Top 10 Reasons Why Top 10 Lists Win

Make a list. That is the advice we get when we want to get organized or remember what to pack. Lists help us not forget to buy bananas. Did you know lists are so useful that they have their own term in article writing, listicles. Why are these articles, or listicles, so popular? Read on to see our top 10 reasons why lists win!

Top 10 Reasons Lists are So Popular

10… Bite-size Portions

Numbered, bite-size portions are the best way to receive information. The organization and detailing is done for you. The subject’s points are distilled down to a list of ranked subpoints. It is just a really easy way to become smarter.

9… Imply Knowledge

Listicles give a lot of power to people with big opinions. Lists present the writer’s opinions as a type of fact and imply a degree of knowledge. You may get your feathers ruffled while reading “The Top 10 Metal Bands of the 1990s” when you notice the contributor ranked Korn at number 4.

8… Create Debate

Lists spark debate. When a listicle writer ranks their views and presents them, readers are going to have feelings. It won’t be easy to forget that Korn was ranked number 4 when you wholeheartedly disagree. Because of those feelings you might share the article with friends and on social media. Your friends may agree with your take, or severely disappoint you by asking why Nickelback was not included on the list.

7… Easier to Absorb

Lists are quick and easy to read. The time and mental energy needed to read a list piece are not the same as it is for, say, a deep, multi-page dive into campaign finance reform. The “Top 10 Reasons Why Campaign Finance Reform is a Hot Button Issue” is just easier to read and absorb.

6… Introduce New Things

We can find new ways to enrich our lives through listicles. 10 Best Netflix Shows this Fall. Top 5 Historical Biographies you Must Read. At Least 7 Bands That are Better than Korn. These lists will introduce you to shows, books, bands, and ideas that you may have otherwise never discovered.

5… Statistical

Humans like statistics. Like it or not, we are all kind of nerds. When we see that there is a scientific method that can rank the friendliest cities in the United States, we will let our secret geeks out. We want to know the how and the what of it all.

4… Clickbait

Listicles are popular as clickbait partly because they are easy to write. Since we all have that secret geek, there is a good chance that anyone of us could sit down and write a top 10 list.

3… We Love Top 10 Lists

Why 10? Humans love round numbers. We connect with the number 10 especially. We see it in our fingers, toes, our commandments, our Bills of Rights, and in our Top 10 Lists. The alliteration of “Top Ten” also helps.

2… Secretly Judging

Every spot on a top 10 list has a unique reason for being there. Sometimes spot number 2 is for that thing you love despite issues others might have with it, but at least it didn’t take the number one spot. However, we all can still secretly judge why you put THAT in a particular spot on the list! That’s what we love to do by looking at top 10 lists.

Finally, The Moment You Have All Been Waiting For…1

What could be the number 1 reason that list-based articles are so popular with readers? They’re easy to skim. We glide straight past the intro and right to the goods. The fun stuff.

Are you enjoying our Did You Know? series? Be sure to read the last article here.

*The writer of this article had no idea that WE love the band Korn and that Nickleback can be put on a rocket and sent to the sun!