The articles divided into points, in other words the list posts, have a great success among readers in the blogosphere, because they are easy to read, they avoid unnecessary chatter and they are rich of information.
Writing a list post, means to organize content in a structure that is particularly suited to the web, but this does not mean that you can simply number some stuff and just publish it, in order to get retweets, comments or academics kisses.
You must remember this : Quality above all!
Here you find 10 blogging tips that you should follow in order to write a great List Post.
1 . Publish Useful Resources
You should take a moment to emphasize in your article the fundamental concept, in other words what you are writing about.
Before think to write about a specific topic, just ask yourself : “Has someone already published a list of the resources listed in my article? Can I give to the readers something useful ?
Try to be innovative in your writing, and avoid what has been said already 1,000 times.
I know that in the blogging niche, this is something not easy at all, but if someone ask you the difference between your list and the one already published by other bloggers, the answer should be very clear.
And above all you should write something really useful. See what I mean :
How to Write an Article in Less than One Hour : 10 Useful Tips
2 . Do Not Complicate: Simplify
The list posts go viral on the web. They respond to the needs of those who have little time available and allow your readers to quickly identify what interests them.
For this reason the list posts are easier to read, in relation to other articles.
You should select the most interesting information for ordering a weighted list. Nothing must be left to chance!
3 . Do Not Overdo the Points
Publishing a list with 150 points makes always a certain effect, but you should think if all these points are really necessary to your article.
Remember that people in internet are lazy and too many points may bore them.
There is not a particular right number of points for your post, each list needs its space to be explained.
I have written a list with 102 points, but actually this is a resume of Blogging Tips and What I Have Learned, so I guess if it is really worth, you can list many points.
Just try to identify and develop your idea, therefore write the points that you think are useful to explain your concept.
4 . Create Sections
If you are writing a list with many articulated concepts, in order to improve readability, try to divide the points into thematic sections with a title, a bit of an introduction text and a picture.
Also using bold or italics really helps sometimes.
5 . Focus on the Images
When you are working on list posts, you may forget completely about images.This happens sometimes.
But you should remember that you need to include in every article at least one image, as this really helps the viewing of the whole post in the eyes of your reader.
6 . Work on Your Headline
The soul of every article is enclosed in its headline. This is the same for a list post. The article headline is your business card in the SERP, in social media and all around the web.
It is difficult to have a second chance, if your headline is not good enough to catch your visitor’s attention, he will not continue reading your post.
A tip: use the numbers in your title, as they really help to understand the content of your article.
7 . Use a Good Format
The points of your list should be easily recognizable and widely spaced, while the header of the paragraphs should follow a consistent basis that brings all the titles in that section to have the same importance.
To be clear : the titles of the paragraphs should be <h2> with similar appearance, the same goes for subtitles <h3> and so on. These are simple but fundamental rules that you need to follow, also for SEO reasons.
If you want to know more, be sure to read these 20 SEO Tips for Beginner Bloggers.
8 . Watch the Number of Points
It may happen that you have 10 points in your headline, then in your content you miss one.
Be sure to proofread your article, and be sure to include in your list post all the points you had in your mind.
Reading again (and again if needed) your content, before publishing it, does not cost you anything.
9 . Choose Between Points and Paragraphs
When you create a list post, you have 2 solutions: the bulleted lists (ordered list in your WP Dashboard – use Alt + Shift + O) and paragraphs.
In the first case there is a real bullet list marked with small icons (or numbers) , in the second you create manually the paragraphs with titles and numbers.
So the question is which option you should use. Just thing about how many points you have to list and how much you can write about each one, and you will have your answer.
10 . Do Not Forget the Call to Action
Occasionally you may find articles that has huge list well written, but without any call to action.
In my opinion, you should include an invitation for your reader. It may simply be a question.
Perhaps there is no need to write anything more, but do not complain if users do not comment, for instance.
At the end of my articles there are always a call to action for invite the readers to comment and leave their own experience.
You can also ask your readers to subscribe to your RSS Feeds, if they liked what they have read.
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What about you, do you like the Posts Lists? Are you using them in your blog?
Hi Erik, thanks for great tips. I like especially the last one – call to action π
BR, Chris
I think when you give something to someone (for istance good content to read, a video, a tutorial course), you can ask for something in return.
This is the Call to Action.
And it is certainly commensurate with the service you give.
Thanks a lot for the Guest Post opportunity, Chris! π
I really appreciated it!
You are welcome Erik!
I like the tip about not including too many things in your list. Whenever I see “164 Ways To…” I just think there’s a person with no filter.
I do agree with you, Caimin.
In fact generally, people online are “lazy”.
They want a quick and interesting read, that addresses their needs.
A list too long demoralize right away!
Are you using list posts, Caimin?
Awesome list! I love list posts, I have used a few in the past and they seem to attract some good attention. I am working on one at the moment. Like you say though, its quite difficult to find ones that don’t already exist. I don’t think this really matters as long as you put your own twist on it……..
Thanks for the comment, John.
I think that if you blog about the most competitive topics, like “make money online”, “blogging”, “online marketing”, etc, it is really hard to find something of which has not been discussed yet.
I do suggest you to say YOUR OPINION” about those topics or a special subject.
I think that stand out from the crowd is the key here.
Don’t you think so, John?
Hi Erik,
Gotta love those list posts!
Excellent point about the headlines – I love writing them, but also work on some for many hours before finally nailing one down. As you said, they are super important, so it pays to craft a great one.
Thanks for sharing!
~Christine
Hi Christine,
thanks for the kind words! π
I think with experience you will be able to improve, then surely this also applies to blogging, and writing successful headlines.
Moreover, the headline is the part that first jumps to the attention of the reader and if is not attractive enough, he will not continue to visit and read your article!
Are you using List Posts in your blog, Christine?
Great post, the shorter the post, the more people will go through it and find the value.
And title needs to be attractive, without it, many will just bass by.
thanks for sharing Erik
You’are definetely right, James!
Headlines are so important!
But if you think, also the content is…what if a reader see a catchy headline and then the article sucks?
π
True, if article sucks then we will lose possible customer or visitor in a second.
It is difficult to get a customer / reader / visitor, but it is also easy to lose him!
Make sure to have always great and useful content.
Thanks for the reply, James! π
Excellent post Erik, I have only done a couple of list posts, I don’t want to become lazy and just fill my site with them but they are great when used right, as you say people can get lazy and and list everything that they can. A huge list can put people off.
Do not underestimate the power of a List Post, Andi!
In my opinion it is not a “second choise”, for your content, if written well.
Don’t you think so?
Erik,
Great stuff. Love the emphasis on quality!
Great point about images. They ARE easy to forget about as a way to keep readers interested. Well put.
Rick
Thanks Rick!
At least one image per post is really a need.
It helps mix what would be a wall of text, without images.
Are you using List Posts, Rick?
Hi Erik,
Must say you’ve done a great work here. I do a lot of list posts. For me they are the easiest to write and they are good at passing along your message with much ease.
I really like it when you say, not to complicate things. I’ve actually seen some list posts which I had to stop half way because they are either too long or disjointed in ideas.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Chadrack,
I am glad you liked the article.
I think simplicity most of the times works better, than complicated things.
List Posts are easy to read and reach more audience.
Thanks for your comment.
Hi Erik…
nice post…
All points are valid and useful…..
looking some more cool stuff from you
Hi Sandeep,
I am happy you found the article useful.
Thanks for the comment.
Writing lists also mean having a long post, and no one especially loves reading long posts. It is only in the format and how you present your list article that people will find it appealing. You may even pt instructions to find what they are looking for using the CTRL+F function and list down the keywords they could look for.
Hi John,
not necessarily a List Post must be long : it can be informative and brief.
I do agree that you should write something interesting to capture the reader’s attention.
Thanks for your comment.
Thanks Erik for this informative post. Great tips you have provided above and all would be very helpful in blogging. I like the sixth and the seventh format of working on headline and using a good format. I think these two are important. An appropriate headline is the first most important thing that the visitors gets attracted to.
Hi Aditi,
I am glad you liked the article.
Definetely we should focus first on writing a catchy headline and then create good content inside the post.
Are you using List Post, Aditi?
Very good points! I really liked the question part “Did you already subscribed to NoPassiveIncome.com Updates?
Hi Costas,
glad you liked it.
So did you you already subscribed to NoPassiveIncome.com Updates?
π
Erik this is the second post of yours I have read today. you could charge bucks for this kind of information! the whole list thing will make everything seem so clear to my readers and I think they will keep coming back! Thank you so much Erik!! π
That’s a pleasure you enjoyed the article, Ben! π
Blog post publishing format is one of the most important factor that is responsible for your daily site traffic. Infact well formatted blog posts always have less bounce rate rather than the messy one. Similarly use of relevant images in blog post attract more users rather than without a blog post without any image.
That’s right, Yogita.
People don’t want to lose time trying to catch up information between a messy text.
Thanks for your feedback here.
Thanks Erik for the tips… I will surely start with the last point *call for action* in blog posts as-well as questions in FB page images..
Call to actions are very important, Chetan!
Don’t miss the opportunity to add one to your blog posts!
I love list blog posts. Keeping it simple, your point 2, is one of my favorites. Often times I use List.ly. I find it easy to use and automatically adds images to a list as you go. Thanks.
Thanks for adding your thoughts, Patricia.
I know List.ly, but I rarely use it.
Great comment!