Is 50 ways to leave your lover too many, or is one or two enough?

 

Lists are everywhere – and articles built around them, often called listicles, are endemic. Easily digested and simple to share, some firms (eg, Buzzfeed) have surged on the back of listicles. But do lists still have impact?

List articles don’t seem to be going out of fashion. Yet. Inside our scorched brain-scapes they can quash the pain of taking in too much information – mighty handy for absorbing benefits in a jiffy.

6 ways eggs can scramble a hangover.

7 secrets scrooge lenders don’t want you to know.

9 winning habits of leading nuns.

You get the idea.

But in the scrum to capture eyeballs it’s often easy to make mistakes with your aspiring hit-list. So you should remember a few nifty tips. Like, say, four…

1. Avoid padding

Don’t stretch your list to nine if you only have six things really worth shouting about.

2. Know when to say when

If you must impart 17 ways to get your marketing firing like a hot piston, how many will readers remember? The components may all be worth their weight in rare ink, but few people take the time to study a long list. Or can feasibly implement their findings. Different rules apply whether a list article is for serious consumption, or just a bit of fun.

3. Beware of sounding like junk

Because so many listicle headings lead to junk articles designed to prosper on ad clicks, sometimes you may have to rein in your heading’s verve. And sometimes, therefore, a little of the magic to avoid sounding like click-bait.

4. No more, I’m whacked

Finally, list fatigue can deaden impact. As with anything popular it’s easy for bombarded minds to tune out if – again on their feed – is another list article with grab-all tentacles. Like overused words (innovative, engage etc), using a certain device too often also nudges readers to snooze.

So use your 50 ways to kill your mammy listicle with caution. Or make sure your list sparkles like Christmas tinsel every time.