3 reasons list stories work
It’s a familiar format. It’s familiar, because it’s effective. Here’s why and how you should compose a list of key points to deliver your message.
Resources at print publications are continuing to dwindle, which means that editors today often turn to industry thought leaders to develop content.
They’re much more likely to accept something brief and to the point, like a numbered tip article, than a lengthy essay about a topic—and readers are much more likely to read it.
As you think about how to get your clients’ names and companies into the discussion, consider structuring the clients’ insights into sound bites so they can be published as a list article.
Here are three key reasons why this format works:
1. Social media has changed our collective attention span.
Neil Vidyarthi of SocialTimes posted an infographic that shows how social media, in the span of a decade, has diminished our attention span from 12 minutes to five minutes. This means you have a lot less time to make your point. Plus, once your article publishes, it will probably receive a lot of traffic through social media sharing, so you should offer the brevity that online readers expect.
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