Writing a blog is challenging. Even the most talented writers experience challenges in the blogging process. There’s even the threat of a writer’s block or shortage of new ideas after exhausting all possible concepts.
It’s important for writers or bloggers to know many blog post templates to combat these difficulties. If you have a passion for writing and want to harness your skills into the online world, then you came to the right place.
For starters, we’ll give a look at different kinds of blog posts, how to write a good blog post, and how you can make use of a website to promote your written content.
Blog Templates
The style, structure, tone, and purpose of a blog post template depend on your blog topic, theme, and target audience. These are some templates to help you get started:
- The List Post
A list post or a listicle is a type of blog post that’s basically composed of lists. These may include how-to instructions, tips & tricks, strategies, techniques, rankings, and more.
This blog format template transforms big chunks of information into digestible pieces, making it easier for the readers to understand the essence of the content.
A list post must contain actionable steps, which makes it very good for Search Engine Optimization or SEO. Your title must state a specific benefit, number of items, and timeframe. A good example title for this would be “15 Ways To Get Rich Today”.
In terms of structure, you need a catchy introduction that immediately highlights the benefits, subheadings to separate significant ideas, the actionable list, and a conclusion that allows readers to spring into action. You can also add infographics or images to make the blog post more engaging.
- Product or Service Comparison Post
Another famous blog writing template is a product or service comparison post. You’ll immediately recognize this type of blog since they’re typically titled in a showdown kind of manner. For example, you’ll see posts such as “Macbook Pro M1 vs. Microsoft Surface Pro”.
On the title, you shouldn’t beat around the bush. Name the products that you’ll be comparing and tell what they do. The introduction must provide the readers with an overview of the blog post.
The body of your blog post must be a detailed comparison between the products. This must include features, pros and cons, and a highlight of each product’s strongest selling point. Make sure to only put features that readers are interested in. For example, if you're comparing two smartphones and your target audience are gamers, it’s best to focus on things that matter to them, like battery life, graphics, and speed.
- Beginner’s Guide Post
Our blog format examples wouldn’t be complete without the famous beginner’s guide blog post. This guide is a comprehensive article that aims to guide or walk beginners through a certain topic. It could range from many things such as coding or web development.
The title must specifically state that it’s for beginners. Whatever the topic is, a distinction is necessary to make sure that the content is tailored for the needs of the target reader.
The title can go something like, “A Beginner’s Guide to Surfing.” or “Dress Making: A Beginner’s Guide”. In the introduction, you must explain why beginners in that field need to read your blog post. Tell them what they’ll learn and keep them interested.
This blog article template requires that you write in a very cohesive manner so that the readers can follow through. Avoid using too much jargon but if it’s necessary, give an explanation for what it is.
A clear, detailed outline is necessary, and you must end your article with a conclusion that reinforces the importance of reading your blog.
There are more blog post formats that you can try depending on your topic and audience:
- Step-by-Step Guide - Gives the readers a chronological list of actions to achieve a certain outcome—best for instructing readers how and what to do to achieve something.
- Expanded Definition - As the name suggests, it provides the readers with a definition of a concept and explaining it further into subsections.
- Case Studies - This is a typical blog post where a testimony (from the writer or from someone else) is used as an example. It must highlight the action, the benefit or result, and timeframe.
- How They Did It Post - This blog post typically features a person or persons in the article and highlights their ‘secrets’ to achieve something considered remarkable. It’s basically a success story, and a guide on readers can achieve those goals too.
- Myth Debunker - The concept for this template is to debunk common myths about a particular topic. This is one of the best ways to grab the reader’s attention, but you must also make sure to back up your content with reliable and accessible data. Don’t just debunk myths to stir controversy. Make it intelligent and informed.
How to Write a Good Blog Post
Now that you’ve seen different blog templates, it’s time to get more into the act of blogging. If you’re in the process of setting up your blog, you’d normally have to put tons of effort to set up your site - from the structure, organization, and event promotion.
But if you don’t want to go through all that trouble, there’s a website builder where you can access free blog post templates and launch your blog for your readers.
Strikingly offers different kinds of website templates from businesses, events, blogs, and more. You can choose from their wide array of templates and customize them to suit your preferences.
Want to know how you can use Strikingly to write a good blog post? Read on!
- Find A Template that Emphasizes the Personality of Your Blog
A blog article template has a personality too and this would create that distinction between you and other blog sites. It usually depends on your niche and your target readers. For example, you can blog about business and finance or do more lifestyle and travel blogs.
Image taken from Strikingly product
Take a look at this template from Strikingly. The blog post format is more personalized. Normally this is the type of template you want to go for if you want to share personal stories. As you can see on the image above, this website also allows you to add more features to your blog sites, such as menu buttons, layout, and background.
- Categorize Your Posts
Even though you’re only serving a specific type of niche, it’s still necessary to categories your posts to make navigation easier for the readers.
Image taken from Strikingly product
Strikingly has a function that allows you to add categories to your blog posts. Just click on “Blog”, then select “Categories”. You’ll see the screen on the image above and just hit “Add New Categories”.
Are categories important? Yes. Let’s say you’re running a blog about food. Maybe you’ll have blog posts about cooking, and then on some posts, you’ll feature restaurants, chefs, and different types of cuisine. You want to categorize these so your contents aren’t all over the place.
- Writing and Adding a Blog Post
You must remember a few common steps in writing a blog post regardless of what blog post template you’ll use. You can refer to the list below to write a remarkable blog:
- Know the interests of your audience/readers
- Brainstorm multiple topics and titles
- Identify the purpose of your blog
- Outline the structure, including subheadings
- Create a catchy introduction
- Write an engaging and informative body
- Finish your blog post with a memorable conclusion
Image taken from Strikingly product
Once you’ve selected a blog post layout template, just follow the steps above and prepare to add your blog to your Strikingly website. Just click on “Blog”, then “Blog Posts”, and finally select “Write New Post”. You can also directly write your blog post from the website editor.
- Make Use of Visual Elements and Additional Resources
On the blog editor, you’ll see the screen as shown in the image below. On the upper right corner, there are the settings for the background. You can select a color, image, or video background.
Image taken from Strikingly product
Right in the middle of the editor, you’ll also see a set of settings for your blog post. You can add a heading, text, image, and video. You also have the option to add a link button, quote, separator, and HTML link. A blog post isn’t all about great words. You need to leverage visual elements and resources too.
After writing your blog post, you can publish it or exit the editor, saving your work in the drafts.
- Publish Your Blog Post
Once you’re done with your blog, you can now hit “Publish”. Once you click on it from the left side menu, you have two options: Publish Now and Schedule for Later. Publish Now immediately updates your blog on your site. With Schedule for later, you can set a date from integrated calendar settings, then hit “OK”
Image taken from Strikingly product
Writing a blog post is a tough project. But you can overcome certain challenges in blogging if you know different kinds of blog templates to use and how to write a good blog. With Strikingly, you’ll have all the necessary tools you’ll need to write blogs and make a blog site that stands out on the web.
