8 'Creative' Types of Blog Posts

If you own a blog you know the importance of keeping your blog fresh and your audience interested. It can be challenging to come up with blog posts that won't bore your visitors and is interesting enough to keep them coming back.  

It doesn't matter whether you are blogging for fun or blogging to make money, if visitors are your goal then here are eight types of blog posts that you can use to keep your blog interesting, promote sharing, increase followers and encourage comments.  

Type 1 - The 'QUICK TIPS' Blog Post

Quick tips are great “in between” posts. They are short and normally between 100 and 250 words. If you have ideas that you want to share with your readers but it doesn’t justify a full blog post, posting quick tips are ideal. The tip should be focused on one key area of your niche. For example, “How to eat less when eating out” is a perfect 'quick tip' for a dieting blog.

Type 2 - The 'HOW TO' Blog Post

Expanding on the quick tips blog post, let's look at the 'how to' posts. These provide expanded and much more detailed information to your readers on how to do specific things related to your niche such as step-by-step instructional detail or specific examples.  You could even separate these posts into two or three part courses.  

For ideas on 'how to' posts, have a look at niche topic forums or other related blogs for questions that others are asking on how to do specific things. Well written, detailed informative 'how to' posts are typically very popular and can help recognize you as an authority in your field.

Type 3 - The ‘REVIEW’ Blog Post

Product or service reviews are especially useful to readers because it helps them with the decision buying process.  It's also a great way to monetize your blog.  This is particularly beneficial to affiliate marketers.  When you review a product and include your affiliate link, this gives you the opportunity to make a commission from each sale you generate.

The key to writing a credible 'review' blog post is not to simply go over the major benefits and highlights of the product, but to also mention things about the product that could be improved. This keeps your review balanced and also gives your reader a more objective view.  Your blog visitors will appreciate your candid honesty and will be more likely to trust your recommendation.

Type 4 - The RESOURCE Blog Post

Some of the most popular blogs use resource lists.  Blog readers love lists because they can easily scan the information and focus on what they are most interested in reading.  

For example, if writing a post on the '10 ways to lose weight fast' a resource list would mention the posts from related blogs that also have this information.  This gives your reader a much broader view of ideas and tips available to them.

By doing this you will also find that readers will look to you as a useful resource for finding as much well-rounded information as possible on the topic at hand.   

Type 5 - The INTERVIEW Blog Post

People love interviews, especially if it's with someone they like and admire.  Try interviewing someone in your niche and sharing the results of the interview with your blog readers. This is also a powerful traffic generator as the person you interview will most likely post the interview on their blog and around the web, bringing more traffic back to you!

Type 6 - The 'BEST OF' Blog Post

These are great end of the year or end of season posts.  For example, if you do a lot of reading, you might list the 'best of' articles, books or guides that you read during the past year.  Additionally, you could also create a post highlighting your most popular blog posts of the year. Whatever your niche, have a look back at the items, events or ideas that were the year's best and create a post around them.  This can be a fun, especially for the nostalgic reader.

Type 7 - The PERSONAL STORY' Blog Post

Everyone loves a personal story. Anyone that follows you or your blog would be interested in a personal event or happening related to your niche.  Did you attend a seminar? Did you buy a new product?  Did you have a mishap that could be made an example of?  Without getting too personal or overly detailed, writing a blog post on you personal achievements or activities almost always draws interest and feedback.

Type 8 - The 'NEWS' Blog Post

Every niche has some news related items or happenings.  Keep your eyes and ears open to what's going on, then find a newsworthy item and write your personal comments. This is not only an easy to create, quick post; it also encourages feedback from readers. Be sure to link to the post you are referring to along with your comments.