21 Types of Content That Converts

21 Types of Content That Converts

If you’re a content creator, you’ll know that there are many different types of content out there. But which ones should you be creating for your audience?

 

In a world of 600 million blogs, it’s crucial to stand out. Content needs to entertain, educate, hold our interest and provide value. In short, content creators need to mix it up and offer variety.

 

In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular types of content and see what makes them work. We’ll also discuss how to choose the right type of content for your audience and your goals. So, whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking to shake up your content strategy, keep reading!

1. Listicles

Listicles are popular with writers because they are relatively easy to write, and loved by readers because they are easy to digest. They appeal equally to people who like to scan for information quickly, and those who prefer to sift through lots of detail.

2. Videos

There’s a reason why video is one of the most popular types of content marketing. If you’re not using video to your advantage, you could be missing out big time. Recent data shows 82% of video marketers say video has helped drive traffic to their site

Graph showing web traffic generated by video marketing

Videos can be used to promote a product or service, educate potential customers, or simply entertain viewers. When used effectively, videos can help build brand awareness, drive traffic to a website, and increase sales. A Wyzowl survey found that 87% of people were convinced to buy a product or service after watching a video.

Good for:

  • Driving web traffic.
  • Lead generation.
  • Increasing sales.
  • Entertainment, education, and marketing.

Tips:

  • Repurpose written content into video format, and transcribe videos into text.
  • Embed videos so that any shares generate backlinks to your website.
  • Add captions to your video to optimize for silent viewings.
  • Add videos to blog posts when possible. According to Semrush, 34% of people saw better results when they included videos in their blog posts.

3. Webinars

A webinar is an online seminar that allows people to watch video presentations, workshops, or lectures from anywhere in the world. Webinars are an effective type of content for lead generation, especially in the B2B industry. In fact, 73% of B2B marketers state that webinars produce high-quality leads.

Webinars can be used to introduce new products or services and provide helpful tips and advice. They’re also a great opportunity to build trust and credibility with your audience. Webinars can be recorded live and then replayed on-demand to fit in with busy schedules.

Good for:

  • Nurturing sales leads.
  • Building authority.
  • Showcasing products or services.

Tips:

  • Host webinars between 5 pm and 8 pm. Findings by Get Response, suggest this is the optimal time for webinar attendance.
  • Avoid hosting webinars at the weekend. Opt for Monday to Thursday instead.
  • Include a video on the registration page to pique interest, and offer a taste of what the webinar has to offer.
  • Promote your webinar via email in the week leading up to the event.
  • Offer an on-demand webinar or replay option for viewers who couldn’t attend live.

4. Podcasts

A Podcast is a pre-recorded audio show based on a particular topic or theme. They can be entertaining or educational and are a great way to build a regular audience. Since 2008, the podcast industry has been growing steadily year by year. It’s estimated that by the end of 2025, there will be more than 144 million monthly podcast listeners.

Podcasts are one of the most popular types of content because they’re so convenient. People can listen to them while they’re on the move or busy doing other things. According to Thrive My Way, 79.8% of podcast fans like to listen while commuting, so it’s a great opportunity to reach busy people with your content.

Good for:

  • Growing an audience and building a relationship with listeners.
  • Building authority and showing expertise.
  • Sales — According to Thrive My Way, 38% of listeners claim to have purchased something mentioned in a podcast.
  • SEO.

Tips:

5. Live Streams

A live stream is a live broadcast of video or audio over the internet. It allows you to connect with your audience in real-time so that you can take requests, answer questions, and get valuable feedback. You can also use them to promote an upcoming event or product launch. By live-streaming the event, you can generate excitement and get people talking about it before it even happens.

On-demand content is more popular than ever, and the live-stream industry is predicted to grow to $223.98 billion by 2028. Reaction videos, interviews, tutorials, and reviews tend to be successful on streaming sites.

Good for:

  • Building an audience.
  • Increasing engagement.
  • Gathering feedback and ideas.
  • Sales.
  • Showing expertise.

Tips:

  • Promote your live stream before you go live so that you have an audience.
  • Make sure you have good lighting and good sound.
  • Ensure you have a good internet connection.
  • Communicate with your audience by responding to comments and answering questions.

6. How-to-guides

How often have you found yourself typing “How to …….?” into a search engine? If you’re anything like me, it’s a LOT. Google is the #1 go-to source for information these days. For this reason, how-to guides are one of the most popular types of content online.

According to Growth Badger, how-to guides are one of the most valuable assets in the content marketing world. A 2020 survey found that 57% of high-earning bloggers ($50K +per year) publish how-to guides as part of their content strategy.

Chart explaining the popularity of ‘How-to-guides’ among content creators.
Screenshot from Growth Badger

How-to guides and tutorials are popular because they’re useful, and deliver tangible results. They’re a great way to showcase your expertise and build authority within your niche. The key goal is to make your guide as helpful, informative, detailed, and easy to follow as possible.

Good for:

  • Driving traffic and link building.
  • Establishing yourself as an expert, and building trust.
  • Providing value at each stage of a sales funnel.

Tips:

  • Use keyword research to find a problem people have and attempt to solve it with your guide.
  • Read existing guides in your niche and identify what’s missing. Use this information to make your guide better than what’s already been published online.
  • Use lots of screenshots to help readers follow your guide and visualize each step in the process.

7. Reviews and Comparisons

I don’t know about you, but I hardly ever buy anything online without reading a few reviews first. In fact, 89% of consumers say they read reviews before buying products online. You can take advantage of this trend by reviewing products, courses, services, and experiences related to your niche.

Image explaining that 92.4% of people are more likely to buy a product after reading a review.
Screenshot from Learn Hub

Producing honest reviews for your audience is one of the best types of content to build trust and showcase expertise. They’re also one of the best ways to monetize content, especially when you join affiliate programs. By adding affiliate links within your reviews, you have the potential to make money each time someone clicks on your link and makes a purchase.

Good for:

  • Establishing trust and building authority.
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Networking
  • Building backlinks

Tips:

  • Make sure any reviews are based on your own genuine experiences.
  • Repurpose written reviews into video reviews.
  • If you’ve reviewed a product or service by another content creator, reach out and tell them. They might link to your site and help to promote your review.
  • If your reviews contain affiliate links, be sure to add a disclaimer to let people know that you’ll make a small amount of money from their purchase at no extra cost to them.

8. Profiles

Profiles offer an in-depth look at a company, person, product, service, or cause. They should be well-researched, accurate, and written in the third person. When used as part of a content marketing strategy, profiles can help raise awareness and build trust.

Unlike interviews, you can create profiles without input from another person. Just make sure to research your chosen subject thoroughly. You want to make sure that every fact you include in your content measures up. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing credibility.

Good for:

  • Networking.
  • Generating backlinks.
  • Raising awareness.
  • Promotion.

Tips:

  • Make sure all information you include in your profile is accurate and well-researched.
  • Use profiles as a tool to raise awareness about good causes, people, or products related to your niche.

9. White papers

A white paper is an in-depth, well-researched document that aims to address a problem and provide a solution. They can be used to explain a new product or service, or to position a company as an expert in its field.

White papers are one of the most effective types of content in B2B marketing and can be extremely useful in generating leads and boosting sales. According to a 2022 survey, white papers are the 4th most effective form of content when it comes to B2B marketing.

Chart showing the positive marketing results of white papers.

Screenshot from Content Marketing Institute

White papers have the potential to be a ‘snooze fest’ if they’re too dry and technical. The trick is to make them as informative, clear, and concise as possible. Use a combination of text, graphics, charts, and color to liven them up.

Good for:

  • B2B marketing.
  • Positioning yourself as an expert.
  • Building authority, credibility, and trust.
  • Generating backlinks.
  • Creating leads.

Tips:

  • Research your subject thoroughly, and use credible sources.
  • Include data and statistics.
  • Create bite-size paragraphs separated by white space and visuals.
  • Add a table of contents to help readers browse the document, and navigate to relevant pages.
  • Use interesting titles and subheadings.

10. Round-up posts

A round-up post includes a collection of links to other articles, websites, or resources on a particular topic. They can be about anything; from the tastiest Keto recipes to the best people to follow on YouTube, to the most useful apps to learn a new language.

Roundup posts are one of the most valuable types of content because they save people time and stress. Over time people gather their own list of ‘go-to’ experts and links, but it takes a while to build these resources up. Round-up posts can be an extremely useful tool for finding new people to follow, learn from, and be inspired by.

Good for:

  • Networking with other content creators.
  • Providing value to your followers.
  • Establishing trust and building authority in your niche.
  • Creating valuable content when you’re short on time.

Tips:

  • Collect tips, tricks, and quotes from other blogs and compile them in a round-up post. Be sure to cite the original authors and link back to their sites.
  • Let people know if you’ve linked to their content.
  • Check links periodically to see if they still work.
  • Use your own content to create a round-up post to build internal links.
  • Create a weekly round-up post and send it out as an email newsletter.

11. Case studies

Case studies are an example of how a product, system, or service has produced successful results. They should highlight a problem faced by the consumer and showcase a solution that has worked for others.

Case studies are a great way to build social proof and establish trust. They are particularly effective during the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey to remove objections at the consideration stage of the sales funnel. A Hubspot survey found that Case Studies are the 5th most popular type of content amongst digital marketers.

Chart showing the popularity of using Case Studies in digital marketing.
Screenshot from Hubspot

Good for:

  • Overcoming objections.
  • Providing social proof.
  • Increasing sales.

Tips:

  • Describe a clear before and after customer experience.
  • Make the case study visually appealing and easy to follow. Include lots of white space, headings, photos, and bullet points.
  • Include numbers to back up claims and show clear results.
  • Create a specific testimonial page to house your case studies and include some on your homepage.

12. Animations

Animations are a great way to deliver boring information in an entertaining way. Even in this age of short attention spans, there’s something about colorful visuals that keeps the human brain engaged. Scientific studies have found that animation actually helps us retain information. That makes them a handy tool for educating and explaining complex concepts.

Animations are one of the most powerful types of content marketing. Many companies use animated explainer videos to teach people about their products or services. A 2021 study by Wyzowl found that 88% of people surveyed decided to buy a product or service after watching a brand’s video.

Good for:

  • Presenting information in an entertaining way.
  • Building brand awareness.
  • Creating backlinks.
  • SEO

Tips:

  • Create consistent characters and include brand colors that people will start to associate with your brand.
  • Embed your videos and encourage people to share them to create backlinks to your site.

13. Quizzes

Quizzes are a great way to make your content more interactive and fun. They’re not only a fantastic opt-in incentive that can help you grow your list and generate leads, but they’re also a great way to gain social shares and build brand awareness.

Image explaining the positive results of creating a quiz for lead magnet and sales purposes.
Screenshot from interact

Quizzes are easy to create and can be tailored to fit any niche. By asking questions and providing answers, quizzes can help to show off your expertise in a particular area. So if you’re looking for a creative and effective way to engage your audience, quizzes are definitely worth considering.

Good for:

  • Creating engagement.
  • Building email subscribers.
  • Conducting market research.
  • Generating backlinks.

Tips:

  • Use quizzes to attract people at the top of the sales funnel (aka. the awareness/discovery stage).
  • Don’t ask for more personal details than necessary.
  • Create different quizzes for segments of your list, based on their interests.

14. Interviews

Interviews are a good way to spice up your content strategy. We all value an expert opinion, and interviews are the perfect way to provide that. They can be presented in written format, video, or via podcast. This makes them very flexible and easy to repurpose into different types of content.

You could do an in-depth interview with one expert or a roundup interview where various people provide the answers. It’s a win-win situation. You benefit by gaining great content for your site, and in return, the experts get exposure for their business or cause. People value this kind of content because it gives them the chance to see several expert opinions at once.

Good for:

  • Growing an audience.
  • Networking.
  • Generating backlinks.
  • Driving traffic to your site.

Tips:

  • Let the experts know you’ve mentioned them in your content. They might create a backlink to your site or promote your post to their followers.
  • Check links regularly to make sure they still work.
  • Choose experts that have a similar amount of followers to you. This will increase the likelihood that they will agree to the interview.
  • Promote the interview on social media amongst groups that are interested in your niche.

15. Infographic

An infographic is a visual representation of data, statistics, or information. They’re easy to digest and visually appealing, making them highly shareable. By using images, icons, and short blocks of text, infographics can communicate complex ideas quickly and effectively.
When used correctly, infographics can be an extremely effective marketing tool. They can help to increase brand awareness and drive traffic to your website or blog. According to Digital Information World, people are 30x more likely to read an infographic than an article.
Image explaining that infographics are 30x more likely to be read than an article.
Good for:
  • Displaying data and statistics in a way that’s easy to understand.
  • Creating backlinks.
  • Driving traffic.
  • SEO.
  • Building brand awareness and authority.

Tips:

  • Make sure the data in your infographic is up to date and accurate.
  • Use brand colors so that people associate the infographic with your brand.
  • Make the infographic visually appealing with fonts that are easy to read.
  • Cite all sources.
  • Promote your infographic on social media.
  • Embed your infographic and encourage people to share it, so that you can generate backlinks.

16. Emails

Emails are without a doubt one of the most important types of content you can produce. Having a direct line of communication with your subscribers is a precious asset. It allows you to nurture relationships, promote your business and sell products or services.

Image explaining that email is the most effective marketing channel.
Screenshot from Website Planet
According to email marketing strategist Meera Kothand, email is the most effective marketing channel. She states, "for every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return is $44.25”. Sending carefully crafted email campaigns to a targeted list of subscribers is a great way to personalize your marketing strategy.
Good for:
  • Building relationships and establishing trust.
  • Promotion.
  • Selling products and services.

Tips:

  • Email regularly to show consistency and reliability but don’t spam people with too many emails.
  • Always provide value in your emails.
  • Use enticing subject lines to encourage people to open your emails.
  • Don’t hard sell.

17. Giveaways and Contests

People love free stuff — it’s human nature. Giveaways give people a chance to experience something you have to offer at no cost to them. They’re an effective way to gather email addresses and build trust. You could offer a low-cost downloadable digital product such as a short course or a free membership trial of your site.

Contests encourage engagement and create an opportunity to raise awareness of your brand. Service businesses could offer a free consultation, treatment, or experience. Alternatively, the prize could be a free product or course. The point is to demonstrate how much value you can offer people so that they are more likely to become paying customers.

Good for:

  • Opt-in incentives.
  • Building email lists.
  • Gathering testimonials.
  • Promotion.

Tips:

  • Make sure the giveaway is something you wouldn’t normally offer for free.
  • Invite people to leave a testimonial after receiving the giveaway.
  • Promote contests on social media.
  • Coincide giveaways and contests with product launches and holidays.
  • Add time limits to encourage people to act quickly.

18. Opt-in freebies (AKA Lead Magnets)

An opt-in freebie is used to encourage people to sign up for an email list. Popular opt-in incentives include templates, cheat sheets, e-books, newsletters, and short courses. The trick is to make them as useful, and enticing as possible so that people feel compelled to click download or subscribe.

Chart showing the most effective forms of lead magnets and opt-in freebies.
Screenshot from Marketing Charts
Opt-ins are one of the most important types of content for building a successful marketing strategy, so it's worth investing time in creating something of high value. It’s your chance to demonstrate your expertise, build trust and pave the pathway for future sales.
Good for:
  • Building an email list.
  • Establishing trust.
  • Positioning yourself as an expert.

Tips:

  • Use Canva to create visually appealing templates with your own brand colors.
  • Consider which templates would be helpful for your own business. Chances are other people would find it useful too.
  • Look at other templates, and get critical. Assess what’s missing and what you don’t like and create a better version.

19. Courses

Online courses are more popular than ever and the eLearning market is expected to be worth over $325 billion by 2025. You can create a course on just about anything as long as it is high-quality, engaging, and delivers results.

Creating a course is time-consuming but can potentially earn you, passive income for years down the line. You could start by creating a free email course as an opt-in incentive. Then you could build up to a low-cost tripwire offer before eventually selling more expensive courses.

Good for:

  • Lead generation.
  • Monetization.
  • Building an email list.
  • Sharing expertise and knowledge.

Tips:

  • Create free email courses and use them as a lead magnet to gain subscribers and build trust.
  • Offer a tripwire course (a digital product with a small price tag). This allows people to try a product from you without investing too much upfront.
  • Conduct a survey before investing time and money into creating a big course. This will help you see if the course is worth pursuing.

20. Q&As

Q&As can be used in an interview, but they have the added advantage that you don’t have to rely on other people to provide the answers. You can source questions by doing some keyword research, and position yourself as an expert by offering helpful solutions.

A typical example of Q&As is the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page. Or, you could focus on one specific question, and really take the time to delve into the answer. People appreciate well-researched and informative content.

  • Providing value.
  • Building trust.
  • Showing expertise.
  • SEO and long-tail keyword targeting.

Tips:

  • Pay attention to questions that your audience asks and attempt to answer them in Q&A format.
  • Have a live Q&A event where people can ask you questions related to your niche.
  • Use long-tail keyword questions and include them as subheaders throughout the page for SEO purposes.

Resources:

21. Resource lists

  • Providing value.
  • Networking and building backlinks.
  • Affiliate marketing.
  • SEO.

Tips:

  • Make sure that all links to external sites are trustworthy.
  • Check links periodically to make sure they are still working.
  • Tell external websites that you’ve linked to their material. Maybe they will link back to your site and create backlinks.
  • Organize your resource list so that information is easy to find. Break the list into sections and use images.

As you can see, there’s a world of different types of content to consider when building your marketing strategy. The most effective type will depend on your goals and the audience you’re trying to reach. Experiment with different formats and see which ones resonate most with your followers.

Let me know your favorite types of content to produce and share in the comments below. Which have been the most successful in helping you achieve your business goals?

2 Comments

  1. Veins viewer on March 7, 2023 at 11:56 am

    I just like the helpful information you provide in your articles

    • Jeden on March 7, 2023 at 1:30 pm

      Thank you … I’m glad you liked the article 🙂

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