As bloggers, we must strive to give our readers the highest quality content we can produce, and we must also strive to produce content with enough variety to surprise our readers and keep them coming back for more. I have found that the best way to do this is to create a content that fits in at least five categories: foundational articles, interactive posts, news posts, timely opinion pieces, and mixed media. Of course, there might be other kinds of content out there, but I’ve found that most of my blogging falls in these categories.
Foundational Articles
Contents
Also known as ‘pillar content,’ these articles carefully examine a subject or issue in order to provide readers with a solid foundational understanding of the subject matter. They can be ‘how to’ posts, encyclopedic articles, or other informational pieces that often contain long-tail keyword phrases. These articles should show off you deep knowledge of the subject and establish you as an authority on the issue. They attract a lot of search engine traffic, which is great because if you’ve done your job, the reader will find exactly what he or she is looking for, and hopefully the high quality of the article will keep him or her coming back to read your other posts.
Interactive Posts
Interactive posts include interviews, ePanels, forums, and any other post that features some sort of interaction between you, your readers, or other experts in the blogging community or related industries. These posts should bring new voices and expert opinions to your blog so your audience of readers. Your readers will appreciate hearing from many voices, and they’ll appreciate the way you host these kinds of communal discussions.
News and Reports
Posts that provide news and reports about the industry and blogging community can help establish you as an authoritative source on the current trends that your readers are interested in. For example, if you go to an industry conference, you could post daily reports to your blog that could provide information to readers that missed the conference. If you’re good at providing this kind of newsworthy coverage, then your audience will come to you for future news and reports.
Well-Written Opinion Pieces
At times, you’ll also want to provide vibrant commentary regarding certain issues within the blogging community. This commentary should consist of a well-written argument that makes some sort of claim about a community issue. Your goal with these kinds of posts is to lead a discussion for your readers to participate in. Yes, this can be a controversial argument, but make sure that you support your argument with a reasonable amount of evidence. If you can make insightful arguments, your readers will begin to rely on your opinion and leadership in the future.
Make Use of Mixed Media
Although text-based posts are incredibly popular for search engine optimization goals, you should also consider incorporating some mixed media, such as videos or images or podcasts, into your blogging. These posts will attract readers who would rather watch or listen to gain information. Plus these kinds of posts will further diversify your content, and make you cutting edge within the blogging community.
About Brandon Leibowitz
