Lots of tricks and tips to attract as many readers on our blogs.
Below I quote some of the ways mentioned above.
Those who are in blogging for years know that readers often get tired of one and the same content type. Even if you write brilliant articles, this doesn’t provide all-time success and recognition. Audience loves experiment, first of all experiments in article format. How many post types can you actually enumerate? Product reviews, tips, how-to’s, lists… is that all you know? Then this article is definitely for you! Have a look at proven article types which really work to engage blog audience and diversify content.
Best-of and top lists
It doesn’t matter how trivial this type may seem, the truth is that it works flawlessly. Ranked lists always seem to generate links, traffic and debate. One question: why did you click on this article title? Maybe, because of “Top 7″ in the heading? The main reason of such posts popularity is that people are constantly searching for the ‘best’ of everything. They love content ranged from good to best, as well as they love a variety of items to choose from. All these “Top-10″, “Best-100″ or “A to Z” roundups contribute to better post structuring and let readers compare items within one list. You can make a list of whatever concerning your blog niche: helpful resources, tools, videos, tips, workarounds, or tricky ways to do something.
Interviews
Interviews with well-known experts also are a good source of links, comments, and traffic. The nice thing about this method is that the only your work involved is writing questions and approaching experts. The interviews can add definitely add credibility to your resource since people appreciate such arrangements. It’s easier if you start with interviewing bloggers who are interested in link exchange and ego bait. The success rates for getting interviews are pretty high as most bloggers love talking about themselves! Still it’s advisable to ask questions within a particular topic, e.g. if a blogger writes about DVD software, ask him about the current state of DVD burning and his forecast. Nobody canceled a catching title for an interview. If your respondent is not so outspoken, you may easily omit his name in the title, just put [INTERVIEW] at the end.
Infographics
I put this type on the third place, but actually it should be on the first and here are the reasons why. First, infographic can deploy complex information in visually attractive datasets and thus make your blog post more eye-catching. Plus, infographic usually receives a wide coverage on the Internet: be sure to get dozens of backlinks and good mention in social media. Now about the minus: it cost money! Of course, you can borrow it from such popular infographic stocks as Visual.ly, DailyInfographic and some others, but this won’t be your infographic and you’ll have to provide credits. No doubt, infographic development requires much time and effort and the outcome is often unpredictable. Still it’s worth trying!
Slideshows
Slideshow is a popular article type which has long been used by Mashable and PC World. This format ideally suits to display series of meaningful information or deploy “Top-10″ lists, especially if there are multiple items on the list. Description for the items can be minimal, since here image is more important. You can make a slideshow in PowerPoint or use Freemake Video Converter to convert photos into video. YouTube or Slideshare are good resources to host your presentations with the ability to get embed code for your blog.
Showdowns
Readers love battles! They appreciate comparisons made for them, even if they don’t agree with the results. Just start typing in Google “Windows vs…” and you’ll get numerous suggestions and search results showing down Windows and other OS’s . Don’t be afraid the make comparison tables, diagrams, list pros and cons and write your personal opinion at the end. The word “Showdown” isn’t very catching in titles, so it’s better to use “vs.” or “battle” and not to compare more than 3 items, because the post will turn in an ordinary list.
Q & A
If your blog is strictly niche-oriented and you receive tons of emails and post comments, assign a post to frequently-asked questions. In such posts you have a chance to speak on multiple topics of little significance. Q&A posts also give a perfect opportunity to build internal linking: just mention previous posts related to the question and make anchor text with targeted keywords. Don’t forget to put questions in bold so that readers could scroll down and start reading with the questions they are most interested in. Be open to your public – publish questions that people ask about your hobbies, interests, jobs you did.
How-to’s
How-to queries rule in Google search, so this post type is very beneficial from SEO point of view. You may pick up any topic, from handcraft to PC issues, just make sure the tutorial syncs with your blog content. Divide your how-to into steps and provide images or screenshots for each step. More than one solution to do the task is also helpful, especially if the task isn’t so complicated.
Happy Blogging !
Below I quote some of the ways mentioned above.
Those who are in blogging for years know that readers often get tired of one and the same content type. Even if you write brilliant articles, this doesn’t provide all-time success and recognition. Audience loves experiment, first of all experiments in article format. How many post types can you actually enumerate? Product reviews, tips, how-to’s, lists… is that all you know? Then this article is definitely for you! Have a look at proven article types which really work to engage blog audience and diversify content.
Best-of and top lists
It doesn’t matter how trivial this type may seem, the truth is that it works flawlessly. Ranked lists always seem to generate links, traffic and debate. One question: why did you click on this article title? Maybe, because of “Top 7″ in the heading? The main reason of such posts popularity is that people are constantly searching for the ‘best’ of everything. They love content ranged from good to best, as well as they love a variety of items to choose from. All these “Top-10″, “Best-100″ or “A to Z” roundups contribute to better post structuring and let readers compare items within one list. You can make a list of whatever concerning your blog niche: helpful resources, tools, videos, tips, workarounds, or tricky ways to do something.
Interviews
Interviews with well-known experts also are a good source of links, comments, and traffic. The nice thing about this method is that the only your work involved is writing questions and approaching experts. The interviews can add definitely add credibility to your resource since people appreciate such arrangements. It’s easier if you start with interviewing bloggers who are interested in link exchange and ego bait. The success rates for getting interviews are pretty high as most bloggers love talking about themselves! Still it’s advisable to ask questions within a particular topic, e.g. if a blogger writes about DVD software, ask him about the current state of DVD burning and his forecast. Nobody canceled a catching title for an interview. If your respondent is not so outspoken, you may easily omit his name in the title, just put [INTERVIEW] at the end.
Infographics
I put this type on the third place, but actually it should be on the first and here are the reasons why. First, infographic can deploy complex information in visually attractive datasets and thus make your blog post more eye-catching. Plus, infographic usually receives a wide coverage on the Internet: be sure to get dozens of backlinks and good mention in social media. Now about the minus: it cost money! Of course, you can borrow it from such popular infographic stocks as Visual.ly, DailyInfographic and some others, but this won’t be your infographic and you’ll have to provide credits. No doubt, infographic development requires much time and effort and the outcome is often unpredictable. Still it’s worth trying!
Slideshows
Slideshow is a popular article type which has long been used by Mashable and PC World. This format ideally suits to display series of meaningful information or deploy “Top-10″ lists, especially if there are multiple items on the list. Description for the items can be minimal, since here image is more important. You can make a slideshow in PowerPoint or use Freemake Video Converter to convert photos into video. YouTube or Slideshare are good resources to host your presentations with the ability to get embed code for your blog.
Showdowns
Readers love battles! They appreciate comparisons made for them, even if they don’t agree with the results. Just start typing in Google “Windows vs…” and you’ll get numerous suggestions and search results showing down Windows and other OS’s . Don’t be afraid the make comparison tables, diagrams, list pros and cons and write your personal opinion at the end. The word “Showdown” isn’t very catching in titles, so it’s better to use “vs.” or “battle” and not to compare more than 3 items, because the post will turn in an ordinary list.
Q & A
If your blog is strictly niche-oriented and you receive tons of emails and post comments, assign a post to frequently-asked questions. In such posts you have a chance to speak on multiple topics of little significance. Q&A posts also give a perfect opportunity to build internal linking: just mention previous posts related to the question and make anchor text with targeted keywords. Don’t forget to put questions in bold so that readers could scroll down and start reading with the questions they are most interested in. Be open to your public – publish questions that people ask about your hobbies, interests, jobs you did.
How-to’s
How-to queries rule in Google search, so this post type is very beneficial from SEO point of view. You may pick up any topic, from handcraft to PC issues, just make sure the tutorial syncs with your blog content. Divide your how-to into steps and provide images or screenshots for each step. More than one solution to do the task is also helpful, especially if the task isn’t so complicated.
Happy Blogging !
