I was about 15 and already blogging on AOL when blogs started during the mid – late 90’s. At that time, they were mostly being used as personal journals and diaries ( and let’s hope my original blog “diary” is long gone in the deep deep depths of the internet!). Diary and journal blogs are really not the norm anymore, with the exception of travel blogs. In general, blogs have evolved and are being used as a means to connect with readers and clients by the sharing information and keeping people coming back for more. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for personal stories and journals out there, but that’s not really what you and I do. The information my readers, and myself, share on our blogs is typically related to a specific industry, a business, or is showcasing some kind of expertise in a very specific industry or career type. When you are running a business or working full time while also writing a successful blog, it can be difficult to keep the information fresh and  come up with things to write about or formats to write them in.

One way we can keep the ideas flowing is by remembering the list below of the different types of blog post formats there are to use, and brainstorming different things we can do with them in our niche. Once you’ve read this list and started brainstorming, you’ll want to write these down on an editorial calendar and plan out your post schedule. But, that’s for a future blog post in this 52 week blog challenge series! (don’t forget that you can always sign up for weekly updates on the series so you don’t miss out).

16 Types of Blog Posts for Every Blog:

1. Lists …..(Just like this blog post)
2. Instructional DIY …..(Images or a video works great with this one)
3. Problems and Solutions …..(Explain a problem and solve it with a solution / great for showcasing a product you want to sell or giveaway)
4. Travel / Destination …..(An article with images and tips for travel)
5. Money …..(Explanations related to money challenges or how to make money gets people  very excited)
6. Recipe and Food ….(similar to travel posts or DIY posts. Great for using lots of images)
7. Guest posts ….. (Invite another blogger to write on your blog. Great exposure for both of you)
8. Links, Links, and more Links …..(Review items and share links to items you think are important. Similar to a List post but with links)
9. Day in the life …..(give your readers a glimpse into your everyday life. Share something personal, like a great story)
10. Series ….. (create a collection of blog posts that are related. Just like my 52 week blog challenge)
11. Infographic …..(using a simple and tall graphic, explain something using images and a little text. This is great for sharing on pinterest)
12. Quiz / Questions …..(Give people a chance to take a quiz or answer questions)
13. Challenge…..(Start a challenge and get people engaged. Great for building an email signup form) 
14. Contest / Giveaway ….(Who would have thought?! 😉 Readers love free stuff and the chance to win)
15. Product Review …..(give your readers an inside look at a product by reviewing it with your experience and tips)
16. Something funny or sad …..(People love to feel connected with other people. They enjoy doing that through laughter or sadness. Share a story or something that gives them the “feels”)

Now that we have 16 different types of blog posts we can write for our blog, we just need to make sure we stay consistent and keep our blog looking and feeling cohesive. You can imagine that having all different types of content on your blog is great for engaging various types of readers, but you’ll want to write and format each one in similar ways. The hope is always that a reader will finish one article and want to read more. Once they click on that next blog post though, they will want to see something that looks and feels like its from the same blog as the first article they read. The moment they feel a lack of consistency is when you’ll lose their interest and they’ll leave your site.

So, how do we keep 16 different blog post types looking and feeling like they’re from the same blog? By using the same key elements in every article.

3 Key Elements for Maintaining Cohesive Blog Posts:

Keep your headings and text the same size and color:

Your readers will appreciate your writing a lot more if there aren’t a lot of color changes, font size changes, or formatting changes. So, when you create your list posts or your other articles, make sure to be consistent with your bullet points and the size headings you use. Pay attention to when and how you punctuate, use all caps, or use italics. If you are consistent with these elements in every blog post, then you are already doing a great job at keeping readers!

Justify your paragraphs:

You may notice that between all of my blog posts that the text lines up perfectly on the right side and on the left side. This makes reading my articles a lot easier and creates a square, clean, and organized structure to the blog posts. Your blog format might be better suited for a left justified or a right justified style. Regardless of which justification you use, the main goal is to be consistent. Don’t make one article formatted in the center and then the next formatted to the left. If you’d like to make yours line up on the left and right like mine, you can find the justify tool on your wordpress toolbar (see the image below).

Use consistent imagery:

Pictures speak volumes to people and if you use all sorts of image sizes, colors, themes and types for your blog, then you may lose readers just because of that. People are highly visual creatures and they instinctively know when something is off. They may not be able to pin point it or tell you what’s wrong, but they can sense it when things aren’t cohesive and out of place. To start, I would make sure your images are at least the same size in every blog post. Then try looking for and using images that use similar colors and lighting. If you like to place text over your images, make sure the font is the same. Keep it simple and people will appreciate it more.

I know how hard it can be to feel like you are being consistent if you are a first time blogger. First time bloggers are ingesting so much new information that it can be overwhelming and make you feel like you’re never doing anything right because there is so much to consider. Don’t get overwhelmed and realize that you can figure things out little by little and go back and fix some things as you learn them. The great thing about blogs is that your content doesn’t ever go away. People will always find older content, so there is no shame in going back to old stuff and updating it so it feels consistent with things you’ve learned today.

Share a comment below and let me know how you keep your blog articles consistent.