The Five Blog Posts Your Veterinary Blog Needs
Having a blog is about more than writing blog posts. It’s about purposely creating content that benefits you and your readers.
There are five types of posts you need to include on your blog.
By using these in your planning process, you’ll be much more organized and can start seeing a profit much earlier.
Here are the five types of posts:
- Email list-building
- Money-making
- Pillar
- Product/services promotion
- Guest
I’m borrowing the term “SMART” posts from my fellow blogger Suzi Whitford.
If you haven’t already started your blog, you can get my free guide to starting a veterinary blog here. You’ll also get weekly emails with more freebies and exclusive information.
Now, let’s get right into what these five posts are and how to use them to grow your blog.
S – liSt
I don’t know who said it first, but most professional bloggers agree that “the money’s in the list.”
With an email list, you have a direct line of contact between you and your audience. While social media can help you share posts and grow your blog, you don’t have real control over whether or not others see your posts on those platforms.
Plus, what happens if Facebook goes away? If that was the only way you got information to your followers, you could lose everything. However, if you have an email list, you can still connect with your readers.
That’s why I’m first discussing blog posts that help you build your list. These need to have forms that are fast and easy to fill out, and should include valuable information.
You want someone to get something out of a blog post so they understand you have high-quality content. But you also want to leave them wanting a little more.
That’s where a freebie comes in. It’s something you’re offering for free in exchange for someone’s email address. You can see an example of that in my introduction. I provide plenty of information in this
M – Money
The next type of post is designed to earn you money. In most cases, that will be accomplished through affiliate links. An example of that from my own blog here is my post on hosting.
Every time someone signs up for Bluehost through my link, they get a special deal and I get a commission. It’s win-win!
If you notice, however, I don’t have posts recommending other companies. That’s because I haven’t personally used them. I have used Bluehost and can honestly recommend them because I’ve had a good experience with them.
The key to earning money through affiliate-focused blog posts is to only recommend products that you yourself have used and can vouch for, or else ones that at least have good reviews from users.
Amazon is the easiest website to start with affiliate marketing. When I recommend products from there, I always make sure they follow three criteria:
- Have been rated (the more often, the better)
- Have a high rating (4+ stars if possible)
- Is something that would actually benefit my reader
That last point is key. Don’t create an affiliate post just to make money. The product(s) you mention and the content in the post have to be valuable to your reader.
Perhaps you’re writing a post on how to choose the right litter for your cat. This is a great way to not only give pet owners a checklist to make that decision, but to provide them with a few options as well.
If you’re considering starting a teaching blog and offering continuing education opportunities, you can write posts recommending books you’ve read. You can also see if other continuous education websites have affiliate programs, then highlight what they have to offer.
A – pillAr
Let’s talk about pillar posts. These are the ones that support the rest of your website. They’re the ones that dig deep into a problem and provide all the answers someone is looking for. They’re full of relevant keywords to drive organic traffic to your website.
These should be the first posts you write for your website, and you should have at least five of them to start off with. While many people consider a short blog post to be around 500 words and a longer post over 1000, pillar posts can have between 3,000 and 5,000 or more.
On Start a Vet Blog, you needn’t look further than my guide on how to start a veterinary blog. It’s my main pillar post because it focuses on the main keyword I want to target for my website: start a veterinary blog.
That post is considered short for a pillar post (just over 1,000 words), but it’s packed with actionable information. I also understand that most veterinary professionals don’t have time to read long articles, so I kept it as concise as possible.
There’s another quick bonus tip for you: know what your audience is looking for. Don’t stuff extra words and information into a post just to make it longer. Thoroughly cover the topic and that’s it!
R – pRoducts
If you’re selling digital or physical products or else offering services, this type of post will help you promote them. For example, if you’re writing a blog for your clinic, a product post could be “5 Reasons to Visit Us” in which you show how your clinic can help pet owners.
This type of blog post is vital for those focusing on continuing education. You’ll want to write posts about the courses you’re offering and show how they can help veterinary professionals in their practices.
If you’re writing a personal blog, having your own product to promote is one of the best ways to earn money through a blog. When you own the product, you keep all of the proceeds instead of just getting a small commission that comes with affiliates.
Here are a few examples of products and services you could offer to pet owners through your blog:
- eBooks (could be biographical or informational)
- Consultation services
- Printables like feeding charts and medication schedules
Get creative and really think about what your audience wants from you. If you launch a product or service just for the heck of it, it’s not going to do anything for you. It has to be something your audience wants and can benefit from.
Right now, I only offer writing and blog planning services, but I have some products in mind for the future. Those products will be developed as I learn more about what you (my audience) need from me.
T – guesT
The last type of post is a guest post. A guest post is one you write for another blog. The primary purpose is to reach a wider audience by putting your name and website in front of someone else’s readers.
The other reason to write a guest post is to get a backlink to your site. This helps your website rank higher in search engines so you can get more organic traffic.
There are a few ways to do guest posts:
- Exchange guest posts with another blogger
- Pay to have a guest post appear on another website
- Provide a free guest post to another website for the link
Which way you use will depend primarily on the other blog owner and how they want to approach it. If your site is about the same size as another blog, a post-for-post trade may be in the best interest of both of you
You have to decide if it’s worth your time and/or money to pay for a guest post. If it’s for a massive site that has a huge target audience which is the same as yours, it could be well worth it to get your name out there.
When writing a guest post, you want to make sure it’s perfect. For one thing, you’re not going to be able to go in and edit it later. But even more importantly, you’re introducing yourself to a whole new readership, and first impressions matter.
Where you have your guest post will also make a difference. Niel Patel, one of the best internet marketers today, suggests looking for “shoulder websites” for guest posts. That means a website in the same industry as yours, but not offering the same products and services.
For vet clinics, this could mean exchanging posts with a groomer in your area, or a pet store. If you have a personal veterinary blog that focuses on cats, you might be able to trade posts with a blog that focuses on dogs. Teaching blogs can find other blogs that provide information to veterinary professionals.
What’s important to keep in mind is that you’re on the same side as other veterinary bloggers. You can share an audience. It’s not likely that by allowing someone else to post on your site that all of your readers will abandon you for them. See other bloggers in the industry as partners and you’ll go far.
Ready to Start Planning Blog Posts?
Now you know the differences between the five types of veterinary blog posts. As you can see, each one is essential to the success of your blog.
Once again, if you haven’t already started your blog, you can get my 10-page guide for free just by signing up for my email list. You’ll also get
