Transcript
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Introduces the pattern found across home decor sites and explains what listicles are. Shows how Pinterest searches favor numbered idea posts over essays.
When I analyzed 20 home decor sites that make money on Pinterest, one kind of blog post kept showing up again and again.Not personal stories, not long guides, listicles.24 cozy Christmas mantel ideas, 17 ways to style vintage baskets, posts built around a number.In this video, I'll show you why these posts make money, the one site that takes them to the extreme, and exactly how to write and pin your own.If you learn something new, leave a like.It really helps.And if you want to go deeper, I teach Pinterest in Pin Lions and Claude in Claude Lions.The links are in the description.So what is a listicle?It's a blog post that's a list, a number in the title, and then one idea after another.Each idea gets its own heading, its own photo, and a few lines of text.When I went through those sites, a lot of their posts looked exactly like that.
Christmas ideas, bedroom ideas, porch ideas, gift basket ideas.Even the personal decor blogs, the ones that mostly show their own home, had listicles mixed in.And the word that came up the most in those titles, ideas.People on Pinterest don't search for an essay.They search for ideas.You can see it yourself.Search navy blue bedroom ideas on Pinterest and look at the pins.20 stunning navy blue bedrooms, 23 dark blue bedroom ideas, 30 best navy blue bedrooms, numbers everywhere.
Explains why listicles perform well on Pinterest, including the promise of a number and the extreme example of a site built around long scrolling posts with many ads.
Here's why they work so well on Pinterest.Reason one, a number is a promise.When someone sees a pin that says 24 cozy Christmas mantel ideas, they know exactly what they'll get.Not one mantel, 24.So they tap to see them all, and they save the pin to come back later.And they don't read it once.They scroll, stop at the ideas they like, and scroll again.That's exactly the kind of visit that pays.Which me to one site in my research that takes this to the extreme.The recent posts I looked at were all giant listicles.24 Christmas Eve boxes for kids, 24 easy Christmas treats, 22 gift baskets for teachers.Every idea gets a number, a heading, a big photo, and a few short paragraphs, and it just keeps going.One idea, then the next one, then the next one.So I scrolled one of these posts from the top to the very bottom and counted the ad spots.
More than 30 on one page.And that's the whole trick.Every time a reader scrolls to the next idea, they pass another ad.Long listicle, long scroll, more ads.
Breaks down the monetization benefits of listicles through ads, affiliate links, and email capture. Also shows how one post can generate many Pinterest pins.
Reason two.Listicles make money in more than one way.Ads, like you just saw.The longer people scroll, the more ads they see.That's why the listicles in my research were usually much longer than the other posts with a lot more photos.Affiliate links.A list of gift baskets, bedroom pieces, or porch lanterns is basically a shopping list.Every idea can link to a product.And email.Someone who saves 24 ideas is planning something.That's the perfect moment to offer a free checklist or a printable and get them on your list.Reason three.One listicle gives you a lot of pins.Every idea has its own photo.So from one post you can make five, eight, 10 different pins all pointing to the same article.And because you should only pin the same link about once a week, those pins keep one post alive for weeks with a fresh pin every time.
Here are some listicle pins I made in Ideogram.Seven modern coastal decor ideas, 12 cozy reading nook ideas, 20 small bathroom decor ideas, 17 ways to style vintage baskets.The prompt is simple.A viral Pinterest pin, the room you want, and the text overlay in a huge, groovy retro font with a colored outline.The number is the biggest thing on the pin.That's what stops the scroll, and the words under it are exactly what people search for.
Gives a step-by-step process for creating effective listicles, from keyword research to titles, structure, links, and seasonal refreshes. Then demonstrates how Pin Lion's article writer automates the workflow.
So how do you write a listicle that works?Here's the simple version.Step one, start with a real Pinterest search.Navy blue bedroom ideas, Christmas porch ideas.Check it in a tool like Pin Clicks so you know people are actually looking for it.Step two, put a number and a keyword in the title.Eight navy blue bedroom ideas.Pick a number you can really fill with good ideas.15 strong ideas beat 50 weak ones.Step three, one heading per idea, one great photo per idea, and a few useful lines, not one sentence.Tell people what's in the photo and how to get the look.Step four, add a product link where it makes sense and one email freebie that fits the topic.And step five, seasonal listicles come back every year.Publish them early, then refresh them.New ideas, new photos, new pins.Now writing listicles by hand takes a long time.
That's why I built Pin Lion's article writer.You pick the listicle mode, choose the home decor prompt, and paste your titles, one per line.Eight navy blue bedroom ideas, seven modern coastal decor ideas.As many as you want.Then you hit generate and it works through the queue by itself.Here's what it made.A short intro and then every idea with its own heading, a realistic room photo, a color palette, the key pieces, and styling tips.Exactly the listicle structure we just talked about.When it's done, you send it to WordPress with one click or create the Pinterest pin right from the article.
Warns against thin lists, misleading promises, and repetitive ideas. Wraps up by summarizing why listicles make money and invites viewers to comment and learn more.
Before you start, three mistakes to avoid.Thin lists.10 photos with one line under each.Readers leave fast and that means fewer ad views.A pin that promises more than the post.If the pin says 24 ideas, the post needs 24 real ideas.And ideas that all look the same.Every idea should feel different, so people keep scrolling to see the next one.So that's why listicles make money.A number of people want to tap, a long scroll full of ads, a shopping list for affiliate links, and lots of pins from one post.Which listicle would you write first?Tell me in the comments.And if you want to build a site like this step by step, that's what Pin Lines is for.The link is in the description.See you next time.