An active small business blog has plenty of benefits—from boosting SEO to increasing site traffic to establishing your brand as a trusted resource.
But WHAT should you be writing about?
If it's a question you struggle with, you aren't alone. Regularly developing strategic, audience-serving blog content can be intimidating for many business owners.
In this post, you’ll learn the three types of blog posts you need to generate to connect with your target audience, offer undeniable value, and build your reputation as a thought leader.
First, let’s talk about blog content pillars and topics.
Before you start blogging, you’ll need to identify your content pillars and create a system for generating topic ideas.
Your blog content pillars are the 3–6 categories you'll write about. When thinking about which pillars to choose, ask yourself questions like:
What do you want your business to be known for?
What are your top product or service categories?
What are your process differentiators?
What do you love to teach people about?
For instance, a leadership development coach might choose the following pillars to align with her specialties and her core brand messages:
Managing Impostor Syndrome
Gender Dynamics in the Workplace
Psychological Safety in the Workplace
Once you have established your content pillars, you can start brainstorming topic ideas that fit beneath each content pillar.
In addition to dedicated brainstorming time, you’ll find that ideas come from everyday customer interactions, reflecting on how and why you do what you do, discoveries made through professional development, and little life moments outside of work.
If you’re like me, you may get great ideas at inconvenient times—like when you’re in the shower or behind the wheel on the way to an appointment. I recommend using tools like a voice recorder app (like Otter) or a waterproof notepad (such as AquaNotes) to make it easy to catch those ideas before they disappear.
Above all, have a single place—whether in EverNote, Google Drive, or elsewhere—to collect your topics. By creating systems for brainstorming topics and categorizing them under your content pillars, you'll build a bank of ideas for content that reinforces your brand messages.
With content pillars and topics in place, your next job is determining the best way to structure your posts.
I teach my clients about three types of blog content that every small business blog needs: Cornerstone Content, Thought Leader Content, and Connection Content.
When you match up a topic with its ideal blog post format, you'll discover that it's easier to write AND gets better traction. You'll approach the subject with a focused goal and a clear value proposition. Remember, you must give readers a compelling reason to read your post!
Let's take a deeper look at these types of content and what they offer your readers.
Cornerstone Content
Cornerstone posts are the ones you find yourself referencing and linking to again and again. They are the posts that are jam-packed with value on your industry's most essential and foundational aspects. The key value proposition of a Cornerstone post is typically to explain, teach, or inspire your reader.
Here are some of the most common formats for Cornerstone blog posts:
Explainer Posts
Explainer posts help introduce your audience to ideas, services, and products related to your brand.
Example: What is Brand Messaging, and Why Does it Matter?
How To Posts
Give some knowledge away for free and help humans and search engines understand what you’re all about.
Example: How to Survive Your Kitchen Renovation
Foundational Tips and 101 Guides
These posts catch people and allow you to simplify a complex process or topic for your audience.
Example: 10 Things You Can Do Now to Save for Retirement
Ultimate Guides
Ultimate Guide posts are an even deeper, more comprehensive look at a topic related to your industry.
Example: The Ultimate Guide to Planning an Epic Corporate Retreat
Thought Leader Content
Thought Leader content goes beyond the basics to highlight your expertise and authority by sharing new ideas and perspectives related to your zone of genius. While Cornerstone content is focused on explaining and teaching, Thought Leader content promises to challenge, answer, or broaden perspectives.
These are some of the most common formats for Thought Leader blog posts:
Challenging Industry Norms Posts
Talk about how your business does it differently or bust some myths.
Example: Why You Shouldn’t Hire a Professional Copywriter in Year One
Predict, React, or Review Posts
Show your readers that you are ahead of the curve as you share your insights about recent trends, new items, or what’s to come in your industry.
Example: Have You Heard of Responsive Logo Design?
Get More Value Posts
Share ways to get more value out of a product or service you offer.
Example: 7 Ways to Use Magna-Tiles To Help Your Kindergartener Learn
Common Questions Posts
Answer commonly asked questions through a thoughtful blog post to help demonstrate your knowledge and guide your audience to success.
Example: When to bring on an interior designer for your new build
Connection Content
While story and connection are a part of many kinds of posts, Connection Content puts relationship-building first. These posts invite the reader to peek behind the curtain and learn about your brand more intimately. The key value proposition for a Connection post is usually to understand, meet, or get insider info.
Here are some fantastic formats to try when connection is your primary goal:
Case Study or Process Posts
Share your process to build trust with your audience, highlight what's unique about your work, and demonstrate the results you help people achieve.
Example: How Design Got PherDal Onto the SXSW Pitch Competition Stage
Lessons Learned Posts
Tell a story about something you learned and how the discovery has fueled your mission or impacted how you do business.
Example: How life changed when I realized I wasn’t the problem—diet culture was.
Interview Posts
Depending on your post goals, interview your team members, clients, or professionals from related industries.
Example: Meet Our Director of Customer Experience (aka the Woman Behind the Care Packages)
Resource Roundup Posts
People love a list. Share tools, products, or tips that signal your knowledge, values, and personality.
Example: Our Ten Must-Have Kitchen Tools for Meal Planning Success
Are you inspired to put these formats into action on your blog?
I hope so! Be sure to subscribe to my emails and download your copy of my Blog Post Format Cheat Sheet to keep it by your side as a reference. When you subscribe, you’ll have the chance to download the worksheet right here on this page. You’ll also receive an email with my 10-Step Website Copy audit, perfect for strengthening the copy throughout your entire site!
Happy blogging!