And make sure people read it
This is a short post with one small but oh so important tip for when you write your next list post.
If your headline is along the lines of ‘25 ways you can…”, please keep your promise.
Because when you write ‘25 ways…’ your reader expects to see exactly that many points, clearly numbered 1 – 25.
This may seem obvious but I just opened a blog with a title like this and scrolled down looking for number one. But, instead of numbering each point, the writer had just highlighted the first couple of words of each point in bold.
It wasn’t what I expected and made the blog hard to navigate. Ultimately it made me lose trust in the value of the content. I’d been promised 25 different things that I hoped would teach me something and help me become better at my job.
And maybe there were 25 different points in the post and they were all gems. But that wasn’t clear and finding them was hard work. Work the writer should have done so I didn’t have to.
I was disappointed before I’d even begun to properly read it. So I left the site.
Why we all like a list post
We like lists, which is why they make such popular posts. Research by sites such as Copyblogger, Buzzsumo and Hubspot frequently show that list posts are the most opened and shared.
This is because they offer us something tangible. Their layout with lots of white space makes them easy to scan and read. They help simplify complex subjects. And, as result, they help us have to think less. Something we all appreciate because we’ll always choose easy over hard.
So, that’s my one tip here.
If in your title you promise your reader all this, stick to that promise.
Hello. I’m Sarah Russell, a freelance creative copywriter.
The 3 main ways you’ll benefit from working with me are:
- I can clearly explain what you do
- So you attract the right people
- And they take the action you want
Email me at: info@sarahrussellwriting.co.uk
Call me on: 01873 776 153
Connect with me on: LinkedIn
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