Should your content be presented as a listicle?

Photo credit: Ashley Baxter

The “listicle” is a dirty word among some writers.

A gander at everyone’s favorite resource for information, Wikipedia suggests: “In journalism and blogging, a listicle is a short-form of writing that uses a list as its thematic structure, but is fleshed out with sufficient copy to be published as an article.”

For some, it’s a construct of lazy writing and shallow concepts with nary a shred of meat on its bones. Cries for the return of long-form content echo across the journalistic world while the web publications roll their eyes as they watch their share counters go higher every day.

Yet it’s currently one of the most popular ways to present content. Our social media feeds are flooded with headlines like “10 ways to lose weight for beach season”or “5 ways you can improve your content strategy”. Each of these with hundreds or even thousands of shares. The popularity of the listicle is evident, but does that mean you should jump on the bandwagon? Here’s why you should and shouldn’t.

Why you should produce listicles

1. It’s much easier to produce

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Writing in long form can be an arduous task and there’s generally more skill involved. Listicles also easy for writers to create because all they have to do is list out key points and flesh them out. It’s a very cohesive way to write and work on your thoughts. The lower level of skill required also means that you’ll be able to spend less on writers.

That’s not to say you should forsake quality for the cheapest option, but you’ll have more options to choose from, so let the laws of economics sort the price out for you.

2. Its quantitative nature lets readers know what they’re in for

Photo credit: Giphy

Time and attention are increasingly precious in a world crowded with content, and a sign to show readers what they’re in for can be a very wise decision. A number gives readers an estimate on how much reading they’ll have to do.

Why you shouldn’t