To clarify, I haven’t tried out all of these themes but I’ve opted for examples that offer a decent user experience and have scored high reviews from site owners.

For more information on this topic check out our post on how to write irresistible headlines and also my article on what I learned from writing more than 1,000 blog posts for Econsultancy

DW Minion

This free theme offers a very clean, simple layout and supports several different blog post formats.

It also supports a range of social features allowing you to emphasise social sharing. 

Blogify

Blogify offers a clean, flat design that has advanced options to allow users to fully customise their site.

It supports all the usual social widgets and looks terrific, which is why it will set you back $35. 

Koresponsive

Koresponsive is a free theme that comes with a range of customisable options. It has scored nine out of 10 from more than 85 reviews.

The headlines on the demo site are a bit too small for my liking, but that’s probably something that can be altered in the management panel.

Hiero

Hiero is another simple theme that is perfect for a magazine or portfolio. Users can download it for free after they’ve shared the site via social.

WallPress

Opting for a Pinterest-style layout, WallPress has an emphasis on imagery that means users can potentially create a really good-looking site.

It is available free of charge and also has a social feed that brings all social content together in one place.

Pandora

This magazine theme costs $45 to download, but it looks very professional and has some additional features that aren’t available on the free themes.

Pandora comes with unlimited colour schemes, sidebars, contact forms and many other features, and also allows users to write review-style posts that support rich formats in search results.

Jade

Jade is a pricey option as it costs $45 plus you need to purchase the Genesis framework in order for things to work properly, which will set you back an extra $59.95.

However the site looks great, particularly on mobile, and has loads of customisable features so could be worth the investment.

Magnifique

This free theme is the perfect option for bloggers who want a stripped-down, simple layout.

It offers very little functionality, so is really only for people who want a hassle-free blogging platform. 

Nordic

Nordic is aimed at artists but its simple layout could also be used for other portfolio or blogging sites. It costs $40 and of course comes with a range of customisable options.

Tiny

Another incredibly simple theme that would suit single author blogs. Tiny comes with 11 different themes and is available for free in return for a tweeting a link to the site.

Our Festival of Marketing event in November is a two day celebration of the modern marketing industry, featuring speakers from brands including LEGO, Tesco, Barclays, FT.com and more.