When it comes to creating content there is a wealth of content styles out there.
At Content Club we use a variation of them all for our clients but the listicle is very much one of the favourites (that’s the style of this blog post).
One resource we love to share with our clients and students is this blog post from Digital Marketer – www.digitalmarketer.com/blog/blog-post-ideas. It gives a great insight into some of the styles of content you might want to consider creating.
In terms of types of blog posts, here are 8 types of content that you might want to familiarise yourself with:
1 & 2. Aggregated & Curated Content
Not technically a “blog post type” aggregated content is where you use an automated programme that pulls in content from other people to your site. Very often on social media operators aggregate content themselves by just simply posting links to interesting content they’ve found that will connect with their readers.
Curated content is where you are taking several pieces of content from other people/brands or aspects of their content and pulling it together in one piece. These posts are ALWAYS fully credited and usually include links to the original post.
In many cases you will find the words aggregated and curated being used interchangeably, don’t worry, here’s not a lot of difference in principal.
Curated examples: www.north-westbrides.com/7-funniest-wedding-movies
www.north-westbrides.com/10-wedding-photos-guaranteed-bring-tear-eye
Further Reading: www.blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-create-curated-blog-post-templates
3. Evergreen
Evergreen content does exactly what it says on the tin, it stays fresh forever. This is one of the best types of content to create because it means you can refresh and re-share it multiple times over a long period of time. It can also help your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) ratings.
Examples: www.excaliburpress.co.uk/2016/06/20/6-things-to-consider-when-creating-website-content
www.bamni.co.uk/2017/03/20/6-easy-steps-make-lip-gloss
Further Reading: www.blog.hubspot.com/insiders/creating-evergreen-content
4. Repurposed
In this case you’re taking old content that you have developed for another reason and refreshing it to repurpose it for a new reason. A good example for Excalibur is that part of this blog post was taken from a workshop we did for general social media content – with some updating much of it was still relevant for this blog post.
Further Reading: www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2015/02/03/repurposing-content
5. Listicle
By far the listicle is our client’s favourite and it’s no surprise given that it’s one of the easiest forms of digital content to read. The usual format is 2-4 short 1 or 2 line paragraphs as an introduction followed by a numbered list of points to illustrate the introduction. Each of these points should have a subhead of no more than 3 words.
Examples: www.contentclub.excaliburpress.co.uk/2018/07/08/6-top-tips-for-small-businesses-using-instagram
Further Reading: www.bustle.com/articles/134854-8-tips-for-writing-a-listicle-that-will-get-published
6. Opinion and/or commentary
In some cases it may be appropriate for you or someone connected with your brand or company to write an opinion based piece. These should be labelled very clearly as opinion pieces and should be succinct in getting to the point but also show knowledge where it is appropriate.
Examples: www.bamni.co.uk/2017/08/04/comment-possible-protect-cultures-northern-ireland-without-eroding-one
www.bamni.co.uk/2017/07/28/comment-limiting-todays-children-expectations-low
7. Information / education
Some blog posts just are what they are…they need to be “all you need to know about” or “the ultimate guide to”. These are great for companies who want to get information out there in an informative way. Using your headline cleverly can help to make it more palatable and clickable for your audience.
8. User Generated Content
Getting your customers and clients involved in your blogging is a great way of adding value to your blog posts. By collecting information from them you can pull together listicle posts or even informative/education posts without too much trouble.
Example: www.belfastvibe.com/big-stories/selfies-with-the-stars-who-have-you-got
Can we help you with your content creation?
Excalibur Press have a great team of experienced and efficient content creators, copywriters and publicists. If there is anything we can help you with please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 07982628911 or email [email protected]