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10 Steps to NOT Making a List Post (But Still Be Interesting)

// oktober 16th, 2009 // Successful Blogging, Writing

Bloggers are big fans of list posts. One reason why everybody does it, is because they’re easy to go viral. Readers love lists, because it’s easy to read, easy to remember and easy to share. Even though it’s very advisable to post a list regularly, you shouldn’t overdo it. A regular post with a storyline can also be very enjoyable and interesting. I think you all agree if I say that all articles on your blog should be of outstanding quality, not only the lists. That’s why I’ve composed a list – Ha! The irony! – with ten criteria you should keep in mind while writing your article:

1. Decide to what kind of reader you’re writing. So you can decide which level of language to use. Would you be writing an article for a surgeon’s blog it’s okay to use doctoral terms. If you’re writing a report on a football match it’s advisable to keep it simple.
2. The title should be easy to understand. As the title being your doorstep, it should be easy to ‘get in’. It should point right to the purpose of your article.
   “How to bake a cake”, “7 awesome blogs”, “Why banana’s are bent”.
3. Get down to business. In the first paragraph – the introduction – immediately explain the title. Your readers deserve to know what they’re going to be reading about the next five minutes. So tell them what drove you to writing this article, what your purpose is and what they can expect.
4. Watch your grammar. Capitalization and punctuation are very important. Don’t leave your readers guessing what your story should sound like. They’ll get bored trying to figure it out and leave your blog immediately.
5. Keep it short and simple. Referring to the first point. Don’t go all out and build extremely long sentences that are impossible to follow (and boring).
   Example: It is very advisable – referring to the first point of this article – to keep your paragraphs short and simple, this so the reader doesn’t get bored or dizzy from all the characters (or words) jumping off his or her computer screen.
6. JOKE! Ha ha! Everybody loves a laugh, even if on the outside they seem grumpy. Off course your article should allow this. If you’re writing an article on orphans it’s wouldn’t be a very smart move to make ‘Yo momma’-jokes – no offense intended.
   Want to read more on how to make your readers laugh? Check out this article.
7. Speak to the mind. Compare your arguments to other stuff. As I did in point two, as the title being a doorstep.
8. Keep a constant storyline. Don’t skip back and forth between subjects, unless you have a GOOD reason. Finish one thing and move on to the next.
9. Create mystery. If your article allows it, it’s good to create question marks with your readers. Ask them a question and get back to it on the end of your next paragraph.
10. And last but not least: do what you promised you’d do. If you were writing an article titled How to bake a cake and you’re only talking about how delicious this cake is, you’ll leave your readers very, very disappointed. How would you feel if I only listed nine points instead of ten? Yeah, exactly.

Update oct. 31st ‘09: if you want to read more tips on NOT writing a List Post, I suggest reading this article at Darren Rowse’s blog called “How to Write a Blog Post that’s Stickier than Velcro“.

If you have any additions to this list and wish to share your wisdom, your comments are always welcome!