11 Types of Blog Posts to Use to Gain Traffic and Make More Money

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When we started our first blog, I literally just wrote when and what I felt like. For about 6 months, it had little to no traffic. It wasn’t until I changed my perspective that I started attracting people to our site. In order to gain traffic (and consequently make more money), you have to be strategic about the types of blog posts you use.

If you don’t already have a self-hosted blog, I highly suggest getting a Wordpress site set up. It literally takes 30 minutes, and we provide a step by step guide.

If you already have a blog, you may also enjoy our blogging guide where we outline plugins, content creation, and affiliate incomes.

The top questions we get are how do I plan my content and what should my content be about. So we put together posts on using an editorial calendar, batching to save time and now types of blog posts.

Don’t Forget Your Focus

As you start to blog, you probably have a goal in mind. Your types of blog posts will depends on that goal.

You need to know who your audience is and what you want to dig into. You want to keep both of those in mind as you begin to write different types of blog posts.

Whatever your goals are, your blog has to help a specific audience through a transition.

All 11 types of blog posts should be educational, entertaining or helpful.

Types of Blog Posts to Attract People & More Money

1. Round Ups

As you begin creating content and reading other blogs, you may choose to create a post rounding up the best of a topic. This might be a list of ideas, recipes, people, or tips all into one place. The main work in this type of post is researching a topic and then linking each resource in your blog post. A good example of a round up is Denise’s Creative Spiralizer Recipes.

Another example of a round up maybe featuring the “Best of” something. The best waterproof mascaras, the best training tools, the best Shih Tzu blogs, etc.

2. Reviews

Just by pure luck, I found that reviewing items we used and loved helped us rank in search engines often. Think of products you know and love and then write up a review of about 300-500+ words about it. You may be able to become an Amazon Affiliate as well and link to the products.

If you love a product, chances are someone else is researching whether or not they will too.

3. How to

Is there something you’re awesome at that people ask you about? That would make a great how to post or even a series like our How to Start a Blog series.

How to posts do great on social media, especially Pinterest. Since you’re teaching something, the post will likely be pretty long as well and that helps people stay on your site which helps your analytics and search engine optimization.

4. List Posts

This is similar to a roundup; however, a list post may tips you give like I am doing with this post. Anytime you can create a helpful list for someone, it can save them time and help them learn something quickly.

5. Series Posts

If you have a large topic you’d like to break down like starting a blog, you may choose to turn it into a series. You could even create each post and then create a post outlining how they tie to together and order them in a way that helps your reader dig into the topic in an organized way.

This is something that can also make people stay on your site longer and get to know you better – which helps your future traffic and money making opportunities!

A very popular type of series is focusing on something a beginner will want to learn. Basics of Blogging, How to Train Your Dog, Cooking Vegan Recipes, etc.

6. Cheat Sheets

This is similar to a list post as well, but if you include secret tips or cheats in the title those tend to do great on social media. The reason is that you’re hopefully going to offer something of unique value that makes your reader’s life easier. If you can make a cheat sheet to losing 5lbs or packing for a European cruise, people will want it (if it fits your niche).

7. Opinion Posts

While we’re taught to be politically correct, sometimes sharing a unique view can gain viral shares and major traffic. Examples would be a mom saying there are NO excuses not to workout, putting your spouse before your kids, feeling better 25lbs heavier than your goal weight, etc.

Anything you have a strong opinion on can create a bond with your reader and keep them coming back. Plus if you include a call to action to share the post if they liked it, these types of posts have a better chance of going viral than other types.

8. Seasonal Posts Relating to Your Niche

Seasonal posts do really great because it’s something we can all relate to at certain times of the year. If you’re using Pinterest a lot, these types of pins get a lot of repins and can drive some major traffic even years later if the post is good and updated as needed.

The things to note on a seasonal post is that it should still relate to your original purpose of your blog and help the reader. The other thing to mention is to make sure you schedule seasonal posts on your editorial calendar about 4-5 weeks out. That way you have content ready to go when people are searching for it.

9. Frequently Asked Questions or Problem – Solution Posts

If you are constantly asked the same 10 questions, those could be featured in a FAQ type post. If you have content already for each question, then you could give a brief overview of the answer and link to each post if a reader wants more detailed information.

An FAQ post allows people to get answers very quickly which is a great value to them! Also, by linking to another post, you’ll be keeping them on your page longer which is always great too!

10. Interviews

When we first started blogging, I reached out to about 10 people I admired in industries that related to our blog’s focus. I asked if I could interview them. Most said yes, and I was able to feature the interview on our blog. Plus, they may give you a shout out for the post (not necessarily but could), and people may find your post when looking for information on the person.

Plus it’s always fun to learn from someone you admire!!

11. Your Favorites

Sharing a post about your favorite resources or tools relating to your blog’s topic can be a great value to your reader. Think about things you had to research before making a commitment and purchasing them for your business. That is the kind of stuff people want to know, and if they trust you will buy immediately.

As your blog grows, you’ll be able to become affiliated with the companies of the products you use, and a favorites page will be a good way to generate an income in a genuine way. You do have to let your readers know you are an affiliate, but most of them will appreciate your content and want to order through your link!

That wraps up our 11 types of blog posts to attract traffic and make more money.