What type of content should you create for your content marketing?
From blog posts to memes, learn the 25 different types of content you can use for your content marketing strategy.
Blog posts are a great way to educate your audience and “sell” what you do in the process.
Example
Our list of free keyword research tools features four of our own tools.
How to market them
If you want consistent traffic to your blog posts, write about topics people search for on Google and use SEO to rank high.
How can you find these topics?
Look at which of your competitors’ posts get the most organic search traffic.
Here’s how:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
- Enter a popular industry blog
- Go to the Top pages report
- Toggle SERP titles on
Videos are a great way to reach a wide audience and show your product or service in action.
Example
Our video on lesser-known link building tactics shows how you can execute them with the help of our toolset.
How to market them
If you’re starting out with no audience, the best way to generate traffic to your videos is to rank high on YouTube. You can do this by targeting topics people are searching for on YouTube.
Here’s how to find these topics:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Switch the tab to YouTube
- Enter one or a few relevant keywords
- Go to the Matching terms report
Podcasts are a great way to build brand awareness, reach a wide audience, and network with industry experts.
Example
In only six months, HubSpot’s “Marketing Against the Grain” podcast hit 70,000 monthly downloads—many of whom are marketers and potential customers.
How to market them
A few ideas to get the word out for your podcast:
- Record your podcast as a video so it can be uploaded on YouTube (instead of just having it in audio)
- Share snippets of your podcast on social media (here’s an example)
- Be a guest on other podcasts
- Transcribe your podcast and send highlights to journalists
How-tos are a great way to teach your audience to solve problems step by step with your product or service.
Example
Our article on keyword optimization shows how to complete the process with our toolset.
How to market them
The best way is to rank your how-tos on Google and generate consistent search traffic. To do this, target “how to” keywords.
Here’s how to find them:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Enter one or a few relevant keywords
- Go to the Matching terms report
- In the Include filter, add “how”
Guides are a great way to introduce your audience to a specific topic and insert your product or service in the process.
Example
Our beginner’s guide to technical SEO explains everything you need to know about technical SEO, including how to use our toolset to fix technical issues.
How to market them
The best way is to rank your guides high on Google. Here’s how to find guide-related topics:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Enter one or a few relevant keywords
- Go to the Matching terms report
- In the Include filter, add “what”
Sidenote.
Not all of this will be guide-related keywords (e.g., “what does seo stand for”), so make sure you analyze the SERPs first.
Newsletters are a great way to build an audience whom you can reach out to any time. They’re also great for distributing content.
Example
We send a weekly newsletter to 200,000 people that features content from our blog and elsewhere.
How to market them
The best way is to encourage people to opt in for the newsletter when they’re already consuming your content. You can do this via a simple opt-in (like us) or with an incentive (via the other content formats in this post).
Don’t just riff off a list of items; expand your listicles with specific steps. This will allow you to “sell” your product or service naturally.
Example
Our listicle on driving traffic to your website shows how you can use our toolset in different tactics.
How to market them
Like other blog post formats, the best way is to rank your listicle high on Google. Here’s how to find potential list-based topics:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Enter one or a few relevant keywords
- Go to the Matching terms report
- In the Include filter, add list-based keywords like “ideas, tips, tools, things, strategies, tactics, list”
Usually <100 pages, ebooks work as great incentives to encourage visitors to opt in to your email list.
Example
To get a free copy of Intercom’s book on marketing, it requires prospects to fill in relevant details (e.g., name, email address, and more).
How to market them
Create a dedicated landing page for your ebook that’s designed to capture email addresses. You can then link to this landing page from your blog posts or run ads to it.
Physical books are generally regarded as high-value and signal that the brand is serious about content and education.
Example
The launch of our new SEO book for beginners generated a positive reception.
How to market them
The best way to market a book is word of mouth. To get the flywheel going, run a giveaway of your book.
Checklists are a great way to drive tons of search traffic and insert your product or service as part of the checklist. They can also work well as a content upgrade.
Example
Our SEO checklist ranks in position #2 and generates a lot of search traffic.
How to market them
The best way is to rank your checklist high on Google. Here’s how to find potential checklist topics:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Enter one or a few relevant keywords
- Go to the Matching terms report
- In the Include filter, add “checklist”
Like checklists, templates are a good way to “insert” your product or service into the process. They also work well as lead magnets.
Example
Our guide to keyword strategy offers a free template for anyone to copy.
How to market them
Don’t create templates no one wants. Make sure people are looking for it. You can do this by looking for templates people are searching for.
- Go to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Enter one or a few relevant keywords
- Go to the Matching terms report
- In the Include filter, add “template”
Since the goal of a white paper is to show necessary data and facts to explain why a product is the best on the market, it can work as a lead magnet for prospects who are interested in learning more about your product.
Example
Ultimaker, a 3D printer manufacturer, gathers contact information from an audience interested in the real cost of owning a 3D printer.
How to market them
Create a dedicated landing page for your white paper. You can then link to this landing page from your blog posts or run ads to it.
Social media posts are great for increasing brand awareness, reaching a broader audience, and building a following interested in your brand, content, product, or service.
Example
Ahrefs posts regularly on Twitter, including threads.
How to market them
Each social media platform has its own rules, culture, and media type (e.g., short-form videos on TikTok, carousels on LinkedIn, long-form on Twitter). Learn what they are and create content that matches what people on the platform want to see.
Illustrations and infographics are great ways to condense text, concepts, and ideas into a shareable form. They also work great on social media.
Example
Our post on how to get on the first page of Google features a flowchart.
How to market them
Create illustrations and infographics that people want to see. You can do this by following the TRUST formula:
- Find a Trending topic
- Do Research and analysis to find interesting data
- Present a Unique takeaway
- Create a Simple visual
- Promote Tactically
Free tools are a great way to let customers test-drive your product or service.
Example
Our backlink checker is one of the many free SEO tools we offer.
How to market them
Don’t guess what tools people want. Create them based on what people are searching for:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Enter one or a few relevant keywords
- Go to the Matching terms report
- In the Include filter, add “tool, tools, checker, calculator”
Courses are a great way to educate your audience, especially about how to use your product or use your product to solve their problems.
Example
Our SEO course for beginners teaches the basics of SEO using Ahrefs.
How to market them
Similarly, you’ll want to create courses for topics that people are searching for:
- Go to Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer
- Enter one or a few relevant keywords
- Go to the Matching terms report
- In the Include filter, add “course”
Case studies can be an effective nudge for turning a prospect into a customer.
Example
Recruiting software Lever has hundreds of case studies based on customer size and industry.
How to market them
The best way is to add them to your website so visitors can navigate there.
They can also be used as part of your sales process.
Testimonials are a great way to add social proof to your website.
Example
We have a rolling carousel of testimonials on our homepage, separated by our customer profiles.
How to market them
The best way is to put them on your homepage.
Webinars are a great way to generate leads or onboard customers.
Example
We mainly use webinars as onboarding at Ahrefs.
How to market them
The specific promotion strategy will depend on your goals for webinars:
- If you’re using them as onboarding for new or existing customers, you can promote them via your email list.
- If you’re using them for lead generation, consider partnering with experts and influencers in your niche so they can promote them to various audiences.
Quizzes are a great way to acquire links, build brand awareness, and segment your audience.
Example
Todoist runs a quiz on the best productivity methods.
How to market them
Add them to your website so visitors can navigate and find them.
Interactive forms of content, like games, allow prospects and customers to play with content. They’re a great type of content to attract backlinks.
Example
Swedish financial company Advisa created a game to indirectly comment on the British pound after Brexit was confirmed.
How to market them
The best way is to pitch your interactive content to relevant news websites.
Interviews are a great way to create expert content and tap into other people’s audiences. They can be in any format: video, audio, or text.
Example
Our chief marketing officer, Tim Soulo, interviews expert SEOs and marketers for our customers-only community:
How to market them
Promote your interview via your email list. You should also encourage your guest to promote the interview to their audience.
Slide decks are usually created for conferences and work well as thought leadership.
Example
This is a presentation from Tim at BrightonSEO, an SEO conference.
How to market them
After your presentation, upload your slide decks on SlideShare.
Primarily for social media, memes are a great way to engage with your audience.
Example
Fast-food restaurant Wendy’s is well known for posting memes on Twitter.
How to market them
Since memes are mainly for engaging with your audience, the best way is to post them on the social media platform you’re using to engage with said audience.
User-generated content (UGC) is a great way to build and engage with your audience.
Example
Every post and reply in our customers-only community is UGC and contributes to its engagement and activity.
How to market them
Rather than market UGC, a better way would be to figure out how to generate more of it. For example, we’d want more activity in our community (and therefore more UGC).
While there’s no surefire way to do this, one thing’s certain—you have to be a brand that your customers love. That means creating an amazing product and providing great customer service.
Beyond that, you’ll also want to make things exclusive so your customers feel like they’re part of an invite-only community. For example:
- Our interview series, “This Never Happened,” is live, and the recording is only available to our community for 24 hours.
- Adidas Yeezys are limited edition, and you can’t get them anywhere else.
- To launch his chocolate brand, Feastables, MrBeast embedded 10 golden tickets that represent the opportunity to be featured in a MrBeast video, remaking Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory in real life.
Learn more
Looking to learn more about content marketing? Check out these resources:
Any questions or comments? Let me know on Twitter.
