If you just started your blog like me, you will notice that everyone who is writing about blogging will tell you that list posts are the most popular of them all. And they are right. Even in the short life of my own blog my list posts were the most succesful. Blogs like smashing magazine base their tremendous succes almost completely on list post. ProBlogger Darren Rose tells you very early in his new book that you should write a list post. It is essiantial to have the list post in your repertoire of blogging. I think there is a specific place for list posts but it is specific and can’t be used for every kind of content. I’ll tell you more about that later.
Why are list posts popular?
A list post is easy to write because its title defines the content before you start writing it. You can create an artificial title and you will know what to write about. This makes it easy because you can ceate as many posts as you can come up with titles for them. A typical list posts title is constructed like this: Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the US. For your readers list posts are great because they have a structure and are easy to scan. There is nothing really wrong about this but stay with me.
How do we read on the internet?
I’m active on the internet for about 13 years as of now and I learned how I personally use the internet and especially how I read content. If I read a title like I’ve written above I will scroll straight to the first bullet point. I have to force myself to read the introduction and because of this I won’t do it. What I am basically saying is that you just wasted your time writing that introduction. The question now is: am I the only one? Certainly not, but what does it say about the post if I scroll over the introduction? Most of the time the introduction is the only piece that the author really did himself because most list posts contain lists of other peoples content. The work you’ve done is the work of a filter. You may think I am trying to undermine the importance of this but I’m not. The internet is such a vast, enormous place that we need filters.
Do you care about the content?
In my introductions to list post I always try to put a perspective and opinion into it. I want the reader to know what I did and why I did it. The problem is: I think nobody cares. Hell, even I don’t. My suggestion is, and I am willing to discuss this of course, that we shouldn’t use list posts (of this kind) to communicate an opinion. I say that because your opinion is worth more than to be scrolled over. Don’t you agree? List posts are essentially a promotion piece for other peoples content and a filter for your reader who trust that you will pick what they like (that’s why they visit your blog).`I know that you can put any kind of content in a list. Because of that it is of course possible that a list post is not at all promotion for others peoples work but I’m talking about the typical list post we see everday on the internet.
Do list posts really engage readers?
In my personal journey over the last month I learned that opinions engage readers. Either because they have the same opinion and feel satisfied with me because I reinforced their position or because the hate me and want to tell me that. Both is fine by the way, if nobody hates you something is seriously wrong with you. Back to the list posts. In my observation opinions are not heard in list posts and because of that they won’t engage readers. They will, most of the time, just scroll through the bullet points and leave your blog. Maybe they subscribe but almost no one will engage with your blog in any other way.
Conclusion
In a few easy word: List posts will get you high amounts of traffic while opinion posts will get you high quality traffic. Write list posts but don’t forget that your opinion and vision is worth more than to get scrolled over and put your thoughts in specially crafted posts that will communicate what you think.
This post is an opinion and because of that, feel free to hate me for mine and say so in the comments. Maybe you do read every introduction and you want opinions in list posts. Maybe some of you agree with me and see where I’m coming from. Either way, let me know!
Article by Sebastian Schmitt
I'm a 25 year old sociology and computer science student from Hamburg, Germany. I write for my blog wehaveacoolsite about art, design and photography. Feel free to contact me anytime.
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Lists can be useful. I just don’t like when every post on a blog is a list.
Hunter recently posted..Top 3 Useful CSS3 Code Generators
Hey Sebastian –
Really great point. However, a list post like “10 Things I Hate About Blogging” contains the list and the opinion.
You can have both! The key is to not do what everyone else is doing. When you say a huge blogging crowd moving in one direction, run the opposite way.
Cheers,
Tia
Tia Peterson recently posted..Follow Friday- 13 Awesome Posts from Our Circle
I remember reading those tips too and have never really liked them and do not write in that style. I have always felt that it was one of those blogging myths, usaually related to SEO – “people love linking to lists, 10 best of blah blah blah”. Do they? I don’t, I love linking to well structured and referenced material, not lists with no sources for any of the information that they claim to be fact.
Jon recently posted..Watch Out for Strength Training Mistakes
Twitter: BabyBoyKharim
August 16, 2010 at 11:21 am
I use lists in some of my blog posts, but it all depends on why I use it.
Kharim recently posted..Does Speed Really Matter?
Hi Sebastian,
I’d have to agree on what others are saying. A mix of both would be great. But this will always be on a case to case basis. It depends on how your ration them and on how you present them to your readers.
digiknowzone recently posted..Is your Alexa rank not updating?
Nice guest post Sebastian. I’m a ‘list’ junky, so there really isn’t a downside for me. In fact, I save list posts for future reference.
Colleen recently posted..Memorial Held Tonight in Rememberance of Nagasaki Bombing
Me too Colleen.
Hieu Martin recently posted..5 Ways to Make Money Blogging
I think the best setup is to have a good mix of both. Some people prefer to read in lists, and other want to read a blog in more of a novel format. If you sprinkle a few list posts throughout your normal content you will make both groups happy.
First at all, I don’t like 10 Top list posts, they are often created by the article writer and what he/she like or think. They never write where the information comes from, and if there is some information controll, is it to weak. I see this sort of list everyday in the real estate blogs – crap.
I like tips List posts with information like; X blogging tips, X link tricks, ect. give me more to read and I can find new thing.
You might like our recent post then!
Hi Hesham,
Sorry, I didn’t understand?? Did you meen your article “What is the Advantages and Disadvantages of HUGE and LONG Link List Blog Posts in the long term”
//Lenny
Sorry, I should provide a link, I mean the last post published on the blog : Best 10 Blogging Articles at MMO Social Network!
It’s our way to promote some articles from our MMO Social Network submitted by bloggers in our community, and we try to start a discussion around it!
I hope you like it!
Hi Hesham
Yes, the title; Best 10 blogging articles at MMO social network, is catching and get me interesting to read it.
I think must care about the content. have good content will get more reader. Thanks for lists posts
Hieu Martin recently posted..How to Make Money Online With Your Blog Easily
Twitter: azblogtips
August 9, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Lists posts will make us more organized and logical thinking about
That can also help us not miss any ideas too. Thanks
Tran Tinh recently posted..Top Highly Discounted Coupons for August
Yeah that is the great pluspoint when using list post. They are very accessible and don’t overwhelm because the structure is easy to comprohend.
Sebastian Schmitt recently posted..About Potatos their Friends and his Mother
Sebastian ~
Yes, list posts are super popular — especially for the Type A personalities. And the list posts I’ve crafted are, by far, the ones that are read the most as well as bookmarked. I hear you when you say no one bothers to read the intro or catch the “why” of your list post. So I’ve gotten into the habit of making these types of posts super short, to the point, dish out the meat, and leave the table!
Whether to do list posts or not is somewhat like answering that age old question, “Which came first? The chicken or the egg?”
Excellent post!
Melanie
“Type A personalities” Amen to that! Like me,- I love lists posts.
Colleen recently posted..Memorial Held Tonight in Rememberance of Nagasaki Bombing
Sebastian I appreciate your input but I won’t completely agree with you for many reasons:
1. List post if written in a targeted ways drive more quality traffic and more over comments and thus search engine traffic….
If you talking about usual listified posts like 10 tools to blah blah.. Seriously they are not that useful…
But since I have a blog related to blogging, SEO and social media.. I usual come up with list posts like:
85 killer blogging tips
10 twitter tools to—-
10 keyword research… and so on…
And such posts drive quality traffic..
Just my 2 cents.
Harsh Agrawal recently posted..Hostgator Maximum Discount and 1 month Free Hosting- August 2010
You’re right. But what these are in my mind are opinions, e.g. original content provided in list form which is not the typical list form most blogs do (like smashingmag).
Not being useful is a big accusation because even lists of other peoples content have a use (see filter). And I think it is ok to procide a short boost of entertainment but it is not that engaging.
Sebastian Schmitt recently posted..About Potatos their Friends and his Mother
I rarely do list posts but I can see how they would be good for the writer.
1. Quick to write
2. Short to read
3. You can link to additional resources
4. Can ask for others to add to the list
You see what I just did there?
Wayne Howard recently posted..Multi-Blog Advertising: Is it working?
Great points! It’s definitely hard sometimes to motivate yourself to read an intro when the body is what you want.
I’ve seen a lot of lists posts and done them myself. As long as they’re good, with interesting and (at least somewhat) original content, you should be able to get some good traffic off them.
Laura Davis recently posted..What You Didn’t Know About Wall Street Reform
Hi Sebastian,
Great post! List posts do tend to be overly used without the blogger any commentary of his/her own to add the perspective to the piece. I like the idea of “high quality traffic” verses simple “high traffic” – that’s what separates the great blogs from the mediocre.
Thanks for sharing a refreshing take on the list post topic.
Kiesha recently posted..3 Ways You Can Get Through Dry Spells
You’re welcome
Sebastian Schmitt recently posted..About Potatos their Friends and his Mother
I’m not so mad on list post as in “top ten ways to do this/that”, I do like roundup lists of great content that a blogger just wants to share.
Not only are they often useful to the reader, they also show good will which you may find is returned to you in future.
That is one of the main points. Lists are often a promotion for other peoples content. I personally really like if I am included in a list of some sort because it shows that someone appreciates my work and additonaly helps me get more reader/viewers.
Sebastian Schmitt recently posted..About Potatos their Friends and his Mother
Great advice. I love lists posts but I also agree that I generally just read the headers and sometimes forget to read what’s underneath. Being able to boil a message down to something as simple as one line is great, but what is underneath that line is probably what will really help people.
Twitter: mani0993
August 9, 2010 at 1:57 pm
I like to read blog posts which have a headline for each para like you have. When such a thing is not possible then a list up is always gr8 to read!
Mani Viswanathan recently posted..DailyBlogging Weekly Round-up (2nd August – 8th August,2010)
Hi Mani . i’m like read blog have nice theme, good conntent and have much people make comment as famousbloggers.
Hieu Martin recently posted..Effective Ways to Get More Traffic to Your Blog
Very interesting perspective, thank you. I don’t skip introductions myself and usually read posts fully. I’m not a big fan of list posts although they sometimes they provide useful resources. I like bloggers who think deeply and have opinions. I do write list posts occasionally, but not as my main menu.
Sandra Lee recently posted..30 days of getting results with J D Meier
I think it really depends on what your list post is about. I often use lists to highlight other posts I’ve written, which helps get readers deeper into the pages of the blog, directing them to posts they want to read. Lists are a lot easier to read than paragraphs. When I write in paragraphs (which I usually do), I try to BOLD my key thoughts to draw the reader’s eye – I find this works similarly to a list.
Ashley recently posted..Running from Submission
What you say about introductions rings true with me. I know I’m guilty of it. I guess the answer is, as ever, variation. Mix it up a little. Personally, I’m tired of the same old, same old that could be written by anyone. I prefer to be dazzled by the bloggers personality and charm so opinion pieces do it for me every time.
El Edwards recently posted..The power of story telling and reinvention
I agree. I do not like regurgitated content. If the list is a unique one, then I am all over it!
Colleen recently posted..LIGO Offers Tours to Public Every Second Saturday and Fourth Friday
Twitter: technicallyeasy
August 9, 2010 at 12:24 pm
I don’t create too many lists posts. I do create an opinion post from time-to-time. I find that how-to, tutorial, or help posts generally get me a good amount of high-quality traffic.
The one good thing about opinion posts are that they can show a different angle to a topic that has been discussed many times on other blogs.
Paul recently posted..How to Become a Techie- Understand Don’t Memorize
Usually when I see a list post I will scroll to the bullet that make sense and interest me, I seldom write list post and usually if I’m not wrong list post doesn’t give specific details on the “How To” part.
To me is useless unless every bullet is written specifically and details on the “How To” part then that will really get readers interested to read. Mostly list post are written like a preview “common sense” bullets, for example “3 Ways To Make Money Online”… well the first bullet talks about “Being An Affiliate”, second talks about “Blogging” and lastly talks about “Ebay”… and it’s all written in a preview mode… guess what… no one wants a preview of what they already know… what they want is specific details of the “How To”.
I doesn’t know about you… but I never really listen to those big blogger about writing list post, because I personally feel is just waste of time… that is to say list post are mostly not quality content but quantity content.
The Bad Blogger recently posted..The Fact, The Truth And The Myth Of 3 Online Marketing Kings Revealed !
Totally agree with you – The Bad Blogger – I can’t see any points in the Top 10 list posts
I think they create a starting point if you want to know something about a topic. You get an overview of what people think is good in a particular niche.
Sebastian Schmitt recently posted..About Potatos their Friends and his Mother
Twitter: TJ_McDowell
August 13, 2010 at 8:47 am
I think there may be scenarios where even having a list of the types of known answers can still be helpful. In your example, you listed 3 ways to make money online, and most people already know that those 3 ways exist. What people may not know is how to actually do those things. So if under those main points, the author listed step by step instructions, the article could still have value. Don’t you think?
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