If you’re an entrepreneur dipping your toes into the world of digital marketing and PR, you know that capturing your ideal client or customer’s attention can feel like an elusive task—it’s like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Content creation in particular can be a tough nut to crack. On one hand, you want to provide valuable information that’ll create brand awareness and set you and your brand up as an authority. On the other hand, you know this information needs to be presented in an entertaining, digestible way (since the average adult attention span online hovers around just eight seconds). 

Enter the listicle. 

What Is a Listicle?

“Listicle” is a silly word that combines “list” and “article,” but despite the cutesy name, you should definitely take listicles seriously. A listicle could present just about any type of information; the key to the listicle is in the format. 

Unlike traditional blogs or articles, listicles present information in a numbered or bulleted format, which makes it super easy to read and super scannable—for all those people out there who scan but don’t read. No shame … we all do it. 

5 Reasons Listicles Are Impactful

Forgive us as we include a listicle in an article about listicles. It must be done. 

Here are five reason listicles are impactful:

1. Listicles present content in bite-sized pieces. Because our attention spans are so short nowadays (thanks a lot, TikTok), well-organized information that’s broken up into small chunks works wonders by making it feel accessible to people who are busy or who just don’t want to spend the time reading something in-depth. Bite-sized chunks are also visually appealing. A big chunk of text looks unorganized and intimidating, but a nice list looks tidy.

2. Listicles imply knowledge and authority. By presenting “10 top tips” or “7 genius solutions,” you’re suggesting that you’ve compiled the best of the best, and that is inherently enticing to a reader. Readers want to know what made the list and what didn’t—it’s like an instant hook, no matter what the subject matter is. 

3. Listicles get people to click. Including a number in a headline is a great way to maximize clicks and opens. Research has shown something called “the top-10 effect,” in which humans are drawn to lists because our brains like to categorize things and exaggerate the differences between them. Listicles may even trigger a bit of FOMO . . . like, what’s on that list, I kind of need to know! Next thing you know, you’re reading it (or skimming it). 

4. Listicles tend to generate higher social shares and engagement rates. When you create a piece of content, you want it to have its moment on social media—and you want that moment to last as long as possible. When people engage with your listicle on social media, it increases its reach exponentially, allowing more people to find it, engage with it, and share it. There’s just something so sharable about a listicle. Harness that!

5. Listicles can be great for SEO. If you’re publishing a listicle on your own website, it can positively impact your SEO efforts by naturally integrating keywords that will help people find your content and your site. Listicles that pick apart a single topic offer the perfect opportunity to use targeted and long-tail keywords to help your website rank for those terms on Google for the long haul. Likewise, listicles written by you or about you and published on someone else’s site can also be good for SEO through quality backlinks (links from their site back to yours). Finally, listicles are easy for Google to understand, because of their structured nature and descriptive headings. The better Google can understand your content, the better it will rank.

Listicles for DTC Products

The almighty listicle is a helpful tool if you sell DTC (direct-to-consumer) products. You can create listicles that showcase your products, highlight key features, list common pain points your products solve, discuss ingredients, demonstrate ways or situations in which to use the products, establish your expertise, or even present use cases or testimonials.

For example:

➡️6 beauty products you need to add to your routine this summer

➡️8 ways to swap clean products into your daily life

➡️10 amazing ways to upgrade your XYZ

Here are a couple of real-life examples of how our client, Ampersand Essential Oils, is benefitting from listicles:

The Best Treatments for Bug Bites this Summer

In this non-numbered listicle, our client’s product is part of a roundup of several products to help treat bug bites. You can quickly scan the piece and read about the products that capture your attention. 

The 7 Best Essential Oil Diffusers for Instant Aromatherapy

In this example, our client gives an interview that sets the brand up as an authority on essential oils. The “7 Best” headline implies authority, and the listicle format is visually appealing thanks to the images and the broken-up text.

How Can You Use Listicles?

Whether you write them yourself or try to get your product or service included in listicles created by other people, listicles should be part of your marketing and PR arsenal. Listicles inform, entertain, and engage. They drive clicks, boost SEO, increase brand awareness, and can be an effective way to convey information in a format that will appeal to people online.

Next time you sit down to create content or brainstorm a pitch for a media outlet, consider what listicles could do for you and your brand. Could you jot down five benefits of your product? Can you think of a fun way to spin the headline so people are drawn in and just have to know what those five things are? If so, you’re well on your way to harnessing the power of listicles for your brand.

And, remember, just about every online outlet for content is also interested in listicles, because they tend to perform so well on social media and on websites. If you’d like to snag a shoutout in a listicle, start pitching! When someone says yes, thank the listicle gods—you just scored some amazing earned media.
If you’re ready to take action in your next level of business, book a call with us!