The reason listicles are so well-liked is because they take little work. No one has time to read since everyone is so busy. In this blog post, we discuss how to write a listicle.
The list post, also known as a listicle, frequently receives a poor name in the online world where the value of your blog’s content is steadily growing.
Though regrettable, it is certainly comprehensible. A sea of extremely poor-value listicles, like the one titled “How to Create a Cinemagraph in 7 Easy Steps,” is one where you may easily get lost.
Listicles are mainly a type of long form content which cover a specific topic in detail. Instead of writing long paragraphs, you adopt a listing writing style to write a good listicle.
What is Listicle Article?
A list blog or list article is known as a listicle. A listicle blog and listicle article can take many different shapes and kinds, just like any other article.
There are several types of listicles, including text-based listicles, visual listicles (which largely consist of images, each following a list item), and long-form listicles.
Listicle Example and Types
There are many different sorts and formats that a listicle may take, so I’ve organized them by objective to help you get a better concept of how they could seem and function.
This is perhaps the most typical kind of listicle, and the main reason why publishers produce those list-type items is that they quickly go viral.
In reality, there are entire digital behemoths that only rose to prominence via the constant publication of various kinds of listicles. The two most well-known are BuzzFeed and Mashable.
When Mashable was debuted, it soon gained popularity for its regularly released “Mega lists.”
BuzzFeed employs a distinctive business strategy. Their listings contain little text and a lot of pictures and embedded information.
Listicles go viral for one specific reason: They generate traffic from social media and links from individuals who republish and use such lists as references.
Listicles Targeting Informational Content
They have a lot of questions and alternatives to think about when your target clients are just starting out on their purchasing processes.
Customers will choose a company that best meets their demands.
These listicles might contain:
Product progression: all the activities that your product facilitates.
Task progression: The entire process involved in doing a certain activity (and your product can be any of those activities)
Products and equipment listings: All of the goods—both yours and those of your rivals—that appeal to the lists of your target clients.
Don’t ignore these kinds of listings since they assist Google and its searchers recognize your brand as an entity. Put your product in the same context as your rivals.
Educational Listicles
This style is similar to the first, however it doesn’t always center on your goods.
Without really setting your product in context, you may utilize lists to inform and assist your clients.
Of course, this might be a helpful top-of-the-funnel listicle, but it mostly benefits current users who have already created their digital organizations using the platform and are now trying to draw in new clients.
Alternatively, if you sell opt-in solutions, you may compile a massive list of email topics that will enable your consumers to get the most out of your platform.
This sort of material fosters closer connections with your clients and keeps them coming back to your website.
How to Write a Listicle Article?
Because the listicle has become so popular, long-form material is becoming less and less popular. Unbelievably, this style of writing, which mixes the list and article formats, existed long before the internet. According to some specialists, the form dates back to the 11th century, when a woman from Japan by the name of Sei Shonagon published a book of poetry and observations in list form.
Here are a few reasons why Listicles work
Create Catchy Headlines
The title of a good listicle will never reveal its contents. This is what draws so many readers in and compels them to finish the article in order to get the solution to the question the title presented.
People always prefer imaginative and uninformative headlines, precisely as those of listicles and clickbait, according to a 2009 research that examined readers’ reactions to newspaper headlines. These headlines were perfect since they only whetted the readers’ appetite for more reading. A good listicle will always have a title that compels readers to search endlessly for a fresh explanation, piece of information, or explanation for a given issue. A listicle cultivates interest in a subject, even if you have no particular interest in it, and satisfies your curiosity about it. [1]
Helps Dealing with Information Overload
More information than ever is available to everyone. Even the most voracious consumer couldn’t possibly read all that is uploaded every day because there are thousands of new articles. As a result, your brain is drawn to stuff that is straightforward and well-structured, like a listicle.
Listicles aren’t a substitute for in-depth journalism or reporting, but they may help you learn more about the key points of complex or uninteresting subjects without having to read a lengthy feature story. Without getting bogged down, you’ll learn what you need to know. The same information is covered in a listicle, so it will read faster and you’ll be more likely to recall the important details.
If you want to cover a complex topic in a simple story, try using AI Story Generator.
Better Information Processing
Because of the current world’s accelerated speed, listicles are simple to read quickly. They take into mind our inclination for processing information spatially, which makes them simple to read. Even on an unconscious level, our minds yearn for structure. When you consider how often individuals’ categories things in their life, this becomes rather clear. It’s challenging to stare at an object without categorizing it based on its size, color, or shape.
The way the human brain functions enables humans to comprehend information and later retain it. As a result, it makes far more sense to read concise lists as opposed to lengthy paragraphs. Every piece of information is classified, saving your brain the effort of trying to figure out how it relates to the overall picture.
How to Write a Listicle?
Let’s look at how you can write a listicle and what is required to make your content adaptable in a listicle
Adopt a List Style
Make sure your topic can be presented as a list before you start composing your listicle by doing some research. If you perform a keyword search and discover that the majority of marketers are producing Ultimate Guides on the subject, you may decide it would be best to stay away from the listicle style.
You might have to write on “LinkedIn Marketing,” for instance.
The article may be titled “10 Best “LinkedIn Marketing Tips,” but after doing some research, you realize there are lots of additional perspectives you’d like to address, including “Why “LinkedIn Marketing is vital” and “how to generate captivating content on “LinkedIn.”
Instead of a listicle, a title such as “Ultimate Guide to “LinkedIn Marketing” could be a better match to cover these information areas.
If you do decide to write a listicle, it is crucial that each item pertains to the subject at hand. Your material must be parallel and constant if you want to produce a listicle of the highest caliber. Writing a list of best practices should only include best practices; including any more information will just confuse your viewers (and you can always create another listicle for examples, later on).
You can also use Random Question generator to brainstorm different questions you can answer in every list point.
Make sure there is no fluff
The most telling sign of a poor list article is one with a lot of filler and no meaningful, useful takeaways for the reader. As an illustration of what I mean:
Three Steps to Boost Social Media Marketing
- Be specific. Make an effort to differentiate yourself from your rivals.
- Take chances. Try unconventional solutions.
- Calculate outcomes! Analyze your data to find out what is effective.
What a great collection of things! I have gained nothing at all. It makes sense why list postings have a bad reputation. Sure, each of the list items appears to be worthwhile on the surface. All of these things should be done in your social media marketing without a doubt. But it doesn’t specifically explain how to carry out such tasks.
You shouldn’t just provide readers a list of things to do in your listicle and then expect them to figure out how to accomplish them. It should also provide useful information that explains to readers how to complete each stage.
A superb list post cuts out the filler and clearly describes each thing. If a reader leaves your list thinking, “Well, I already placed numbers 3, 4, and 6, but I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on numbers 1, 2, and 5!” then you’ve probably got yourself a high-quality list, even though not every point you make on it might be novel to all of your readers.
Number your items
This one is simple. If you’re creating a listicle, be sure to number your list items, especially if the post’s title contains a number.
Because readers want to know where they are in the list as they read it (e.g., “just halfway to go” or “I’m almost done!”), this is crucial when you have a lengthier list.
It is far more user-friendly for your blog readership when you can refer to a precise number rather than having to say things like, “I believe it’s at the bottom of the list” or “It’s the fourth bullet point down.” Additionally, readers might want to share or refer back to certain list items with others in the future. Avoid making things challenging for your readers.
Have a clear and catchy Title
As I’ve already said, one of the reasons people have always appreciated listicles is because they are predictable in terms of what they will learn and how much they will learn. There is no room for speculation, and your readers will know exactly what to anticipate. Make sure that’s reflected in your title.
In order to persuade people to actually read the content, a good listicle title should satisfy the following three goals:
- Draw the reader’s attention
- Clearly state the benefit or what they will learn, and
- Quantitatively state how much they will learn.
Save time and Take Help from AI for Listicle Writing
Gathering information and doing research for your listicle will help you find the right direction to impress your audience. However, both these steps require a lot of time. Thus, you may end up with very limited time for content ideation and writing. Don’t worry! Use an AI Listicle Article generator to create complete long form listicles. WriteMe.Ai saves you time by offering content ideas, listicle writing assistance and project organization.
Conclusion
Remember that the goal of writing a great listicle should be the same as the goal of any other content marketing format: bringing easily digestible and correct information about your goods and services to the audience.
Gather your team and discuss potential problems that your readers may encounter. Then, evaluate if the problem can be handled with a step-by-step manual or a list of tools (that includes yours).
References
[1] A List of Reasons Why Our Brains Love Lists – The New Yorker
