8 Types of Blog Posts to Write When You’re Stuck

Angela Nacpil

Published in

A Cup of Copy

7 min readJun 19, 2019

Have you ever encountered that debilitating feeling whenever you stare at a blank page?

As a freelance writer, this is something that I’ve struggled with on a constant basis.

There are good days when I can write a 1000-word blog post in an hour or two without breaking a sweat.

But, I was (and still) no exception to writer’s block. I’ve had moments (too many to count!) where writing my first sentence was a bit of a challenge.

It’s only normal to run out of interesting blog posts to write (we are humans after all!) Sometimes, emotions and stress can easily affect our flow. You’re not perfect.

We all get those days.

And if you are a solo entrepreneur who has a hundred different things on your plate, knowing that there are different ways to tackle a blog post can save you from missing your publishing dates.

So, to help you get past your writer’s block, here are eight types of blog posts to help you get unstuck.

1. How-to or Tutorial

The how-to post is the not so secret ingredient of successful blog posts. It’s probably the most powerful format out there.

Just think about it. Why do you use Google in the first place?

You use it to know more about something, right? Whether it’s about learning a new skill, how to make a no-bake cheesecake or a step-by-step guide on how to meditate.

To write a how-to article, you can get started by thinking about your readers or customers and the problems they have that you can help solve.

Basically, the process of creating a how-to post starts by knowing the pain points that your customers have that you can provide a step-by-step solution to.

Take a look at these how-to blog articles from authority websites that I think are all brilliant examples of what a how-to blog article should look like:

How-to article example #1:

How-to article example #2:

How-to article example #3:

2. List post

In my opinion, list posts are one of the most effective blog article formats out there. A list post provides a piece of streamlined information in a scannable format divided into numbers, sections, or bullets.

Readers are attracted to this particular type of post because it provides direct to the point, actionable information.

Normally, a list post addresses a focused need or conflict that your reader is interested in and it offers specific items that are consistent with the topic.

To show you the engagement power of a list post, check out this article on Business Insider.

Using BuzzSumo, I was able to find the breakdown of the social shares of this article:

Facebook engagements: 11.8k

LinkedIn Shares: 5.2k

Twitter Shares: 756

Pinterest Shares: 333

Google+ Shares: 72

Total shares: 18.2k

Now, if you are just starting, with no budget for paid advertising, you won’t probably get the same engagement scores. This is, however, a real example of the potential of a well-written list post article if promoted really well.

3. Resources post

A resources post is very similar to a list post in terms of format, but most often than not, you can easily spot a resources post with its nature of curated content. Meaning, it could be a collection of tools recommended by experts in your niche, or a list of free stock photo websites for your next marketing campaign.

Here’s an example from HubSpot’s blog:

A resources post is a huge time-saver when you’re running out of ideas. They are brilliant in my opinion! Ask a couple of influencers about a specific topic, write a catchy headline, write the introduction and the conclusion, and you’re done.

4. Cheat sheet or checklist

Cheat sheets and checklists are my personal favorite. They tell you exactly what to do without so much elaboration that sometimes, as a reader, we don’t need.

This type of post provides tons of value to your audience because it tells them the exact steps or items they need to perform to get a certain task done in less time.

Here’s a good example:

Pro tip: You can turn your checklist into a printable PDF document. If you are building an email list, you can brand the document and make it available for download through an email opt-in form.

5. Reviews

A product or service review post is a common type of content on the web. You probably have searched or encountered one yourself.

Basically, there are two types of a review post. A straight review of a single product or a side-by-side comparison of multiple related products.

The purpose of a review is to provide an unbiased opinion of the product or service. Often, a stellar product review includes the following:

It presents the pros and cons of a given product or service
It helps readers find out if the product is meant for them
It examines if the product or service is high-quality and easy to use
It may offer alternative solutions
It may also include other people’s experience
And ultimately, it concludes if the product or service is worth buying

Here’s an example:

6. Opinion post

If you are looking for interaction, opinion post, also called as controversial posts, this is the blog post type for you.

Your opinion matters to your readers and it can potentially set your blog apart from others.

Now, if opinions come naturally to you, and you don’t have a problem expressing your opinion in writing, I admire you. Not all people can.

But for others who prefer to keep their opinions to themselves, no problem.

I grew up in a conservative family and was trained to keep my opinions to myself, especially if I could hurt someone’s feelings by expressing my thoughts.

If you’d like to know how to write an opinion post, Darren Rowse of ProBlogger Podcast covered the specific steps on how to create an opinion post.

Listen to the podcast: How to write an opinion post on your blog by Problogger Podcast

Below is an example of an opinion post:

7. Infographic

Infographics are everywhere and they are cool! If you want to provide informative blog content to your readers without boring them to death with lengthy paragraphs and statistics, an infographic is your best bet.

Funders and Founders does a great job in educating their audience with their visual blog. Their readers are people who are into startups and tech entrepreneurship. The blog uses infographics to explain funding, starting up, and success.

Below is an infographic about productivity from Funders and Founders:

You don’t have to hire an illustrator or a graphic designer (although that will make things so much easier!). Below are free tools you can use:

Canva Infographic Maker — easy-to-use graphic design tool with drag and drop interface, with tons of free design elements, stock photos, and fonts
Venngage — user-friendly graphics design platform with free templates, themes, charts, icons, that also allows you to upload your own images and background
Piktochart — an infographic and presentation tool that gives you three basic themes for the free version
Easel.ly — dozens of free templates that are easily customizable

8. Case study

Now, if you’re looking to build your authority in your industry or niche, a case study blog post is a clever way to show your target audience that you walk the talk.

Writing a case study is simply telling a story about a particular topic, usually very niched (e.g. email marketing, conversion rate optimization, lead generation).

It doesn’t have to be grand. It can be about how you doubled your email list using an opt-in, or closing more sales using content marketing, or something as simple as a simple tweak in your Facebook ads campaign that resulted to a significant increase in your website traffic.

Below are three case studies from authority blogs in digital marketing that I read myself:

The list of different blog post type formats doesn’t end here. There’s probably a dozen more that I did not mention. But the key takeaway here is to move you past your writer’s block.

So, next time you find yourself staring at a blank page, pull up this list and choose the blog format that appeals to you the most.

I hope you found this post helpful and thank you for stopping by.

Type, type, and away!