7 Blog Post Templates You Can Steal

You’ve got every excuse in the book about why your business can’t consistently blog.

It takes too much time.

You can’t think about what to write.

You don’t think anyone will read it.

And, the list goes on and on…

But, what if I told you there was an easier way? What if I gave you the exact formula for creating reproducible content day in and day out?

Sound too good to be true?

It’s not.

In fact, I’ve got just the thing for you today that will make blogging a whole lot easier for you. I’m going to give seven blog post templates you can use to write killer blog posts
 every time you sit in front of the computer.

Blog Post Templates You Can Use Today

These blog post templates will help you streamline your process by taking the guesswork out of blogging and giving you a simple framework you can follow.

If you want to be more effective and efficient with your team’s blogging efforts, templates are a fantastic way to do it. Using these seven blog post outlines, you have the basic ingredients you need to create hundreds of blog posts.

Simply choose the type of blog post you want to write and use the framework to make it happen. Ready to get started? Here we go!

1. Case Studies

Case studies are a great way to highlight the benefits of your business by showcasing real examples of what you do.

There’s magic in this because it gives people a taste of what it would be like to work with you or what they can expect when buying your product.

To write a case study post, here is what you should include:
 

• Introduce the problem. What is the problem people this person or business was trying to solve? Relate to the reader by sharing how this might be a common issue.
• How did you address it? This is where you share how your company addressed the problem. How did your product save the day? How did your team fix the issue? This is the heart of the post.
• What were the results? The magic of case studies is sharing the results. What happened as a result of your efforts? Share that information here.
• How can other people apply this lesson? Last, but certainly not least, offer up some tips on how others can implement the lessons and ideas you implemented.
   

Here are some examples of case studies in action:

• CRI’s ShoreTel Solution Saves The Church of God $150,000 (this is our client)
• Case Study: This mom used to work 14 hours/day. Now, 8. And she makes $82,000/year
• Case Study: Kellogg’s Boosts Social Media Campaign ROI

2. Round ups

Roundups can take many shapes and forms. Essentially, a round up is a way to compile a bunch of resources or ideas into one blog post.

Readers love roundups because it offers a ton of information in one place. This makes the content highly shareable and delivers a nice traffic boost.

Roundups are also a fantastic opportunity to get on the radar of influencers. After all, when you highlight the work that others are doing, they are more likely to share it, giving your awareness efforts a boost.

For instance, at the end of last year, we wrote a roundup post profiling the top marketing blogs of 2014. We also created a nice graphic to go with it. The majority of the bloggers on the list shared the post and it continues to be one of our top performing posts on the site.

Here are some key components to include in your roundups:

• Why it’s valuable. Sharing a list alone is not enough. Share why the product, person or article is worth checking out.
• Links. Links are currency on the web today. If you’re highlight a person or product, be sure to give them some link love.
• Multimedia. The best roundups include photos, graphics and videos. Think about how you can showcase the photos of the people you include, logos of the company or graphics that highlight quotes from them.

Here are some ideas for
 roundup posts:

• Favorite tools or resources;
• Best of list (i.e top blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.);
• Expert round up; or
• Product round up.

Here are some great roundup post examples to check out:

• Top 20 Digital Marketing Blogs of 2014
• Monday Roundup: The Ins and Outs of Measuring Content
• How to Promote Your Blog Content: 40+ Experts Share Marketing Tips

3. How-to posts

When people search the web, they are often looking for answers to a question or solutions to a problem.

That’s why how-to posts and guides are so valuable. If done the right way, it offers up just the answer people are looking for, which positions you and your company as a trusted and valuable resource.

If you’re going to write a how-to post, these components are a must:

• State the problem. Identify the question or common problem people are having. This is where some keyword research can be valuable — what are the questions people are asking?
• Outline the steps. Once you have the topic, outline the steps for the task. What does the reader need to do to make this happen?
• Show how it’s done. Including graphics, screenshots and videos can be a great way to help show the reader how to complete the task.
   

It’s a simple formula, but it works. Here are some great examples of how it’s done:

• How to Make Animated GIFs with Photoshop
• How to Use Hashtags on Twitter: A Simple Guide for Marketers
• This Is Your Brain on Emojis. Here’s How to Use Them in Your Marketing

4. List posts

Readers love lists.
 Why?

List posts deliver a promise in the headline that helps the reader know exactly what to expect when he clicks on the link. And, thanks to numbers, bullets and subheads, list posts are incredibly easy to digest.

Heck, this is a list post.
 And, our most popular post of all time is a list post. (Check it out here.)

So, how can you use lists?
 There are many ways. You can create checklists or guides, outline the reasons to do something (or NOT do something), offer up a list of creative ideas or ways to solve a common problem.

But, because lists are so commonly used, it’s easy to slap them together and make it work. If you want your list post to be effective, you need to keep a few things in mind.

Here are some key components to make your list post stand out:

• Pick a topic of focus.
   You want to make sure your list is tightly focused. All of the items must adhere to the overall theme to make an impact. Delete anything that doesn’t stay on point.
• Make it meaty.
   Every list post is different, but don’t just create a numbered list of items and call it a day. Make sure each point has some rationale or examples to go along with it. Linking to other relevant sources is valuable too.
• Number the items.
   The magic of list posts is that they are easy to follow along. Number each item in your list
   to make it easy for the reader to read and scan.
• Keep formatting consistent.
   If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that the
   components and formatting for each point in this post is the same.
   I talk about how the post type can be used, give you the formula for building it and then offer up some examples to check out. For
   your list post, make sure that each point has the same
   components and format to make it easy for readers to follow.

Here are some examples of excellent list posts:

• 23 Boneless Chicken Breast Recipes That Are Actually Delicious
• The Essential Guide to Finding the Right Rental {Checklist} (client)
   
• 8 Writing Tools I Use Every Day

5. Predictions and trends

No one can predict the future, but we all want to know what will be the next big thing.

Paying attention to trends and anticipating what’s next can help you stay ahead of your competition. That’s why readers are always looking for this kind of content. If you can be the one to offer it, you’re positioning yourself as a thought leader.

That’s one of the reasons I wrote my marketing predictions for this year.

Here’s how to do it:

• Share your predictions and advice.
   You can’t simply share your predictions. You must share your experience and rationale for why you’re predicting a particular trend.
• Include research. Make sure you back up your ideas with data. Sharing research, statistics and other data can help you show why you think a trend is heading in a particular direction.
• Share expert opinions. You can bolster your ideas by including quotes, links and ideas from other experts. This can help prove your hypothesis.

Not sure how to do this? Here are some great examples:

• Top 10 Business Trends That Will Drive Success In
   2015
• 21 Digital Marketing Trends & Predictions for 2015
• 10 technology trends shaping the legal industry
   

6. Behind the Scenes

People love getting a peek behind the curtain to see what life is really like at your business.
 It’s always
 a good thing
 to show that there’s actually human beings operating in there somewhere.
 In fact, personalizing your brand is key to helping you attract (and keep)
 loyal brand enthusiasts.

Not sure how to do this? Here are some ideas:

• Day in the life. What does an average day look like at your company? How can you walk someone through what you and your team does every day? Videos and photos are great ways to do this.
• Employee profiles. Introduce your audience to the people behind your business.
• Featured Customer or Client. Not only do people love to know what you do when they’re not looking, they also love to have their ego stroked a bit. Sharing a profile on your top clients or most loyal customers can show them that you appreciate them in a big way.

Because this there are a lot of ways to go about this type of post, there isn’t one simple template. But, there are some key components to include:

• Why it matters.
   Don’t just include some information about an employee. Talk about who they are and how they add value to your clients and customers. For example, “Susan isn’t just the quality control manager, she is the one who makes sure each widget lovingly packed to arrive to your office ready to get to work. And those handwritten notes in your box? Those are from Susan.” That’s way better than just stating her job description. Show how Susan’s job impacts your customers so they know the people who contribute to your success.
• Tell stories.
   People love a good story. Why not use these kind of posts as a great way to do that?
• Make it visual.
   No matter what kind of profile or approach you use, make sure to include photos or videos. An employee profile is much more powerful if you can SEE the person you are talking about.

Here are some examples of posts that go behind the scenes:

• So you want to curate an exhibit about the 1960s?
• The Spin Sucks Inquisition
• How Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams are Made

7. Podcast posts

If you have a podcast, you can create a blog post to promote the latest episode.
 Here’s the formula that works for my show, The Marketing Huddle:

• Attention-grabber. We write a short hook to capture people’s attention about the topic.
• Key points covered in the show. This is a list of what we discuss and why you should listen.
• This week in marketing. This is our segment about the latest news in digital marketing.
• Marketing MVP.
   This highlights a person or business that is kicking some marketing butt. We give a shout out to the MVP here.
• Sponsor mention. We have some wonderful sponsors of our show. We highlight them next.
• Listen to the show. Then, we embed the Soundcloud player to give people the opportunity to listen to the show.
• Subscribe & review. After all that, we invite readers to subscribe to the show on iTunes and leave us a review. (Psssst. We’re also giving away free leather journals if you review the show. Get the scoop here.)

Obviously, your show’s format will dictate how you set this up. But, this gives you an idea of how this works.

Here are some great examples of podcast posts:

• The Marketing Huddle: How To Use Social Media to Jumpstart Your Traffic
• Smart Passive Income: Michael Hyatt and the Secrets of Team Building and Leadership
• Startup: Playing with Matches
• How a Volcano Created a World-Class Social Media Program for KLM Airlines
• The Social Pros Podcast:
   How Social Media Examiner Became the Biggest Site in Social

Put These Blog Templates to Work!

Although this doesn’t give you templates for every kind of blog post out there, this gives you a solid foundation to begin writing some killer content. Now, all you have to do
 is take these blog post templates and put them to work!

Now, when you sit down to write a blog post, you don’t have to think about how to put the content together. You’ve got the exact recipe you need to make it happen.