Top Types of Content to Feature on Your News Section

All the experts say you must have relevant content on your website and you need to update it frequently. One of the best methods for doing so is sharing news about your brand, industry and tidbits that make your company unique. A news section gives you a lot of traction and an opportunity to show off where you and your employees excel.

According to the Hosting Tribunal, out of the two billion websites, only 400 million are active. Around 85% of the internet is underdeveloped. Still, with 400,000 digital places competing for consumer attention, you must work hard to engage site visitors. 

How Should You Lay Out Your News Section Content?

The look of your news page may be almost as important as what content you place there. Studies show 80% of people who feel unsatisfied with your website or have a negative user experience will turn to competitors instead. Use a traditional F or Z pattern design for optimal viewing. 

If you offer more than one type of content, separate things into areas so users aren’t confused about what to expect. Keep videos in one section and articles in another for example. 

What Types of Content Should You Feature?

You know your business better than anyone else. Study what your customers respond best to. Only you can answer what type of content you should have on your news page. If you aren’t sure, survey your customers and ask what types of content they find most helpful. Are there any gaps you’re missing you could fill in?

Your news section becomes a vital part of your overall story. Who doesn’t love a good tale about success out of ashes or extreme effort in the face of adversity? There are different types of content you can feature in your news section. Varying them gives your followers a chance to interact on different levels. 

1. Press Releases

One of the most basic pieces of content to feature in your news section is the press releases you send out to the media. What is the latest news in your company others might be interested in? Although the releases are geared toward being newsworthy, your regular clients might be interested as well. 

JRM Construction Management shares their most recent press releases and news about their industry. For example, they tell readers about their recent award as ENR New York’s Top 10 Contractor of 2021 and also boast of their recent Fitwel certification. 

The news page gives media ideas for topics to cover when interviewing executives, shows customers how they’re on the cutting edge and entices potential employee candidates to come work for them. 

2. Articles

Although press releases might read a bit like an article, they tend to focus mainly on facts. You can also add pieces that tug at the emotional heartstrings, answer a pressing question and include images and graphics to draw the user in.

Think about some of the most common questions potential customers ask. Can you answer the queries with an in-depth article? Not only will you hit on a pain point your audience has but you may reduce the number of phone calls customer service must answer. 

3. Animation

Today’s internet connections are much faster than in the past. Whether people rely on 5G or fiber optic cable, they can load even animated elements at lightning speeds. There are many ways you can add animation to your news sections. 

You could include videos, which are a nice addition to any site. People enjoy watching videos, especially short ones with a single purpose. However, you can also tap into parallax scrolling or elements that bounce, shift and move as the user takes various actions. 

Sara Guo’s website features a purple circle that moves around the page as the person scrolls down or moves the cursor. The user immediately engages in the topic of the day, seeing their path through the content based on how the screen reacts to their movements. 

4. Infographics

Taking complex data and breaking it into usable images helps people see what’s new in your industry and why you stand out from competitors. Big data gives nearly every industry a lot of content to work with. Which sections matter most to your audience? Can you show them to your readers in an absorbable way?

Infographics are a mix of images, fonts and text. Think about how you can tell a story via an infographic while imparting information essential to your customer. 

5. Case Studies

One way to show people your expertise in your field is through case studies. Look at your most successful clients and figure out how to showcase the ways you helped them. What changed about their business or life thanks to your product or service? 

Present case studies as articles, white papers, videos or shorter ebooks. You will need cold, hard numbers to get your point across. What percentage did business increase after the client implemented your help? What can you do that’s similar for other companies?

Other Types of Content to Feature in Your News Section

The five types of content above are only a handful of possible choices for your news section. You could also include:

• Photographs showing before and after
• Text boxes
• Embedded social media posts
• Testimonials

Think about how to vary what you put on your site to keep your users engaged. Over time, your news section should be a place your regulars turn to and discover what’s new with your brand.