6 Easy Steps To Make A Successful List Post

If you're filling your archive with different types of posts (e.g - how-to's, link roundups, news, informational, lists), you truly are doing justice with your subscribers. No one likes monotonous content that forces a subscriber to click the 'unsubscribe' link. Among these different types of posts, list posts are known to bring tons of traffic consistently. Lets walk-through list post creation process and see how to convert these gems into a perpetual fountain of traffic.

Choose a massively popular topic

This sounds very obvious, but sometimes we ignore simple things and pay the price. The moment you choose a trending topic (which can be controversial too), half of the battle has already been won. You may ask the question - Why the hell should I write about a topic already popping out on every corner of the web? Am I not creating a second copy?

No, you'll not create a copy provided you know the principles of creating remarkable content. Even if there are lists on similar topic, you can beat all of them by identifying their weakness and shortcomings. Selection of popular topic ensures that in case your list is elevated in search engine result pages, it can receive good amount of traffic.

Note: If you decide to choose a controversial topic, make sure you're not hurting the sentiments of a certain community at large.

Write a magnetic headline

Once you have a hot topic in your hand, move on to the next step of creating an eye-popping headline (post title). Creating a good post title is like hanging a carrot on the end of the stick. It should be irresistible enough to induce a click from a visitor.

Spice up with illustrations/pictures

No list post can be regarded as complete without pictures. Some lists require multiple small images, while others may require medium to big size images for each item/entry. Some of the most popular list posts are entirely made up of images. A very long list post without any image may not receive that much attention as you may have anticipated. While adding images to your list post, make sure you follow these simple yet very effective image optimization guidelines.

Say a big NO to long paragraphs

There's very little scope of large text paragraphs in list posts. Generally, an ideal list post is made up of images with little text sprinkled around them with a link (if required) for each entry. However, you may include a medium-sized opening paragraph to summarize the list content. Some lists that are devoid of any images do have the scope of very short paragraphs for each entry in the list.

Resist the temptation to create a very long list

Creating a very long list containing large number of hyperlinks can backfire. Same thing is applicable to image list posts. The larger the number of images, the more time it takes to open. This not only increases the bounce rate, but also unnecessarily consumes your server's bandwidth. If the number of images is very large, divide your list post into multiple parts.

Segregate related items into sections

If your list post is long, 9 out of 10 times you're filling enough items in it that can be easily subdivided to make the post less confusing and more readable. Group all related items in one section and order them logically for making it more useful and informative.

What Else?

Now it's your turn to add to this list. If you've been experimenting with list posts, what else you'll like to add to this post?

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