Best Blog Post Templates To Create Killer Blogs Fast

Category: content marketing

February 25, 2020 | 0 COMMENTS

Blogging and content management isn’t for the faint of heart.

Coming up with relevant, valuable content week after week takes a lot of energy and time, but these blog post templates might just be the solution to all your content creation problems.

But first.

Does this sound familiar?

You work for hours and hours, brainstorming, writing, and editing a blog post, and finally, hit the publish button – then bam.

Just a few days later, it’s time to start working on next week’s blog. But you haven’t even seen results from your last post!

We get it. It’s easy to start to get stuck on a the content creation hamster wheel.

Want to Quickly Create Engaging Blogs for Your Audience? Download Our 5 Simple Blog Templates

If you feel like you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel and struggling to come up with content ideas, you aren’t alone. The problem? You know blogging is hugely important for your business! Companies that blog get more website visitors and produce more leads, leading to increased revenue overall.

Putting out good content on a consistent basis is essential for your business. But we understand that coming up with relevant, valuable blog posts on a regular basis can be tough.

Luckily, there’s an easier way. It’s completely possible to put out quality content quickly and easily. All you have to do is use blog post templates.

We’ve compiled blog templates of all our most successful blog posts, and now, we’re releasing them to you. These are the same templates we use on all of our client’s blogs, including posts for Brian Tracy, Phil Town, and Jack Canfield.

These blogger templates work every single time. And even better, they couldn’t be easier to use.

Blog post templates have a lot of benefits for your business and your site.

Here’s what you need to know about why this content creation method works — and the five free blog post templates you should be using to boost your brand.

Benefits of Blog Post Templates

The truth is: Creating content without following blog templates isn’t efficient. Chances are, your blog post will be disorganized. It probably won’t present valuable content in a way that’s easy to read. And we can guarantee that you’re going to spend a lot of unnecessary time and effort trying to bang out content on your own without a template.

Templates benefit you, your blog, and your business because they help you save time while creating killer content. These free blog post templates for Google Docs provide a starting place; think of them as a launchpad to get you on your way to consistently putting out high-quality content.

The templates we’re sharing in this post are a good fit for anybody who wants to blog more, but isn’t sure where to start. If you’re an entrepreneur and you don’t have time to blog, these templates are for you. If you work for an agency that needs to create more content fast, these templates are for you. If you manage a team of writers and need to show them what you want your blog posts to look like, these templates are for you.

Bottom line: If you want to create great content over and over again, these blog post templates we’re sharing are for you.

5 Types of Blog Post Templates

There are five primary types of blog post templates for Word (or whatever you use to write your posts). Each one has different strengths, and each one is appropriate for different topics and situations. You can also combine these templates to create blog posts with even more value for your readers.

Templates make it fast and painless to think of blog post ideas. Simply picking out the template you’d like to use can help you get over writer’s block and start moving.

Here, we’re breaking down each type of blog post template, what it’s best for, and how you can incorporate it into your content strategy to build a better blog. Let’s get started!

The How-To Blog Template

Ah, the classic “how to” blog. As you may have guessed, this post teaches the reader how to do something. Step by step, it should walk your reader through how to complete or perform a certain task — sort of like what we’re doing right now.

How to Write A How-To Post

Here’s how to make a blog post that teaches your reader how to do something.

1. The Headline

Start out by writing a strong headline. Headlines for how-to posts are simple: Start with “How To” and then tell your readers what you’re going to teach them. Here are a few helpful headline formulas for how-to posts:

  • How to [Do Something] that [Produces X Result]
  • How to [Do Something] Like A [Desired Person]
  • How to [Do Something] in [Short Time] (or Less)

What do these headline formulas look like in practice? Take a look at these examples: 

  • How to Write A Blog Post that Drives Sales 
  • How to Decorate Cupcakes Like A Professional Chef
  • How to Design A Website in Three Hours (or less)

If you’re focusing on SEO, make sure to include a keyword or phrase in your title to help your post rank higher in SERPs.

2. The Intro 

Once you have a strong headline in place, write a 200-300 word introduction that sets up your topic. This intro should serve as a brief overview of what the blog post is going to cover. It should also address your reader’s pain points and let them know why they need to read the post.

For example, if you’re explaining how to change a tire, you might start out by saying something like, “Flat tires are a nuisance that always seem to happen at the worst possible time.” This shows your reader that you understand and relate to their problem.

3. The Steps  

The next step is to compile a numbered list that outlines how to do whatever you’re teaching. This will help you flesh out your heading structure, listing the steps chronologically.

Using numbers helps keep your points clear and organized. Couple that with “how to” statements that include verbs, and your readers will have actionable insights at the ready.

Each step’s heading should give an overview of what you’re going to talk about, then include the specifics of how to execute each in the subtext underneath. Include pictures or graphics if necessary to illustrate your point.

To give the number list a bit of a flow, the end of each step should provide a transition to the next step. Repeat this formula as needed until you’ve hit all of the steps and your blog post is done.

It looks a lot like this numbered list you’re currently reading…

4. The Summary and CTA

Add a strong conclusion that concisely sums up the benefits of every step you mentioned. IT’s important to reiterate the relevant value of the information you’ve just provided to your audience.

Your conclusion for a how-to blog post might sound something like this: “Now you know how to invest money by following steps X, Y, and Z, you’re ready to succeed as an investor and achieve your financial goals.”

Adding a CTA for your product or service is essential in concluding your post. A financial investment firm, for instance, might end a how-to blog post by inviting readers to set up a meeting with one of their financial consultants for help investing money.

In many cases, you may actually want to figure out your CTA first and then build the rest of the blog post around that goal. This helps your CTA feel as natural and relevant as possible.

BTZ-Blog-how-to-Blog-Template

Pros and Cons of the How-To Post

How-to posts are easy to write — they’re the simplest blog post format on this list. So if you have limited time or you’re new at creating content, a how-to post might be your best bet.

Since how-to blog posts are so simple, however, they’re also very common. Everybody writes how-to posts. With this blog post template, you might blend into the crowd.

When to Use the How-To Post

The how-to blog is the best template to use if you have limited time to create content, but you still want to establish yourself as an expert. If you’re teaching someone how to do something, you must be pretty good at it yourself, right? High-quality how-to posts are a great way to prove that you know what you’re talking about.

A how-to post is a good fit anytime you want to explain how to do something. For example, this blog post from Rule One Investing is a how-to guide on investing money. It sets out the basics of how to invest. By the end of the post, you have a solid grasp on where, how, and why to invest your money.

The List (or Listicle) Blog Template

Similar to the how-to blog post, this template quickly shares with your audience a list of anything you’d like! Whether you have a collection of photos, tips on how to do something better, or a ranking of tools to use, the listicle blog post can be very versatile. Even better, it’s also fairly easy to create.

Adding media, such as pictures or videos, can make a list post even more engaging. This listicle example, 7 Steps to Developing A New Habit, includes a colorful graphic and a video to help readers engage with the content as much as possible.

How to Write Your List Post:

Here are the elements you need to include to successfully create an orderly list style article.

1. The Headline

When you write a listicle post, you’re sharing multiple tips, strategies, or pieces of information with your readers. Your headline should reflect what’s inside the post and tell people what they can expect to find if they open the post to read. Here are a few headline formulas for list blog posts:

  • [#] Tips for [Achieving Desired Outcomes]
  • [#] (Modifier) Things [Target Audience] Needs to Know
  • [#] Things You Didn’t Know About [Audience Topic]

When you insert your topic, the result might look something like this:

  • 7 Tips for Cooking with Cast-Iron Skillets
  • 5 Essential Things Freelance Writers Need to Know
  • 10 Things You Didn’t Know About WordPress Website Design

Once your headline is ready, it’s time to start writing a blog post to go with it.

2. The Intro 

In your intro, you’ll want to outline exactly what your listicle post is going to cover and include a keyword in the first paragraph. Again, address your reader’s pain points and set up how the post is going to solve their problem.

Make a statement that proves you understand your customer’s problem, describe how their situation will be better after the list is accomplished, then tell them how you’re going to help. It’ll sound something like, “Figuring out how to utilize digital marketing tools can be intimidating, but the growth can be astounding. That’s why we put together this list of digital marketing tools to help your business grow in 2021.

Then comes the list.

3. List Post Items

The next step to creating a listicle post is writing a numbered list–ordered high to low–of the information you’re going to include. Using keyword phrases as your list items can help organize your list and improve your ranking on Google. 

If you’re writing a listicle post on the best digital marketing tools, your list items would look like this: 

  1. Google Analytics
  2. Twitter Native Platform
  3. Cavna 
  4. MailChimp

And so on.  

When you have prepared your list of headings in a consistent style, write a few lines under each one going more in-depth on that topic. Just make sure the blog post is still easy to scan: Listicles shouldn’t be too information-heavy.

4. The CTA

Similar to the How-To post, summarize the benefits and relevant value of the list as a whole, and don’t forget to include a CTA in your conclusion. Brands will often use list posts as a way to push their product. If you subtly mentioned your product in the body of the post, include a more direct CTA in the conclusion.

BTZ-Blog-list-Blog-Template

Pros and Cons of A Listicle Post

Similar to the how-to post, the list post is fairly quick and simple to create — so if you’re working under time and budget constraints, it might be a good fit. Listicles are also very search engine-friendly. 

Again, however, a listicle post won’t necessarily help your blog stand out from the crowd. And another con is that list posts are regularly plagiarized or used by spammers. Readers might shy away from reading your list post if they’ve read low-quality listicles in the past. 

When to Write A Listicle Post

A list post is a good way to share content with your audience. For instance, if you’re writing about email marketing, you would want to choose a how-to post if you’re explaining how to design a good email. But if you’re sharing ten well-designed emails from brands, putting those emails into a listicle would be the best way to share those examples.

As we mentioned earlier, listicles are also a great vehicle to promote your product or service because it’s easy to slip your product into the list. In fact, you can even build your entire listicle post around your product mention, including a link to your online store and then adding a CTA in the conclusion.

Finally, listicles are also a great fit if you’re looking to create content that’s easily scannable. People are often more likely to read list posts because they know these types of posts are quick to skim. Adding media, such as pictures or videos, can make a list post even more engaging. This listicle example, 7 Steps to Developing A New Habit, includes a colorful graphic and a video to help readers engage with the content as much as possible. Listicles can help increase your website traffic by providing content that’s easy to read.

The Quote Blog Template

Quote blog posts are very easy to create. To write this type of post, you’ll first make some picture quotes (using either your own quotes or quotes you found from others). Then compile those images into a blog post for your followers.

These types of blog posts perform well because they’re media-heavy. Images increase engagement by leaps and bounds. So by including graphics, videos, and other forms of content in your blog posts, you can up your engagement — and save time as you write your posts.

How to Write A Quote Blog Post

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to write a quote blog post for your blog.

Start with Quote Research 

Your first step in writing a blog post with quotes is to decide which quotes to include. Sometimes, the best choice will be to pick an expert (or multiple experts) in your industry. If you use other peoples’ quotes, make sure you correctly attribute each quote, linking back to that person’s website if relevant. 

Other times, you might be able to use your own original quotes. Regardless of where you find the quotes, keep them brief — a few sentences at most. And it goes without saying to make sure the quotes are relevant and interesting to your target audience. A sports brand could pull motivational quotes from famous athletes, while a nonprofit might choose to highlight quotes from activists throughout history. 

1. The Title

Write a simple headline that sets up the post and gets people excited to read. A common headline formula for a quote blog post is “[Number of] Inspiring Quotes from [Name].” You can swap out the word “inspiring” for another adjective if a different word is more appropriate to explain the quotes you’re about to lay out.

It’s also important to name the audience or solution. For example, “56 Inspirational Motivational Quotes to Inspire you to Greatness” thoroughly prepares the audience for some serious inspiration.

2. The Intro

Your quote blog post should have a short introduction of about 200 words to explain what the blog is about. In this section, briefly introduce the person (or people) from whom you sourced the quotes. Lay out the benefits of your compilation of quotes and establish credibility with your audience by showing strong knowledge of the subject the quotes will address.

Now, on to the quotes.

3. The Categories

Create categories by which to group your quotes that include complementary keywords. In thinking about your category, group the quotes into similar topic categories.

4. Quotes + Copy

First, write a short intro for each category to introduce the group of quotes. Then, for the body of your blog post, type out the quotes in H3 header text and add shareable picture quotes below each header.

You can use a website like Canva to create some simple graphics showcasing the quotes. This is a great way to add more value to the blog, and it won’t take you much time to complete. 

To add even more value, you can include your reaction to the quote or make a simple slideshare to embed into the post. 

5. The Conclusion and CTA

At the end of the quotes, you want to share, summarize the general knowledge expressed in the quotes. And, per usual, add a CTA to whatever your mission is in the concluding paragraph. Increase engagement even more by asking readers to share their own favorite quotes in the comments.

BTZ-Blog-Quote-Blog-Template

Pros and Cons of A Quote Blog Post

Quote blog posts are a great way to increase engagement. They’re easily shareable, with readers often pulling the quotes to share on social media.  

Quote blog post templates for Word also potentially take less time to create because you don’t have to do too much writing. But don’t be fooled into thinking this type of blog post is a breeze. If you want your quote blog post to perform as well as possible, you’ll have to invest time to create at least basic graphics for each quote. 

When to Write A Quote Blog Post

Looking to increase engagement? A quote blog is one of the best blog post ideas for you. Because they’re so media-heavy — sharing multiple photos and even videos — quote blog posts tend to keep people interested.

These media-rich blog posts can also be a good fit if you’re an influencer, author, speaker, or any well-known figure who has something to say. Sharing your own original quotes is a great way to get your name out there. Images used in quote blog posts are likely to be shared on social media, increasing engagement even more. 

See a quote blog post in action with this article 56 Motivational Quotes to Inspire You to Greatness.

The Case Study Blog Template

Next on our list of free blog post templates: the case study!

Blog posts that include a case study are a little more difficult (and potentially more expensive) to create. But if it’s in your budget, it’s worth it.

This kind of post can really help you stand out.

How to Write A Case Study Blog

Case study posts are primarily used to prove results or tell a story about how your business or product had a positive impact. They’re most effective when you’re able to use actual numbers and hard results to back up your story.

Before you can write a case study blog post, you’ll ideally need to complete a case study yourself. A case study is a survey or research project that’s often used as marketing to share how a business or product got results. You can run a case study by interviewing one of your customers and asking questions about how your product or service solved their problem.

This will help you create a powerful piece of marketing content that you can then use to promote your product to other potential customers. 

Once you’ve gathered all your info, here are the elements to include in your post to create a perfect case study blog.

1. The Headline

Case studies follow a fairly simple blog post format. Start out with a title that concisely describes the study and its results (in other words, the problem and its solution). Including exact numbers or percentages in your headline may help boost engagement. Here are a few examples of case study blog post headlines:

  • How Email Marketing Helped XYZ Restaurant See A 500% ROI 
  • This Small Business Doubled Sales Using Twitter
  • XYZ Medication Reduced This Patient’s Migraines by 50%

2. The Intro

Next, add a short intro that introduces the subject of the study and their problem. This is a brief section where you can explain the topic of the case study and give any background information needed for your readers to be able to fully understand the rest of the information you’re about to present. 

3. The “How”

Case studies are often formatted as PDFs the reader can download. Another option is to create an infographic, or simply lay out the details in the body of the blog post.

However, you decide to share the details of the study, make sure to clearly lay out the steps involved from problem to solution. Then, give tactical ways to implement the process you followed — what you did, how you did it, and what problem you were attempting to solve.

4. The “Result”

Next, use specific stats to describe the end result of the “how”. Beyond just a final solution, explain to your audience what the after state of the subject was like once the problem had been solved and they began moving forward successfully.

5. Closing + CTA

Finally, add an analysis section and discuss the outcome or conclusion of the study. This is the section that brings real value to your reader as you help them understand what you discovered and why it matters. For example, this case study shared our logo design process and explained how we created our new logo.

Pros and Cons of A Case Study Post

Case study blog posts are powerful pieces of content that have a lot of benefits. Functioning as a lead magnet or simply an engaging piece of content, they can help you increase brand awareness and generate a positive perception of your brand. 

But these posts aren’t a good fit for beginners. Writing a truly high-quality case study blog post takes time and dedication. If you don’t quite have the budget or expertise at this point in time, it’s probably better to save case studies for a later date so you don’t create a subpar piece of content.

When to Write A Case Study Post

Do you have the time and money to create a good case study post? Go for it! Anyone can write a listicle blog post. But a case study is much harder to create. That’s why sharing a strong case study on your blog will help your company stand out. Case studies are great for getting backlinks, too — and they work well as lead magnets if you’re trying to get more leads.

  1. Add your reaction to the quote.
  2. Make your quotes into a Slideshare or a Quote Video and embed instead.

The Data or Survey Template

The data or survey blog post is the most difficult type of blog post to create. However, it can be extremely impactful, potentially driving your blog traffic and engagement through the roof.

A data or survey blog post includes factual information that you’ve gathered. These data-driven posts share numbers or statistics from an experiment you performed or a survey you conducted. Data-based blog posts are highly original and can establish you as a thought leader in your field.

How to Write A Data or Survey Blog Post

Running A Survey

When you use this blog post template, you’re sharing information you’ve gotten by polling or surveying your audience. Before you can write the post, then, you’ll need to run a survey to get some original data. 

The most obvious group of people to survey is your target audience. If you’re a fitness company, for example, your customers are probably health-minded individuals who enjoy working out. Conducting a survey of your audience will result in information that’s helpful to you and relevant to them.

1. The Headline

Your survey blog post title should include specific numbers or percentages. Try finding the most shocking piece of information you learned and using that statistic as your title — something that will make people think “Really?” and click to find out more. This might look like:

  • 69% of Americans Don’t Shower After Working Out
  • Survey: How Healthy Do Fitness Instructors Really Eat?
  • Only Half of CrossFit Athletes Prep for WOD’s

2. The Intro

Write an intro for your post that briefly introduces the survey: the topic, who took part, and when and where it was conducted. You also might want to include the main findings of your survey in this section. Creating a short bulleted list of the most important information you found will make your discovery easier to share.

3. The Findings

The main part of a data or survey blog post will share the information you got from the survey. Use headings to make the survey results easily scannable. Then include a paragraph or two elaborating more on each one.

Adding multiple graphics or a larger infographic can take your post to the next level and increase the chances that readers will share it on social media. Try putting together an infographic that includes each of the headings — so, each main piece of information — that you put in the blog post.

Before you close out your data-based blog post, add a brief analysis section that discusses the survey as a whole. What main takeaways can you infer from the information you learned? Layout the significance of the findings for your audience.

4. Conclusion and CTA

Your conclusion should include a CTA telling the reader what you want them to do with this information. Find a relevant way to promote your product or service in this section, and encourage readers to share the post online to drive even more traffic to your blog.  

BTZ-Blog-casestudy-Blog-Template

Pros and Cons of A Data or Survey Blog Post

Sharing a data or survey blog post gives you the potential to get lots of links back to your website as other people cite what you discovered. They’re also a major way to position yourself as an expert in your industry. And conducting a survey helps you learn more about your target audience so you know how best to meet their needs.

Remember, though, survey blog posts are no walk in the park. You’ll need to put in some serious effort to create a strong post. From picking the right topic to conducting the survey to writing the blog post itself, the start-to-finish process is a long one. It takes commitment to do it right.

When to Write A Data or Survey Blog Post

If you want to give your engagement a major boost and prove you know what you’re talking about, a data-based or survey blog post is for you. Just make sure you have the time and money — and, of course, the facts — to back it up.

3 Ways to Optimize Your Templates

Ready to start creating blog posts? Here are three helpful hacks you can use to further optimize your blog post template in Google Docs or Word. 

Embed Social Media Posts and Videos

Blog posts that include social media posts or videos make your job a whole lot easier. Just write a short 300-word introduction and then let the media do the talking for you. Then add a conclusion under the social post or video, summing up what you want your readers to take away. 

Again, creating media-rich content helps increase engagement with your readers. It also helps content creation take less time for you. Blogs with social media posts and/or videos are convenient, easy to create, and quick and painless for your audience to consume. 

To see what this kind of blog post looks like in practice, check out 6 Sales Mistakes to Avoid At All Costs and How to Invest $1,000.

Convert to an Infographic

Increase your web traffic and engagement by designing an eye-catching infographic that gets across your main points. A well-designed infographic makes it easy for readers to absorb the information. Shareable visual content also tends to draw more website visitors — and infographics can position you as an expert.

If your blog post is already written, creating an infographic that supports it is simple. Organize the infographic by pulling out the main points of your post. If it makes sense, use charts and graphs so the graphic won’t be too text-heavy. Finally, make sure the design of the infographic is consistent with the design of your blog, and put your blog URL somewhere on the graphic to point people back to the source if the graphic is shared.

Check out this example of a well-made infographic that perfectly complements the blog post. 

Stack Blog Template Styles

To make your blog post as unique as possible, try stacking blog template styles. Combining templates and using multiple blog post types in one can add extra value to the post. For example, you might try creating a blog post with the following combinations:

  • Video + quote 
  • Listicle + survey + video
  • How-to case study + data + infographic

We used this tactic in our blog post How to Remain Profitable During the COVID-19 Crisis. The post is a listicle that includes how-to content. We also created infographics presenting data from a couple of different case studies. And we embedded a few social media posts, too. Fusing all of these blog post templates helped us create one amazing post to help our readers thrive during COVID-19. 

Blog Post Templates for Free

Creating fresh content for your blog doesn’t have to be a struggle — and with these templates, it won’t be. We’ve created a free download of the five main blog post templates that you can give to your staff or simply use as a reference for your next post. Click here to download the templates and get on your way to creating killer content over and over again!

This blog post is a combination of all of the different types of posts, but it WORKS. The formula for this one is content + call to action + video + picture quote in that order.

In this post you create all of your content at the top of the page. After your blog is complete, insert a call to action. Underneath your entire post content, embed a related video that you recorded, or supplements the content. Under the video add a shareable picture quote image for fans to share over social media.

Check out this post in action here. (It makes a lot more sense when you see it.)

Now that I’ve given you the keys to the entire castle (don’t you dare go and outrank me in everything) and also revealed how easy content can be, go write some killer blog posts and let me know how these templates work for you in the comments.

Content marketing guide

We’ve created a PDF download all of these blog post templates if you need to give them to your staff or use them as a reference in your next post click below to get them.