5 Different Types of Articles Explained and How to Create Them
When you have to write an article but don’t know where to start, the blinking cursor on the blank page seems to be poking at you like...
But, have you considered that maybe you don’t know what to write because you don’t know what there is to write?
Let me explain what I mean.
There is a certain group of people you are writing to — your target audience (on a side note, if you are writing to the general public instead of a specific audience you are doing it wrong). And there is an objective to your article, such as inspiring action and passing advice, or information, among others. And, oh, there's also the optimizing part of it (spell SEO).
For it to reach the intended audience in this huge sea of content, you have to use the appropriate type. For instance, a how-to article can be used to explain to students what they can do to pass exams much better than a question-and-answer article can.
That is why you need to be aware of the types of articles — to narrow down your options and get ideas flowing.
But before we get into that, there is something we need to set straight.
There seems to be some confusion surrounding blogs and articles. Most people classify blogs as a type of article, but they are not.
So, let’s make their difference clear once and for all.
Difference Between Blog Posts and Articles
- Blog posts are published on blogs, while articles are published anywhere else like magazines and newspapers.
- Articles have been around for hundreds of years, while blog posts are relatively new.
- A blog post is generally shorter than an article.
- A blog post is usually created from a personal perspective with the ultimate objective of generating more leads and increasing sales, while an article is written to convey unbiased facts, news, and information.
- The language used in an article is more formal than that used in a blog post.
There are several other differences, as you'll find out in our blog on how to write sensantional articles, but these are enough to clear up which is which as you are writing, or when you come across them.
Now that that is clear, here are the types of articles you can write. You can also find inspiration from some of the world's best articles here.
1. How-to Articles
How-to articles are usually written to help the reader do a specific task such as how to change a car tire, create a website, or swaddle a baby. They contain steps or tips the reader can follow to solve their problem or get answers to their questions.
For them to be effective, they need to go into all the details and mention the alternatives (if any) to the described method.
A how-to article is one of the most durable types of articles you can write. A well-written informative article will be the go-to for years or even decades. There will always be someone trying to solve a certain problem by themselves, and your article will always be there to guide them.
As a random example of the longevity of articles, the keyword “how to kiss” has been popular since search engines became popular.
2. Review Articles
A review article surveys and summarizes certain subjects partly based on fact, and partly on opinion. Movies, products, and books reviews are the most common. Review articles have two objectives:
- To thoroughly describe the subject under review and its features/parts/specifications.
- Provide an intelligent and unbiased opinion based on the research and experience of the reviewer.
Review articles are very different from customer product reviews. Customer reviews are often biased and focused on the opinion of the customer on what they like or dislike.
Review articles, on the other hand, use research, analysis, and personal experience to give the reader or viewer a concise and comprehensive representation of the subject under review.
They look at the upsides and downsides of the subject, and can even recommend solutions or provide recommendations for future research. There are three main types of reviews: meta-analyses, literature reviews, and systematic reviews.
3. Question and Answer Articles
A Q&A article is a type of article that highlights teaching, research, or any other subject in an interesting conversational question-and-answer format while introducing the people behind the work.
The general format of a Q&A article involves an introductory or lead paragraph that gives context for the interview, and the questions and answers from the interview. The lead paragraph can include an interesting relevant fact or description of the interviewee, reasons why they are the best choice for the subject and the purpose of the article.
The rest of the article contains the back and forth conversation between the interviewer and the interviewee.
A Q&A article is not an opinion piece - it is centered on facts. As such, the answers are written as they are received. You are not supposed to analyze or build a story around the answers.
4. Lifestyle Articles
Lifestyle articles are articles that focus on issues related to one’s lifestyle. On a side note, this explanation gives me spiderman meme vibes.
But there is no better way to explain than using examples. Here are some examples of lifestyle articles.
- Articles that describe the most popular dining restaurants in town
- Articles on how to keep your marriage strong
- Articles on how to gain or lose weight
- Articles on how to improve your finances
As you can see, the topics of lifestyle articles can greatly vary so you can have quite a bit of fun with them. The one thing they all have in common is giving some form of advice.
A good lifestyle article gives advice from a place of research and experience. It is the only way it can give realistic advice that solves a person’s problem. Theorizing experience from hypothetical scenarios results in impractical and unrealistic advice.
5. Personality Profile Articles
Simply put, a personality profile is an article about an individual. They can be on any person that might interest your audience other than yourself. It is human nature to be curious about other people so a personality profile focused on a person who your audience is interested in could be really popular.
A personality profile should not be confused with a biography or news update. Unlike the others, it is an in-depth look at a person’s lifestyle, characteristics, emotions, hobbies, appearance, accomplishments, distinctions, or just what makes them tick. If you have ever read People magazine, you have read a personality profile.
They are usually informative and casual but are very fun to read as you uncover facts you didn’t know about a certain person.
Take a step back and ask yourself. “Who am I writing to? What am I trying to accomplish?” Being clear on the intention and the audience gives you an idea of what you are going to write. Knowing the types of articles available lets you know how to write it.
Awareness of the above types of articles will get your creative juices flowing.
To be fair though, these are A LOT. And, the fact that some of them could be used for different purposes and audiences can be a bit confusing. How do you even choose? That said, you are well within your rights if you feel overwhelmed.
But that shouldn't stop you from coming up with great articles. You can outsource the article writing process to a content marketing agency. That is where Zoey Writers come in.
We are a content agency that has the right team of experts ready to work with you on any project at any time. Our main objective is to ensure that our esteemed customers are satisfied because their success is our success.
We offer a variety of services, including Copywriting, SEO writing, Article Writing & Ghostwriting, Content Marketing, Guest Posting, and much more. Whether you have a few articles or a thousand of them written, we have the expertise and capacity to do your project exemplary.
Contact us today so we can start helping you create outstanding content, attract more leads, and sales!
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels: Thanks Cottonbro!
