In Praise of the List

 

A list can be an effective tool for copy and content writers. Lists …

… can force the reader’s eye to follow a specific path

… make it easy for the reader to read/skim

… make the complicated appear simple and practical

… give the impression of being definitive

… present a lot of information in a less daunting, digestible way

… give the reader an idea of what to expect

… offer information in a format people are familiar and comfortable with

… deliver information quickly to distracted readers

… can be easy to write with ready-made structure/organization

"I love the way a list makes a big hodgepodge of things
simmer down and behave."

Blue Balliett

"Lists simplify, clarify, edify."

Tom Peters

"Lists are a form of power."

A.S. Byatt