Coming up with content for your blog can sometimes seem difficult, especially if you’re not aware of all the different types of content you can create into a blog post. Once you realize that almost any type of content can become blog posts it’s easier to create a lot of different content.
1. “How To” Posts
Teaching your readers things is a great type of post to create. You can do how to posts about any number of topics within your niche. If you’re not sure where to start, always choose to start at the beginning. Don’t forget that someone out there within your niche is a beginner.
2. Lists Posts
Creating lists is a great way to create a useful blog post. A list can be anything from a resource list, to a list of do’s and don’ts. Even a list of products that you like to use (using your affiliate links of course) is a great way to put content on your blog. Your readers will be interested in any relevant lists that you can create.
3. Long Blog Posts
Most blog posts that you create will usually be 500 words or so, but on occasion, it’s good to write a really long post. A blog post that goes very in-depth and is about 1500 words long is a great way to include hard-hitting relevant content on your blog.
4. Tutorials
This is kind of like the “how to” post but it goes more into it by using photos and maybe even video to demonstrate how to do something within your niche. Make sure it’s something your audience wants to learn to do. If you have a cooking-related website, you can teach your audience how to chop veggies properly and safely. If you build WordPress sites, you can teach your audience how to add a blog post.
5. Videos
All blog posts don’t have to include text. You can create a two or three minute video blog instead of a text blog post. Include a text description, post it on YouTube, and embed it into your blog for more traffic possibilities via the YouTube audience. You can also use your videos in other places, like in your LinkedIn profile.
6. Images with Commentary
Infographics, using data from studies relating to your niche, are a great way to provide interesting content for your blog. You can create images using stock photos or you can make them yourself using a quote in attractive text. It’s a good idea to include some commentary because search engines do not pick up text that’s on an image. Use both the “alt” tags as well as some text to describe the image.
7. Short Focused Posts
Creating a very short post, 300 words or so, about one very focused issue or topic within your niche is another good way to include content on your blog. If you have a short update, it’s okay to put a short blog post on your website. They don’t all have to be profound.
8. Blog Post Round-Ups
You can collect blog posts from other people who write about your niche, or you can do a round-up of blogs that were on your site during the week such as “most viewed” or important bits of information that you don’t want your audience to miss. Be sure to only put a short blurb and a link to the blog posts that you did not write, because you don’t want to steal someone else’s work.
9. Product and Book Reviews
If you get paid or get a product free in exchange for doing a review, you must disclose it. But if you can, also purchase the products yourself and use affiliate links to earn some money for products you review and recommend. Reviewing books within your niche on Amazon is also a great way to get traffic to your blog, by the way.
10. Critiques and Commentary
Read something that you want to comment about on the web? You can give a short synopsis of the blog post, and then link to the actual blog post or article, and then you can comment on it on your blog. Be careful if your commentary is negative or critical, though (unless that is your niche), because people can get quite upset.
11. Surveys and Polls
Not sure what to write about? Make a survey or poll right on your blog to ask your readers what they’d like to read about. You can also ask their opinion about a topic in question. You can use a service like SurveyMonkey.com to create simple (free) to complicated (paid) surveys with statistics.
12. Case Studies
This works especially well if your niche is in self-help, coaching, finance, business, marketing or education. Collect stories about how other people succeeded taking your advice (or advice like yours) and post them on your website in a blog post. You can also conduct interviews using Skype and Pamela to record it and post it as a podcast.
13. Q & A
You can answer questions sent to you via social media or email right on your blog. It’s a great way to create a new blog post and help fill in your FAQ. If no one emails you yet, you can still find questions to answer about your niche by going to relevant message boards and social media groups.
Using these types of blog posts as ideas, you can have a never-ending stream of content for your blog. You’ll never run out of ideas if you realize that blogging doesn’t mean just one type of content.