9 min read

Titivate Your Text With Blog Post Formatting

If you're not sure how to format your blog, don't worry!

This post will give you a rundown of the most common text formatting options and show you how to use them for your next blog post so that your content marketing shines.

Let's get started!

How important is formatting for a blog post?

While your blog's content is undoubtedly the most crucial aspect, you should not overlook proper blog formatting.

An easy-to-read blog post will keep readers engaged and leave a lasting impression.

Types of blog post format

There are many different types of blog formats, but some of the most common are:

Listicle post
Product review post
How-to post
Interview post
Thought leadership post
Infographic post
Comparison post
Curated post

Let's take a closer look at each of these blog formats so that you can choose the right blog post format for your content.

Listicle post

A listicle is an organized list, often titled something like "5 Ways to improve your meta descriptions" or "10 Tips for effective Alt Text." Listicle posts are popular because they are easy to read and offer quick, actionable tips. Example: How to Write Listicles with AI

Product review post

A product review post is a blog post that reviews a product. This can be anything from new software to a pair of shoes. Product reviews can be helpful for readers who are considering purchasing the product. Bonus Training: Effortlessly Boost Conversions On Your Amazon Affiliate Blog

How-to post

A how-to post format is exactly what it sounds like - an article that teaches the reader how to do something. How-to posts can be helpful for readers who want to learn how to do something new or improve their skills at something they are already doing. Example: How To Write Website Content Using AI

Interview post

An interview post features an interview with someone. This can be an expert in their field or someone who has an interesting story to share. Interview posts can be a great way to add variety to your blog and give your readers a chance to hear from someone else.

Thought leadership post

A thought leadership post offers readers insights and perspectives on a particular topic. These posts are usually written by experts in their field and offer readers new ways of thinking about a topic. Example: 80/20 rule in SEO - Pareto Principle Optimization

Infographic post

An infographic post features an infographic, which is a great way to visualize data and can be helpful for readers who want to learn about a topic quickly and easily. Example: 40 of the best infographics to inspire you

Comparison post

A comparison post compares two or more products, ideas, or concepts. Comparison posts can be helpful for readers who are trying to decide between two things or who want to learn more about the similarities and differences between two things. Example: Simplified vs. Shortly AI: How To Choose The Best AI Writing Partner

Curated post

A curated post features a collection of content from other sources. This can be anything from a roundup of blog posts on a particular topic to a collection of tweets about a specific event. Curated posts are a great way to provide your readers with a comprehensive view of a specific topic.

Learn more about curating content: 10 Tips For Effectively Curating Content [and Creating Curiosity]

Now that you know a little bit more about some of the most common types of blog post formats let's take a look at some tips for formatting your text.

Headings and Subheadings

Breaking up your text with headings and subheadings helps ensure your readers don't get lost in a wall of text.

When you format your blog post using H tags - headings and subheadings - you're essentially creating a mini-outline of your content. This makes it much easier for readers to skim through your post and quickly find the information they're looking for.

Not only that but using headings and subheadings also helps to break up your text, making it more visually appealing and easier to read.

If you want people actually to read your blog post, then you need to make it as easy as possible for them.

That's why formatting is so important.

H1s are used solely for the main heading, and H2s should be used to format subheadings. For most articles, you simply need to use H2s, if your H2 contains a lot of content, you may wish to use H3s and H4s to further break up the text.

Here's an example of how you might use headings and subheadings to format blog posts:

Heading 1 (H1)

An H1 heading is the most important heading in your blog post, and it should be large and easy to read. It tells your readers what the post is about and helps them understand the purpose of your article.

Using exact keywords in headlines and subheadings is not always necessary, but it can aid search engines in identifying your blog post's main topics.

Subheading 1 (H2)

This is a subheading under the main heading. This subheading can provide more information about the topic of your article or discuss a specific aspect of the subject in greater detail.

Blog posts may contain multiple H2 headings, sometimes above 50!

If you are unsure how to structure your content, Surfer SEO helps you build article outlines based on the top-ranking content online.

Subheading 2 (H3)

This is a subheading under the second heading. H3s further break up text and provide additional information about the topics you're discussing.

Like H2 headings, blog posts may contain multiple H3 headings under each H2.

Subheading 3 (H4)

This is a subheading under the third heading. It can provide additional in-depth information about the topic of your blog post but is often not required.

As you can see, headings and subheadings help break up your text and make it easier to read. They also give readers a quick overview of your blog post.

Readers often scan subheadings - which are usually provided in a table of contents - before they decide to read the entire article. So make sure your headings have hooks!

In addition, bullet points or lists can help to highlight key points and make your post more scannable. Images, infographics, and videos are great ways to break up your text and add visual interest. Most blogs have a white background, so don't forget white space makes your text more reader-friendly.

Ultimately, taking the time to format your blog post will make it more enjoyable to read and more likely to be shared.

Bulleted and Numbered Lists

Lists can be a lifesaver if you're discussing a lot of information!

Lists are a great way to organize information and make it easy to scan your blog post. There are two main types of lists: bullet points and numbered lists.

When writing a list post - or listicle - or when sharing helpful resources, lists are an effective way to format your content.

Bulleted List

Bullet point lists list items that are of equal importance.

Here's an example of how you might use a bulleted list in a blog post:

- Bulleted lists are great for breaking up your text

- They make your post easier to read

- They provide a clear overview of the topics you're discussing

Numbered List

Numbered lists list items in a specific order and can be used to list steps in a process, for example.

Here's an example of how you might use a numbered list in a blog post:

1. Numbered lists help to break up your text

2. They make your post easier to read

3. They provide a clear overview of the topics you're discussing

There are many benefits to using lists in blog posts, not least of which is that they help you present information concisely and easily.

Lists, like topic headings, organize and break up your text, making it simpler to comprehend. They also allow you to see the different points you're talking about easily.

Bold Text

Bold text emphasizes certain words or phrases and, used sparingly, can draw attention to important information throughout your blog post.

Here's an example of how you might use it in a blog post:

"Content curation in the marketing world allows you to present your audience with a continuous stream of fresh, relevant content without overwhelming them with a lot to sift through. Social media content curation is a great strategy to show off your company's personality and build relationships."

As you can see, using bold text can greatly emphasize specific points in your blog post. Just be sure not to overdo it, as too much can be distracting.

Italicized Text

Italicized text conveys quotes or emphasizes ideas; for example, in conjunction with block quotes, italics can be used to set apart longer text passages.

Here's an example of how you might use italicized text in a blog post:

"To be or not to be, that is the question." - Shakespeare

As you can see, using italics can be a great way to set off quotes or emphasize specific ideas.

Underline Text

Underlined text indicates a link when it appears within a blog post. When you see underlined text, it's usually clickable.

Here's an example of how you might use underlined text for an internal link in a blog post:

You can learn more about content curation by checking out this article on Blogs by Jarvis.

Alternatively, you can use the same format for external links:

Create high-quality content with Jasper.ai

As you can see, underlining is a great way to indicate links within your blog post. This is especially helpful when you're providing helpful resources for your readers.

When you are working in Jasper, you might use the underline format option to remind yourself to add a link when you publish a post - or you can add the link right away, if you are ready, with the 'Add Link' formatting option.

The new Jasper toolbar formatting options and keyboard shortcuts

We're excited to announce a new set of keyboard shortcuts and formatting options for Jasper. With these tools, you can quickly and easily format your documents in seconds.

A massive shout out to the development team for delivering yet again!

H1 = CMD + OPT + 1

H2 = CMD + OPT + 1

H3 = CMD + OPT + 1

H4 = CMD + OPT + 1 (NEW!)

Bold = CMD + B (NEW!)

Italic = CMD + I (NEW!)

Underline = CMD + U (NEW!)

Add Link = CMD + K

Numbered List = CMD + OPT + 7

Bullet List = CMD + OPT + 8

Add Image = CMD + SHIFT + I

Reset Styles = CMD + SHIFT + \

We hope you enjoy these new Jasper features! As always, let us know if you have any questions or feedback.

Paragraph Length

When it comes to blog posts, there is no hard and fast rule for paragraph length, but you'll notice other bloggers tend to keep their paragraph text short.

A short paragraph is generally easier to read than a long paragraph, so it makes sense to use this blog format; bonus points if you can keep them to one to three sentences!

Sentence Length

Just like paragraphs, short sentences help maintain your reader's attention.

Grammarly is a great tool to help check the readability of your text.

Images and Videos

Images and videos are a great way to break up your text and add visual interest to your blog posts, but add images sparingly so as not to overload your readers' senses.

When selecting images, try to choose relevant images for your topic and ensure they add value to the content. And remember always to credit the source of any photos or videos you use. You can find free, high-quality stock photos at sites like Unsplash or Pexels.

And if you want to add videos to your blog posts, you can upload them directly into your blog content or embed them from YouTube or Vimeo.

Call to Action

A call to action (CTA) is a piece of text or an image that encourages your readers to take a specific action, such as subscribing to your email list or checking out a product or service. Your CTA can be as simple as a sentence or an image with linked text.

Does blog post formatting affect results in search engines?

The short answer is: yes, it can.

While the search engines don't explicitly state that they crawl and index content based on formatting, we know that they place high importance on the structure and organization of your content.

For example, if you have all of your content crammed into one giant paragraph, that will look pretty strange to the search engines. They might think you're trying to stuff too many keywords into your content, so your post could get penalized.

On the other hand, if you take the time to format your content into shorter paragraphs with headlines and subheadlines, that will signal to the search engines that your content is well-organized and easy to read. And as a result, you could get a boost in the search engine rankings.

While there's no guarantee that proper formatting will help you rank higher in the search engines, it's worth taking the time to do it right.

Should formatting be used for the entire blog post?

There are no hard and fast rules regarding blog post formatting. Just remember to keep your readers in mind and format your content in a way that is easy for them to read. If you do that, you'll be on the right track.

One final note on blog post formatting

Be sure to proofread your content before publishing it so that any errors in grammar or spelling don't detract from your message.

Make your text more powerful with formatting in Jasper

Jasper takes the strain out of creating content, but don't forget to pay attention to the details, like formatting, when you edit your AI-generated content.

Use H tags to divide sections and organize your reader's journey.
Bold specific words or sentences to draw readers toward the main idea.
Italicize long quotes to make them stand out.
Use underlining for link formatting throughout your post.
Finally, use the new reset styles button to remove all formatting from your text quickly.

An article that is well laid out and easy to read will often be more successful.

Bonus Tip: Check out our post on writing in an active voice

There are many reasons to format your blog posts, but here are just a few:

1. It makes your post easier to read.

2. It helps organize your thoughts.

3. It can make your post more visually appealing.

4. It can help you communicate your key information more effectively.

Have you checked out these Blog Posts written by Jasper? These are actual articles, written by real customers who used Jasper to go from blank page to blog post.