I’ve been blogging in one form or another for more than eight years now, and one of the things I’ve learned is that you can classify most blog posts into one of a limited number of categories, or genres. Why is this a useful? If you’re running a blog and trying to generate ideas for fresh content, thinking about different kinds of blog posts is a good way to come up with ideas for new posts. With that in mind, here’s a list, with examples, of 11 blog post genres.
The ‘ask your Twitter followers’ post
This is a relatively new category that I’ve noticed more often recently. The blogger asks his or her Twitter followers a question and then takes several responses and makes them into a blog post. The individuals responding usually get links to their tweet streams, so they have the possibility of gaining more followers, and the blogger gets instant content. It’s an example of community-generated content.
Example: How do you define success?
The tweet recap post
This is another new post category that’s arisen due to the popularity of Twitter. If you’re active on Twitter, you may be sending out all sorts of links and other good stuff on Twitter. Rather than let it reside just there, some bloggers re-publish it as a post, usually something like “this week’s best tweets.” This allows you to get some good stuff in front of an audience (your blog readers) that may not have seen it, and it can also drive your blog readers to follow you on Twitter.
Example: Tweet recap: The Past Seven Days from @clickequations (2008-12-05)
The round-up post
If you’re posting at fairly regular intervals, this is a good way to make your site a little more sticky. Look over your blog posts from the last week, month or year, and then pick a handful of posts that you think are your best, or that have been the most popular. Then write short descriptions and create links to each one. Of course, you’ve got to have enough posts to choose from to make this meaningful, because if you simply list every post you’ve written, you’re not providing any extra value to your readers. Pointing them to the handful of posts that are the best or most popular, on the other hand, can be a useful exercise. You should never assume that your readers, even your most loyal subscribers, have actually read every post that you’ve published.
Example: This week’s most popular posts
The list post
This is probably one of the most common types of posts, especially among bloggers looking to increase their traffic. I know I tend to use it a lot here, and it’s a classic way of producing linkbait (i.e., posts that people will want to link to and list on social bookmarking sites such as Digg and StumbleUpon). This usually takes the form of “Top X ways to do such-and-such” or “Top X books/blogs/movies about such-and-such.” These posts are popular because people like lists, and because as long as you come up with some kind of list, you can probably write one without spending too much time thinking about writerly matters such as transitions and structure.
Example: 30 ways businesses can use Twitter to boost their bottom line
The list of more-or-less random links post
This is also a list post, but unlike the classic list post above, this is just a way of producing a bit of content out of the scraps you pick up surfing the Internet. It’s kind of a lazy blog post, in that it requires remarkably little effort, assuming you’re collecting links to interesting stuff anyway. There was a time when I would do one of these posts every week. Now I do them occasionally. These posts are not very sticky — they don’t keep people on your site — but they can provide some value to readers by pointing them to other web pages that may be useful or interesting. These posts may or may not be organized around some kind of loose theme.
Example: Six links on social media, content marketing and online public relations
The picture of the week post
This is a great way to add a little more visual interest to your blog. Some people take their own pictures and use it for a picture of the week (or picture of the day, or whatever) feature. Others search photo sites such as Flickr and use interesting Creative Commons licensed images. Though I haven’t seen it recently, you could also do a video of the week, either with your own video or by searching YouTube or one of the other video sharing sites. Also note, as in the example below, you don’t have to call it “picture of the week.” Lots of people come up with more creative titles.
Example: Foto Finish Friday
The open-thread post
This one only works if you have a sizable, active community of commenters on your blog. But if you do, this is a great way to give people a chance to talk amongst themselves without having to come up with a blog post to spur conversation. Even for people who regularly use this type of post, I would caution that you probably can’t do it too often. It’s an adjunct to regular posting, but if you have a large community of readers andcommenters , then presumably people are coming to your site for the content and ideas that you provide. Bloggers often kick these off with something short to start the conversation, but the whole value of the post is intended to be in the comments, not the post itself.
Example: Open Thread
The tutorial/how-to post
These types of posts, which show readers how to do something, are also great for linkbait. They are harder to write, though, usually requiring more time, thought and expertise, than the link posts I mentioned above. To make a truly useful, engaging tutorial or how-to post, you have to provide enough information and enough detail that your readers can actually duplicate whatever task or project you’re writing about. Leaving out key details or making the tutorial too advanced for most of your readers (ex. assuming nontechnical readers know how to write code) is a recipe for failure.
Example: How to Drastically Increase Subscriber Numbers to Your Email Newsletter
The link to some news
Linking to a news article, often with a short summary, a quote or a comment, used to be one of the most common types of blog posts. As quality standards have gone up in the blogosphere and it has become more professionalized (yes, I know some people may think that’s a ridiculous statement), these types of posts are becoming less common. Still, if you have a well-established readership and a knack for finding interesting content, these can still work. I wouldn’t try this for a new blog, though.
Example: Running of the bulls
The single-link post
In some ways, this kind of post takes us back to the very beginnings of blogging, when it was often just as much about sharing links as it was about creating content. But a lot oflinksharing has migrated to social bookmarking sites, such as StumbleUpon , and microblogging services, like Twitter. Still, you still see it occasionally on blogs. As with the ‘link to some news’ blog posts, if you have an established readership and a knack for finding interesting stuff, this can still work.
The review post
Last, but not least, the review post gives you a chance to say what you think about a particular movie, album, book, product, game or whatever. This is a classic way to make money for bloggers who run affiliate ads — review a product and then put up an affiliate link so readers can buy it. But if you have a community of readers that you know are interested in some set of products, whether it’s zydeco music orscrapbooking products, then reviews are a good way to offer substantive, useful content. The downside, at least from the standpoint of a busy blogger, is that these require substantial time, because you’ve got to take the time to actually evaluate the product. But, if you’re using a product anyway, you might as well write a review.
Example: Review: Gears of War 2
So, what have I missed? What other categories of blog posts might provide inspiration for people looking for content ideas for their blog? Please leave your ideas in the comments.
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In no particular order, I'm a writer, MBA, ex-journalist, blogger, geek, strategic communications pro, father, struggling novelist 
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
You’re welcome (and thanks, Mark!).
Twitter is one of the best idea generators out there, IMO. And I really enjoy reading what the collective has to say!
Hey Mark,
Glad you found the blog recap idea handy. Don’t forget to ask people to follow you on Twitter before or after the recap!
-Alex
http://www.clickequations.com