There are some kind of blog posts that attract lots of visitors to your blog. One evergreen popular type of blog post is a listed post and that’s the topic for this article, but we’ll talk about how to write a listed post “with a twist”
One of the most shared blog posts is a Listicle post – one that is organized in list format. People love listed posts. For instance, look at how David Letterman’s top ten list always got viral traction.
However, we will not focus exclusively on viral traffic. Instead, we will try and get others to promote our blog posts by inviting them to share your content.
Visit List.ly, and you will find a social media creation tool. This allows you to build a dynamic list of links that you can embed on your blog. It’ kind of like crowdsourcing for your blog post. You can come up with a list of anything you like including a website, tools, tips, and even a list of lists.
Choose an interesting topic that your readers will like and set up a list based on that. You can write on something like “Top 5 Tips to Grow Your Online Business” or “Best Dating Advice for Women Over 30.”
Now others can submit their links and tips to their relevant blog posts. You will find out that most of these people will also promote your post on their blog since they are featured in it.
The best thing is that your content is dynamic, interactive, and growing. You can have your readers vote on individual items on the list so that the most popular remains in the top position.
If you want to make your list more shareable, integrate it with current news. For instance, quite a while ago Google announced that it was shutting down Google Reader. Someone made a list of alternatives and asked for suggestions.
Within a few days, the post had grown to close to 40 Google Reader alternatives, and the amount of traffic the post was getting was overwhelming.
How Do You Make the Most of List.Ly
Ask for help to fill out the list
You need to show people what to do in order for them to do it. So, ask them to share with you their best ideas, tips, etc.
Invite response by leaving out some points
If you create an all-inclusive list, your audience will not have enough points to add to your content. That is why you need to create a list with, let’s say 3-5 items, and leave the rest for others to fill.
Embed the list onto your website
List.ly lists automatically resizes your list to fit on any device. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if you place it inside a blog post or sidebar or if it’s being read on the phone, or a laptop.
Come up with a list of movers and shakers in your industry
These bigwigs are likely to link to your list, thus amplifying your traffic
Brand your list
Other website owners may display your list on their sites, therefore, ensure you brand your list. For instance, if your website is GaryOnline.com, then your list can read Garyonline.com’s List of Online Marketers of the Year 2018, in banner placed at the top.
Fill in the credits
This refers to the website address your list links to. You may want to set up a landing page where you can track traffic or just use your homepage.
The main secret to a great List.ly list is to choose an interesting topic that will make people want to share with others and contribute to. Come up with such a list, and it will go viral. Do it creatively, and you could have overwhelming traffic on your hands.
Conclusion
The keywords for blog posts that people want to read and share is “educates” “intertaining” “engaging” and if you choose the right topic, your listed post could fit into all 3 of these.
Another very popular type of blog post is “how to” articles.
