And because we used them so frequently, I invested a lot of time thinking about how we could make them better.

Initially, I developed a set of rules and guidelines for our content team to make sure we hit the mark.

Simple ones, like ‘Style headers in H3‘ and ‘Put links on a new line under the paragraph text‘.

And more tricky ones, like ‘Make sure the headings relate back to the headline‘ and ‘Always surprise the reader – they haven’t come here to be told what they already know‘.

The less time my team spent focusing on the ‘simple’ elements – like styling and formatting and consistency – the more they were able to focus on the more advanced ones.

Not only did the production of our content become quicker and more efficient.

But the end product was superieor and offered more value to our audience.

(Incidentally: This was one of the key reasons why the publication grew from 60,000 monthly pageviews to 6.5 million monthly pageviews during my 18 months in the role.)

1. Input the headings for your list into the tool;
2. Fill out the paragraph text, links and media links as needed
3. Copy the automatically generated HTML code into your CMS

Inefficient

Inconsistent

Once you’ve chosen your topic, the best thing you can do is enter curation mode. Lists live and die by the quality of their curation – and that should be your sole focus during that time.

Only then should you reconfigure your brain to write copy, and work on more granular aspects – like phrasing, cadence and syntax.

From there, you can tighten your curation and your copy – or you can get stuck into formatting hell.

With this tool, that’s not a choice you need to make.