I’ve had a blogging client come to me and say, “Can you turn around a top 25 post for my blog? I need it tomorrow.” I’m always tempted to laugh at that sort of question. In general, yes, I can turn around a blog post on just about anything for the next day — assuming I don’t get the request after I’ve actually turned off the computer for the evening.

But list posts — as a rule — always take me more time than straight up paragraphs. Without fail, I always wind up spending more time than I ever expected hunting down enough points to round out my list.

Lists: What’s Not to Love?

Blog editors adore lists. The odds of a list being good linkbait are much higher than any other kind of post, even if the list just rehashes old thoughts. In part, it’s because readers find lists much easier to scan. Information in list form is just easier to absorb.

Because of the structure of a list is easier for readers, it’s assumed that it’s easier for writers, too. And sure, actually getting your points into that sort of format can be a simple matter. But going out and finding those points requires some heavy lifting on the writer’s part. Lists require some serious research: if you’re working on something obscure, it can take you an hour to find that tenth example.

The Filler Factor

The list format can make it harder to meet length requirements, as well. All writers have reached that point where they’ve just flat out ran out of facts and have had to find some sort of filler. Well, it’s possible to polish up a paragraph and add a bit of analysis — it’s not always so simple to add more information to a list. After all, eleven points can look a little awkward for those of us used to thinking in tens.