Workhorse

Truth be told about YouTube Listicles

By Phil/Kords | Published 18 July 2020 | No Comments

Word Count: 1069
Reading time: 00:04:16

Have you been on YouTube long enough? I bet you must have come across channels with Top Tens, Top Fives so on and so forth. Baring a few others exists with no solid purpose. I have found some which are genuine and while others have no basis to come up with a listicle in the first place. Even some big channel tend to get it wrong.

Do you need a basis for coming up with the top ten or top five? Why should you have one in the first place? Let’s face it, most top fives and top tens are entertaining and informative.

If entertainment and information are what defines your channel that by all means, it is fine. Travel that path if you so desire.

Why one should go for basis is because it boosts your credibility tremendously. As a creator, should it not be your responsibility to inform your viewers or subscribers about how you came up with this list in particular? One major reason I will give is to separate the sheep from the goats!

If your listicle forms a classification or sorts, then you will require to come up with the basis for coming up with such a classification in the first place. This is difficult to implement and need more work. Subject matter experts in the field are highly desired and taking their time will require time and money. So, it is safer to not come up with criteria at all. Isn’t it?

Identifying the basis of Top Tens/Fives:

It is more like either the best among the top ten or countdown from the least good to the absolute best. While some channels come up with 10 best to build up sufficient suspense for the number 1. Well, that is not difficult you might say.

This is where the problem begins. If you are coming up with a list of top 10s, is it going to be the 10 best or ascending best?

These two are the only ways to coming with top tens. Compiling a list of the best 10 is perhaps the easiest. The challenge comes when deciding on the 10 ascending best. This requires ample basis to decide why a particular thing is set at number 9 or 8.

What this would entail is a set of criteria to qualify a particular thing. If the channel delves into various topics then the criteria will have to be broadened. Say for example, if you come up with criteria of 10 best sports cars or descending best. There are factors to consider: engine, technology, top speed, etc. The same cannot be applied to fighter jets, luxury cars or other items like lifestyle products.

Justification is what will set you apart. Very few channels get into this.

Because if I as a viewer would view the basis on how did he/she came up with this top ten list in the first place. Most viewers and subscribers do not even bother.

As an example, look at the top ten listings of defence equipment. There are no set criteria to qualify the next best Special Forces, tanks, military guns, etc. unless they have not seen the actual battle or even missiles.

My issues aren’t restricted with defence channels but several out there that are too many to name.

If I were to come up with criteria of the best special forces, the one major factor would be on the number of successful missions. The problem with this is, special operations are always done in secrecy. The best missions are never made public.

So, whatever information is found online are all declassified. This information will only be declassified after decades or many years as long as they do not affect the relationship with the country the operation was conducted on.

It is difficult to put special forces or weapon systems that have never seen the horrors of war.

The main objective of the Top Tens/Fives:

Is it a compiled list to expand the viewer’s knowledge? Top 5s is an amazing channel. I am a subscriber and sometimes I watch their channel. They mostly cover dark topics. Their lists contain actual footage and voice samples. The kind of content they produce, you will rarely find the same content on another channel.

Best of all, the content is updated often and contains information not seen or heard elsewhere. You need the stomach for it!

Watchmojo works similarly. They do not have an ascendingly stronger list. Initially started with entertainment and expanded into other realms like facts – which is not credible enough.

Channel like Watchmojo is an entertainment channel. Preferably, they must stay away from the top ten facts.

Top 5s, despite its dark tone, is a good watch and can be construed as entertainment and increasing your knowledge base.

My Story:

When I started with my gaming channel in 2018, I knew nothing about starting a channel or writing my script. Yes, I am a content marketer and scripts is something I had not ventured into.
I eventually learnt to write scripts and it is not the best. Then I thought of building credibility for my reviews.

I started with a rating system and classify games on how they fared. I play the game extensively before drawing any conclusions. I have also listed this rating system on all my upcoming reviews along with the link in the description.

Why did I go through all of this trouble in coming up with a rating system? I wanted to boost my credibility as a genuine gamer. I want my opinions to be valued for two major reasons: 1) I love gaming 2) I want to share my thoughts with the world.

The of my website will be another way of moving away from the ordinary. I also wanted to own my website. Who knows, I may even separate my gaming channel and upcoming music channel due to launch next year.

Credibility is one of the strongest cores. When I provide gaming solutions for difficult levels or how to beat bosses, I do not watch nor read for the solution online. I take my time to discover and present that solution online. I can proudly say, I came up with that. This is one of the major reasons I do not watch gaming channels having a similar theme as mine.

So what do you think? Let me know in the comments.

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