29 Content types you should have in your content strategy

Attracting content does what it says on the tin. It attracts the kind of prospects you want to work with to your website and it makes the prospect of working with you seem attractive.

Attracting-red-horseshoe-magnet-on-blue-background — ^{Image by pithonius from Pixabay}

With attracting content, you can:

Describe your ideal customer and why their particular circumstances mean they get the best results
Show why your product/service is a good investment and give examples of what you’ve achieved
Explain why prospects should specifically choose/buy from you.

2. Authoritative content

Authoritative content is about building your authority in your industry and on Google. One of the best ways to do this is to build a spectacular and unrivalled content resource. A one-stop-shop that answers as many of your audience’s questions as possible, so they don’t need to go anywhere else.

^{Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay}

Authoritative content can also include:

Thought leadership articles and opinion pieces
Comments on the latest industry news and updates
Introductions to new innovations and technology
The busting of common myths and misconceptions.

3. Calendar content

Calendar content is only ever temporary, but it’s a good idea if you’re working to a schedule and you need to keep your audience in the loop.

Examples of calendar content might include:

Trade events you’ll be attending and why your audience should attend, too
Details of events where you’re speaking, presenting or hosting sessions
Charity events you’re running and how your audience can participate
National/global special days, weeks or months you’re observing
Upcoming sales, presales, launches and offers.

4. Change/evolution content

Change content is about changes in your business or industry. This kind of content is a good way to demonstrate to your audience that you’re progressive, forward-thinking and open to making changes for their benefit.

For example, you might look at:

How your industry has changed/is changing and how this affects your customers
Why you’re making changes and how that will benefit your customers
How you’re making progress and making things better for customers.

5. Call to action content

Call to action content is content with a clear call to action at the end. This content is designed to trigger your readers to take a particular course of action.

For example, call to action content might:

Give a preview of forthcoming email content your subscribers will be getting
Introduce a lead magnet you’ve created and provide a download link
Talk about the exclusive benefits your email subscribers get
Unveil a new product/service you’re offering and link to it.

6. Curated content

Curated content is content you pull together from other websites to create a useful and insightful resource. These posts are helpful for your audience because you’ve done the hard work for them and brought all the information they need together, in one place.

Curating posts from reputable sources is good for you, too. It will position you as a brand that can be trusted, strengthen your reputation and help you build your audience.

The curated resources you’ve created can also be incredibly shareable. But you need to keep them regularly updated — especially if they’re statistics — so they’re always current and relevant. And that means updating the entire piece of content — not just the year in the title!

Curated content can include things like:

Lists and countdowns
Interview soundbites/quotes
Statistical information on a topic
Lookbooks/swipe files/inspiration guides.

7. Explainer content

Explainer content is content that explains things. Shocker, I know. There are always things businesses need to explain to their readers. Having this content on your website will keep your readers engaged. Linking to it in your other more in-depth content will help to keep them on your site if they find something they don’t understand.

unravelling-an-idea — ^{Image by RosZie from Pixabay}

Explainer content might include:

Definitions or glossaries of terms e.g. What is explainer content?
An explanation of your service
Explaining how something works
Translating something complex into plain English.

8. How-to content

People look up how to do things online and they find tutorials to guide them through the process. Providing these tutorials could help to position you as an expert they need to know. Or you could introduce them to your product or service, which help them achieve their desired result.

For example, your how-to content might cover:

How to prepare a meal
How to improve your skills
How to achieve a look or effect
How to fix something that’s broken.

9. Informational content

Informational content satisfies your readers’ need for information. It shows them you understand what they need to know and can explain it in a way that’s clear and makes good sense. When readers see you as a trusted source of information, they’ll be more likely to come back and more inclined to buy from you when the time is right.

Informational content might include things like:

Rules and regulations
Educational resources
How-tos and guides.

10. Inspiration-based content

People need inspiration for all sorts of reasons. Being the brand that gives it to them shows you have good ideas — and good ideas count for a lot. Inspiration-based content is shareable and can include your own products.

Lightbulb-bursting-with-coloured-paint — ^{Image by u_psefsrbhyb from Pixabay}

Inspiration-based content might cover things like:

Crafting
Interior decoration
Personal styling
Architectural design
Planning for events and celebrations
Content marketing ideas.

11. Interview content

Interviews can be enlightening for lots of reasons.

This content might include interviews with:

Experts in your industry who will endorse what you’re doing, support your messaging and give you credibility
Happy customers who’ll recount their good experiences of buying from you and provide social proof
Your own employees who’ll talk about your process and show why you’re the best at what you do.

12. Mistakes-based content

Nobody wants to think they might be doing something wrong. Content that points out mistakes your readers might be making will make them curious to read it. And helping them put things right can position you as credible and trustworthy.

To be effective, the mistakes you write about and the problems they cause should be explained in a way that’s easy to understand. Giving examples can also help to illustrate the problems.

Mistakes-based content can cover things like:

Mistakes you might be making if you DIY instead of using a professional
Lesser-known pitfalls in your industry and how to avoid them
Things you might be doing wrong without realising
Common mistakes people make all the time.

13. Mythbusting content

There are always half-truths, figments and falsehoods flying around. Mythbusting content gives you a chance to step in, show your expertise and set the record straight.

Mythbusting content could bust:

The most prevalent myths in your industry
Well-intentioned but bad advice
Common misconceptions.

14. Nurturing content

The aim of nurturing content is to transform problem aware leads into paying customers. This is achieved by nurturing your leads and guiding them from content that explains their problem to content that converts them.

question-mark-with-arrow-pointing-to-a-pound-sign — ^{Image created by Jenny Lucas}

A simple progression of nurturing content might go from:

Problem language — to describe the problem
Solution language — to describe how-to fix it
Buyer guides — to show the best products/options available
Product/service pages — to convert readers into buyers.

15. Objection-busting content

There can be all kinds of reasons why a prospect might decide not to buy from you. Objection-busting content is designed to counter those objections with better reasons to buy.

Common objections could be from prospects who:

Don’t have the budget
Don’t have a need for it
Don’t think it’s for them
Don’t think it’s a priority
Are about to buy from your competitor
Have tried it before and it didn’t work for them.

16. Opinion-based content

Opinions: everyone has them. But in your industry and with your experience, yours are the ones people will value.

Your opinion based content could cover opinions about:

Changes/developments in your industry
New industry products you’ve been testing
Why some popular advice is not recommended
How new rules and regulations will affect your industry.

17. Original content

Original content is content you create from scratch. This kind of content is incredibly shareable and is valued by Google. So how do you create it?

You can originate your own content by:

Using your own experiences
Carrying out tests and experiments
Doing your own surveys and research
Trying things out and writing about it.

18. Pricing content

The majority of prospects will be interested in how much you charge. It’s probably one of the first questions you’re asked when you get an enquiry — and it can be an awkward topic of conversation. So having pricing content available for prospects to read is always sensible.

Pricing content can cover things like:

Pricing FAQs
How much you charge and why
Why you’re increasing your prices
Your process and why it costs what it does
Why you’re more expensive than your competitors.

19. Problem-solving content

Problem-solving content brings people to your website by helping them solve problems they’re having. And, if you think about it, most businesses solve a problem for their customers — even if it’s just the problem of what to cook for dinner.

Your problem-solving content could:

Talk about a tricky problem a customer was having and the steps you took to solve it
Discuss common issues your customers have and the options available to them
Provide a walkthrough of steps to solve the problem
Give inspiration and ideas to help solve a problem
Be a troubleshooting guide.

20. Process content

Some prospects like to understand your processes so they understand upfront how you’ll be working together and what to expect from you.

So your process content could:

Explain your onboarding process and how that works
Describe the process you go through for a particular service
Detail how you’re making your processes better for your customers.

21. Q&A content

All prospects will have questions — and they’ll be typing those questions into Google. Q&A content will attract those prospects and give them the answers they’re looking for.

Your Q&A content could include:

General FAQs that you’re asked most often
Single questions that need more in-depth answers
Grouped questions on a particular topic or theme.

22. Recommendation content

Recommendations are always useful, whether they’re recommendations you’re giving or ones you’ve received.

Businessman-marking-five-stars-from-behind-a-glass-panel — ^{Image by Tumisu from Pixabay}

You can recommend things like:

Apps, software and productivity tools
Blogs, books and reading materials
Websites and resources you use
Other companies you’ve worked with.

Or you can feature the businesses/customers that have recommended you with:

Case studies
Customer stories
Before and after examples.

23. Recruitment content

If you’re a company that’s hiring, recruitment content is a win-win. It can help your applicants through the process. And it can help you find and recruit the best people for your organisation.

Your recruitment content can cover things like:

Employee generated content to show what your company is like
Employee stories to show individuals’ career progression
Good-to-know information like DEI and disabled access
How applicants can make their applications stand out
Essential qualities you’re looking for and why
Your recruitment process and how it works
Benefits of working for you.

24. Repelling content

We looked at attracting content at the very beginning of the article. Repelling content is the opposite of that and it’s just as important. This content is designed to repel the prospects who aren’t a good fit for you and your products or services.

Repelling-blue-horseshoe-magnet-on-red-background — ^{Image by pithonius from Pixabay}

Repelling content might include articles on:

The circumstances that would preclude a prospect from buying your product
The kind of prospects who aren’t a good fit for your services and why
Situations where your product/service might not work as it should
Why it might not be the right time to work with you.

25. Sales content

People don’t read content with the expectation that they’ll be sold to. Primarily, they read it for education, information and inspiration. So if your content strategy is based solely on making sales, you’re doing it wrong — but the odd sales post is okay.

Sales content might include things like:

Buyer guides and inspiration posts
An objective exploration of the best options for different scenarios
Upselling of peripherals, extras and customisation to existing customers.

26. Tie-in content

Tie-in content is content that ties in with a special calendar event. There are lots of opportunities for tie-in content throughout the year, but it should be relevant to your business or something you really care about.

This content can be a good opportunity to talk about your values and what you stand for as a brand. This, in turn, will help you attract more right-fit customers.

Tie-in content might include:

Celebrating a special event that means something to you e.g. Pride month
Taking part in an event for a charity your business supports e.g. March for Men
Commemorating an anniversary of something relevant e.g. an invention that’s integral to your business
Talking about policies/processes that pertain to an event e.g. Disability month or World Environment Day.

27. Tips and tricks content

Letting your audience in on some magic tips and tricks of the trade can position you as an expert and help build their trust in your brand. Helping your audience achieve small things for themselves could give them the confidence to sign up to your mailing list. And they’ll be more inclined to bear you in mind if they need you in future.

Your tips and tricks content could include things like:

Taster tips
Ways to improve
Productivity hacks
Professional tips and advice.

28. Trust-building content

Building your audience’s trust can be key to them feeling confident to buy from you.

Trust-building content might include:

A peak behind the scenes of your business
Showing how you’ve overcome problems
Demonstrations of your expertise
Employee-generated content
Case studies and results.

29. Values-based content

People like buying from businesses that share the same values. So showing your values in your content can help you connect with your prospects.

For example, your value-based content might cover:

Your green values and how you’re reducing your environmental impact
Your hiring policies and how you give chances to disadvantaged people
Eco decisions you’ve made and green initiatives you’re implementing
Any causes or charities you support
Innovations and improvements.

Final thoughts

Creating a range of content like this will give you more ways to make your website visible on Google. This, in turn, will help you attract more of your ideal prospects and convert them into paying customers.

Hopefully this post has given you some inspiration for your own content strategy.

Check out other posts in my content creation category >>

Need some help with your content strategy?

Allow me to introduce myself!

I’m Jenny Lucas, a freelance content strategist and content writer with more than 15 years’ experience in creating blog content that captures, captivates and converts.

When it comes to content, I have a mind like an ideas factory and I never find myself short of things to write about.

If your content strategy hasn’t been working for your business and you need a fresh approach, maybe I can help you.

To find out more, visit my content writing page or send me a message.

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29 Content types you should have in your content strategy — and why

Do you have a content strategy?

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Here are 29 content types to inspire you

1. Attracting content