10 Types of Content That Are a Whisker Better Than the Rest

This article comes from the blog archive – figures and examples reflect the year it was published.

Creating content takes a great deal of creativity, knowledge and time. If you create content for a client, a fair share of your work will be honest, diligent study.

Sometimes you can at least give the form a little helping hand. Some types of content naturally attract more attention than the usual standard. And it’s these types we’re talking about today.

1) Lists

You’re looking at one such piece of content right now. So including it in this set was undoubtedly a good choice. Lists of all kinds have long been the most-viewed topics. It’s a most peculiar psychological phenomenon. I suspect it may have to do with our memories of school days, when we tried with all our might to cram various lists into our heads. And so, when we see an article or link promising a list of anything at all, our first thought is often to quickly come up with a list of our own on the subject, and then click and compare how far we agree with the content.

2) How-To Guides

Articles of the How to type are in much the same position. We have a natural need to keep learning and trying things out, so if someone offers us a useful guide, we’re happy to take a look. If it’s something new, we’re pleased. If it isn’t, we’re even more pleased, because we’re ALREADY doing something right.

3) Case Studies

We like peeking into other people’s kitchens. We like finding out what worked or didn’t work for whom, how and when, and we look for inspiration or compare it with our own work and business.

4) Video

Video is undoubtedly the phenomenon of recent years. Humanity has grown a little lazy on us and, rather than read, prefers to consume content in video format. That doesn’t hold always and under all circumstances, though. You need to choose sensitively when to use video and, above all, how to do it well.

5) Interviews

Interviews are an excellent format. They’re dynamic, they usually read well (with the exception, of course, of certain specific interviewees, such as various captains and the like), they’re not an endless text with no structure, and they’re interwoven with questions. And if the person being interviewed has something to say to the audience, then you can’t go wrong with an interview.

6) Stories

A story is personal. It evokes emotion. It doesn’t matter whether the emotion is positive or negative. Emotion is always good. In stories we’re able to identify with someone, get enthusiastic, agree, feel sorry, get worked up, despise others or fall in love. That’s why we love stories. Creating or finding a good story around a brand or topic is a win.

7) Infographics

It’s much the same as with video. Presenting content in the form of infographics is visually interesting and readers love it, because they can remember the data it contains considerably better and faster. But here too, just as with video (and, when all is said and done, with any content), it has to make sense from start to finish and have value for the reader.

8) Series

No comment. What else was Dallas built on, if not a story divided into individual episodes. If the whole is gripping enough, you’ll have no trouble splitting it into several instalments and so securing your readers’ interest again and again.

9) Comparisons

We like change, which is why comparisons of all kinds work a treat as content. Typical examples are flat renovations, makeovers, weight loss before and after, or comparisons of how your life changed when you started getting up an hour earlier.

10) Interactive Content

If you give users the chance to get directly involved in the content, that’s added value for them. We have a need not only to discover new things and learn, but also to create. Direct interaction within content and user-generated content are an integral part of content marketing.