Where to Find Unique Listicle Ideas People Will Actually Read
Listicles may not be highbrow enough for the snobs out there, but the people have spoken (or, rather, clicked), and it's clear they are one of the most popular ways of arranging information.
But practically everyone can write one, so if you want to be read or get paid, your listicle ideas need to stand out.
As a content writer who earns a regular income from unique listicles, I thought I'd share some of my favorite places to find inspiration.
The Best Places To Look For Original Listicle Ideas
Podcasts
Podcasts are an absolute game-changer for non-fiction content writers on the hunt for juicy facts.
You can be passively searching for seeds of inspiration while you clean the dishes, hit the gym, or even take a shower.
I put podcasts on whenever I'm doing tasks around the house that I don't enjoy, which is pretty much all of them, and then I just wait and see if something leaps out.
What I'm listening for is a fact that stays with me long after the podcast is over, and one that I think other people not only don't know, but wouldn't expect.
That means I tend to focus on podcasts that provide lots of facts rather than advice or opinions, and which feature qualified experts on the subject.
Here are a few examples of my current favorites.
Great Lives (BBC)
Great Lives is a long-running BBC Radio 4 show where the host interviews an accomplished figure not about their own life, but the life of someone from history that interests them.
There is an expert in the room too, often someone who has written a book about the person being discussed. The interviewees and their subjects span an enormous range, and many of the episodes are fascinating.
My favorite guest to date has to be the late A. A. Gill, who, in his usual provocative way, gave an entirely convincing defense of the life of Neville Chamberlain.
Evil Genius with Russell Kane (BBC)
I actually learned about this show from Russell Kane's appearance on Great Lives. (He picked the author Evelyn Waugh and ended up inspiring a Listverse piece I wrote.)
It's like a less highbrow version that's aimed at a younger audience, and it's great fun.
Kane gives his guests a historical figure to discuss, and throughout the show he reveals facts that paint the figure in a positive or negative light.
At the end, the guests have to vote on whether that figure was 'evil' or if they were a 'genius.' They've covered lots of interesting people, from J. F. K. to Prince.
The Rest is History / Classified (Goalhanger)
The 'Rest Is' formula is simple and highly effective: take two experts, give them a topic and some mics, and let them get on with it.
The shows cover topics in a bit more depth than the other two podcasts I've mentioned, usually spending 2-3 episodes on each one.
'History' has no particular focus and deals with events from all different regions and ages, while 'Classified' focuses on spy stories from the 20th and 21st centuries.
There are a few other 'Rest Is' shows that are just as fun to listen to, but personally I don't find them as useful for generating ideas.
Magazines
I love a good book, but when it comes to finding new ideas for articles, magazines have several advantages.
They don't require as much time to be committed, they cover lots of different topics, and the information in them has already been filtered down to the most interesting facts.
Also, because most magazines also publish online too, you can often link to them as a source to back up what you've written.
I'm lucky enough to have access to a library here in Bangkok that stocks a good variety of magazines in English. Here are the ones I seek out first when I visit.
National Geographic
An oldie but a goodie, Nat Geo covers all kinds of cool topics and is far from being just a geography magazine. Lots of my articles have been inspired by things I've read here.
The rule of thumb that if something is interesting enough for National Geographic, it'll be interesting enough for other places too, has served me well, especially with websites like Listverse.
BBC History / All About History
Both of these are brilliant. There's not too much to say about them, as they're very much "do-what-they-say-on-the-tin" publications.
They tend to deal with one or two topics in depth each month, and then bulk the magazine out with lots of shorter pieces on covering different areas.
Like with podcasts, I work my way through these primarily because I enjoy them, and then I see what facts surprise me or stick with me afterward.
New Scientist / BBC Science Focus
Ditto.
Websites
Sometimes, there will be weeks when you've finished all of your regular podcasts and magazines, and you still haven't got any ideas. That's life.
But if you're serious about being a content writer, you need to have a backup plan.
For me, that's when I start searching through online sources. You might want to start with this, but I personally find podcasts and magazines much more enjoyable than reading off a screen.
I currently have about 40 favorite websites for finding ideas saved in a bookmarks folder on my browser. That's too many to list here, but I'll share my top three.
BBC News 'Topics' Pages
Despite what you might hear Brits saying about it, the BBC remains a trusted source of information not just in the UK, but all around the world.
They don't just report the news, either. They cover all kinds of topics if you know where to look, and that's what I'm about to show you.
You see, the BBC has news pages for thousands of topics, but you can't find them via the website. They also have unguessable URLs.
If you are looking for stories about the car industry, you'd think the address would end with /topics/cars, but it's actually /topics/cywd23g0g55t.
However, these pages do show up on Google. Just search for "site:bbc.com topic [your topic]".
Save the pages, and you'll always be able to find the latest stories on topics that you write about.
Smithsonian Magazine
Okay, this is a website that's actually fun to read.
It's like National Geographic, All About History, and New Scientist rolled into one, and it posts daily.
The articles are interesting, easy to read, and often quite short, making the Smithsonian Mag a great resource for keeping up to date with scientific and historical discoveries.
JSTOR Daily
If you've been to university, you probably have PTSD from JSTOR and never want to visit the site again. But bear with me, because they also have a blog page that is quite similar to the Smithsonian Magazine site above.
JSTOR Daily has fun, digestible articles on every topic under the sun, and they are always backed up by real academic research published on the site. Definitely worth a look.
A Content Writer Doesn't Wait
I would never have made it as a writer if I had sat around and waited for listicle ideas to arrive fully formed in my mind.
In fact, it doesn't matter what kind of writing you do, consistency is key if you want to turn it into a regular income or career.
That means having a plan for the inevitable times when inspiration doesn't come easy.
If you enjoy these resources and you want something similar for your own website, work with me and we'll create content your readers will love.