Here’s the short answer: a variety of content.
Posting a variety of content helps you achieve three goals:
- You can see what your audience responds to the best.
- You can use a type of post that best fits your goals.
- You can keep your audience engaged with the variety.
Okay, so now you want specifics, right? Take at look at these 10 types of blog posts and when to use them…
1. The How To Post
This is where you teach people how to complete a process in a step-by-step format. If you give people an overview of a process, then you can sell an information product with the complete and detailed steps.
E.G., “How to Housetrain a Puppy in Three Easy Steps!”
2. The List Post
This is where you list things such as resources, gear, your “greatest hits” blog posts, free reports, the best social media posts, the best paid resources and more. This is a good way to share valuable information, yet make sales or drive traffic on the backend.
E.G., “The Top 10 Tools Every Online Marketer Ought To Use”
3. The Tips Post
This is a useful yet incomplete post that works great for soft selling a related information product on the backend.
4. The Rant Post
This is just what it sounds like—a somewhat passionate tirade where you express your opinion, often on a controversial topic. This is a good post to make when you’re trying to stir up viral traffic.
E.G., “Why I’m Sick and Tired of ‘Gurus’ (And Why You Should Be Too)!”
5. The Industry News Post
The idea here is to share late-breaking news that impacts your audience, and then let your audience know how this news affects them. (And, where applicable, what steps they need to take next.)
This is a good post to use when you want to establish yourself as an authority in a niche, and/or be the “go to” guy or gal on a topic.
6. The Infographic Post
Instead of sharing a pure text post, you might create an infographic instead. This is a good type of post to use when you’re sharing data-heavy information.
It’s also a good choice when you’re looking to create viral content.
7. The Tools Post
This is where you create and share tools to help your audience achieve a goal. These tools might include items such as:
- Worksheets
- Checklists
- Mind maps
- Cheat sheets
- Planners
These tools work well to help prospects identify and solve a problem, and they’re a good introduction to an information product.
E.G., “The Get-Out-Of-Debt Worksheet”
8. The Product Comparison Post
Just as the name says, this is where you compare two products to let readers know which one is right for them. This is a good post to use when you’re selling an affiliate offer.
9. The Product Review Post
This is where you use a product and then offer your honest opinion about its strengths and weaknesses.
Creating honest product reviews helps you build relationship and trust in the market (think Consumer Reports guides here), and it also helps you sell affiliate offers.
10. The Direct Promo
This is where you warm up your leads by sharing the benefits of a product, and then send them on to the sales page.
You can use this post to sell either affiliate products or your own products.