In the age of the internet, blogging is an important marketing tool for any business, regardless of size. Blogs give customers a chance to find and connect with companies they may not have encountered otherwise.

Blogs also allow companies autonomy over their image, giving them the ability to showcase the business values they want to prioritize. Through the articles they choose to share, businesses are able to foster deep and meaningful relationships with customers and clients.

By facilitating new bonds with customers, companies are able to gain new insights into their patrons. Blogs allow you to engage with your audience directly, enabling the flow of feedback so that you can tailor your actions to suit your customers' needs. In the digital age, this relationship is critical to business development.

Blog posts show up in a range of different styles and purposes. Each comes with its own audience and goals. Wondering what’s right for your business blog? This article will serve as a guide to help you identify which type of blog post best aligns with your goals. Combining thoughtful article selection with a strong writing process will help your company excel in the digital age.

The 8 Most Common Types of Blog Posts

The How-To

A how-to blog is one in which the reader is given specific steps to complete a task. How-to posts are found on almost every well-run business blog. A recipe or instructions about assembling a product are common examples of how-to posts.

How-to posts can cover a range of topics and resonate with a variety of audiences interested in your company’s industry. They can be a great way to build trust with your audience and assert your company as an authority in your field.

The Listicle

This is a common form of blog post employed by many popular blog sites such as BuzzFeed, PopSugar, and many (many!) others. These posts may have the intention of entertaining or informing and can be ideal for delivering information efficiently. These posts exist at a crossroads between list and article and are often easy, engaging reads that may serve educational purposes as well.

The Op-Ed Response

This article, unlike the Listicle, is very opinionated. It often references another news article and breaks down the author’s response to it. The response will typically make up the bulk of the post.

A good op-ed response piece has the potential to cement the author as an authority on a given subject, indicating that you and your business have important insights into current issues in the industry. Op-ed responses are good ways to highlight current research and signal the mission statement of your business to customers.

The Interview

An interview post is a great way to add diversity to your blog and introduce credible sources of information. In order to write a successful interview article, the background of the interviewee must first be presented, followed by a dialogue transcript. In this case, it is the blogger’s duty to connect this interview to the thesis, or main point, of their article.

When preparing to research and write this type of post, it is crucial that the person being interviewed is a reliable source. Sometimes finding a suitable candidate requires extensive research to ensure their authority and knowledge in the field. Choosing a poor interviewee can diminish trust in your audience; thus, the selection process is critical.

The Review

Review blog posts are opinionated posts meant to evaluate any topic that might be relevant to your blog. Often when writing other forms of articles, authors must remain somewhat unbiased. In the case of a review post, however, strong opinions are necessary. A well-written review can go a long way, allowing your business to establish an identity and connect with certain customers.

Although all types of blog posts require baseline writing skills, an experienced blog writer often particularly excels when writing review articles. As short opinion pieces, review writers must be able to write clearly and concisely in order to hold the audience's attention.

The Guide

Blog posts meant to guide are similar to how-to blog posts, yet they differ in the way that they present information. Instead of giving the reader step-by-step instructions on how to complete a task, they often give a more objective or simple explanation.

Guides can be an extremely helpful resource for clients and may help build the bond between the company and its customers. They have the ability to educate clients on the details of your services and dispel any misunderstanding relating to your company’s industry. Allowing for transparency in the way your business operates and why may create more trust in business relationships.

The Personal Essay

In a personal essay, the author often discusses their personal experiences, thoughts, and opinions. This type of blog post is not common on corporate or professional blogs, yet they have the ability to create close relationships between the author and the reader. A personal essay might be appropriate to highlight the story behind your brand,

When used in a business blog, a personal essay might also involve an employee discussing their connection to their company and perhaps detailing their professional journey. This type of post can be a great way to spotlight an important person in your business and allow customers to gain deeper insight into your company and the people behind it.

The Image Gallery

A picture is said to be worth a thousand words, and this can be true in the case of an image gallery. The image gallery may refer to either infographics or simple pictures.

Often these posts are informational, conveying concepts that are difficult to explain in word form. It is the author’s job to provide context and usually captions, choosing images that make sense in the larger scheme of your blog.

Thinking About Outsourcing?

Setting up your blog and writing articles can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. By outsourcing the writing to skilled blog writers, you can ensure your blogs will be professional and well-executed. Through SEO, or search engine optimization, our writing professionals are able to help your site gain online visibility by boosting your articles to the top of search results pages.

When looking to outsource, it is critical that you choose the right writers or companies to produce content. Companies like WriteHQ are able to ensure quality work and timeliness by vetting contracted writers, guaranteeing their skills are at the highest level for our clients.

Since blogging is such an important medium in the digital age, it is imperative your blog is held to a high standard in order to portray your business well – and give it a strong identity. Knowing which blog posts best fit your purpose as well as how to recognize each type will allow your blog to shine.