This is all I ever wanted from Gutenberg
You may recall a few weeks ago when I wrote about dynamic content – using some conditional logic and a plugin (if-so). But then I told you about my holy grail of dynamic content – where I use Gutenberg blocks to create reuseable content.
Now imagine that I can combine the two – reusable and dynamic content – using Gutenberg blocks and the theme I'm using – Blocksy, by CreativeThemes.
I can create what I want, place it where I want, for however long I want. Blocksy does this today, but I imagine that shortly everyone will do it – because it makes so much sense. It's great for content upgrades, for upsells, for offers, for announcements and so much more!
You'll need Blocksy's Premium add-on to get you the Content Blocks feature, but it's worth it!
A few ideas for how you can use Gutenberg blocks this way
I can't tell you how happy I am. Delighted is a better term. The ability to treat a “chunk” of content as something that I can move around and place wherever I want (and re-use it in a lot of places) was the first thought I had when people started talking about “everything will be a block.”
So how can you use Gutenberg blocks like this? Here are five fun ideas.
1. Create different call to action blocks for different categories of posts
If you write a lot of content, you know that my first recommendation is that you end each post with a single call to action. But it doesn't have to be unique across every post. So you can create several blocks that are the calls to action, and have only one of them show up for each category that a post is in.
2. Create different newsletter sign ups for different categories of posts
You can do a similar thing except instead of CTAs, you could do it for newsletter sign-ups. Now, you could just tweak your copy, so it's the same sign-up each time with different headers for different post categories. Or you could invite people to sign up for different newsletters.
3. Create event announcements that disappear after the event is held
I run a conference called CaboPress that takes applications in Feb. But if I were to write a post about it, people would read it in March, April and May. But if I use a Gutenberg block to make the announcement, and tell the system to kill it (let it expire) at the end of February, I never have that problem. You can do the same for any of your in-person or virtual events.
4. Create content upgrades and display them by tag
Sometimes a category may be too broad. But that doesn't mean you can't create a content upgrade and use a Gutenberg block to announce it. Then you only apply it to articles with the specific tag, and use the placement in the middle of an article instead of the bottom like the first two ideas.
If you're wondering, “hey, what's a content upgrade?” I have some resources for you:
- ConvertKit has a guide for Content Upgrades
- OptinMonster has 30 Content Upgrade Ideas
- Neil Patel has ways to help you generate more leads with them
5. Use your sidebar to present an “Ad”
You can use Gutenberg blocks for more than content blocks in your main content. You can also use them in your sidebar, and that's a great place to create your own announcements or “ads” for stuff you want to promote (your next webinar, your next eBook, etc).
How do I use Gutenberg blocks?
The most important question I'm answering is how *I* use them. The ideas above are all ideas I plan to use. All because Blocksy lets me. All because they've made Gutenberg a delight to use.
My hope is that I'm not alone. That you can use Gutenberg blocks the same way. And be delighted as well.