Listicle

To Listicle Or Not Listicle — That Is The Question

A listicle experiment

After arriving here on Medium, one of the first articles I read was titled something like, “Why Successful Writers Never Write Listicles.”

Wanting very much to be a successful writer, I took this advice to heart and diligently avoided writing listicles… all the while reading listicle after listicle on various subjects.

So are listicles inherently bad? Or are they just another tool writers can use to get their certain points across?

Let’s look at some listicle PROS and CONS.

Listicle PROS

• Everyone loves numbers.
• They are easier to write.
• Information is easier to organize.
• They draw more readers.
• They are popular.

Listicle CONS

• Details are often sparse or overlooked.
• Some readers hate them.
• They can be clickbaity.
• Many people don’t read them all the way through.
• They are out of date.

An experiment