Variety - that's ONE IMPORTANT FACTOR that's gonna engage and entertain your followers, new readers who land on your Steemit feed, and most importantly, YOURSELF*.
*Why yourself? Read up the Golden Rule To Blogging here.
But the problem is, even with the tons of ideas to write on, how do you "package" them in a way that's fresh, exciting and fun for your readers?
Today, we're gonna talk about those packaging. Yup, 29 (TWENTY NINE) different kind of wrappers, boxes and ribbons you can use to package your contents, in a way that's most presentable.
And the good thing is, most of the 29 post types are considered Evergreen Contents types. These are essentially information that are relevant even after the time of posting. Think 2 to 3 years down the road, and a new Steemian stumbles onto your post, and still, they are totally engaged and excited with the content. Sure, they can't help to generate payout for that post (since it's already past the 7 day mark), but I'm willing to bet they are gonna check out your new posts, and that's where you'll gain a your upvotes, and perhaps a follower too. :)
Ok, let's get right into the 29 types. Yeah, it's gonna be one long-ass post.
The Origin Stories
Everybody loves origin stories - from movies to books to comics. People like to know who were their idols before they were idols, what did their heroes go through, the makings on their icons.You can write about your personal heroes, or even your own origin story. What are the steps that lead you to Steemit or even content writing? What did you do to build the skills and network? How did you achieve what you've achieve?
Facts & Figures
Statistics and data are some of the greatest convincers of all time, and it never fails to amaze the shit out of your readers. Haven't you read a statistic piece and say stuff like "Wow! I didn't know they were that BIG!"People are generally curious as well, which is why documentaries still sell so well until today. Blend a story around the figures and facts, and you got a Based On A True Story post in the making.
Also, remember that posts on statistics and research can help boost your credibility and authority, so it'll definitely give elevate your personal and professional brand. i.e. You'll get people saying "Man, this person knows his sh!t!"
Product Reviews
Ah, the stuff people will read before making their purchase, and they will love the person who gave them the right kind of info before deciding on the sale. Bear in mind that product reviews are also very genre/interest specific, and you will have readers who may know more than you, so make sure you do a good job at it.My advice is to review on products in an area you know very well. Though you opinion may be personal, the depth of your reviews and the references that you made will paint a professional picture in the minds of your readers, so be prepared.
Case Studies
If you've done any research on real life examples in your areas of interest, do know that they make really great posts. Case studies gives the reader "behind-the-scene" info, how results are achieved, some facts and data they may not be aware off and more. Case studies work well if you like to deep dive into topics and uncover the inner workings, and bonus points if you can breakdown the specific steps to replicate or recreate the results.
Dummies’ Guides (How-Tos)
We are all going through a learning phase at one point or another, and a Dummies' Guide, or How To, type of posts will help your readers who wants to know more about a particular topic. That's the reason who the The Complete Idiots' Guide and For Dummies book series are so popular.The few keys to successful Dummies Guides posts are:
- Be able to bring your readers up to speed on any topic
- Distill your subject into bite-size, actionable steps
- Recommend tips, tricks, hacks and shortcuts
- Give relevant examples and case studies so they can see your steps in action
Newbie’ Guides
This is almost similar to #5, but these are for the noobs. Beginner's guide posts can sometimes be harder to write because you need to establish points of familiarity, especially when you are introducing a concept that is totally new. Blockchain, RFID, and gene splicing are some examples of concepts that need "bridging" to things the reader already understand. That's critical in the success of a Newbies' Guide post.Of course, check lists are also useful to help bring your readers up to speed, and you will be seen as a useful resource because you are essentially saving them precious time and from painful mistakes.
Interviews with Subject Matter Experts
This is a smart way to leverage on someone else's content, experience and expertise. Frankly, the hardest part is connecting with the subject matter experts themselves, and after that, either arrange for a face-to-face meet up or Skype call for the interview.You can include the recordings in the post, or you can transcribe it out as well.
A new trend of interviews are long form and deep dives, made popular by the award winning podcasts by the Bestselling Author Tim Ferriss. In his podcast where he interview prominent individuals like Sir Richard Branson, Jamie Foxx, Naval Ravikant and more can go up to 3 hours sometimes, so you can imagine the rich information you can obtain from them!
Success Stories
This never gets old, because everybody loves a success story. It piques your readers interest, excites them to engage with your contents, and sometimes if you are featuring their idols, they may even leave a really good comment as well.Of course, you can also feature your own success stories, and if you can, try to include success strategies that your readers can emulate to achieve your results.
Failure Stories
When I was hosting the Fuckupnights Kuala Lumpur, we were amazed at the number of people who would beat the weather and traffic just to hear failure stories (fuckups) from our featured speakers. The truth is, we sometimes learn more from failures than successes, and it's definitely less painful when the failures are others.That's why I personally vouch if you plan on writing failure stories, and keep is as raw and honest as you can. Of course, don't leave your readers in a gloom; give them tips and tricks to avoid the failures, or maybe a lifeline for those who are fighting through their fuckups.
Recommendations/Curation
If you'd been in an industry or have been cultivating an interest for a while, whenever you're ask about it, you will have your list of recommendations. It can be a curated list of books to read, movies to watch, places to go, food to eat, softwares to install and more.You can say that it's a "quickie", list version of product reviews, but recommendation posts does just that - quick, short suggestions to get your readers interest to learn more about them.
Best Practices
In your experience of doing something, you'll encounter a list of best practices. It can be about your job, your hobbies, a new interest. Posts of Best Practices suggest to your readers that you've been around the block a couple of time, and you know where the potholes are and how to avoid them, and also shortcuts that others may not know of.Oh yeah! This is also a great way to boost your credibility and establish your authority as a subject matter expert.
Checklists
We are generally anxious when embarking on something new, especially if the decision is a big one. Life events like wedding preparation, starting a business, buying a house or going for a two-year road trip can be taunting when it comes to preparations.That's why having a checklist will certainly put your readers at ease, because you are tapping onto your own personal experience of having walked the path, and now you are preparing your readers for the very same journey. Hey, you've just became a tour guide!
Lists (Curated, Best of-)
Same as How-to posts (here's a post on creating effective How-To titles), List posts are one of the easiest to title and get you really good click-through rates. Contents like "7 ways to do something" or "9 books you have to read" or "3 places you must go" always get clicked when they appear on social media (you know you are guilty of some of it.)Why does it work? Well, you are promising that by the end of the article, your reader will have X steps to solve a problem or Y things to learn. Psychologically, your readers are willing to invest the time to go through the X and Y because in their minds, as long as ONE of those things benefit them, it's worth the time reading your post.
Book Summaries
If you are an avid reader, these posts are your ultimate go-to. Almost like a product review, but for book summaries to be effective, you must be able to highlight the key points relevant to your readers, and outline your key takeaways from it. Book summaries are designed to give a snapshot of the content to your readers, and bonus points are given if they can apply your takeaways in their own life.
Anything inspirational
Image Source
Chicken Soup of the Soul, anyone? Stories of overcoming overwhelming odds, rags to riches, the underdog, the miracles, the strength of the human spirit… those inspiration stuff that put smile on your face and tears in the corner of your eyes, they work like magic! And regardless of the time, even if it's a recent story or a tale taken from the pages of history, the charms will work on the heart.
Wow, it didn't occur to me that it will be such a long post, and we've only passed the half way mark!
What, you think I'm jamming too many options and you're overwhelmed?
Ok, let's take a break here and make it a 2-part post… :)
But in the mean time, remember the earlier piece I did to help you generate at least 365 post ideas? Take that list and run through the 15 post types here, and "pin" or "peg" the topics to the types that you think are relevant. It's true that some ideas are better presented in one form than another, but nothing's gonna stop you from representing the same content in different post formats, eh?
Play around with it, and let me know which post types you like best. You can also leave a comment below on any post types that you need help in, and I may be able to whip up an in-depth tutorial on it over the next few days.
To your Steemit Success!
Wait, why's Mav posting on Steemit nowadays?
Well, unlike other blogging and social media platform, Steemit is the only platform that allows me to earn cryptocurrency when I engage with it. Yup, one Steem is about USD5, and you, too, can earn Steem Dollars every time you:
- Create content (articles, blog posts, podcasts, videos, photos)
- Upvote (like) other people contents
- Comment on other people's posts
- Have discussions, share opinions etc!
Yup, basically it's the very same thing you're doing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc all along!
The only difference? For once you can earn a nice income on the side!
Sign up for a free Steemit account, and you can thank me by coming back and upvoting this article. And guess what, you will earn Steem too for doing that! #awesome
