5 reasons why ‘5 reason to…’ lists don’t work

1. It’s been done, we’ve all been there.

2. It’s been done to death.

3. It is not imaginative.

4. It is unlikely we’ll say anything that will stand out, that is really insightful, just more list filler.

5. It’s difficult to think of 5 things or 9, or 12 or whatever number we chose for our list. So we fill up lists to make them look bigger and more useful.

Lists are often accompanied by a ‘buy my stuff’ style ‘hook’. We’ve all spat them out now and do not get hooked.

What we could choose to do instead is share our story, our passion, and build trust by generously sharing our knowledge in a deeper more informative way, that will connect us with the people who like what we have to say and what we stand for.

Our story is uniquely different and needs to be told to our tribe/audience who will care about what we do if it adds real value in exchange for their time to consume our content.

Skip the lists and hooks for more genuine content that is about connecting, sharing, building value and trust.

Avoid the quick wins and opt for the longer term.

Build value

‘Where’s the money in that?’ is the cry of people who need a salary and are willing to exchange their soul for money to buy trinkets.

Spend your life building value, which as it builds will provide you with all the resources you need to live a meaningful and abundant life.

Value takes longer to build but is so much more rewarding, longer-lasting and meaningful to our life.

It’s because you build long-lasting value by doing something you care about, something that matters and therefore you will create your best work. It will do the same to the people who love what you do and that’s why value is more valuable than a salary or making money.