Have you ever wondered why some content grabs your attention and won’t let go? Why you have to watch the next episode! Or just can’t put down that book you’re reading! It’s all about using proven formulas that hook the human brain. The same strategies can make your consultancy blog more engaging and persuasive.

Many consultancy owners struggle to captivate their audience, leading to missed opportunities. In this post, I'll walk you through nine content archetypes that can elevate your consultancy blog and turn readers into clients.

1. How-to guides: Simplify complex solutions

Many consultancy owners have valuable insights but struggle to communicate them effectively, leaving potential clients unsure of their next steps. And when clients can't see how you solve their problems, they’ll do nothing or move on to a competitor who communicates the problem and solution better than they did.

How-to guides break down complex solutions into easy-to-follow steps, showcasing your expertise and helping readers take action.

Use how-to guides to demystify the challenges your clients face. By simplifying complex solutions, you demonstrate your consultancy's value in an accessible way.

How to archetype: "I want to instruct you"

• Problem hook

• Instructions

• Tips/Warnings

• Conclusion

• CTA
  

2. Listicles: Deliver quick wins

People often skim content, looking for immediate value, but dense paragraphs can deter them from reading. If your blog doesn't offer digestible, actionable insights using listicles, you’ll miss opportunities to attract readers, as search engines love listicles.

Listicles provide bite-sized, easily consumable information, allowing you to pack a lot of value into a single post. They’re a great way to consolidate your knowledge and get ranked on Google. 

Use listicles to offer quick wins for your audience. Whether it's "9 tips for better …" or "7 mistakes to avoid …" listicles position you as a quick, valuable resource as long as you provide insights with each item you present.

Some blogs end up focusing entirely on listicles and become very boring. Mix up your archetypes to prevent your readers from getting bored. 

Listicle archetype: "I want to provide quick wins"

• Value hook

• Insightful list

• Conclusion

• CTA
  

3. Problem-solution posts: Address pain points directly

Many consultancy blogs talk about their services and solutions. These are guaranteed to fail at connecting with readers. They don’t grab their client's attention by discussing their immediate pain points. Pain in our bodies is nature's signal that we need to take action. Humans are much more responsive to pain than they are to gain. 

Without directly addressing your client's problems, it is unlikely anyone will take action on your content.

Problem-solution posts focus on the reader's struggles first, then introduce your solution, using pain to engage them. Understanding the problem also shows empathy and builds trust.

Start by identifying a specific problem your ideal clients face, then guide them through how your consultancy provides the solution.

Problem-solution archetype: "I want to solve your problem"

• Problem hook

• Problem detail

• Solution

• Recap conclusion

• CTA
  

4. The hero’s journey: Tell transformational stories

A favourite of Disney movies, the hero’s journey is an ancient storytelling structure guaranteed to grab your readers’ attention. 

Potential clients often need real-life examples of how your consultancy has driven positive change. But without storytelling, those examples can feel disconnected and abstract, making it hard for your prospects to relate.

The hero’s journey structure allows you to highlight client success stories or tell your story to showcase the transformation your consultancy provides.

Share stories where your clients are the heroes, and your consultancy is the guide that helped them overcome obstacles and succeed.

Hero’s journey archetype: "I want to inspire transformation"

• The hero

• Their challenge

• Struggle

• Solution

• Transformation

• Lessons learned

• CTA
  

5. Case study: Showcase real-world results

Proving the tangible value of your services is often tricky, which is where case studies come in. Prospective clients will sit on the fence without seeing evidence of your past successes.

Case studies provide concrete examples of how you’ve helped clients achieve specific results, building credibility. Use detailed case studies to showcase the strategies you used and the outcomes you achieved, demonstrating your effectiveness.

Case study archetype: "I want to showcase results"

• Client problem

• Previous attempts

• Approach

• Results

• Conclusion

• CTA
  

6. Ultimate guides: Position yourself as the go-to expert

Many blogs lack depth, leaving readers searching for more comprehensive information elsewhere. Without demonstrating deep expertise, you miss the chance to become a trusted resource.

Ultimate guides delve into a topic in great detail, providing immense value and solidifying your authority in the niche. When you position an ultimate guide, it must be precisely that. Creating the ultimate resource on a topic is a great way to rank highly on search engines. 

Using an ultimate guide to cover every aspect of a topic your ideal clients care about and get ranked highly on search results will cement your consultancy as the definitive expert.

A few words of warning - creating genuine ultimate guides takes time. And you need to promote them to rank well. Aim to create one and then maintain and market it to squeeze the maximum value from it. You can also turn it into a lead magnet by creating it as a PDF and even a video or video series. 

Ultimate guide archetype: "I want to be your go-to resource"

• Problem hook

• Detailed breakdown

• Resources

• Next steps conclusion

• CTA
  

7. Comparison posts: Help clients make informed decisions

Your prospects often need help choosing between different solutions or strategies. Leaving them feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next.

Comparison posts allow you to assist your ideal prospects in their decision-making by weighing the pros and cons of various options, offering clarity and guiding clients to make informed decisions.

Use comparison posts to illustrate your insights and differentiate your consultancy's offerings from competitors, showing why your approach fits your ideal clients best.

Comparison archetype: "I want to help you decide"

• Better decision hook

• Criteria

• Comparison

• Choice conclusion

• CTA
  

8. Myth-busting: Correct misconceptions in your industry

Your prospects will have misconceptions about your area of expertise, leading to them making poor decisions and preventing them from engaging in your services.

Unaddressed myths can undermine your value proposition and keep clients from taking action.

Myth-busting is about changing hearts and minds. They are often great attention grabbers and give your clients lightbulb moments. When you provide this clarity, it demonstrates your expertise and helps prospects see the true value of your services.

Use this archetype to dispel common myths in your industry to build trust and position your consultancy as a source of truth.

Myth buster archetype: "I want to challenge misconceptions"

• Myth hook

• Common beliefs

• Debunk

• Better way conclusion

• CTA
  

9. Checklists: Simplify complex tasks for your clients

Your prospects will often feel overwhelmed by complex tasks, not knowing where to start. When this happens, and they perceive a solution as too complicated, they may avoid engaging with it altogether.

Checklists break down complicated processes into manageable steps, making it easier for clients to take action.

Identify those areas where your clients get easily overwhelmed and show them a simpler path. Doing this extends them a virtual helping hand and positions your consultancy as the go-to when they realise they need expert help to solve their problem.

Checklist archetype: "I want to simplify your tasks"

• Value hook

• Checklist

• Encourage use conclusion

• CTA
  

Test these archetypes for maximum engagement

Now that you understand these nine content archetypes, you can strategically structure your blog posts to boost the engagement and performance of your posts. Using archetypes as frameworks to build your content around will provide more structure for your posts and take your readers on a natural journey.

Each archetype serves a different purpose, from building trust to simplifying complex topics.

Test the different archetypes to understand which works best for your writing style and perform the best for your audience. You will find that combining three or four archetypes will provide enough interest for your readers when posting weekly. 

You can also return to the same topic multiple times by applying different archetypes to approach it from different points of view. 

Remember to include a call to action in all your posts

To generate leads from your posts, they need to weave in a call-to-action (CTA). Here’s mine!

You can learn more about how to create a lead magnet for killer CTAs and progress them into ready-to-buy sales conversations for your consultancy. 

Download the free Ready-To-Buy Playbook here.

Let me know how you get on with these archetypes.