Introduction
What You'll Learn
Why are list blog posts are so popular and easy to write some copy for? In this lesson, we will give you some tips to making the blog most stand out and organised for your readers, so they get maximum added value from the content-which they will love you for.
Why is This Important?
The list post – one of the most popular and easy-to-read blog formats – is the bread and butter of blogging and even a non-writer can execute a really great blog post from this template.
More importantly readers love lists because they’re scannable, so they can easily find the information they are looking for. Lists are also handy at keeping posts succinct. It’s more difficult to meander off track when you’ve got a formatted list to write.
Why are list blog posts are so popular and easy to write some copy for? In this lesson, we will give you some tips to making the blog most stand out and organised for your readers, so they get maximum added value from the content-which they will love you for.
Why is This Important?
The list post – one of the most popular and easy-to-read blog formats – is the bread and butter of blogging and even a non-writer can execute a really great blog post from this template.
More importantly readers love lists because they’re scannable, so they can easily find the information they are looking for. Lists are also handy at keeping posts succinct. It’s more difficult to meander off track when you’ve got a formatted list to write.
For a list post to be successful, it should be logically organized.
Additionally, you should always aim for consistency. Whatever order you choose for your list post, make sure it flows and that each entry is roughly the same length and tone.
Format your list using bullet points or paragraphs with the first sentence bolded, but make sure to use them consistently. A good rule of thumb is to go with bullet points for lists with little text per item (see Copyblogger’s 8 Ways to Write Bullet Points That Work) and to use regular, numbered paragraphs for more wordy lists.
Lastly, remember to always use a numbered list if there is a number in the title, i.e. “5 of the best way to....”
- Organize chronologically
- From most to least popular
- Alphabetically (if you’re writing a list of resources or a glossary, for example)
- Step-by-step.
Additionally, you should always aim for consistency. Whatever order you choose for your list post, make sure it flows and that each entry is roughly the same length and tone.
Format your list using bullet points or paragraphs with the first sentence bolded, but make sure to use them consistently. A good rule of thumb is to go with bullet points for lists with little text per item (see Copyblogger’s 8 Ways to Write Bullet Points That Work) and to use regular, numbered paragraphs for more wordy lists.
Lastly, remember to always use a numbered list if there is a number in the title, i.e. “5 of the best way to....”
Step 1: Plan Out Your Blog Post
We walked you through the planning stages in How To Blog lesson plan, by taking several minutes to plan out what you want to write about so that you can stay on topic and keep your readers engaged, will save you time when you come to writing, as you will already have a framework.
Step 1: Identify Your Audience
Which buyer persona are you writing this blog post for?
Step 1: Identify Your Audience
Which buyer persona are you writing this blog post for?
Example: Jane, 30 years old, mother of 2, struggles with time and trying to fit the workouts in... |
Step 2: Identify Your Key Takeaway
What do you want your audience to know after reading your blog post?
Example: Help the reader to understand... |
Step 3: Brainstorm Your Titles
You don’t have to pick the perfect title before your blog post is done, but it definitely helps to jot down a few ideas to help keep you focused during the writing process.
Use the space below to craft a few possible blog post titles, and then choose one as your working title. Don’t worry about finalizing your title until you’re done writing.
Example: 5 of the best ways to... |
Step 4: Create an Outline
The typical List based blog post consists of:
- An introduction: Sets the stage for what you plan to address in list form.
- A body: Explains every bullet, list item, step, and example – each with an explanation.
- A conclusion: Wraps up your post with a brief statement that's reflective of what your readers just learned.
What are all the bullet points you need to cover to introduce your topic, explain each point, and remind the reader what they just learned?
2. Start Writing The Intro
Use the tips on the left to write your blog post in the space on the right. When you're done you can simply copy and paste your blog post in to your website editor.
Write a compelling opening to draw the reader in to find out more.
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Give the reader a more information or examples of what you mean to draw them further into the post.
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Transition into the body where you’ll describe each element in your list.
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Step 3: Now Move On To The Body
Remember, the body follows through on what you theorized or promised in the introduction. Your body can be written in paragraphs, with bullets, numbered lists, multiple headings, or a mix of all of these. You can make use of whichever format is easiest for you.
Just be cognisant of this question: What are all the bases I need to cover in order to avoid confusion and truly add to the existing conversation on this topic, and can I add any visuals that will make my perspective any easier for my readers to understand?
Just be cognisant of this question: What are all the bases I need to cover in order to avoid confusion and truly add to the existing conversation on this topic, and can I add any visuals that will make my perspective any easier for my readers to understand?
Write a header that will indicate to readers you’re getting into the meat of your post.
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Continue from one step or list item to the other. (Unlike explaining step-by-step instructions in how-to posts, list items don’t require transitional phrases).
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Transition into the conclusion.
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Step 4: Now Finish Up With The Conclusion
Your conclusion is where you’ll paraphrase the key takeaway you outlined earlier in the planning stages and/or prompt your reader with a question.
Summarize what the reader learned or how they benefited from reading your post.
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Ask a question to encourage the reader to leave a comment or react.
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5. Link to Additional Resources
Sometimes it’s hard to say everything you want to say about a single topic in one post, which is why it’s helpful to your readers to identify additional resources you can link to for additional detail or credibility to other blog posts or pages on your site can result in increased visibility in search engines, page views, and time on site.
Hyperlinking to third party content can round out your perspective and help you appear more trustworthy to your readers.
Hyperlinking to third party content can round out your perspective and help you appear more trustworthy to your readers.
6. Revisit Your Title
Revisit your working title and see if you can make it more accurate, specific, sexy, concise, and SEO-optimized. Sometimes after writing amazing content copy, you may revisit your tItle and it may not have complete relevance to the body text.
The process of writing content will help you brainstorm better SEO optimised headings, which Google will love and make you more visable to your chose Niche.
The process of writing content will help you brainstorm better SEO optimised headings, which Google will love and make you more visable to your chose Niche.
Step 7: Now Add a Call To Action To The Blog
Do you want your readers to sign up for your newsletter? Request more information? Tweet something? Download something? Buy something?
What do you want readers to do after they’ve read your blog post?
Once you know what your desired call-to-action is, include it at the end of your post.
Examples of Call's To Action:
"Did you find that article useful? If YES then sign up here for weekly marketing tips to help your business Thrive!
"If you liked that blog piece, then check out these lessons too..."
"Do you want to know how to run a successful PT training business online? Register HERE for our FREE online learning academy and get detailed steps in how to make your business a runaway success..."
What do you want readers to do after they’ve read your blog post?
Once you know what your desired call-to-action is, include it at the end of your post.
Examples of Call's To Action:
"Did you find that article useful? If YES then sign up here for weekly marketing tips to help your business Thrive!
"If you liked that blog piece, then check out these lessons too..."
"Do you want to know how to run a successful PT training business online? Register HERE for our FREE online learning academy and get detailed steps in how to make your business a runaway success..."
Step 8: Make Sure Your Posts Are Optimised For SEO
If you’ve spent all this time writing a great blog post, you’ll want to make sure it can be easily discovered in search engines. Make sure your keywords, or a variation of your keywords are:
Your keyword would ideally be what you are trying to sell and what someone might type in to Google to find the post you've written about.
- In the Title of the blog post
- In paragraph one of the post
- In a second header
- Written once in bold
- In your last paragraph
Your keyword would ideally be what you are trying to sell and what someone might type in to Google to find the post you've written about.
Step 9: Remember Don't Forget...
- Be Comprehensive. Your post shouldn't leave the reader with an opportunity to say, "Hey, you forgot about X."
- Be Detailed in the Right Places. Every list item should have some explanation or a visual or both, but you can use the length of your list as a guide for how much explanation you should provide. If your post is a long list, you don't need to explain things so thoroughly. If your list is short (a good benchmark is anything under 5) your explanations should be meatier.
- Provide Examples. Support the items in your list with examples – whether visuals, or anecdotes.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF LIST BLOG POST FORMAT?
These are the main types:
HOW TO BUILD A LIST BLOG TEMPLATE?
You can break down the process of writing any blog post into the following segments, then put them together into the website editor when ready to form one big blog post.
The 3 main sections to include are
WHY ADD A CALL TO ACTION TO BLOG POST?
This isn't your persoanl blog, where you are just happy that people read your content, a business blog's main aim is to get people to convert and like their brand or buy someting. So you want each post to back a call to action.
These are the main types:
- Numbered List
- Chronological list
- Popularity listing
- Step by step (a bit like this lesson plan)
HOW TO BUILD A LIST BLOG TEMPLATE?
You can break down the process of writing any blog post into the following segments, then put them together into the website editor when ready to form one big blog post.
The 3 main sections to include are
- Introduction: Write a 100 word intro about the piece you are about to read and what benefit it may give the reader (Like our template for these guides.
- Body text This is the main meaty section to flesh out. You develop the content for this section, but focussing in on the blog title.
- Conclusion: Write up a conclusion for the piece. What did we learn? How can we action our next steps?
WHY ADD A CALL TO ACTION TO BLOG POST?
This isn't your persoanl blog, where you are just happy that people read your content, a business blog's main aim is to get people to convert and like their brand or buy someting. So you want each post to back a call to action.