Blog Posts: 5 Basic Kinds

Jan 21, 2014 | Better Blogging

My client asked: “How many kinds of blog posts are there?”

Having the basic types in your head can make it easier to decide what to write.I identify five distinct types of blog posts.  That’s not a scientific study, just my opinion. Here they are with examples.

Some blog posts are “think pieces.” They’re nothing more or less than telling your reader what you think about something You may want to teach or you may want to convince, but think pieces are blog posts where you think in public. “Think piece” example. “What can we learn from Zappos bossless initiative?

Some blog posts are reactions. You share your reaction to something, usually an article or another blog post. Your reaction can be positive or negative. Example of a negative reaction post (with a twist): “The Trouble with Attributes.” Example of a positive reaction post: “Talk to team members about goals and performance.

Some posts are lists.These may be the easiest kind of blog post to write. Example: “Leadership: 6 Important Things about People.”

Some blog posts answer a question. This post is one of those. Another example is “Life is Just a Bowl of Salad.”

Some posts are collections of resources. These “curation” posts select and share resources that your reader will value. They are easy to put together once you’ve gathered the basic material, but plan for a lot of behind-the-scenes work if you want to do them well. Here’s an example of my weekly curation post, “Leadership Reading to Start Your Week.”