I have always found it interesting how vastly people’s reading preferences differ. Personally, I enjoy a good fiction book—one of those easy-to-lose-yourself-in quick reads that typically involves a love story, some drama, and (almost) always a happy ending. But I know many people who prefer something nonfiction—historical, business-related, or autobiographical—over my easy and enjoyable “beach reads.”
This got me thinking… when it comes to blog posts, what kinds of articles do people prefer? Do they like to read about real-life examples that they can then apply to their own organization? Strategies they can implement in their business? Trending news and events pieces?
I decided to take a look at the 50 most-read blog posts for Nectafy and six of our clients, which means I combed through a total of 350 different articles. I took note of the categories each one fell into in order to determine the most popular topics readers gravitate toward.
So if content planning has you stumped, take a look at this all-inclusive list for some writing inspiration.
In order of popularity, I bring you:
22 Blog Post Topics People Actually Want To Read About
Note: Many articles fell into more than one category, which is reflected in the numbers below.
#1, #2, & #3: Strategy, 82 Articles
It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that strategy is the most popular blog category of the hundreds of articles I analyzed—it is necessary for success after all. But, being so broad, I wanted to know exactly what kind of strategies readers are interested in. Take a look:
Business Strategy (49)
General tips and best practices for achieving personal business goals is the theme among the 49 articles that fell into this subcategory.
Example article titles:
- 6 Golden Rules For Better Time Management, Nectafy
- 4 Ways To Run An Effective Strategy Review Meeting, ClearPoint Strategy
Strategy Resources (20)
These articles discuss very specific resources that assist organizations with overall business strategies.
Example article title:
- 6 Reasons You Need A Management Dashboard, ClearPoint Strategy
Key Performance Indicators (13)
A key performance indicator (KPI) is a measure that helps you determine how a specific role or department in your organization is performing. Choosing the right KPIs to measure performance within your company is critical, which is why many people find value in this topic.
Example article titles:
- 18 Key Performance Indicator Examples Defined, ClearPoint Strategy
- 29 Content Marketing KPIs You Should Be Tracking Already, Nectafy
#4 & #5: Technology, 60 Articles
With smartphone usage expected to reach 6.1 billion users by 2020 and more than 65% of Americans owning at least two digital devices, it’s no wonder that technology came in as the second-most popular blog post topic. Here are the top two tech categories readers were the most responsive to:
Technology Resources (44)
When it comes to technology, readers want to know what devices they need to make their business grow.
Example article title:
- What’s In Your Camera Bag? The Live Streaming Equipment You’ll Want & Need, Stretch Internet
Wireless Technology (16)
How many of you are reading this right now from a device that’s connected to the internet via a wired cable? Didn’t think so. With wireless technology now the norm, readers are interested in learning about where this sector is headed next.
Example article title:
- 5 Types Of Wireless Technology For The IoT, Link Labs
#6, #7, #8, & #9: Management, 47 Articles
Whether it comes to managing employees at work or our kids at home, it’s probably safe to say that we’ve all likely Googled management advice at one time or another. Coming in as the third-most popular blog topic, here’s a look at what exactly readers are drawn to when it comes to management:
Strategy Management (16)
Defined as “the continuous planning, monitoring, analysis, and assessment of all that is necessary for an organization to meet its goals and objectives,” strategy management clocked in as the most popular management topic.
Example article title:
- What Is Strategic Performance Management & Why Should I Care?, ClearPoint Strategy
Team Management (14)
If you want your organization to grow and prosper, it all starts with how you manage your employees.
Example article titles:
- How To Motivate Multi-Generational Teams, Genesis HR Solutions
- 3 Critical CISO Roles & Responsibilities, BitSight
Risk Management (11)
Risk management is the practice of identifying potential risks in advance and is crucial to any company’s framework.
Example article title:
- What Is Information Risk Management?, BitSight
Management Reporting (6)
You know you need a system for reporting, but which is the best? The six articles in this subcategory discuss a variety of ways organizations can keep their reporting in check.
Example article title:
- A Comprehensive Management Report Example For Business Leaders, ClearPoint Strategy
#10 & #11: Human Resources, 39 Articles
I think it’s safe to say that Nectafy wouldn’t be where it is today without the dedication and knowledge of our fantastic office manager/HR guru, Marisa. But what do you do if you don’t have a Marisa on staff or you simply don’t know the answer to an HR-related question that arises? You turn to the internet.
Policies & Practices (34)
These blog posts were the most popular subcategory of HR articles and resonate with readers who never want to second-guess what the correct office procedures are again.
Example article title:
- Background Checks – Should We Or Shouldn’t We?, Genesis HR Solutions
Employee Benefits (5)
Should companies offer employees casual Fridays or a flexible vacation policy? These are the kinds of topics covered in the employee benefit blog posts that I analyzed.
Example article title:
- Who Is A Full Time Employee And What Are They Eligible For?, Genesis HR Solutions
#12, #13, & #14: Marketing, 38 Articles
It was the majority of our Nectafy blog posts that fell into this category, but what kind of marketing articles do our readers prefer? If you work at an agency yourself, you’ll definitely want to see how this category breaks down.
Inbound Marketing (24)
From ways to create relevant and valuable content for your target audience to tips and strategies for using inbound to effectively grow your company, this subcategory was the most popular among our readers (which makes sense—we are an inbound marketing agency after all).
Example article titles:
- A 19,000-Word, Step-By-Step Inbound Marketing Plan, Nectafy
- How To Conduct A Brainstorming Session For Content Marketing Article Ideas, Nectafy
Update: As of 2018, we are no longer an inbound marketing agency. Here's why.
HubSpot (10)
It’s no secret that we’re HubSpot users around here, and we often have a lot to say about the inbound marketing software. As it turns out, our readers are quite interested in our opinions!
Example article title:
General Marketing (4)
You don’t have to be a marketing agency to write about marketing. Some of our clients saw success by talking about general marketing practices and strategies specific to their industry.
Example article title:
- Export Marketing Strategies: To Adapt Or Not To Adapt?, Shipping Solutions
#15: Industry Terms Defined, 28 Articles
We all have them—words and phrases we spit out regularly without even considering that they might be meaningless to outsiders. So if you want those outside your company or industry to understand what exactly you mean by your commonly used jargon, you should define it for them.
Example article titles:
- What Is A KPI Report, & How Do I Create One?, ClearPoint Strategy
- What Is A PEO?, Genesis HR Solutions
#16 & #17: Security, 40 Articles
No company ever wants to fall prey to danger or threat. Here are the top two subcategories that have readers’ interests piqued when it comes to security:
Cybersecurity (33)
With just about everything now living on computers or other electronic devices, ensuring our cyberinfrastructure remains protected from unauthorized access and threats has become a main concern for businesses (and readers) over the past few years.
Example article title:
Data Breaches (7)
More and more often, companies are falling victim to data breaches—an event during which sensitive and personal information is viewed, stolen, or used by an unauthorized party. Organizations and consumers alike are becoming concerned and resorting to blog articles to learn about compromised information and how to stay protected.
Example article title:
#18: Statistics & Data, 27 Articles
Writing blog posts that include fascinating statistics and bite-sized pieces of data that the average reader can understand is a great way to get backlinks from other companies and blogs. Take the Link Labs article example below on Internet of Things (IoT) statistics—it has been linked to more than 25 times!
Example article titles:
- 13 Mind-Boggling Internet Of Things Statistics, Link Labs
- 3 Important Church Attendance Statistics & What They Mean For The Modern Church, Stretch Internet
#19: Comparisons, 25 Articles
Nike or Adidas? Target or Walmart? As consumers, we always want to know what the best option is, and articles that compare two alternatives are bound to grasp your readers’ attention.
Example article titles:
- HubSpot Vs. Google Analytics: Which Wins For Reporting?, Nectafy
#20: News & Events, 24 Articles
Whether it’s news pertaining to your organization or any other kind of news that is relevant to your industry, blogging about recent news and upcoming events is a great way to engage your audience.
Example article titles:
- Target And Neiman Marcus Are Not Alone: Malware Abounds In The Retail Sector, BitSight
- Genesis HR Solutions Partners With Blue Cross Blue Shield Of MA, Genesis HR Solutions
#21: Thought Leader Lists, 14 Articles
There is a lot of value in finding and sharing awesome content, whether it’s your own or someone else’s. And it turns out, regardless of your industry, readers enjoy learning about other thought leaders in your space. So the next time you’re stuck on content, point your audience toward other great blogs, resources, and/or social accounts, and they’ll continue to see your blog as a valuable resource.
Example article titles:
- 4 Top-Notch Leadership Books Pastors Are Reading Today, Stretch Internet
- Treat Your Ears To 19 Of The Best Marketing Podcasts, Nectafy
#22: Use Case Examples, 9 Articles
They say children learn by example right? Well, so do we. Blogging about real-life situations that readers can benefit from learning about rounds out our list of the top article categories people are interested in.
Example article titles:
- IoT Agriculture Use Cases & Apps To Plant Seeds For Your Ideas, Link Labs
- Video Streaming At Northeastern, Stretch Internet
What did we miss?
I’d love to know what content resonates the most with your audience! Does it fall into any of the above categories, or is it an entirely new topic? Tweet us @nectafy or let me know in the comments below!
