Interviews are always a good way to drive interest amongst your readers. People are always eager to hear what the people they look up to have to say. Try publishing an interview with an important figure in your blog niche and area of interest.
During the interview, you can discuss important events in your industry, get expert advice and even business insights.
The key is to keep the topic of your interview central to things your audience is interested in.
You could position your interviews as video or audio. Alternatively a written interview like this one with Ryan Biddulph over at ProfitBlitz:
Video blogs or Vlogs, call them what you will, but with the rise in popularity of blogging on YouTube, video blogs are the new in-thing. Updating your blog in video format can have many benefits for your site.
- Videos are shorter
- You personally and visually connect with your audience
- They’re popular sharing fodder
- Many social networks prioritise video over written content
And even better, embedding your YouTube vlogs on your website, provides more places for people to view your content. Try the trend to see if it works for you.
A few days ago I read an article on 15 reasons to quit blogging.
You might think it contained the benefits of staying away from the blogging industry, but instead, it had 15 reasons to quit blogging written in negatives that highlighted all the great things blogging can do for your life.
A funny blog post like this doesn’t always have to be related to your blog topic – it’s for fun – a way to make your readers chortle into their morning cuppa.
Your post could be pure sarcasm or irony. Consider adding amusing GIFs for greater effect. The idea is to mix things up with a funny spin on things, that could be an instant hit.
As a freelance writer, I’m no stranger to product reviews – I’ve written more than I can count – and can confirm that they work really well as an addition to your other blog posts.
People generally look to product reviews before making online purchases, to be sure they’re getting a good deal and that the item lives up to expectations. So reviewing a product that relates to your area of interest can work well for an audience already interested in it.
Here’s an example of a music gear review on Tone Island: Supro 1605RH Reverb Special: A Great Studio Tool.
Pro Tip: Weigh the pros and cons carefully and avoid over-promising on the benefits, so your readers can make an informed choice on the product.
Somewhat similar to reviews, comparison posts are all about comparing one thing to another. Once you’ve written a review, you can follow it up with an alternative product.
Spend time comparing the two and jotting down the pros and cons of both. Then, put it all together in a blog post, explaining the differences and similarities.
Unlike reviews, where you have to be really specific about the details, comparisons allow room for further thoughts and opinions.
Here’s another example on Tone Island, where they compare tube amps and digital modellers.
Podcast MP3s
The podcasting industry is booming these days, with new podcasts popping up all over the place. And there are plenty of statistics to support continued growth in the future.
An alternative to being on screen, podcasting can develop into full online shows that gain popularity over time.
One of the easiest ways to begin is to upload the MP3 of your podcast and publish it on your blog with a written transcription. As your audio presence grows, you can branch out to platforms like iTunes and Stitcher to publish your podcast too.
If you use WordPress, I recommend checking out these podcasting plugins to help you.
Cross-posting on other platforms provides more places for people to subscribe and tune-in.
Resources
Sometimes we just want to find out the best way to do something quickly and effectively. A resource post is a perfect opportunity to do this for your readers.
You can compile resource posts on all kinds of things in the form of:
- Books
- Videos
- Toolsets
- Websites
- Social influencers
And many more. The key thing to remember here is to not just post a bunch of links. Take the time to explain why you should check out this book, visit that website or use that tool. Have you used it in the past? What was your experience? Explain why you’re recommending it.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
FAQs work well as blog posts because the content is likely something your readers have already been searching for answers to.
You can build this type of post as a long list of questions and answers which would make for good sharing material, but I’d recommend splitting it into a blog series. This spreads the content out over time, giving you more mileage for the content.
More importantly, this form of content is often evergreen, meaning the information will be relevant to people for a long time into the future.
Problems and solutions
Think back to any news you’ve heard recently. Chances are it wasn’t good news, or it was about something going completely wrong. That’s because conflicts sell more. People are drawn to problems because there’s a certain sense of excitement to them.
You can easily utilise this concept in a blog post by highlighting problems related to your area of interest, but also providing solutions to them.
Pro Tip: Build your lists around your main blog niche and topics to stay relevant to your audience. It’s also recommended to consider what type of lists people are searching for in Google. Check out our guide to keyword research for more help.
