11 Of The Best Reasons Why Your Next Blog Post Should Be A List
If you’re thinking of a topic for your next blog post, you should definitely try a list.
List posts are a great way to share information with your audience that is easy to read and super helpful.
I always want to make sure I’m providing you with the best ways to get a breakthrough with your blog. And since blog posts form the foundation of your website, I’d say it’s a pretty important topic. Plus list posts are everywhere. So I’ve got eleven good reasons why you should use them on your blog.
And just to give you a flavour of how effective list posts can be, take this for an example. Currently out of the 10 most popular posts on this blog right now, 8 of them are list posts. That’s 80%. Now let’s get onto some other reasons why your next blog post should be a list.
#1 | NUMBERS WORK REALLY WELL IN HEADLINES
Think about it - blog posts are all text-based. Numbers are refreshing. They stand out and they grab attention.
If you include a number in your headline, it becomes more noticeable than the other text in it. This makes your headline much more effective in terms of click-through rate and in shareable terms too.
Something to keep in mind is that odd numbers have a much better performance rate than even numbers. Don’t believe it? Pay more attention to list headlines online or in magazines next time you see them!
#2 | LISTS GIVE A BLOG POST STRUCTURE
You can’t lose track when you write a list post. It’s got a built-in structure that gives you organisation. It forces you to break down your idea into small, easy-to-digest chunks. This not only makes your content writing process more effective, it also improves your writing too.
#3 | LISTS ARE EASY TO WRITE
List posts are some of the easiest and quickest blog posts to write. Plus, you don’t have to finish them in one sitting, You can keep it and keep coming back to it until it’s done. Especially if you use a tool like Evernote or Google Docs, you can work on it whenever you want!
#4 | LISTS ARE EASY FOR READERS TO SCAN
Sometimes people don’t want to read a whole blog post. They just want to find sections that are most relevant to them. That’s why list posts are great. Your readers can scan them. Subheadings are great in this way, because it makes it even easier.
PLUS, numbered lists tell the reader exactly how many points are going to be in the post so they know what to expect.
#5 | LISTS ARE EASY BLOG POSTS TO SHARE
There are SO many ways you can repurpose your content when it’s in the form of a list post. You can use each individual point or product as it’s own tweet. Think of how full and valuable your Twitter profile will be!
#6 | LISTS ARE EFFECTIVE
Remember how we said that lists give your blog post more structure? That’s another reason why people like to share them. If you’ve got a number of points in a list, it’s clear that you’ve got a well-structured idea and that makes people want to read it.
Top tip: Put your most important items at the top of the list, then work down and stick another important one on the end!
#7 | BLOGGERS LINK TO OTHER LIST POSTS
Any list post is so easy for other blog posts to share. It’s going back to the whole organisation thing - bloggers know that when they link to a list post it’s going to be structured and valuable. It’s the value thing that’s key here.
#8 | LIST POSTS GENERATE MORE COMMENTS
Always invite your reader to leave a comment at the end of your blog post. It’s that simple. This is even more effective in a list post, because you can invite your reader to leave a comment with something else they would include in the list.
#9 | LISTS WORK WITH ANY TOPIC
If you’ve got an idea for a blog post, but you’re not sure how to structure it, try and see if it’ll work in a list! It’s such an easy and fast way to produce valuable content.
Looking for more ideas on what to write about? Be sure to download my free list of blog post ideas below!
#10 | LIST POSTS CAN BE TURNED INTO CONTENT UPGRADES
I try and create a content upgrade for every blog post I write, and I find it SO much easier to come up with an idea when I write a list. It can include a useful list of actionable items to further help my audience. Works like a charm!
#11 | LIST POSTS CAN INVOLVE OTHER BLOGGERS
You can make a list post even easier to write by involving other people in it. You could try tweeting a question and including the answers as a list post. Or you could write a post on a certain topic and ask people for their advice, and that could be the list post. This is a more effective way to do it, because those people are likely to help you promote it!
If you don’t write list posts already, now you definitely have a great idea for what your next blog could be.
Got any other suggestions or examples of great list posts? Let me know in a comment below!
