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4 Types of Content: The Magic Is In the Mix
Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content , with 750K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.
Posted 8.21.25
In the video, the doctor placed special headphones on a baby with a hearing deficit — and the baby heard his mother’s voice for the first time. Smiles, giggles, and laughter punctuated the soundtrack. I leaned over and shared the video with my husband. He grinned.
I’d just consumed a piece of inspiration. It’s one of the 4 types of content in a magic mix that transforms strangers into loyal readers (and loyal clients and loyal customers).
Successful writers publish all four.
Why do I need to create different types of content?
Here’s a little secret: You may be sabotaging yourself …
- Not because your niche is crowded
- Not because of your writing skills …
… but because you’re writing the same type of content over and over.
Solopreneurs and small businesses shouldn’t just post one kind of content and call it a day.
Think of your content like a home-cooked Sunday dinner. If you only serve mashed potatoes, folks might love them the first time, but by week three, they are looking for a plate with a little more variety. The same is true for your audience — they need a mix to stay interested, connected, and ready to click.
There are 4 types of content you need to grow your following, much like the four food groups our bodies need to be healthy. A healthy content “diet” keeps your audience coming back for seconds and thirds. Leave one type out, and you’ll feel a little flat to readers — like a pie with no filling.
Here’s the breakdown.
The 4 types of content that turn strangers into loyal readers
1. Educational content: Show readers you know your stuff
This is the “meat and potatoes” of your content plate.
Educational content teaches your audience something useful — how to solve a problem, do something better, or understand a principle. Think blog posts, how-tos, webinars, explainer graphics, articles, eBooks, infographics, videos, case studies, courses, workshops, webinars, quizzes, and guides.
Why it matters:
When you help people learn, you build trust. You’re not just yelling, “Buy my stuff!” — you’re saying, “Here, let me help you.” That turns you into the go-to expert in their minds.
That’s critical for a solopreneur or small business without a giant marketing budget — you can’t outspend the big guys, but you can out-help them. Educational content makes people think, “Wow, he knows what he’s talking about.” And when they need a writer, guess who they think of first?
Educational content shows readers they have a friend who knows their niche and can help them.
2. Inspirational content: Give readers a little pep talk
Inspirational content makes people feel positive. It uplifts, demonstrates resilience, tracks an achievement, traces personal growth, or shows how a challenge was overcome.
It can be packaged as success stories, quotes, case studies, testimonials, personal anecdotes, and “before and after” transformations. Remember the video I shared with my husband?
Plenty of writers find inspiration the hardest of the 4 types of content to write. If that’s you, then try the C-A-R storytelling approach to give you structure.
C: Challenge. What problem did you face?
A: Action. What steps did you take?
R: Result. What happened?
Why it matters:
People buy with their hearts as much as their heads. Inspiration taps into emotion, and emotion drives action. A story about how your tip or your service or a tool changed someone’s life? That’s magic.
People remember how you made them feel more than the exact words you said. Inspirational posts — customer wins, founder stories, mission-driven messages — help your audience see themselves in your message. Small businesses thrive on relationships, and emotion is the glue that keeps those relationships strong.
Inspiring content motivates your readers.
3. Entertaining content: Lighten their mood
Not everything you post needs to be a deep, soul-searching think piece. Entertaining content can be behind-the-scenes videos, reels, anecdotes, GIFS, playful memes, fun polls, or a humorous take on an industry trend.
Why it matters:
Our world can be a hard place. Laughter (or even just a smile) is a shortcut to connection. Humor reveals a real person behind the business. For solopreneurs, this is gold, because people interact with people they like and can relate to.
If your audience enjoys your content, they’re more likely to stick around, engage, and share it. And guess what? Shared content = free marketing.
Entertaining content makes your readers feel understood.
4. Promotional content: Deliver the goods
This is the “Now, here’s a tool that will help you” type of content. It’s where you talk about your product, freebie, service, special offer, or event — directly. It could be a lead magnet, sales email, a launch announcement, a product demo video, a webinar, a case study, or a data sheet. Promotional content can even be a call to action at the end of an information piece.
Why it matters:
You’re in business, not just in show-and-tell. If you never tell people about your services (or your book or your course), how to get it, and why they should buy now, you’re just running a very busy hobby.
Promotional content, when mixed in with the other three, doesn’t feel pushy — it feels like a natural next step for a warmed-up, engaged audience … provided you’ve earned their trust with the first three types of content.
Promotional content demonstrates that you’re a pro.
Why should I create 4 types of content?
Each type of content plays a different role.
- Educational content → “I trust you.”
- Inspirational content → “I feel connected to you.”
- Entertaining content → “I enjoy being around you.”
- Promotional content → “I’m ready to buy from you,” or “I’m ready to follow you,” or “I’m ready to hire you.”
When you rotate all four, you’re building a full relationship — from stranger, to fan, to friend, to loyal customer. Skip one, and you risk being a nodding acquaintance. And we all know how that ends.
Create your own content calendar with this helpful template.
What if I struggle to create one (or more) of the 4 types of content?
You don’t need to create all your content. And no, I’m not advocating plagiarism or pushing AI (although I admit, ChatGPT is useful in creating outlines and basic graphics).
Honestly, each of us has strengths. I like writing clear, how-to informational content. And since I write in the faith-based space, inspirational content comes easily to me. As for promotional content, I had to learn to write to sell, so I took AWAI’s Six-Figure Copywriting Course.
But humor? I’ve been told I’m funny, but I struggle with writing entertaining content. To me, it just doesn’t feel substantial.
Yet I know it’s important in a well-balanced content mix. To make up for my deficit, I share funny memes, like writer’s cartoons — and then add a short comment and link.
The fancy word for this, in marketing circles, is content curation — finding, selecting, organizing, and sharing valuable content from different sources. And naturally, you credit the creator, which earns you goodwill while offering your readers a healthy content mix.
All to say you can learn to write different types of content. Or make up for your shortfalls by curating others’ content and commenting on it.
What’s the magic content mix?
Each of the 4 types of content plays a unique role in your marketing strategy. As a general rule, allocate your efforts like this:
- 40% Educational content
- 10% Inspirational content
- 10% Entertaining content
- 40% Promotional content
Bottom line: Mix all 4 types of content, and you’ll build a strong reach.
- Education shows you’re knowledgeable.
- Inspiration shows you care.
- Entertainment shows you’re relatable.
- Promotion shows you mean business.
Get the balance right, and you’re not just another voice in your readers’ feeds and their inboxes, begging for attention.
You’ve moved from stranger to acquaintance to friend … maybe even to mentor. You’re the one they look forward to hearing from.
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