5 styles of blogs to inspire others
When you start writing your blog, one decision that will come up is what kind of blog you want to write. Below, I outline 5 kinds of blogs that work well to inspire others, and at the end of the post I offer suggestions to help you figure out which kind of blog is right for you.
I recommend using what I outline below as a jumping off point to get you brainstorming and help you start writing. You can always mix and match these styles, or even create a kind of blog that's never been written before!
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1. How-To Blog
A how-to blog is the kind of blog that focuses on helping people learn how to do something. This would be like a cooking blog with recipes, a craft blog with instructions on how to knit, or a home repair blog with instructions on how to repair your house. The focus of these blogs are in the instructions. Your people can go to this blog and get the information they need to do something in that moment.
If you want to use a "How To" blog to inspire your readers, you can use your posts to share your unique point of view on your subject.
I love the nutrition website, Clean and Delicious, where Dani Spies shares recipes, instructions on how to prep food, and her unique point of view on nutrition.
2. Memoir Blog
A memoir blog is a blog where you share the story of your life. Most often these blogs are about your current life story, where your readers get to know you, your family, your friends, your pets and the ins and outs of your daily life. Readers get attached to where your story is going, and they get inspired by your life.
When you want to inspire others, you can use your memoir blog to share your realizations or aha moments you have in your everyday life.
I love Katherine North's blog, Declare Dominion, where she tells the story of her life through the lens of the life coaching tools she offers.
3. Self-Help Blog
A self-help blog is the kind of blog that focuses on personal, creative, or spiritual growth. With this type of blog you will write more about your reader than yourself, even writing in the second person. When you share stories about yourself it is to serve as an example for the topic of personal growth you are writing about. Readers love these blogs because they often feel seen and understood in new ways when you describe their experience.
This style of blog is a great way to help others improve their mindset and their lives.
Martha Beck's blog is an awesome self-help blog covering all areas of personal development.
4. Informative Blog
With an informative blog you share information about a topic you want to teach others about. These blogs are more like traditional non-fiction or journalist non-fiction. In this style you act as a teacher, sharing information. Readers who love these blogs value reading and education, and they usually enjoy long form posts.
When you want to inspire others, you can share educational information that can help your people solve a problem in their lives.
Brain Pickings by Maria Popova offers long form posts highlighting stories and quotes from creatives. With this blog you learn about people you might have never heard of, you get to know their philosophies, and you walk away inspired.
5. Special Project Blog
With this style of blog you take on a special project and record your progress from beginning to end. This is like Julie Powell's blog portrayed in the movie Julie & Julia, where she worked through Julia Child's cookbook over the course of a year. This also works well for travel blogs (for when we can travel again!) or maker blogs when you're making something that will take a long time. I did a project like this when I moved to California and studied the native plant life in the region and wrote about it for one year.
When you want to inspire others you can use your special project as a way to help others who want to do the same thing.
I love Shreve Stockton's blog, The Daily Coyote, portraying her experience learning how to raise a coyote pup in Wyoming.
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My blog is a mix of Self-Help Blog and Informative Blog. I write posts to inspire you with your personal development and creativity, and I also write posts like this one, offering information to help inspire you to start writing your blog.
When figuring out which blog style you want to write, consider your conversations with friends.
Do you love instructing your friends in how to do something? Do you love regaling your friends with stories about your life? Do you like talking about healing, personal growth, or spirituality? Do you love sharing all the information you learned that day? Do you enjoy taking on special projects and chatting about them?
Your natural conversation style is probably your natural blogging style.
Which style of blog speaks to you the most? I'd love to know! Hit reply to this email to tell me all about it. Hearing from you is the best part of my day. :)
xoxo,
Emma
P.S. Share this post with someone you know who wants to start a blog and is wondering what kind of blog to write!