During the last several months I’ve been experimenting with what is called the “list post.” For anyone who isn’t a blogger, a list post is one where you use both a number in the title and then you write the post around the ideas offered by that number. The reason I got started was that one of my favorite bloggers is Leo Babauta of Zen Habits. As a hugely successful blogger he reports one of the strategies behind his enormous growth was using the list blog post. In fact, it is estimated by List.ly that 30% of all blog posts are lists. So as an experiment I’ve been giving it a try and ten of the last eleven posts I have written have been in the form of a list. So do I keep it up or let it go? Here is my list of why I am both for an against list posts.
Five reasons in favor of the list post are:
1) A list post offers a focused title. As a person who follows lots of other blogs, I know that a catchy title either grabs my interest or turns me off. I think most readers are the same. Blog statistics show that the most widely read blog posts usually come with a direct, focused and catchy title. As Andy Crestodina from copyblogger.com says, “Any headline that lists a number of reasons, secrets, types, or ways will work because, once again, it makes a very specific promise of what’s in store for the reader.”
2) List posts drive traffic. According to a number of other bloggers who primarily write about the best ways to get started and grow your blog, a list post is search engine friendly. That means that it is easy for search engines like Google to index your blog. And then when people search a topic, you are easier to find and show up more often. That brings in more readers and also makes your blog more likely to be shared.
3) List posts are easy to read and/or skim. Let’s face it, we are all very busy and if you know in advance that my post has five important elements you can read those points quickly and decide if you want to read more. And because I tend to write longer than normal blog posts, I think this is a benefit to my readers.
4) List posts are easy to write. It’s true. When I write I very naturally put the information I want to include into an outline. Once I have that outline my posts practically write themselves. As most of us bloggers know, there are thousands of things to write about and one of our (my) challenges is selecting what I want to say about any topic. List posts keep me on track and help the reader follow along.
5) List posts break down the complicated and appear very practical. A big reason that I like list posts myself is that they appear to take a big issue and break it in to very discernable facts in a practical way. My brain likes the neatness of a list. When done well, a list post can contain an amazing amount of information and present it in an easy to understand way.
Now, here are five reasons against doing list posts:
1) List post after list post gets annoying. One of the blogs that I follow does a list post EVERY SINGLE WEEK. I’ve been getting them so long that I actually laugh when I get the email announcing a new post because I can’t believe they can come up with so many different ways to do a list. Probably even worse, because a list post title is so targeted, when they are very similar week after week, that really stands out and quickly becomes overdone.
2) List posts usually only offer bits of information. When writing a list post the accepted practice is to only write short paragraphs in support of your list. For example, look back over this post and you will see a series of short paragraphs for each item in the list. Sometimes that is fine but occasionally it is very important to dig a bit deeper into the topic to really explain it as a “case study.” A list post doesn’t offer that benefit.
3) Sometimes it’s better to learn from “story” instead of a list. While lists may make a blog post easy to read, they don’t usually carry the same emotional weight as a story. A story usually offers conflict and resolution. A story is about real people. A story allows the reader to empathize and relate. A list relays information very well. A story makes us care about that information in a more human way.
4) List posts imply that there is a simple solution to any situation. Hey, I’m as guilty as the next person. Just because it is easy to make and write a list doesn’t mean that it is at all easy to do what the list is suggesting. But because they usually come in such tidy package, the impression is that what they offer is easy—and it’s usually not!
5) A list post can be all fluff with no valuable takeaways. Because lists are relatively easy to write, some bloggers can come up with a list without much thought and put it out there. Unfortunately that can lead to lots low-quality, low-value blog posts. As a blogger it is critical that we do our best to share high quality, valuable information or why bother? Using a list should never be an excuse to put out less than our best.
So there you have it. This is my list of pros and cons for the list post. I thought blogger Andy Crestodina offered the same comparison on his blog copyblogger.com when he said, “Lists make your content more visible…. Stories make your content more meaningful.” Of course, there are some times when writing a list just makes sense and is the best and easiest way to convey information. But let’s not forget that sometimes the story or case study is a better approach. In the end it’s always SMART to know the difference and make the choice accordingly.
So what do you think? Please participate in the poll below and let me know what YOU think about list posts!
[polldaddy poll=”7853790″]
I like narrative posts, but list posts do have benefit. I use a mixture in my blog, sometimes in the same article there is a list and a narrative. I do agree with your pro/con list. Thanks!
Hi Kathy
Like you say lists are nice but they are sure not to personal. I rarely do a list, well I think I did one when I was honoring 10 bloggers. I much prefer to write a story or my impression of an idea. Writing from experiences can give a person a look into who you really are on a deeper level, not just what you do. I suppose it all depends on what the writer is writing about, as lists could be exactly what is the best way to deliver. But if it can be done as a story to tell, you will have my attention a lot longer.
Mary
Hi Mary! Thank you for stopping by SMART Living and joining this conversation. I think you bring up something really important and that is that some blogs lend themselves well to a list post and others are definitely better as a story. While many of my posts are almost journalistic in approach, and lend themselves fairly well to a list, I so love and admire a good story that I can’t even imagine someone trying to make them a list! Just as some bloggers are able to write with lots of humor, other bloggers are best with a story. I’m guessing you are a good story teller yourself so I’ll have to pop over to your site to check it out. 🙂 Thanks again for coming by! ~Kathy
I quite like list posts because of the reasons you’ve highlighted Kathy. I also quite like writing them because it helps me to structure my own thoughts easily whilst writing. But I agree, they can be overdone from time to time.
As long as the content is engaging, I don’t really mind what format I read it in. I love a good funny post myself. I’d love to inject a bit of humour into my blog posts… might work on that!
Hi Haley! Thanks for stopping by with your thoughts on this. I agree that list posts can be some of the more fun things I write about. Plus it is challenging to come up with a “list” of things that are both helpful and interesting at the same time.
I too would LOVE to write more with a sense of humor but it doesn’t come easily to me at all. While I consider myself very light-hearted in person, my sense of humor doesn’t always translate. But I DEFINITELY appreciate it in those that do. I’ll keep an eye out on your blog to see if you do! ~Kathy
Kathy, I’m a bit late to the conversation but for me list posts never felt natural to write. I tried early on in blogging because I heard it would help drive traffic but left them mostly in the past.
I don’t mind reading an occasional list post but prefer a story which flows more naturally.
Hi Lois! Nice to hear from you. How are you? It seems strange not to get your posts every Monday! But I hope that you are pursuing some of your new dreams and taking things as they come. When you do write I’ll bet you’ll have plenty to say.
And thanks for your thoughts on the list post. Actually you do your own form of list post (whenever you listed all the other blogs you follow that is technically a “list” of a certain kind. It makes it easy to read through quickly and categorizes the different subjects that you are listing. It maybe doesn’t follow the same “format” as a lot of lists like “Then things that did so and so” but a list post is anything that you list in separate categories. They are as varied as we are in our blogging. But it does depend on what you enjoy reading AND what you like writing.
By the way, the official feedback is:
46% likes an equal mix of list post and narrative posts
24% like a majority of list posts (but not all the time)
17% like story or narrative posts in the majority (but not exclusively)
6.5% like list posts all the time
6.5% like story or narrative posts all the time
That was from a total of 46 different people so I think it shows that list posts are popular but not exclusively.
Thanks for coming by and joining the conversation Lois! ~Kathy
1. I haven’t tried numbers in lists.
2. But I definitely will.
3. Your advice and statics such as that 30% of all blog posts are lists are good enough for me to
4. Give it a try
5. In didn’t use numbers in my latest post, which
6. Essentially said
7. Old AND young dogs can
8. Learn new tricks. http://tinyurl.com/lvx2mfy
Kathy, thanks for this post and others. You’re turning me into a regular reader of Smart Living 365,
Hi Bill! Welcome to SMART Living and thank you for your creative and fun comment–as a LIST no less! You definitely win the award for most imagination for this go around. And yes, do give the list a try. Apparently google, yahoo and bing love them so they show up VERY regularly for anything you write. And nice to meet you. Thanks again for coming by! ~Kathy
Yes, a mix for me. I think int depends on a number of things (whether I respond to or write a list post I mean!) how much time I have, how mindful & focused I’m feeling, the subject matter etc. it’s also nice to have variety-both as a writer and a reader.
Hi Jo! Nice to hear from you and thank you for popping in on this conversation. And I so agree with your assessment about whether or not I decide to write a list post myself: available time, how focused, subject matter, etc. From the looks of the votes I guessing most people fall somewhere in the middle. As they say, too much ANYTHING is probably too much. Thanks again for coming by! ~Kathy
You give great points for and against. I do like to read lists because I can skim and decide if I want to read in full. Other bloggers are such good writers I want more than a list from them!
Hi Haralee! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and sharing your thoughts. Yes I agree that when we come across writers that really speak to us we want to read as much as possible. And likewise, if I’m searching for particular answers to certain questions then a list post usually gets right to the answer. Thanks again for your comment. ~Kathy
Thanks for sharing this information Kathy! I agree with Sharon that a mix of them is probably the best way to go!
Hi Nancy! Thanks for coming by and leaving a comment. You always have the BEST recipes on your site and probably find a LIST of ingredients are a big part of your site. But then including your story and bits about your background makes for a nice mix too. ~Kathy
This was a wonderful piece; creative and informative. (I also visited one of the links that led me to a great article on copywriters.) Thanks! I am not a big fan of list blogs, though I do skim through them. Most tend to feel a little “light,” to me, but I guess it depends on what a person is looking for in a blog or article.
Hi Lisa! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living! I LOVE the name of your blog and appreciate your site. I do think some topics lend themselves fairly well to the list style…and from all the votes I’ve been getting on my “poll” it seems that other seem to like them in moderation. The challenge of course is to do them from a balanced perspective and when you want to go deeper into a topic to let the list go. Thanks again for coming by. ~Kathy
I like them sometimes. I use them too but I play with doing part story, part list. I have been making my posts longer and with them I can achieve both. Have a story and then have a list. It is easier to get my mind around a list post when I am tired from all of the other things I do. It breaks it down in my head. Even though it is just as long and time consuming, for some reason mentally I can approach it easier!
I feel the same as you about it!
Hi Jodi! Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation! It definitely sounds like we think the same about them. Did you vote at the bottom of the post? It is looking like most of us (at least the ones who are voting) are about split 50/50 for the list post. Which is good right? That means we’ve been doing something that is pretty well received. And yes, sometimes the longer the post the more I feel like I should break things down that way. I’m working on a new one for Friday’s post and I was really, really tempted! Thanks again for stopping by. ~Kathy
I recently started up a new version of my website and have been wanting to make more useful posts, especially a list post!
This ‘list’ post was actually very useful in what I can do in making my own lol. Thank you so much! =)
Hi Lauren! Thank you so much for stopping by SMART Living and joining the conversation. I’m so glad to hear that the list post will be working for you right off the bat! There are many advantages for sure. I will have to pop over to your site to check it out. Thanks again. ~Kathy
Hi Jacqui! Thanks for coming by SMART Living and joining the conversation. I so agree that one of the things that makes reading blogs great and entertaining is getting to know the author through conversational posts–rather than a list. Of course, sometimes if all the author does is chat about things (especially things that I may or may not be interested in) then that becomes repetitive. So I tend to think that just like with life, balance is ALWAYS a good thing! ~Kathy p.s. I will have to pop over and check out your list! 🙂
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Andy
Hi Andy! Thanks for coming by SMART Living! I popped over to your site to have a look and I can see you’re just getting started. Congratulations! We all have to start somewhere. But one thing I would definitely suggest is that you really work on your writing and proofing skills. I only read two of your very short posts and saw LOTS of mistakes in grammar and punctuation. While a mistake or two happens now and then, to many of them will turn off readers right away. Plus, your posts were VERY general. You might want to start using your personal experience–not just general comments. Hope that helps. Good luck to you! ~Kathy
I try to write a well balanced blog, list posts are just one type of post I put out there. They are great for attracting people, but doing one every day doesn’t make sense.
Hi Krystal! Thank you so much for stopping by SMART Living and joining the conversation. Yes, most all the blogs who suggest ways to build your blog say that lists get a lot of attention. But like you said they don’t seem right every day! And you used one of my favorite words–balanced. I definitely think that is a good way to go. Thanks again for stopping by. ~Kathy
I’ve also read that list posts drive a lot traffic. And I guess most people can easily skim them. I think I wrote a few in the beginning, but they seem to be posts that lacked substance. While I do like skimming a good list sometimes, they can become repetitive. It’s okay once in awhile, but sometimes you want a blog post with more meat and discusses something more substantial. Those usually aren’t list posts.
Hi Andrew! Thanks for your comment. Yes, the list post definitely has its drawbacks. I think as we’ve discussed it is best for use when you have a number of relatively easy items of information to communicate. I think they can also be fun if done in a playful manner. But I get bored, and I’m sure everyone else does too if they are done over and over. I too like posts that are “meaty” and substantial so I them as much as possible too. Thanks for your thoughts on this. ~Kathy
I find list posts are quite popular when it comes to them being shared on social networks. Some of my most popular posts are list posts. However I do feel you shouldn’t use them too often as that could become boring quite quickly.
Hi Rob! Welcome to SMART Living and thanks for joining the conversation. Yes, I agree that list posts seem to be VERY sharable on social media. And if that helps us find an audience then that’s a great thing. The challenge for all of us bloggers is to keep our information fresh, interesting and helpful and any way that we can do that is a good thing! Thanks again for stopping by! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy,
I am personally in favor of List Post as they are very specific, easy to read and write, managed and other advantages. Although the point you have mentioned in the Unfavour list also right but for me List post works better. 🙂
Hi Nikita! Thanks for coming by SMART Living and leaving a comment. I’m glad you find list posts work for you. I agree that there are a number of advantages. I think a big trick with using them on a very regular basis is how you title them. Like I said in the post, there is one very well known site that starts every single title with a number! Obviously it works for them but as a reader I find that just too repetitive for me. But the great thing about blogging is that we all find our audience based upon our own personalities so any way we decide to do it is good! Thanks again for stopping by! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy! I can’t imagine doing list posts for every single post because, like you said, some posts are meant for storytelling, for research, for explaining what one has learned.
Still, I plan to use list posts in the future. They’re great—skimmable, brings order, and has a proven track record.
Hi Nina! Thank you for stopping by SMART Living and joining the conversation. I know–can you imagine doing every single post as a list? I did it for as long as I could and then decided I was getting a bit bored myself–not good for a blogger right? I do enjoy them on and off and will definitely be including them in the future but not all the time for sure. Thanks again for coming by! ~Kathy
Interesting thoughts, Kathy. In my opinion list posts work best when the subject is clearly straightforward and doesn’t require a lot of detail. And so many people like to read them because they can be easily – and quickly – taken in. But then again, there are those topics, which are much more involved and complicated, that just don’t lend themselves to lists. So, a 50-50 balance is just about right, I suppose.
Hi Sheryl! Thanks for jumping in here and sharing your thoughts. I agree with you that list posts work REALLY well when the subject is straightforward and doesn’t much detail. I think that’s what people expect when they start reading them (I do for sure!) But for something that needs to be developed and well thought out the longer narrative works better! Thanks again for the comment. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy,
Interesting topic of discussion 🙂
Yes indeed, there are both pros and cons to a list post, just as you rightly mentioned. List posts are easy to read and many people like them too. But to have ALL list post or even all “How-To” posts on a blog makes it boring and people have nothing new to look forward to as well.
I think it’s good to have a combination of list posts with the usual posts so that one can break the monotony and keep things interesting for the readers as well. 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice weekend, and Happy Women’s Day 🙂
Hi Harleena! Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation. I agree that those of us who have been blogging for any length of time are always on the look out of new and interesting ways to share content. I personally love long, well thought out posts but know that if post after post looks and feels the same that gets to be too much. Variety is always preferable–at least to me. And yes, we all want to keep our readers interested as well! Thanks again for coming by and Happy Women’s Day to you too! ~Kathy
I never considered myself a list maker but I do enjoy reading them, and lately I’ve found I like writing them–occasionally. I discovered the pleasure of doing regular “gratitude/happiness” lists, and I think that lends itself very well to a list post. I also tend to write long, so that’s one way of reining myself in a little. I’ve also been guilty of the long-paragraph sin, so I’m paying more attention now to breaking up my paragraphs to make my posts easier to look at and to read. These are very interesting points, pro and con. Thanks for sharing your thoughtful take on this.
Hi Elaine! Thank you for stopping by SMART Living and joining the conversation. Yes, I think lists work very well when it comes to gratitude and happiness! Just the practice of that has been shown to increase happiness so how can that be wrong? And yes, as I already confessed, I too do longer posts so your right that it can keep us reined in a bit. I’m not sure why your blog didn’t link here with Comment LUV but I will definitely check it out. Thanks again for stopping by. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy- I enjoy all your posts.. lists, stories, however they come!
As I read this I couldn’t help but think about Mack’s blog – http://mackgordon.tumblr.com/. Every year he keeps lists & lists & lists on a bunch of his life events – the number of times he got together with his friends, his auditions, jobs he got, his top 10 movies, books, plays, favorite restaurants, hamburgers, etc. etc. etc. etc.. he also adds comments & funny quips about a lot of them. For me, although overwhelming to read it all, its the king of lists! Just thought I’d let you know. Blessings to you & Thom! ~ Deb
Hi Deb! So nice to hear from you! I’ve been following you and Kenn around on Facebook from your trips all around the world. You must be home now and settling down a bit. 🙂 I’m very glad to hear your still enjoying my posts after all these years 🙂 and yes, I’ve noticed that Mac does a LOT of list posts too. He is very talented and much funnier than I am! I just wish we lived closer so that we could go and see him on stage AND visit you guys too. Take care and we’ll see you again one of these days! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy, I like list posts but only for certain subjects. I like to use them once in a while but I also love to tell a story on my blog. For me what works is providing variety for my readers. Some posts are long, some short and some stories and others simply quotes. As for Google, I have no idea whether it likes my blog posts and I don’t care either. What I care about is that my readers are enjoying and responding to my stuff. Thanks for your points on lists and I agree with them all!
Hi Lisa! Thank you for stopping by SMART Living and joining the conversation. I think you’ve pointed out something really important about the list post–and that is that they work really well for certain subjects. Others, not so much. Of course it is critical that a person takes the time to make the list personal to themselves as writers and their readers. If the list sounds like just everyone else then it definitely gets boring. As you say, providing variety for your readers (and perhaps yourself) is what I like to do as well. I think if any of us get locked into our blog in only one way we will likely burnout–and our readers will lose interest. Ultimately, you said it very well when you said, “What I care about is that my readers are enjoying and responding to my stuff.” Thanks again for your comment. ~Kathy
Those list posts must be super effective, because on the rare occasion that I click on the Freshly Pressed tab, sure enough, there are always a slew of List Posts sitting there.
My guess is that in our highly multi-tasking, A.D.D., world, people want the quick fix of information.
Personally, I don’t need a list to keep my attention, but I will say that no matter how compelling the story-telling is, I find myself wandering if the paragraphs are too long. I can only take so much copy in one block and then my eyes start to fatigue (and my brain starts to meander…). Visually I find myself turned off if I click to the blog and see giant blocks of copy with no breaks in between. I’ll admit I often click away without reading. Which, I’m sure, short changes me from some great reading.
I may try a list post one day. Ahh, but then how could I work in my witty or double-entendre’d titles?? 🙂
Hi Nancy! Yes it’s true that the list post gets a lot of attention from certain websites. With commercials showing up about every 10 minutes in a 60 minute TV program, we are all trained to grab a thing or two of interest and then take a break. A girlfriend of mine is a 1st grade teacher and she told me she can tell the kids whose parents read to them regularly, because they are the only ones that can sit still to hear a kids story in class. All the other kids are only good for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, we are all being trained that way it seems! 🙂
And now that I know you might wander off if I write too long a paragraph (yep–I’m guilty!) I will take extra care to keep them shorter! 🙂 And please don’t give up your writing style! I love how you put photos in between your words of wisdom so please keep it up! And yes your titles are exceptionally witty! Thanks for checking in! ~Kathy
I agree with everything you said, Kathy. I like list posts because they catch the reader’s attention and are easy to write. But I also think, as you said, that sometimes people can garner information from a story.
You did a great job of outlining the pros and cons. Thank you for doing this.
Hi Cathy! Glad you found my LISTS helpful! It’s true that everything I researched about list posts point out that they catch people’s attention very quickly and that is usually a good thing. And because Google, Yahoo and Bing find them easy to classify, they show up pretty high on any keyword search–which again is a good thing. Of course our challenge as bloggers is to get people to STAY and keep coming back once they’ve found us and I think stories or case-study type information does that very well. Thanks for joining the conversation! ~Kathy
Well, I don’t read a lot of blogs anymore, Kathy, and you got me here with your list post about list posts! How meta! 😉
I used to write a lot of list posts in my blogging heyday, but as I’m backing off, I’ve preferred stories and pictures. As far as reading posts, it doesn’t matter to me as long as the topic is original. So many people do list posts on why simplicity is great, for example, and I tend to not read those.
Hi Bethany! Nice to hear from you! I hope your life is going well and that you are finding that balance that we all seek!
Having read your blog for quite a while I agree that you do the story and picture post very well. When you think about it, finding our own way of expressing ourselves is so much a part of the blogging journey. And yes, the simplicity list post has been done A LOT but I think it’s important to remember that lots of new people are just discovering simplicity and minimalism and they are probably still finding that basic information helpful. It’s probably best for us to stick with what feels good to us and just know that our right audience will find us. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy and thanks for this very timely post!!
I just had a conversation over breakfast yesterday with a cousin of mine about this exact topic! My last post was a seven list article and after I posted it, I began to question whether or not I actually said anything of true value. Yes, there are good tips to take-away from the article, and for the most part they are what I follow. But, I wondered if they were like your #5…just fluff.
I think I’ll stick with whole concepts rather than breaking things down for the common denominator style of writing. After all, I love reading about experiences that speak TO me not DOWN at me! Hope that made sense.
Thanks again Kathy and take care. My best to all and have a joyous weekend 🙂
Lyle
Hi Lyle! Thank you for sharing your opinion on this. Because I read your recent list post on your blog I can say I definitely got something out of it even if some one else might consider them fluff. That’s because I think people show up on our site for all different reasons. Some of my readers might not be interested at all in this post about list posting, and some of them might think the article is all fluff for that reason. And even though I would LOVE for my readers to adore everything I write, I’m realistic enough to know that readers read the ones that they feel speak to them and leave the rest alone. I think having the freedom to share information and ideas in a way that works best for me (and of course the intention of the website) is best for me. And yes! It’s best NEVER to talk down to our readers! Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! ~Kathy
As a blogger and editor, I can say that list posts are enormously popular. I like a mix of both on my website and my blog – sometimes readers want an in-depth conversation, sometimes a skimmable post. But even lists can get old if they’re recycled content or if they’re obvious.
Hi Sharon! Yes, I am definitely coming to the conclusion that a mix of them is SMART too! They have seemed to bring in more comments during my “experiment” time. And they do make my rather long posts easier to skim, but I tend to think that they promote a “sound bite” mentality a bit too much so will probably be mixing them up in the future. Thanks for your input! ~Kathy