Home Blogging Tips 3.5 Reasons Why I Am Sick of List Posts

3.5 Reasons Why I Am Sick of List Posts

August 30, 2011 By Filed Under: Blogging Tips 28 Comments

Lists

Lately I have been noticing a tendency on my part to skim rapidly with most blog posts. Every post looks like it has been churned out by the same machine. They all feel the same.

I wake up to an inbox full of emails that I get as a result of subscribing to many, many blogs. I scroll through the headlines to see what catches my eye, what is interesting or what seems useful. I might click through to read a few.

Although I am looking – great job, headline! - most headlines fail to deliver. Especially the list post ones.

Most of the time, the headlines scream, ” 7 ways to skyrocket your subscribers”, or “9 awesome ideas to get your world rocking with Twitter”, or my (least)  favourite, “21 steps on how to make gazillion dollars on the net working from home”.

List posts headlines work, I get it. The gullible consumer that I am , I will click to check it out – you bet I will.

Do you do the same? Hundreds and thousands of people do.

But – and there is a huge one – how many times do you remember what you read in the post after 5 seconds?  I don’t.

Did you find the information memorable? Were you able to connect with the blogger? Did you find something new? Or is it some information you could have easily found by doing a search on the web?

Yes, by writing a list post you will have many people clicking through, however how many will convert? How many will become your repeat visitors, your enthusiastic readers, or yes, let me use the S word – your subscribers.

I actually don’t read 90% of list posts anyway; I mostly just scroll through them. Here’s my thoughts on what the problem is…

1. Too Much Generic Information

I can find that sort of information anywhere. If I am reading a post – even a list one – I would like something that is a bit more than a compilation of information that even my 7 year old can put together really well.

Yes, the posts are scannable so that they are read quickly but do they have to be written so badly that it has readers skipping over the entire content? They actually go on to hurt your reputation.

Show that you have put in some effort. If you can see that the blogger has only done a half-arsed job compiling that information, are they really worth your time?

No effort, no regular readers.

2. Who Cares?

Keep the winning formula of writing posts in mind; do you know what it is?

Backstory – useful information – close. As simple as that.

Start your posts with some sort of back-story. Clue in your readers to why all of a sudden you wanted to write that post. Bring them to the same page.

Make one point per post – really hone in that point. People will read your post quickly and enjoy sharing it as well. And who knows, your post might actually be an aha moment for somebody – its hard to accomplish that with list posts.

End with a call to action, ask them a question, ask them to share or subscribe. Its up to you.

3. I Can’t Tell Who Wrote it – Could Be a Bot

I never read posts where the blogger doesn’t make it a bit personal. If I cannot feel their personality – hear their voice, I feel like I am reading a generic article, not a blog post.

If you are blogging, you need to be putting yourself out there – you need to allow people to enter your comfort zone.

Everything that can be said, has already been said. When you write with an authentic voice, you can even make a generic piece of info sound like a revelation. Otherwise people will only be reading the headings.

You must give your reader a reason to read the text that is filling up the white space. You want text where people read it from word to word. Given the nature of blogging, it can be an impossible goal, but you need to aim high to have a chance.

Write about what you need to write about. It doesn’t have to be a list post.

3.5 It’s a Personal Thing

You might feel totally opposite on this one. Are you living to see which list post arrives next in your feed? Don’t hesistate to let me know.

You could even comment in the form of  “7 Reasons why I don’t agree…” ;)

image: tgbarrett

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About Marya Jan

Marya is a blogging coach and an online copywriter for small business owners and service professionals. Catch more of her posts at Writing Happiness. Grab her Free ebook 9 NEW RULES OF BLOGGING - How to Grow Your Business with Little traffic, No connections & Limited hours. Follow her @WritingH, she is very friendly. :)

  • http://dashthis.com/ Stephane

    It’s funny you wrote about that. I just wrote a post using “3 reasons… ” this morning. Although it’s something I’m not comfortable with, it catches attention. I hope the content worth the click on the title tough ;)

    However, I agree most of them are too generic. Maybe it’s the goal so you end up clicking on one of the site’s ads? ;)

  • margieclayman

    Hi Marya,

    I wrote a post about list posts where I also used a listy type headline. Great minds…:)

    However, like most things in the online world, I can’t say that this is a black-and-white thing. Some people do list posts that really get you to think and some people just stuff things in there to get to whatever number they indicated.

    In my recent curating I have come upon posts that offered 101 tips to freelancers or x number of ways to create a really strong Twitter presence and both posts were EXTREMELY valuable . As you can see, they stuck with me.

    I must say that as community manager over at 12most.com I am bringing a bias to this issue, but I think that site is an example where people do find a way to make their posts memorable even though a number is involved.

    Thanks for the thought provoking post – maybe you could send in a “12 most reasons list posts stink” post :)

  • http://judyleedunn.com/ JudyDunn

    Hey Marya,

    Good points here. I’m leaning toward Margie’s conclusions. Numbers in headlines get more click-throughs. They just do. Our brains are hard-wired to recognize and respond when we see numbers.

    HOWEVER, I also agree with you that list posts can be dry and can duplicate (for the umpteenth time) what is already out there. I think (in my opinion anyway) that list posts can be appealing, eye-catching and engaging, if they are creative and have quality content. And I think that was one pointyou were making here.

    I still use them, but within the context of a personal story/experience and my own opinions, which puts the personal spin on things. For example, my most recent post at Cat’s Eye Writer, “7 Surprising Ways Blogging Can Change Your Life,” is my personal take on how blogging has changed my life.

    And one thing I like about list posts is that they can provoke more thinking and comments from my readers. (“I agree with #2 because…”…”I have not found #6 to be true and here is why:…”, etc.) It just gives readers more key ideas to respond to around a certain topic. And some lively discussions ensue!

    I guess, for me, it all boils down to “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”

    Really excellent points here, Marya. Thanks for sharing. : )

  • http://www.ameenafalchetto.com/ Ameena Falchetto

    Lists don’t bother me. Do them well. Add a short personal story to get to the point and a few pointers in a list form is a tidy way to summarise.

    Keep it concise whatever you are writing. 1,000 words of prose is painful no matter how well it’s written.

    It is attention grabbing too …

  • Pingback: 3.5 Reasons Why I Am Sick of List Posts – For Bloggers By Bloggers | Mr GPS

  • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ 3HatsComm

    Here’s 1 reason I don’t agree: if they’re done well, list posts serve purpose and can often be good resources. See also comments from @JudyDunn and @margieclayman . Here’s 1 reason I do agree: you can’t escape them and their attack on your stream, everyone quick to RT a list (like Margie said, clicks). FWIW.

  • Lincoln

    Funny, I JUST wrote a post about this too.

    You know, it’s not so much list articles that are the issue, but the fact that it’s ALL YOU EVER SEE, 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK. It’s high quality spam, maybe offering better content than you typically see in your junk mail inbox, but still spam nonetheless. Look at content farms, they live and die by list posts, to the point where you start to wonder if Google won’t someday penalize sites jus tfor having a number in their title. ;-)

    When one person does it, it’s novel, refreshing, especially if that person writes well. When every blogger in creation does it, including your 5 year old kid and the family dog, then not so much. Show some originality people.

  • http://www.marianneworley.com/ marianne.worley

    Hi Marya,

    I agree that there is an over-abundance of list posts that don’t deliver on the promise of the headline. That said, I’m a marketer, so I understand exactly why bloggers do it. Personally, I love a good list post, “good” being the critical word.

    Three Things I Like About Writing List Posts:

    1. My headline will stand out and the post will probably get more shares.

    2. It helps me organize my content in a logical way, so it’s easy to read.

    3. If I deliver on the headline’s promise, readers will find the content helpful.

    Silly me–I just turned this into a “list comment”! ;-)

  • JTDabbagian

    I think the best use of list posts is for long-time traffic. Granted you may not get many followers, but your information will be stored on Google, and anyone searching for what you post will find it.

    That being said, list articles really don’t let you bring out your voice. Hence, it’s best to alternate them with how-tos and editorials on other things as well.

  • http://www.slymarketing.com jens

    Hi Marya,

    I agree with @JTDabbagian – list posts are best for long-term traffic. I personally prefer short list posts, for instance 3 ways to do something (or maybe even 5 ways..) I just discovered a post on one of the blogs I subscribe to that featured a list of 45 tips. That’s just too much information in one post for me. And, as you said, it’s not personal at all. And, usually a long list like that features many uninteresting tips, just in order to make the list a long one :)

    It would be great if list posts would get penalized in google @Lincoln – that would be something :)

    Jens

  • Fierce_living

    A list post to decry writing list posts? Better yet 3.5 reasons you don’t like list posts? And the kettle is what color?

    Sorry I couldn’t resist. I think you have to follow the money or in this case the clicks. I think we’ve all sold our soul and I include myself b/c I’m just as guilty as the next guy and my blog is not even monitized (yet).

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @Stephane

    Hi Stephane. I agree the goal is definitely to get the click through – that being said it wouldn’t be that bad if the content matched up to the hype. How many list posts actually do that? Thanks for your feedback. :) Marya

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @margieclayman

    Hi Margie – I agree this is definitely not something that can be clearly categorized as bad – like most things in life. I am just fed up because the headline catches my eye and I click and then 95% of the time, the post adds nothing to whatever that has already been said about it.

    Funny thing – if you go back up, I said most list posts – 12most is definitely the exception to this one and I am actually in the process of writing a guest post pitch for it. Good thing you came by this one huh? :) Now I have something to reference to. Cheers :)

  • http://www.SocialMediaForSmartPeople.com/ prosperitygal

    Is that your way of saying you do not like 12 most posts chuckle

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @JudyDunn

    I agree Judy. List posts work because they are enticing, make us curious and also are definite. So if you know that they promised 9 of something, that’s what you are expecting to get and that’s what you should be getting. That being said, I think we both agree on that they should be done sparingly and not without making them a bit person. I actually really like your list posts – and if you have noticed RT them as well. I still remember the one you did on all the things you have learnt so far in blogging. So there you go – an ideal example of a list post. Info packed and memorable. Many thanks :)

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @prosperitygal

    I actually really like them – this was a tactic on my part to get their attention, just so I can go wild with guest post pitches .. hehehe. I see it worked too. ;)

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @Ameena Falchetto

    I agree one hundred %. You said it way better than I did, short and sweet. Thanks :)

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @3HatsComm

    ‘If they are done well …” Yes, this is what I am crying about …

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @Lincoln

    I agree I WANT ORIGINALITY … pretty please?

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @marianne.worley

    And I loved your list comment too. No disagreements from my side. :) Marya

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @JTDabbagian

    There you go – you learn something new everyday. Because I suck at all things technical and SEOish, I never looked at this from that angle. Many thanks, it makes sense.

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @jens

    That would be a pillar post right? Something to be bookmarked and revisit often, if done properly ofcourse. I have done one recently, so just saying. Ah the irony … I know ;)

    Psst .. I actually am addicted to making lists, thats why I get so disappointed to see so many bad ones all the time.

  • http://writinghappiness.com/ Marya | Writing Happiness

    @Fierce_living

    hahahah. Glad you noticed the cheekiness. I debating whether to put a smily or a wink in the title but decided to go against it. It works …

  • http://www.3hatscommunications.com/blog/ 3HatsComm

    @Marya | Writing Happiness It’s a BIG ‘if’ and ‘well’ is relative, subjective; I get that. And yeah, there are way too many that aren’t worth the time to read, obvious and underdeveloped, esp. when they don’t match the headline. You got me thinking though, and sadly .. it’s that I need to do more, if only to try my hand at doing them better.

  • KimDavies

    Hi, Marya.

    List posts are actually great if they are not too long and they are actually doable. I have seen list posts that seem to go on and on about stuff that are not only generic but also dizzying in its incomprehensibility.

    I agree with what Ameena said, we can always love list posts if they are concise and comes with a personality. :)

  • Pingback: 5 Reasons that List Blogs (Do Not) Suck - Millennial CEO | Millennial CEO

  • JoshSarz

    You’ve hit the spot on this one Marya, yet again. Blogging sites everywhere tell you that list posts are incredible link bait. And the after effect, almost every new blogger, like myself, resort to writing list posts.

    You also have a point there with

  • JoshSarz

    You’ve hit the spot on this one Marya, yet again. Blogging sites everywhere tell you that list posts are incredible link bait. And the after effect, almost every new blogger, like myself, resort to writing list posts.

    You also have a point there when you said that the content of the list posts don’t stick. You’re right. A lot of the link posts that I read grab my attention because of the headline, although the content I forget a few minutes after reading it.