Quick tip: How to make better lists
Every white paper includes a list or two.
No wonder. Lists have many benefits:
- Lists help us compare and contrast
- Lists gather together a lot of data
- Lists can be scanned at a glance
Designers and UX researchers have known for decades that lists are a good way to “chunk” info into shorter pieces.
Those short chunks build comprehension and boost recall.
So lists are a vital element in any B2B content.
But are you making your lists as effective as possible?
Here are four tips to help you take charge of your lists.
Tip 1: Reorder your draft list
If you’re like most writers making a list, you just jot down items as they pop into your mind.
So the results often look unplanned and unfinished.
Instead of communicating at a glance, your list can make a reader pause to wonder what you’re trying to say.
For example, here’s a first draft list.
Our software runs on all popular operating systems:
- MacOS
- Linux
- Windows
- ChromeOS
What does this order mean?
Was the product created first for MacOS and only recently ported to Windows? If you use Windows, does this list give you any confidence?
Here’s how I would rearrange this list.
Our software runs on all popular operating systems:
- Windows
- MacOS
- Linux
- ChromeOS
The second draft is organized by installed base, with the most popular OS at the top and the least popular at the bottom. How sensible!
Always reconsider your first draft to see if you can make your list more clear.
Tip 2: Default to alphabetical order
If you have a jumbled list that you can’t figure out how to organize, use alphabetical order.
You can’t often go wrong by putting your items in order from A to Z.
This is how I usually start arranging any list of items. I recommend you do that as well. Make alphabetical your default arrangement.
Then no one will waste any time wondering if there’s a secret message buried in your list.
Tip 3: Choose the order that fits the material best
Sometimes alphabetical order isn’t the smartest way to organize your list.
Here are some other methods with an example of when to use each one.
Click here to download a PDF of this table for your reference.
| Order | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Alphabetical | A to Z | Names in a directory |
| Categorical | Types or groups | Products in a store (Clothing, Electronics, Home, etc) |
| Chronological | —First to last —Old to new | —Company milestones —Product releases |
| Frequency | Common to rare | Items in an FAQ |
| Geographical | —Near to far —Far to near | —Offices starting with HQ —News from global to local |
| Hierarchical | —Top down —Bottom up | —Employees from CEO down —Military ranks from private up |
| Importance | Most to least important | Key features of a product |
| Numerical | —Big to small —Small to big | —Top 100 companies by revenue —Units of data from bits up |
| Priority or Risk | —High to low —Low to high | —To-do list —Simple things to try |
| Process | First to last | Steps in a production process |
| Value or Cost | —High to low —Low to high | —Items from premium to budget —Items by cost |
Tip 4: Tell readers your method
Don’t make your readers guess how your list is arranged.
Tell them explicitly how you set out each list. That only takes a short phrase.
For example, the three or four words in bold are all you need:
Here are the top 10 questions our support team gets in order of frequency:
Our significant donors for the year, in alphabetical order, include:
From start to finish, there are four main steps in this process:
The top 10 companies in our niche by last year’s revenues are:
See how brief that can be? Yet it can save your readers a world of guesswork.
Conclusion
So those are my four tips on making better lists:
- Reorder your draft list
- Default to alphabetical order
- Choose the order that fits the material best
- Tell readers your method
By applying these tips, you can transform your lists from chaotic jumbles into powerful structures that enhance your B2B content.
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