In an age where blogging has become more than just a simple pastime, more and more bloggers, content creators and marketers have sought out ways in which they can make their content stand out from the rest of the pack. With so many different blogs in each niche, many feel as if the content market has become over-saturated with post after post, many of which have striking similarities. How can a blogger effectively create quality content and ensure it stands out from the rest? It is not easy, but one great way to shake things up is through the use of different blog post formats in order to appeal to different audiences. Below, we will discuss four of these formats and how each should be executed for maximum success.

How-Tos

Perhaps the most common type of blog post, the how-to can still be a great and unique way to convey select pieces of information and demonstrate value to your readers. Depending on the subject of your blog, you may find how-tos to be the best way in which you can encourage content circulation, distribution via social media and email. Anyone who wants to be pinging servers with fresh content will find that how-tos are in high demand and often viewed favorably by search engines such as Google. If you have an area of expertise and can convey this information accordingly, then you will find that this blog post format can do wonders for your exposure.

Introductions

Many people who stumble across your blog may be interested in the subject content but may not yet know enough about it to understand all the nuances. This is where an introduction blog post can come in handy. Introduction blog posts attempt to answer the simple question of ‘what?’, and can be great for anyone who is new to your blog or the broader concept. People often use introduction blog posts to explain why people should care about this subject, how it affects and relates to other concepts and why they should be involved with this particular area or interest. Calls to action are often combined with introduction blog posts as a way to further engage new readers.

FAQs

So many people have questions – even those who know a lot about the subject in question – but few blogs seem to address these concerns. Frequently asked question blog posts have a tendency to rank very well in select search results, as there is less competition in this area than with some of the other blog post formats in this article. If you were completely new to the subject of your blog but had done a bit of reading, what questions might you have? Bloggers will need to brainstorm and approach this type of blog post from the perspective of a novice, so be prepared to do so. Another great way to obtain inspiration is to ask those unfamiliar with the subject to read your post and then pose any unaddressed questions.

Infographics

Last but not least, infographics are in high demand due to their positive performance in key areas such as social media. Users love to share graphic content, and graphic content loaded with information tends to perform far above average when it comes to impressions, shares and views. This type of post may or may not do well with search engines, but you can expect to be pinging servers like Facebook and Twitter if your infographic content is interesting and in demand.