Top 5 Reasons To Write List Posts
Every business website needs fresh content at least once a month to help build SEO (Search Engine Optimization), connect with customers, and build credibility. This is usually achieved in the form of new offerings or blog posts of 300 - 400 words. This is often referred to as the “Content Marketing” process:
Write (or have written for you) something interesting, helpful, or fun as a blog post.
Next, in your email marketing, create an enticing excerpt and link to the blog post.
Finally, use the same excerpt and link in your Social Media accounts. (And no, as tempting as it is, do not put the entire story into your social media post! The excerpt should be written to entice the reader and get them to your website. If they land on your website, they just might start clicking around. That’s the goal.)
Back to the blog post itself … list posts are one of the most effective forms of content. What’s a list post? A “Top 3” or “Top 5” or “Top 10” (or Top Any #) headline and content. Here are the Top 5 Reasons why this format works well:
Numbers (written as digits) in headlines are easy to scan and draw the eye.
It’s definitive, which relaxes the reader; they know they’re not stepping into a long, endless post.
It inspires action. If you’re trying to make something sound easy, the shorter the list the better.
It builds credibility. When you can explain something in an organized, structured way, you demonstrate expertise and build trust.
It makes life a little easier for you. You can repurpose and reuse list content. For example, a longer list post like “Top 50 Ways to …” can be later chunked into different themes and repurposed into smaller list posts.
Here are some list header ideas:
Top # Ways to …
Top # Reasons to …
Top # Best Resources …
How To Such-and-Such with # Methods …
# Things to Think About Before You …
# Things/People/Places/Resources in the Country (State, City, etc.)
Top # Mistakes People Make When They …
Top 20 List of …
The Ultimate (or Definitive) Top 100 List of …
Keep it simple!
