Have you ever struggled to figure out what kind of posts your audience will enjoy? Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for successful blog posts. However, certain types of articles do capture people’s attention. Here are six ideas to get you started.

Sift Though Blog Comments and Reader Emails

First, ask your readers what kinds of topics they’d like see covered on your blog in the future. You can do this through social media, email or just a blog post. Creating content that answers your visitors questions is a very powerful content marketing strategy.

Next, scroll through both old and new blog comments to assess if there are any trending questions that you can answer. In wordpress you can search through blog comments to find any questions. Just search for comments that have a question mark (?) in them.

You can also look through your reader emails to find the same information. If you find that, through all three research methods, your readers want to see more articles about the pyramids for example, then it’s time to create some posts about ancient Egypt.

Ask a Question That People Ask Themselves

A headline that asks a philosophical question such as “What Happens After We Die?” will tempt your blog visitors to read the rest of the post. The question mark in the title signifies that the following story is not fully understood. When people have been asking themselves the same question that you’re asking, they will more likely engage in the article.

Keep An Eye Out For Weird and Unusual Events

An online search for “weird and unusual stories” brings up results for tacky Advent calendars, a man that smuggled giraffes on an airplane, flying dogs, and why people should not rake leaves. Every single one of these stories piques a reader’s curiosity. If your readers have never heard of something happening before, and it’s somehow related to your niche then chances are they will want to know more.

Spread A Rumor

If you have inside sources that can confirm celebrity mishaps or upcoming technology releases, then you have the opportunity to lead your story with a rumor. Be sure that you trust your source, and always provide an explanation in your posts. It’s also wise to include a disclaimer that the story is not a confirmed fact yet.

Make A Top 10 List

There’s a reason why David Letterman’s top 10 lists are so popular. People love lists because lists are easy to understand. Additionally, lists:

• Are typically about fun topics.
• Often have pictures to break up the text.
• Are easy to scan.
• Are very easy to digest.

You may have even slowed down your reading for the bullet points above. List posts have withstood the test of time, there are some websites that exclusively post lists, that’s it JUST lists.

Review A Product

I love reviewing products. Purely because I know that if I love a product then so will my readers. Reviews make a great article because anyone who is buying anything will most of the time search for a review. It’s a great way to gain traffic, trust and if the product is worth the money, hopefully some affiliate sales. This goes without saying but in order to gain trust from your audience, any reviews that you post should be impartial. Writing specific reviews:

• Prompts readers to keep their eyes peeled for future content on your blog.
• Demonstrates that you are up to date with the latest tools and products. Did someone say AUTHORITY?
• Gives prestige to your website.
• Makes you more knowledgeable.

If you have a loyal visitor base then chances are you might be able to get the product for free to review. A lot of companies reach out to bloggers to review their products for free.

If you don’t want to keep the product yourself, give it away in a raffle. That way you can use it to build an email list or social media followers.

Most of these ideas do require a fair amount of research. However, if you refer to specific concepts over and over again, then your time spent researching will naturally decrease as you refine your process.

Now it’s your turn. Have any special style of post that has performed better than your normal style? Let me know in the comments below.