Nailing Your Next Listicle: A 3-Step Guide to Catching an Editor’s Eye

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original.To think of a new idea, you need to come up with unexpected angles on topics. For instance, instead of writing an article about 5 Things That I Learned Visiting Germany, you could write about 5 Reasons Germany Surprised Me. It’s finding the new angle that gets your article published.<h2 id="8401">You need to think of subheadings that are interesting, as well</h2>While the main heading needs to be something that promises an interesting read, each of the points that make up your listicle needs to be good enough to retain reader interest, too.For instance, if you’re writing about what surprised you about Germany, you could come up with points like Nearly no shop is open past 8 in the evening, or You aren’t allowed to make noise with a vacuum cleaner or washing machine on Sundays.It’s important to note that these headings tell you something, but not everything about the subjects that they speak about. They’re specific without giving too much away.<h2 id="2d03">You need to choose one from among various listicle options</h2>Every site that publishes listicles specializes in one or two kinds of formats. You need to choose a format acceptable to the outlets that you wish to pitch to.In general, these are the listicle types.The personal experience article in listicle form: 6 Reasons My Move Abroad Wasn’t the Nightmare I Thought It Would Be and 5 Things That Changed When I Stopped Watching TV. These articles talk about personal experiences, but set out the points made in list form. Often, the best articles draw on research findings for extra credibility, just the way a regular essay or article would.The listi

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cle that offers advice: This type of listicle is often based on research and personal experience, too. The main aim of the article, however, is to offer advice. It may come with titles like 9 Things Not to Say to Someone Who’s Lost Weight or How to Respond to 5 Common Types of Bullies.The listicle that is all research: Sometimes, each point in a listicle draws on a different research study, but somehow contributes to a common idea. These listicles come with titles like 4 Signs You Have A Toxic Friend or 5 Myths That Actually Turn Out to Be Scientific Fact.The listicle that is actually hard-core reporting: Sometimes, you may have a well-researched story that you’d like to present in the form of a list for greater reader-friendliness. These listicles, with titles like 3 Directions That the LBGTQ Movement is Headed in Right Now and 5 Reasons You Should Be Concerned About the Ingredients That Go into Baby Food, aren’t usually presented with GIFs for entertainment purposes. If there are images, they’re usually still ones.The very long listicle: Many listicles extend to 20 or 30 points. Long listicles often are a great first attempt if you’re new to this type of writing. They may come with titles like 25 Things You Only Know If You’ve Been to Harvard or 30 Ways You Know You’re Married to the Right Guy. Individual points in these listicles run to a sentence or two at most to keep lengths reasonable.The best listicles are done in an entertaining style but are tightly written, thoughtful, and honest. If you try to elevate the listicle writing form when you try your hand at it, you’re sure to succeed at getting published.</article></body>

Three Tips to Help You Write a Listicle That Publishers Like

List-type articles, or listicles, as they’re commonly known, have been popular on the internet for over a decade now. These are articles published as lists of points on various topics. Often, listicles are published with entertaining GIFs that help push home the points made.

There are plenty of outlets, with names like Bustle and BuzzFeed, that publish listicles. If you’re a writer, trying your hand at writing listicles can be a great way to find publishing interest. If you’d like to write a list-type piece that gets picked up, however, you need to know what you’re doing. Here are three proven strategies.

You need to put in some hard work

Listicles may appear fun and lightweight but require considerable work. While the point-based format may mean that you don’t need to put much thought into the structure of a piece you write, you still need to think of great points that keep your audience hooked. The fact that people have been writing listicles for over a decade now only means that you’ll need to work hard to find an idea that’s original.

To think of a new idea, you need to come up with unexpected angles on topics. For instance, instead of writing an article about 5 Things That I Learned Visiting Germany, you could write about 5 Reasons Germany Surprised Me. It’s finding the new angle that gets your article published.

You need to think of subheadings that are interesting, as well

While the main heading needs to be something that promises an interesting read, each of the points that make up your listicle needs to be good enough to retain reader interest, too.

For instance, if you’re writing about what surprised you about Germany, you could come up with points like Nearly no shop is open past 8 in the evening, or You aren’t allowed to make noise with a vacuum cleaner or washing machine on Sundays.

It’s important to note that these headings tell you something, but not everything about the subjects that they speak about. They’re specific without giving too much away.

You need to choose one from among various listicle options

Every site that publishes listicles specializes in one or two kinds of formats. You need to choose a format acceptable to the outlets that you wish to pitch to.

In general, these are the listicle types.

The personal experience article in listicle form: 6 Reasons My Move Abroad Wasn’t the Nightmare I Thought It Would Be and 5 Things That Changed When I Stopped Watching TV. These articles talk about personal experiences, but set out the points made in list form. Often, the best articles draw on research findings for extra credibility, just the way a regular essay or article would.

The listicle that offers advice: This type of listicle is often based on research and personal experience, too. The main aim of the article, however, is to offer advice. It may come with titles like 9 Things Not to Say to Someone Who’s Lost Weight or How to Respond to 5 Common Types of Bullies.

The listicle that is all research: Sometimes, each point in a listicle draws on a different research study, but somehow contributes to a common idea. These listicles come with titles like 4 Signs You Have A Toxic Friend or 5 Myths That Actually Turn Out to Be Scientific Fact.

The listicle that is actually hard-core reporting: Sometimes, you may have a well-researched story that you’d like to present in the form of a list for greater reader-friendliness. These listicles, with titles like 3 Directions That the LBGTQ Movement is Headed in Right Now and 5 Reasons You Should Be Concerned About the Ingredients That Go into Baby Food, aren’t usually presented with GIFs for entertainment purposes. If there are images, they’re usually still ones.

The very long listicle: Many listicles extend to 20 or 30 points. Long listicles often are a great first attempt if you’re new to this type of writing. They may come with titles like 25 Things You Only Know If You’ve Been to Harvard or 30 Ways You Know You’re Married to the Right Guy. Individual points in these listicles run to a sentence or two at most to keep lengths reasonable.

The best listicles are done in an entertaining style but are tightly written, thoughtful, and honest. If you try to elevate the listicle writing form when you try your hand at it, you’re sure to succeed at getting published.