are some of the best ways to bring personal storytelling into play.
Of course, these blogs will have to be more humane than guides or cheat sheets. Adopt an emotional approach to convey your journey or thoughts while educating your readers.
Conclusion
Blogging and content writing are categorically rich. Understanding their branches will give you the upper hand in the game of content marketing. This is true whether you outsource content writing services or have an in-house team prepared.
With such a vibrant variety of blog types, the website content in your blog section is all set. It will provide a highly engaging reading experience to your visitors. Furthermore, a strong mix of blog writing formats eliminates readers’ boredom from the picture. This makes your upcoming blogs a much-awaited release.
Always ensure that whichever format you prefer is put to its best use. Choose topics that are relevant and directly aligned with the blog type. Your blog will be good to go. It will become an ace up your sleeve in building your online presence and website traffic.
