Listical
Listicals break your message into a series of easily digestible points. Each item typically addresses a specific audience pain point or benefit and guides viewers toward your product or service as the solution. It organizes content into a numbered or thematic structure, which creates a natural flow that engages audiences and is good for retention.
It's also very versatile. It can pulled off as an image, video, UGC, fully produced, and is seen across all paid social platforms.
Creative strategist often claim it is one of their top performing ad formats, and with how easy to make and definitely worth testing.
Hooks/Headline Examples
- 3 Reasons Why Your Dog's Anxiety Is Worse Than You Think (And How to Fix It)
- 5 reasons why you should never buy Ryze Mushroom coffee! (Uses sarcasm)
- These are the top ingredients to clean your skin
- 2025 Wishlist: _________________
- 5 myths about skincare that everyone believes
Tips & Recommendations
- Start with a strong and compelling hook that uses curiousity-driving language! You want to capture attention and insight curiousity.
- Focus on benefits and end desired outcomes rather than features. Rather than saying “Our supplement contains melatonin,” say, “Helps you fall asleep faster and wake up refreshed.”
- Complement your points with engaging visuals or overlays that emphasize key ideas. With statics, keep the design clean and avoid distracting from the the list. With video, play with switching up the visuals throughout the video, like an eye-catching visual of something unusual or a variety of shots that are drastically different from each other can help keep your viewer engaged.
- Keep the list concise and focused. Stick to 3-7 points to avoid overwhelming your audience.
- Tie the ad in a bow with a strong CTA!
Why It Works
Listicle ads leverage key psychological principles that drive attention and engagement. Once someone starts reading a number list, they are motivated to finish it because the brain seeks resolution. Each numbered point in a listical feels like a step closer to completion, which encourages viewers to keep going and drives retention. This is called completion bias.
Also, Fluency Theory claims that people are more likely to trust and act on information that is easy to understand. Listicles simplify complex ideas into clear, numbered points, reducing cognitive effort and making the content more digestible.
Listicals are also great because they can speak to many point points in one ad. Maybe point 1 and 2 didn't resonate with your specific viewer, but number 3 nails it on the head.
What to Avoid
Avoid overloading your listicle ads with too many points. This can overwhelm viewers and increase cognitive load, making the content harder to follow and less engaging. Stick to 3-7 points.
Also, make each point is unique and worth remembering. Avoid vague or generic items that aren't teaching your viewer something new. And try to avoid repetition by ensuring every point adds unique insights or addresses a distinct aspect of the problem or solution, keeping the ad fresh and engaging throughout it.
