Seven Kinds of Articles or Posts

(1) How to: Within a given cluster of keywords or market niche, people often want to know how to solve their problems. Can you help them? Write a “how-to” style article. Include “How to” in the title.

(2) Numbered List: If the list is sequential or logical or relatively short, readers find this format easier to digest, especially those in a hurry or those searching for one point in a list. Numbered lists can easily be formatted for both in-depth and rapid reading.

(3) Story (including interviews): As warnings or encouragements, stories can be memorable, emotionally powerful, and easy to read. The story should answer “what’s in it for me” for the reader and have some resolution.

One source for finding people to interview is rtir.com.

(4) Controversial Opinion: Herein lies both opportunity and danger. If you want traffic, issues which by their nature are emotional and controversial will get it. The trick is to get the targeted traffic for your business. At the end of the controversy, you want to provide the solution to the reader’s anger, fear, desire, or whatever drew the person to read your two cents worth opinion.

In some formats like blogging, a controversial question can be asked to generate comments. When people engage their energies and emotions on your site, they become invested enough to give you an opportunity to be heard.

(5) Survey Results: People are curious to know where they stand among others and what to expect. If done right, the survey results address people’s felt need for reassurance or warn them of a danger or give them ideas how to change in ways that can help them.

Charts and Graphs can be easy for readers to understand.

(6) Product Comparison: These can add value for the previously interested reader. If you have a vested interest in at least one of the products, say so, best by adding a positive testimony of your results. Or you can warn potential buyers of your negative experience, and the reader will be grateful and trust you more.

(7) The Prediction or Trend: Trends can act like predictions. We are afraid of the future or are eager to capitalize on it. If the prediction seems trustworthy, people may act on it, giving you an opportunity to provide a solution to their felt need.

But what if you write good content–or make that unique and really great content–and nobody knows you’re out there? No traffic, right? By definition, most of us are not celebrities, at least at the beginning of our blogs.

Copywriters tell us people buy what they want rather than what they need. Search engines like Google are interested in providing people what is most relevant to what they want. So your blog has the potential to get more viewers if you provide what people want, what they are looking for

… whether or not you have any commercial intent for your blog.

Of the many ways to drive traffic to your blog, here is one:

Put comments on other people’s blogs and forums with links back to yours (most blog comment areas include a place to put your blog URL).

• Comments that people will read, like, and cause them to click on the link to your blog.
• Comments that are relevant to the blog post in question and to your blog.
• Comments that are posted to better-known or authoritative and established blogs and forums and, again, relevant to your blog.
• Comments that are helpful to others and not blatantly self-serving or spam.
• Comments that show genuine appreciation and praise where appropriate, but do more than just that.
• Comments that start relevant conversations, ask relevant questions, solve someone’s problem, alert someone in danger. Maybe more than one comment to the same post.

Remember, you get what you pay for. Pay the price in writing comments, and you will get the right kind of people clicking back to your blog for the right reasons.

Peter Rubel

P.S. For more ideas, see my three posts regarding cheap website promotion, starting with the first.