listicles (social media list articles)

 

listicle definition

 

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A note about listicles: So we know a lot of people hate listicles and associate them with cheap, low-quality, traffic-driving, link-bait articles.
But here’s the thing—a list is a great format for an article, and a format I was using on my old blog almost 10 years ago. In fact, my first listicle, 19 Things I Don’t Understand, was published in August of 2005, a year before Buzzfeed was even founded.

Then, over the last few years, I watched in horror as one of my favorite formats decided to prostitute itself all over the internet as the default format for lazy articles.

Anyway the point is, A) I was doing listicles before they were cool, and B) A list headline doesn’t mean it can’t be a high-quality article, so C) Wait But Why will make a listicle when it’s the best format for that post, and don’t be mad at us cause it’s not what it looks like.

 

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Waitbutwhy blog writer

 

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This I a rant on listicles <all those articles you find online using simplistic lists to share what I will loosely call ‘knowledge’>.

 

I decided to write about listicles because I just had maybe my 100th meeting where someone at the table leaned forward and said with an expert tone “young atomic bomb blastpeople don’t read long articles and we need to offer lists to engage them.”

 

 

My head explodes over this simplistic drivel.

 

 

Listicles certainly have a role but creating a list for the sake of having a list is bullshit. Creating a list because you are too lazy to learn to write an article or a thought piece is bullshit.

 

 

Write your content.

If it is better delivered in a list than deliver it that way. On the other hand … if your content is better delivered as a story, with chapters and a moral <or dénouement and climax> then … for gods sake … deliver it that way.

 

 

The whole idea that young people do not read longer content is ludicrous.

They sit for 3 hour movies <Hunger Games>, they sit for 5 hours of Wii, they sit for 2 hours of texting … suffice it to say they will sit for as long as they are engaged an interested.

 

 

Next.

listicle enough

 

I could argue <and I will> that lists have attained the status of meaningless useless shit articles on social media channels. This is because some social media expert assholes <a lot of them in fact> have been simplistically recommending everything you should do online should be in a list format. Somehow they have convinced everyone that this is the format to deliver all content.

 

That is just fucking crazy.

 

 

Imagine if every movie director and every book author followed the same rule of delivering their content <okay … don’t … it would be the hell of monotony>.
Look.

 

 

I don’t argue that a list can be an effective way to deliver content and I am not opposed to offering up my content in a listicle format <although I will admit my contrarian attitude makes me slightly nauseated when I do so> but … well … think about what I just wrote.

 

 

“an effective way to deliver content.”

 

 

The format doesn’t dictate the content delivered … the content dictates the delivery format.

I don’t decide to create a listicle I decide to create engaging content and then decide the best way to engage a reader to that content.

 

 

And you know what? This strategy is effective regardless of what age group you are targeting.

 

 

Interesting is interesting.

 

Engaging is engaging.

 

 

And attention spans will consistently expand or contract depending on what is interesting and engaging <as they have since the dawn of time>.

 

 

So please, please, stop with the listicle advice. It is misguided <I patted myself on the back for holding back on calling it bullshit advice … which was my knee jerk thought>.

 

 

The False Narrative of Writing On line Content

The False Narrative of Writing On line Content

Write good content.

 

The format you deliver it can help, or hurt it, in terms of engagement but ultimately the format cannot save bad content and good content can be delivered in a variety of formats and be effective.

 

 

And as a quasi-writer myself … I would like to think good content will be read regardless of the format. That said … I will write in a listicle format kicking & screaming. And maybe with that attitude I will be inspired to write such engaging content that i don’t need a frickin’ listicle.

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Written by Bruce