As an online retailer that publishes articles and content, it is important to understand the 3 primary kinds of BuzzFeed list Article formats as described by BuzzFeed's Editorial Director, Jack Shepherd: #1. Irregular numbers are also more eye-catching than standard figures like 15 or 20. Make sure that its quality content. Math vocabulary game. Metacritic score: 76%. This includes your intro and conclusion, section headings and descriptions, or extras like links to sources, links to other lists, links to other resources youve created, and your calls to action. Go ahead and plan out the number of points identified when looking up your competition. setTimeout(function(){link.rel="stylesheet";link.media="only x"});setTimeout(enableStylesheet,3000)};rp.poly=function(){if(rp.support()){return} This interactive game allows the player to brush up and practice some common math vocabulary to ease and aid their understanding of the lessons. Entertaining and motivating original stories to help move your visions forward. For example, a checklist of SEO items to monitor. Today, of course, listicles are fine so long as youre doing them right. That doesnt mean you should skimp on the conclusion. include writing about: 1) endangered species; 2) effects of animal hunting within a locality; 3) new policies about hunting; and 4) hunters' opinions on conservation, licensing, and regulations. Listicles are easy to read quickly, which is important for the increasingly fast pace of the modern world. Make sure your title epitomizes that. Add a step to check for filler words and remove them. This dad who decided to use his new selfie stick at dinner. Not only do you get a sense of how reliable the info is but this can also avoid giving backlinks to your competition. Free and premium plans. I am a fan of listicles, and your write-up is very comprehensive on the topic. Like 7 Ways to Clean Your Sink (Number 4 Is Astonishing!). W3Schools offers free online tutorials, references and exercises in all the major languages of the web. The biggest indicator of a lousy list post is one that contains a ton of fluff and no real, valuable takeaways for the reader. Here are a few ideas: While this post has shown you how to write a basic listicle, that doesnt mean every list has to be short or easy. For instance, I could write a list of the top SEO checklists on the web. Whether you're new to short-form video or just need some fresh ideas, we've got you covered. workflow The first thing you need to know about writing a good listicle is that there are two kinds: short ones and long ones. Visit our, 400+ AI ChatGPT Prompts for Bloggers, Writers, and Content Creators, 11 Best ChatGPt Chrome Extensions for Bloggers (With Reviews), AIPRM: The Game-Changer for ChatGPT Prompt Templates, Originality AI Review: AI Content Detector Jan 2023, Affiliate Marketing For Beginners in 2023, 75 Podcast Topics: The Best Conversation Ideas, 11 Software Like BookBolt Alternatives for 2023, 8 Best Teleprompter Apps for Mac Devices in 2023, 7 of the Best Youtube Comments Search Chrome Extensions, How Much Do YouTubers Make? 3. One of the best-performing content types today for bloggers is the listicle. Smaller listicles can target long-tail keywords and feed into larger listicles and topic pillars as well. 154K followers View more on Instagram Comment Share Save 961 likes hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, '648420ad-1760-40e2-994f-7833315a7b7d', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Get expert marketing tips straight to your inbox, and become a better marketer. The reason was that they blew up to be so popular, so quickly, that it was all you would ever see on the site for months. They are, essentially, themed compendia of micro-articles, each one self-contained. Theyre relatively easy to write. If you cut out the words in the images (which Google cant index), that post is 200 words long. Measure results! Hes been a content marketer for over 10 years and writes for Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc, and many other publications on blogging and website strategy. Whatever you choose, its worth creating a document in your writing app and taking notes on your choice. Dont forget to harvest specific information you might need, like pricing, and take screenshots if youre going to. In general, clickbait can be taken as something which uses its title to promise something unrealistic or plain doesnt follow up on what its title claims to do. Theres definitely something appealing about the number in the title. We might try to title it "Why Every Marketer Needs a CRM" instead of "3 Reasons Every Marketer Needs a CRM". if(typeof exports!=="undefined"){exports.loadCSS=loadCSS} Listicles are a suitable format for a site, so long as theyre robust enough in terms of content that can be indexed and so long as they are relevant and full of value. A "listicle" is an article made of a list, usually with some kind of extra detail to each item. No wonder list posts have a terrible reputation. For example, we recently wrote a list post entitled, "Email Deliverability: 5 Quick & Effective Ways to Increase It". Lists (and listicles) are great to read because: With titles like How to Keep Hair From Getting Greasy you know exactly what youre going to get and whether the article will be useful to you. Lists of actionable steps you can take. Even if you don't think you know anything about anything important, don't sweat- just choose a topic and ask 3-4 other people to contribute a . If there are indeed only 10 significant points to make, consider going into more detail, having a more scannable structure, or even adding bonuses to make your piece stronger than the competition. Use Google Trends, Answer the Public, Ahrefs, etc to identify a [relevant] topic. The first step in creating a list post is to pick a topic that lends itself well to the listicle format. Each item featured in the article will then have a link to where you can buy the product, for example, or a CTA at the end that drives the readers towards an opt-in page. Giving our readers enough information for that section to be truly helpful would have involved copying and pasting the entirety of our GDPR post into our listicle, and that wouldn't have been the most helpful choice (and also might've hurt our SEO). 3. Why do people like listicles? Lists of lists. Whether it's this travel piece from The Guardian, or this 101 ways to ruin a party listicle from VICE, they dominate the internet.. Listicles are the annoying younger sibling of the 'how-go' guide (and they're even more annoying that the inverted pyramid structure) but they're often essential reading if . The key to avoiding this is knowing how to properly plan and write your content. Affiliate links allow you to earn money by promoting, The Most Frequently Asked Questions About ChatGPT, Ranking on Google: Using ChatGPT to Choose the Right Topics for Your Content, How to Create a Surfer SEO Content Brief for on-page optimization, How to find Low Competition Keywords in SEMrush. 2. Please, try again later. If you're writing a listicle and especially when you use a number in the title of your list post number your list items! Game to celebrate one of the most devastating and iconic fictional . On the other hand, listicles can be used as a framework to make a complicated topic easier to understand. 10) Clickable Links: If youre creating a guest listicle blog post, provide a link to your website. Get the list written in its base form, make sure youve covered everything you want to, and look up information from existing sources if needs be. However, just because theyre easy to read and write doesnt mean you can be lazy with your content and expect to get away with it. A great list post nixes the fluff and concretely explains each item in detail. The last two years within the game industry have been dominated by a new genre of game that has suddenly seen a lot of love, the Roguelike game genre. To give you some ideas of unique angles, you could: The last method (collecting information) isnt the ideal way to frame a listicle as literally anyone can look up a few sources and provide a summary theres nothing unique about the information itself. The key here is to keep your examples general so that everyone can relate. Lists are a perfect medium for giving value without any fluff. Thank you for this authoritative article. 17 . The more research you need to do, the longer it will take. Here, we're going to dive into what a listicle is, how to write one, and listicle ideas to help you generate high-quality, engaging content for your readers. 8) Bolding: Bolding is a great way to emphasize certain words within your article. This is an easy one. Sure, on the surface, each of these list points sound valuable. 2023 Content Powered. Well, with this method he was able to increase his search traffic by 110% in just 14 days. Use your analytics to tell you what's working. Audiences have been exposed to so many listicles at this point that you can easily run the risk of being seen as producing clickbait or worthless drivel. var rp=loadCSS.relpreload={};rp.support=(function(){var ret;try{ret=w.document.createElement("link").relList.supports("preload")}catch(e){ret=!1} I just found your article, Writing a Listicle: The 11-step Guide and Why Theyre Awesome while researching for my latest article, thank you! Heres an example of a clickbait listicle: Buzzfeed is packed full of these kinds of listicles. Even a little bit of clickbait can be acceptable. The common letter here is 'z'; now, the students need to figure out what this Z stands for. Having said that, you shouldnt add new points for the sake of it. Even if there isnt a list which naturally fits a given topic, you can create one by looking at the subject with a certain angle. Youve also seen normal lists and clickbait lists, and the line between the three of them is pretty blurry. If your list is enormous, aiming for 69 or 420 can be great just for the humor factor. 5) Reasons Why: One Green Planet published a listicle about why zoos are bad. A listicle is easy to scan, and outlines specifically what a reader can learn in the post. If an existing point needs changing, the format will make it easy to find and tweak. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Want some free consulting? How you do this will depend on the subject and contents of your list, but here are some great organizational structures to choose from: alphabetical (great for glossaries), chronological (great for step-by-step guides), or by popularity/importance, like most to least or least to most (great for top 10/20/50 lists). This website uses cookies. You've just passed off some link love, and you also now have another article idea for your blogging backlog! Party Game. A typical listicle will prominently feature a cardinal number in its title, with subsequent subheadings within the text itself reflecting this schema.The word is a portmanteau derived from list and article. 8) Items to include: when packing, camping, or moving. "5 Steps to Do X"), and sometimes there won't be as obvious a story (e.g. Do you think you could get away with writing a 200-word blog post for your marketing site? return function(){return ret}})();rp.bindMediaToggle=function(link){var finalMedia=link.media||"all";function enableStylesheet(){link.media=finalMedia} Free and premium plans, Sales CRM software. For example, a checklist of SEO items to monitor. Do you? It should also include valuable content that tells readers how to do each step. It's unfortunate, but definitely understandable. Another best practice is to emphasize your strongest points in the beginning, middle, and end of your list to keep readers engaged throughout. For example, if the space for SEO Checklist is packed (which it is), I might look for a unique angle on it, like: Picking a unique angle, a unique spin, or a unique framing for your listicle can go a long way towards making it more relevant, even if 90% of the content inside it will be the same. The format, however, is flexible. And if you have to link to an external resource because you haven't the written the post yourself great! I recommend aiming to make your listicle an odd or unusual number of items. Open Buzzfeed and scan the headlines. Keywords are essentially the words that search engines associate your article with. Join our FREE Facebook group. 4) My Favorite Things: One of the most popular favorite things style blogs ever is Oprah Winfreys Favorite Things. I wanted to reach out and share my finished article with you, since your article was super helpful in creating it. Longer paragraphs will take longer to read, which decreases the likelihood that readers will click through to your website. 4. 5) 23 Songs To Play You To Sleep Yes, Debussy's "Claire de Lune"! Types of Listicles with Examples There are many different ways to structure a listicle. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. Use the same header style to highlight your individual list items, and make sure it stands out. Titanic: A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. List Article = Listicle. Theyve been done to death, and a lot of us are sick of them. How To Write the Best Listicles: 5 Straightforward Tips Satisfying to read: The numbers inform the readers of the extent of the article and give them a sense of accomplishment as they progress. In addition, AI tools including ChatGPT have been used to create portions of the content on this website. Listicles are also great for targeting the long-tail of a keyword, as theyre easy to write and read. If not. Try another search, and we'll give it our best shot. If theyve gone into detail, consider topping that with a content upgrade to sweeten the deal. Keywords can guide your content, but you dont need to be ruled by them. if(link.addEventListener){link.addEventListener("load",enableStylesheet)}else if(link.attachEvent){link.attachEvent("onload",enableStylesheet)} People dont want to spend too much time reading long paragraphs of text. Look for books that are set in the winter but don't mention ice, snow, cold or other winter words in their titles, for example. SEO expert and Web blogger @ elitecutomessays.com, Hi One of the best-known examples is Dave Pell's Next Draft - a curation of great stories from around the web, which he regularly publishes as a list post. For strategic audience targeting, brand awareness and audience trust, a good listicle should have the nine qualities defined below. It is kind of like a haiku or a limerick. There is no need for strenuous workouts or bodily movement. Then proofread it once more to make sure it reads smoothly. You have to choose what kind of listicle youll write before you even begin. Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life. This makes listicles a simple kind of content to keep up to date for search ranking purposes. Apologies for the inconveniencing Listicles ruin the countdown format. Step Two: Make Your Pitch Timely. Add any extra information you want to work into your article. If you do, it might become difficult to tell where one number ends and the next begins. Viral listicles A listicle is an article that is a list. Some topics naturally fit into a list. 1. The rule of thumb is: just be comprehensive. Its time to plan the meat of the article the list itself. You might include several opening paragraphs, then a series of points, each followed by text. Listicles are everywhere. No! For example, ITD, a soft skills training provider gives out free tip sheets for communication, assertiveness, . You can easily drown in a sea of particularly low-quality, low-value listicles like the "7 Signs You're Monica from Friends" post I read earlier. Here are some elements that make a great listicle: 1) Easy to Read: This is probably the most important element of a listicle. For instance, in HubSpot's listicle "17 Fun (Not Cheesy) Ice Breaker Games Your Employees Will Enjoy", #6, Two Truths and a Lie, needed clarification for readers who haven't played the game before. Questions? I'm a full-time blogger. Dont believe me? Under no circumstances should you just take what the current top-ranking post has said and turn it into a list. The Unforgivable: After serving a prison sentence for a violent crime, a woman attempts to re-enter society and put her life back together in a world that refuses to forgive her past.. 5. . 2022 Lori Ballen | This website contains affiliate links that benefit the site owner. Even if you cant locate it, its good to get into the habit of trying. Semrush. Give you an example: St. Louis' Lance Lynn. Fast Company published a list-style post using subheadings only rather than bullet points about what they learned teaching the top 1%. Piggybacking again on point #2, sometimes one of the best ways to adequately explain a point on your list is to use an example to support it. Formatting is essential because you want every item on your list to be the same. Author. When people search for something online, they often look for a list of results. For example, unrealistic claims could be: As long as you stay away from making bold claims which are completely (or even mostly) impossible to meet, you should be fine. 2) How-To Guide: Ryan Fitzgerald published a listicle on his real estate website about how to sell a house by owner. Determine your formatting. This is the same reason why updates are easy to make. Here's some suggestions for making your listicles really count (pun intended). Some keywords lend themselves to listicles, and others do not. 33 Listicle ideas | money saver, infographic health, budgeting money Listicle ideas 32 Pins 7y S Collection by Sizzling Scrapbook Content Marketing Social Media Marketing Internet Marketing Make Money Blogging How To Make Money Blogging Ideas Blogging Prompts Easy Money Money Fast You can do several things to ensure that you create great listicles. Lists of lists. It was unorganized and all over the place. Thanks to you, I actually think my article is pretty comprehensive and awesome. This makes it easy to slot in new points without having to restructure whats already there. For example, if you work for a plumbing company and you're writing a listicle about the various ways you can unclog a drain, you might decide to stick to "The Top 4 Ways to Unclog a Drain," rather than writing a lengthy list post covering "The 50 Different Ways to Unclog a Drain.". If possible, its also a good idea to record what the purpose of the article is, as this can help you decide what angle youre going to tackle the topic from. Hi there, great article and Im happy to have found your website. Each item has an associated image (even if its just a screenshot of their website) and a paragraph or two describing what it is and why its relevant. Easy to skim: Consistent formatting and pleasant spatial organization make it easy for readers to identify and extract the information they need. [2022 List of Top Earners], 143 Good, Fun, and Interesting Topics To Write About, way to get readers to engage with content, The Product Review Template: Your Key to Consistent and Effective Product Evaluations, Maximizing Your Blogs Potential with Featured Posts: How to Use Them to Your Advantage, Top Blogging Statistics for 2023 that are Actually Useful. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Affiliate links allow you to earn money by promoting another companys product or service. The listicles articles of Buzzfeed are a classic example of it. All Rights Reserved |, "50 Ways to Promote Your Latest Blog Post After Publishing It", "7 Stages Of Grief Going Through the Process and Back to Life", "17 People Who Made Big, Big Mistakes On Social Media", a more advanced listicle I wrote that topped 7,000 words, "The 6 Step Guide to Writing Listicle Content", "Writing a Listicle: The 11-Step Guide and Why Theyre Awesome", "How to Write a Listicle [+ Examples and Ideas]", What Is Value-Added Content? The title you craft can also help you stay focused. Free and premium plans, Operations software. There are some fantastic tools out there to help with your keyword research, such as Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs. They have short, punchy, descriptive titles that tell the reader exactly what theyre going to get, often before they even click on the Google search result or the social media link. For more information, check out our, How to Write a Listicle [+ Examples and Ideas], Download Now: Free Listicle Blog Post Template, 13 Influencer Marketing Campaigns to Inspire and Get You Started With Your Own, 6 Secrets to Achieving Work-Life Balance, According to HubSpot Marketing Managers, 10 Genius Ways To Cook Pasta That Actually Work (And Taste Amazing), 10 Literary Quotes That Perfectly Capture Parenthood, How To Design a Website in 8 Simple Steps, Email Deliverability: 5 Quick & Effective Ways to Increase It, 17 Fun (Not Cheesy) Ice Breaker Games Your Employees Will Enjoy, 34 Millennial Stats That Marketers Need to Know, 5 Steps to Create an Outstanding Marketing Plan [Free Templates]. One of the best examples of this is Brian Deans skyscraper technique. Listicles typically include a humorous title; numbered subtitles; a static or dynamic image; and text that elaborates on the subtitle and/or image. Instead, try to use the conclusion to do something extra. One of the ways you can make sure you're hitting on point #2 is to direct readers to other resources when necessary. The same can be said for regular articles we here at Process Street use this very tactic. Buzzfeeds style of listicles is excellent for sharing on Facebook and going viral with memes, but its abysmal for SEO and marketing. If you want to dig deeper into this topic, here are a few other resources you can use. Titanic.. 4. I recommend several shares on social media over a few weeks. Let's walk through twelve examples of Instagram Reels and what you can learn from them. Hidden in the vast, sprawling hills of Kentucky are many surprises. Inside this tutorial: How to Create a Buzzfeed-Style Listicle. norwegian cruise line dining menus listicles game examples. If a competitor of yours writes the top 15 content marketing tools list, you can quickly write a top 35 content marketing tools post and blow theirs out of the water. Ben Mulholland is an Editor at Process Street, and winds down with a casual article or two on Mulholland Writing. Are they nothing but clickbait? Finally, let's explore some listicle ideas to help your marketing team brainstorm highly engaging content for your readers. Put simply a listicle is an article that includes a list of items. Depending on how much of an expert you are on the subject, you may do more or less planning. Lists of items you want to complete for a task. By that, I mean that you can write items on your list that dont have associated keywords, and thats fine. Buzzfeed-style listicles with a heavy emphasis on clickbait were penalized, specifically on Facebook with their algorithm.