How to Write a Listicle
Thankfully, it isn’t hard to write a listicle. When doing so, there are a few things to keep in mind. We’ve outline a few of those things here. They aren’t too difficult to write, don’t take a ton of time, and they can be fun for your audience to read. From our experience and reading, listicles work well when it comes to generating engagement (especially on social media).
Choose a Topic Your Audience will Like
Consider your intended audience when choosing what to write a listicle about. If you’re answering a question or attempting to be informative on a topic, think about the readers’ possible search intent and go from there.
Choose a Good Title
The title for a listicle should make the topic clear. For example, 9 best horror movies of 2020 is great. Readers know the list will be nine horror movies, all from 2020. This helps people know exactly what to expect in terms of length and what they’ll learn from reading it.
Use the Right number of items
This is important, as the number of items can (and should) vary by topic. Using movies as the example again, putting out the top 5 horror movies of all time may not be the best of ideas.
However, 30 (or even 100) might be perfect. Why? If I’m out searching for horror movies, I probably already enjoy watching them. Therefore, I am looking for horror flicks I haven’t seen. It’s for this reason, the listicle on horror movies needs to have more items to ensure more of the readers actually find new movies.
Choose Appropriate List Items
And… back to the movies we go! In a list of horror movies, it wouldn’t make sense to include The Big Lebowski or Star Wars when you write the listicle. Whatever your topic, make sure to stick to it!
Keep the items short
When you write a listicle, consider why you chose that particular format. One of the main reasons for a listicle is that it’s quick and easy to read. This is partly because the items on the list aren’t very long. No need for overly wordy paragraphs. Get the information to your audience in the most efficient manner.
Finish off with a quick conclusion
While regular lists (grocery, to-do, etc.) often don’t have conclusions, a listicle should. Remind readers why they clicked on the article. It can be short and sweet, but it should definitely be there.
Listicles Work!
When sitting down to write a listicle, consider the advantages. Listicles can be very effective and people like them. They’re shared often, people remember the content they read or scanned, and they don’t take too much time or effort to write.
Happy Listing!
