Blog content creation starts with finding the right inspiration. But when you're staring at a blank screen, it can feel like you’re searching for a needle in a haystack. This is where looking at successful blogs can help. You can uncover design trends and writing styles that work by exploring well-crafted examples. This article will guide you to popular blogs that are easy to navigate, well-designed, and packed with great content.
To simplify this search, we’ll introduce Feather’s notion to blog, a tool that helps you find blogs that match your interests.
34 Popular Blog Examples for Blogging and Design Inspiration
1. Greatist: Science-Backed Health and Fitness
Greatist stands as a beacon for credible health and fitness information. Catering primarily to millennials, this blog intertwines science with advice, setting itself apart in misinformation. Beyond the content, Greatist operates as a media powerhouse, drawing in over 10 million visitors monthly and generating eight-figure revenue through ads and sponsored content.
2. Nerd Wallet: SEO and Affiliate Marketing Giant
Nerd Wallet sets the standard for affiliate marketers with its dominance in the personal finance niche. By expertly aligning user intent with content, it’s become a titan, reviewing everything finance-related. With affiliate commissions that can reach hundreds per referral, its strategy has paid off, valuing the site at over $500M.
3. Nomadic Matt: Personal Branding in Travel
Nomadic Matt is a testament to the power of personal branding. Beginning as a personal travel blog, it has evolved into a massive resource. It remains a single-author blog, ranking for nearly every travel-related keyword. By diversifying income through his products, Matt has kept his operations lean yet highly profitable.
4. Nerd Fitness: Niche Targeting in Health
Nerd Fitness found its niche by focusing on health advice for “nerds”, a term that evolved as the site grew. By targeting a specific audience, founder Steve Kamb built a unique and resonant brand, evolving into a community for everyday folks interested in fitness.
5. Art Of Manliness: Consistent Branding and Content
The Art Of Manliness has maintained its focus on men’s lifestyle and interests, even as it’s expanded into selling branded physical products. Their success comes from strong, consistent branding and a commitment to their original content topics, contributing to their direct traffic.
6. CSS Tricks: Leveraging Personal Influence
Chris Coyier’s CSS Tricks exemplifies how a personal brand can drive a blog’s success. Originally focused solely on CSS, the site has expanded into a comprehensive web design and development resource, leveraging Chris’s influence to launch other successful ventures like CodePen.
7. The Penny Hoarder: Storytelling in Finance
The Penny Hoarder stands out in the finance niche by using storytelling to engage readers. They eschew ads, instead leveraging affiliate marketing to generate revenue, pulling in close to $40M last year. This approach allows them to share relatable, engaging stories about making money.
8. CoinDesk: Leading the Crypto Charge
CoinDesk is the premier source for cryptocurrency news, consistently staying ahead in a rapidly evolving industry. With over 10 million monthly visitors, they generate revenue through:
Ads
Paid reports
Conference tickets
This helps establish themselves as a leader in the blockchain world.
9. ArsTechnica: Trusted Tech Analysis
Ars Technica goes beyond reporting tech news—they analyze it. This detailed approach has helped them rebuild trust after a controversial ad-blocker ban and differentiate themselves from other tech blogs, thanks to a team of competent, post-graduate writers.
10. Bustle: Broad Coverage of Women’s Interests
Bustle is a massive women’s site that covers everything from fashion to news and pop culture. Founded by Bryan Goldberg, the site’s diverse coverage and focus on a female audience have attracted advertisers and built one of the most prominent women’s blogs in the world.
11. Wellness Mama: Targeted Health Content for Moms
Wellness Mama carved out a niche in the crowded health and wellness space by targeting mothers. By focusing specifically on this audience, founder Katie Wells built a loyal following of moms who appreciate the blog’s mission of promoting healthier families.
12. Thought Catalog: Unique Content Strategy with Free Submissions
Thought Catalog attracts college students to write for free, build a portfolio and contribute to the blog’s unique, emotional content. By offering a platform for young writers, they receive hundreds of submissions daily, maintaining a steady stream of fresh content.
13. Fatherly: Niche Parenting Blog for Dads
Fatherly filled a gap in the parenting blogosphere by targeting fathers, a largely underserved audience. They’ve grown rapidly by doing niche and audience research exceptionally well, helping to dispel stereotypes about dads as the “goofy” parent.
14. Apartment Therapy: Scaling Home Design Content
Apartment Therapy is a leading home design blog that started as a design advice email list. Today, they generate around $20M annually, thanks to their ability to scale effectively, a lesson learned from founder Maxwell Ryan’s background in media.
15. Kitchn: Applying Lessons from a Successful Blog
Kitchn leveraged the lessons learned from Apartment Therapy’s success to become one of the world's largest food and recipe blogs, drawing in around 20M monthly visitors. Founders Maxwell Ryan and Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan built a successful sister site by applying what they knew.
16. Digital Spy: SEO Dominance in Entertainment
Digital Spy is an entertainment blog that dominates search rankings for movies and TV shows. By crafting perfect title tags and leveraging Hearst Magazines UK’s resources, they consistently rank #1 for related searches, drawing in massive traffic.
PetaPixel is a top photography blog covering every industry angle, from news to tutorials. With a strong social media presence, they make money through ads and mentor photography sessions, maintaining a leading position in the photography niche.
18. College Info Geek: Niche Resource for College Success
College Info Geek offers resources to help students succeed in college and beyond. By focusing on study hacks and tactics, they’ve attracted a specific, engaged audience, drawing in around 800,000 monthly visitors.
19. GQ: Adapting and Thriving Over Decades
GQ has adapted and evolved over its long history, becoming a massive media company that covers every aspect of men’s lifestyles. With a focus on affiliate links and magazine subscriptions, they’ve built a lasting, successful brand that continues to thrive.
20. Tree Hugger: Staying True to Sustainability Mission
Treehugger is the leading media outlet for sustainability news, drawing in over 3M monthly visitors. By staying true to their mission and avoiding off-topic content, they’ve maintained a strong, consistent brand that resonates with readers.
21. Freshome: Leading in Inspirational Home Design Content
Freshome is a top home design blog that delivers fresh ideas and inspiration for homeowners. With a focus on image-heavy content, they consistently deliver engaging, visually appealing articles that draw in around 1.47M monthly visitors.
22. Tiny Buddha: Building a Community Focused on Peace and Happiness
Tiny Buddha has built a vibrant community focused on peace and happiness, drawing in 4M monthly visitors. By publishing daily content and allowing readers to share their experiences, they’ve created a supportive, engaged audience that values community over page views.
23. Smashing Magazine: Comprehensive Resource for Creatives
Smashing Magazine is a leading resource for designers and developers, offering a wide range of content, from articles to eBooks. By ignoring trends and focusing on what creatives need, they’ve built a successful brand that draws in 3M page views per month.
24. Making Sense of Cents: Combining Personal Finance and Blogging Advice
Making Sense of Cents offers a unique blend of personal finance and blogging advice, drawing in a large, engaged audience. Founder Michelle has created a cohesive, relatable brand that resonates with readers by tying her blogging success to her personal finance journey.
25. PJRVS: Relatable Content for Small Business Owners
Paul Jarvis’s blog offers relatable content for small business owners, focusing on building smaller, better businesses. By speaking directly to his audience, he’s built a loyal following that values his insights and advice.
Adventure Junkies is a pure affiliate blog that categorizes its content cleanly under the umbrella of adventure. By focusing on specific sports and offering gear and clothing recommendations, they’ve built a successful, niche site that appeals to outdoor enthusiasts.
27. BARK Post: Content Marketing for BarkBox
BARK Post is a blog created to promote BarkBox, a monthly dog subscription service. By offering engaging, dog-focused content, they’ve built a successful content marketing strategy that drives traffic and promotes their primary business.
28. Brain Pickings: Accessible Literature Analysis
Brain Pickings offers accessible literature analysis, breaking complex topics into easily digestible language. Solo blogger Maria Popova has built a successful, sustainable site that resonates with readers by relying on donations rather than ads.
29. Pinch Of Yum: Transparency in Food Blogging
Pinch of Yum offers delicious recipes and insights into food blogging, drawing in a large, engaged audience. By providing transparency with their income reports, they’ve built trust and attracted attention from online marketers and bloggers.
30. Hair Romance: Rapidly Growing a Passionate Audience
Hair Romance offers comprehensive guides on hair styling, drawing in a large audience quickly. By leveraging her passion and expertise, founder Christina has built a successful blog that captures the attention of women (and men) interested in hair.
31. Create and Go: In-Depth Blogging Tips
Create and Go offers in-depth blogging tips from successful bloggers Alex and Lauren. By sharing their experiences and diving deep into topics, they’ve built a valuable resource for aspiring bloggers looking to grow their businesses.
32. WPBeginner: WordPress Tutorials and Guides
WPBeginner offers WordPress tutorials and guides, drawing in over 1.4 million monthly visitors. They've built a successful, well-trafficked site by providing valuable content on web development, email marketing, SEO, and blogging.
33. Backlinko: Authoritative SEO Content
Backlinko offers authoritative SEO content, drawing in 1.2 million monthly visitors. By focusing on long-form, in-depth articles, they’ve built a successful strategy prioritizing quality over quantity, consistently delivering valuable insights for readers.
34. The Broke Backpacker: Budget Travel Tips and Insights
The Broke Backpacker offers budget travel tips and insights, drawing in over 1 million monthly visitors. They’ve built a successful blog that resonates with budget-conscious travelers by focusing on affordable travel and personal development topics.
Scannability and Structure: Making Blog Content Easy to Read
Ever tried reading a dense block of text and just... gave up? You're not alone. Readers want content that's easy to navigate. Keep paragraphs short, use punctuation wisely, and insert headers to break up information. This helps readers find what they need quickly. The goal is to make your blog post approachable and easy to digest, even if it's covering complex topics.
Visual Aspects: Enhancing Understanding with Images and Videos
A picture is worth a thousand words, especially in a blog. Visual aids like infographics, videos, and images can highlight key points and make your content more engaging. They break up text and provide alternative ways for readers to absorb information.
Consider adding charts or custom infographics to emphasize data or complex ideas, making your blog more accessible to different learning styles.
Branding: Subtly Weaving Brand Identity Into Blog Design
Your blog is an extension of your brand, so let it reflect your identity. Use your brand's colors, fonts, and style guide to create a cohesive look, but don't stop there. Incorporate your messaging, such as a slogan or tagline, into your call to action. This reinforces your brand identity and helps create a more memorable experience for readers.
Page Load Times: Keeping Readers Engaged with Fast-Loading Content
We live in a world of instant gratification that extends to blog reading. A slow-loading page can make readers click away before even seeing your content. Ensure your site is optimized for speed by compressing images, minimizing code, and using a reliable hosting service. This keeps readers engaged and improves your site's search engine rankings.
Blog Sitemap: Connecting Your Blog to the Rest of Your Website
Your blog is part of a larger ecosystem, and it should be easy for readers to navigate between posts, product pages, and other resources. Use a sitemap to organize your content and include internal links within your blog posts. This helps readers find related content and improves your site's SEO by showing search engines how your content is interconnected.
Introductions and Conclusions: Grabbing Attention and Leaving a Lasting Impression
The beginning of your blog post is your chance to hook readers and make them want to keep reading. Use humor, a surprising fact, or a direct approach to draw them in. For conclusions, be clear and concise. Summarize key points and encourage readers to take action, whether:
Contacting your business
Exploring related content
Simply reflecting on what they've learned
Lists and Links: Organizing Information for Easy Consumption
Lists are a staple of successful blogs because they're easy to read and provide clear takeaways. Use numbered or bulleted lists to break down information, and include hyperlinks to related content. This makes it easier for readers to find what they're looking for and encourages them to explore more of your site.
Relevance and Relatability: Staying on Topic and Connecting with Readers
Your blog should always be relevant to your audience and your business. Choose topics that align with your brand and offer valuable insights to readers. This helps you attract the right audience and keeps readers engaged and coming back for more.
Digestible Word Counts: Balancing Length and Depth for SEO and Readability
Longer blog posts often perform better in search engine rankings, but that doesn't mean you should write a novel. Aim for a balance between depth and readability, and edit ruthlessly to remove fluff. Your goal is to provide valuable information without overwhelming readers.
Voice and Language: Using Tone and Style to Reinforce Your Brand
Your blog's tone should reflect your brand's personality and align with your content. Use playful language for lighthearted topics and a more formal tone for serious subjects. Consistency in voice and language helps build trust with readers and makes your content more memorable.
Value: Providing Meaningful Insights to Educate and Inspire Readers
A successful blog leaves readers with something valuable: new knowledge, a fresh perspective, or actionable tips. Make sure your content is informative, on-brand, and engaging. This keeps readers coming back and builds your authority in your industry.
Call to Action: Encouraging Readers to Take the Next Step
Many blogs include a call to action to guide readers toward a desired outcome, such as contacting your business, subscribing to a newsletter, or sharing the post on social media. Make your CTA clear and compelling and tailor it to your blog's specific goals.
Keywords: Enhancing Blog Visibility with Strategic Language
Keywords are the search terms your audience uses to find content like yours. Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to identify relevant keywords and incorporate them naturally into your blog. This improves your search engine rankings and helps you attract the right audience.
Title Tag and Meta Description: Optimizing Content for Search Engines
These elements are crucial for SEO and should include your primary keyword. Keep them concise and compelling, as they're often the first thing users see in search results. A strong title and meta description can improve click-through rates and drive more traffic to your blog.
External Links: Building Authority and Trust with Credible Sources
Linking to reputable external sources adds credibility to your content and can improve your search engine rankings. It also encourages readers to explore related topics and reinforces your position as a knowledgeable source.
Backlinks: Boosting Blog Visibility and Authority with External Links
Backlinks are links from other sites to your content and are a strong signal of authority to search engines. Encourage backlinks by creating high-quality, valuable content others want to share and reference.
Readable URL Structure: Improving User Experience and SEO with Simple Links
A clean, descriptive URL is more manageable for users to read and understand, and it can improve your search engine rankings. Keep URLs short and include your main keyword for optimal results.
Artificial Intelligence: Leveraging Technology to Enhance Blog Creation
AI can be a valuable tool in the blogging process, helping with content creation, ideation, and editing. Use AI-powered tools like Grammarly and ProWritingAid to improve your writing, and consider using AI for data analysis and keyword research.
Analytics: Using Data to Improve Blog Performance
Analytics tools like Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and Semrush can provide valuable insights into your blog's performance. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions about future content.
In-House Tools: Streamlining Content Creation and Management
A content calendar can help you plan and organize your blogging efforts, and reporting schedules can keep your team on track. Consider using a project management tool like Trello or Asana to streamline your content creation process.
Google Search Essentials: Staying Up-to-Date with Search Engine Best Practices
Google's search algorithms constantly evolve, and staying informed about the latest changes is essential. Use tools like Google Search Essentials to keep up with technical requirements, spam policies, and best practices for search engine optimization.
Go in With a Plan: Creating a Strategy for Successful Blogging
Improvisation is great for jazz musicians, but it's not the best approach for blogging. Develop a content strategy that outlines your goals, audience, and topics and use it to guide your blogging efforts. This will help you create valuable content that's aligned with your brand.
Define Your Audience: Understanding Who You're Writing For
Knowing your audience is key to creating content that resonates with them. Consider your readers' demographics, interests, and pain points, and use this information to guide your content creation process. This will help you create relevant and valuable content to your audience.
Be Consistent: Building a Loyal Audience with Regular Publishing
Consistency is crucial for building a loyal audience. Develop a publishing schedule and stick to it, whether that means posting once a week, twice a month, or daily. This will help you build trust with your audience and keep them returning for more.
Promote Yourself: Getting Your Content in Front of the Right People
Writing a great blog post is only half the battle. To reach a wider audience, promote your content on social media, in email newsletters, and through other channels. Consider using paid promotion to amplify your reach and drive more traffic to your blog.
Bridging Notion and Your Audience with Feather
Run your blog and newsletter with Feather today! Create a new account and send emails from Notion, or go from notion to blog in minutes!
How do people discover your website? If they’ve never heard of you, they don’t just visit your site. They need to find it somehow. Sure, social media shares are outstanding, but people need something to share, which is rarely just a product listing. Paid ads work, but they require a continuous budget, and once you stop paying, traffic stops too.
Email marketing? Only hits those who’ve already signed up. Blogging gets your site on Google’s search results, driving traffic. When you provide content people want, they’ll find it when they search.
Build Trust and Authority with Blogs
Blogs are visible ways to showcase your knowledge of your products, niche, and industry. When a user wants to buy a product and can choose between you and a competitor, which will they choose? All else being equal, they’ll pick the brand they trust more.
A blog is hard to maintain, but having one shows your commitment to your business. If you have no blog or a low-quality one, it signals that your business might not be trustworthy. Customers want to shop with brands they can trust.
Create Endless Social Media Content
Social media is an excellent channel for reaching a new audience and capturing them, but what do you post? Most business posts on social media are links to blog content because blog content is much easier to share and promote than product pages, landing pages, or link-free posts.
Every blog post is an opportunity to share it as a link on:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Reddit and many more
Repurpose Blog Content into New Forms
Investing in a blog is not just investing in a blog. It’s investing in content, knowledge, and authority. You can take that blog post and convert it into various forms of media, all of which can reach different audiences in different places and at other times. One post can be converted into a script and read aloud as a podcast or audio post.
That audio can be set to animation or action and turned into a YouTube video. The script can be pared down and turned into an infographic or even a slide deck. You’re not just creating a blog post; you’re making a resource.
Communicate Directly with Your Audience
Blogs aren’t one-way advertising. They’re a way to communicate with your customers, both personally and implicitly. Directly, a blog lets you address questions and concerns your audience has. If your audience has a pain point, you can address how to solve it with your blog. If they are concerned about your product or industry, you can ease those concerns with a post.
Feedback as Fuel
If they have questions, they can ask you in the comments of a post, and you can use that to answer them directly or inspire an entirely new blog post or both. Indirectly, you can gauge what your users are interested in by what blog posts become popular and how they engage with those posts. This can guide you in unexpected but profitable directions.
Establish Individual Thought Leadership
A blog isn’t just a resource for your business; it’s a resource for you. I highly recommend that any business running a blog creates an author account for their CEO. Blog posts become attributed to that individual, who can then leverage that portfolio of content, experience, and opinions to open up new doors, position themselves as an authority, and build relationships with others.
Unlock Networking Opportunities
Blogs can become popular. Other people might want to work with you to create content for your or their blog. Industry bloggers may ask for your quotes and opinions for a round-up post. Influencers might interview you for content. You can leverage your blog to reach out to reporters and journalists. Many doors open when you have a good, well-run blog attached to your business.
Enjoy the Compounding Benefits Over Time
Blogging doesn’t go away. If you’re doing the bare minimum at all times, maybe standards will push forward, and you’ll be left behind, but that’s rarely the case. Blogging tends to compound over time. The more content you have, the more authority and clout you build, and the faster it can keep compounding.
A blog might not have much return on investment in the first year, but it might be responsible for more than half of your sales by the third.
How To Write Engaging Blog Posts
Blog Examples
Know Your Audience Inside Out
Before writing, know who you’re talking to. Tailor your content to their needs and interests. Are they beginners or experts? Understanding this helps you craft content that truly speaks to them.
Headlines That Stop the Scroll
Your headline is your first impression. Make it irresistible and specific. Use numbers, action words, and promises of value. Test different headlines to see what resonates with your readers.
Make Scannable Content
Most readers skim. To make your content easy to digest, break it into short paragraphs, use subheadings, bullet points, and lists, and embrace white space.
Use Eye-Catching Visuals
A picture can say what a thousand words can’t. Use infographics, videos, and images to enhance your message. Just be mindful of file sizes to keep your site speedy.
Encourage a Content Journey
Suggestions related to your blog post can keep your readers exploring it, encourage them to stay longer, and boost your SEO. It’s a win-win.
Simplify Sharing
Social share buttons make it easy for readers to share your content. This helps your content reach new audiences without extra effort. Use tools like Jetpack to streamline the process.
Go From Notion to Blog With Ease Today with Feather
Blog Examples
Imagine managing your blog and newsletter without code or design hassle. Feather makes this possible by letting you use Notion as a publishing powerhouse. Write your content in Notion, and with a simple click, it’s live on your Feather blog. No fuss. No stress. It’s like magic for your content strategy.
Boost SEO with a Subfolder
SEO can make or break your content strategy. Feather helps you by allowing your blog to appear in a subfolder like domain.com/blog. This setup is better for SEO than a subdomain. It’s a small change that can make a big difference. Search engines love it, and so will your audience.
Manage Everything in Notion
Think of Feather as your all-in-one blogging tool. You can manage your CRM and blog in Notion. You'll feel right at home if you're used to the HubSpot experience. This means less time juggling apps and more time focusing on what matters most: creating great content.
Customize Your Design
Your blog should reflect your brand. Feather lets you tweak the design with custom CSS if you want more control. But if coding isn’t your thing, don’t worry. Feather has you covered with ready-to-go templates that look great right out of the box.
Collaborate Seamlessly
Content creation is often a team effort. Feather makes collaboration easy by letting your team collaborate in Notion during the publishing process. You can brainstorm, draft, and edit all in one place. It’s teamwork without the headache.
Expand Your Audience with Newsletters
Feather isn’t just about blogging. You can also send newsletters directly from Notion to your email list. You can keep your subscribers in the loop without leaving your favorite workspace. It’s efficient and effective.
Get Started Quickly
Feather is designed to be user-friendly. With its notion to blog functionality, you can set up a blog and start sending emails in minutes. It’s perfect for bloggers who want to focus on content, not tech. If you’ve been looking for a way to streamline your process, this is it.