Why use a list post?
List posts for your blog is a great way to share your information. The cool thing about list posts is that they can work with any product or service as long as you’re giving your readers something of value. There’s nothing better than an easy to scan list of things someone can read quickly yet still pull out a helpful tip or two.
I could probably pull together a list of the reasons that list posts work so well to bring traffic to your blog. And I’m sure, I could write a list post about what topics to include in your list post to give your readers that infamous blog traffic we’re all chasing after.
I could write a list about lists but that’s not how we do things around here. Instead, I want to talk about the qualities of a good list post for your blog. What’s going to make your list something that creates value and makes someone hit that share button?
1. Show us something
It’s great to give us a step-by step guide to explain how to install the next big widget idea that’s guaranteed to bring traffic to your website. But showing us what you’re talking about takes it to a different level.
Below is an example of one of the steps to set up a Facebook Promoted Post (image courtesy of Social Media Examiner):
2. Teach us something
What’s something that you know from the work you do that you can share with your readers? Do you know of a cool trick or the unknown ingredient to the secret sauce of everyone’s favorite restaurant? Teaching something that provides value to your readers gives them a reason to share your blog post.
Take a look at this image I created for my clients to teach them how to schedule their posts on Facebook:
3. Tell us something
Your list post should be like all your other blog posts. It should flow like a well-told story. The points on the list should connect to each other (especially if you’re doing a step-by-step guide).
Organize your list like you would write a story. There should be a beginning that introduces the reader to your subject, a middle that continues to engage their interest and then an ending to wrap up the details of the project or helpful tip.
By the time I reach the end of your list, I should have the full picture in my head what I just read and how it can help me do whatever your list promised it was going to do.
4. Give us something more
A list post is just that … a list. It’s not the place to go into detail of why this statistic works for this company but not for that one. If you want to give your readers more information, link to another blog post you’ve written. Or link to an article you read in your research for the list. Give us a link to explain that statistic.
Linking to people and companies that you’re referencing in your list keeps your list clean and concise. It helps you stay on point and hey, it never hurts to give a little blog linking love to someone who wrote that researched blog post.
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve written a list post and how did the post do compared to your other blog posts?
