Writing A List Post Without Writing A List Post

(What does the picture have to do with writing list posts?  Absolutely nothing…)

Many will agree that list posts are often times the most popular format as they enable the reader a quick skim without missing much of the core message.  As blog readers, we may intend on reading through an entire post, but we certainly don’t want to have to actually read the thing before we determine if it’s the one we want to give our precious time to.  With a list post we can glance at a few listed headings and make this determination without breaking a mental sweat.  Too many 12px sized letters between these headings and we’re libel to just move on to our next possible post.

The problem is, many bloggers either don’t like writing conventional list posts or many blog readers don’t really enjoy reading them.  So how can we maintain this skim-ability without confining our content to 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and so on?

Breaking Down Big Posts

I’ve been writing some pretty hefty posts over at Motivate Thyself.  Some have pushed past 3,500 words.  Yet if you were to pop over there and scroll through a few, you’d see that they are still quite easy to skim and decide if the content is worth the full read.  I rarely go more than a few paragraphs without some kind of heading that introduces the next hundred and fifty words.  I list my content without using bullets or numbers and while maintaining a more conventional writing style (most of the time).

As I write, I keep an eye out for chunks of content.  If I’m starting a new paragraph and it seems to jump into its own unique thought or idea or section, I create a heading to start it off.  This way, I not only give my readers clear guidelines to my longs posts, but I maintain a kind of listed structure that helps me maintain focus as I blaze through thousands of words.

Other Kinds of Content Markers

Headings, bullets and numbers are only a few ways of breaking down your content into easily indigestible bites.  We can also achieve this by using other forms of text formats.  Whether we bold our words, color or italicize them, we can cleanly organize our insight while maintaining the interest of our readers.

Integrating A Conventional List

Many of my posts also have numbered or bulleted lists built in.  Usually toward the end, acting as a kind of summary, I find this to be perfect for the application part of the post.  It’s easy to knock out some great writing and share awesome insight, but then leave out the real meat.  Most blog readers (depending on what they’re reading, of course) want to know what to do next.  If they’ve read an awesome, thought provoking post, they want that last bite to be filled with some form of direction.  A kind of, “Now do this, this and this…” kind of thing.  Otherwise, they’re left feeling like, “In theory, that all made sense, but how do I apply it to my own life?”

Sticking To Your Own Unique Style

The bottom line is this:  We all have our own unique voice to share with the world and no one can convey that style better that you can.  Yet there are certain ways to write our thoughts that are most effective for the common blog reader.  If we neglect either of these facts we risk weakening our reach.  So by all means, find what works and then mold it into an easily edible morsel for visitors to comfortably enjoy.

Listing your thoughts is a tried and true method in the blogging community, but not all lists have to look the same.  Find the structure that fits your style the best, while leaving bread crumbs for your readers along the way.  Go too long without a breather and risk losing many of your readers as they grow tired of the uninterrupted information overload.

Eric

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