BuzzFeed used to do it with almost every single article. I once discovered a website that covered many of my interests—stories, tech, fitness, online growth, and more. On Medium and countless blogs, you’ll find the same pattern. I must have read thousands of those number/list-articles.

Why do they all use numbered headlines? Because they work — until they don’t.

BuzzFeed was the worst thing that ever happened to writing on the internet—but it wasn’t really BuzzFeed’s fault. They simply optimized for what people clicked on. At some point, they realized that “7 Ways to Lose Weight (Number 3 Will Surprise You)” performed far better than “A Comprehensive Guide to Losing Weight.” Since their goal was to maximize clicks, they leaned heavily into this style of writing.

However, I don’t use that structure—and I don’t recommend that you do either.

Here’s why: Despite reading thousands of articles with that format, I can’t remember a single website besides BuzzFeed where I found them. No joke, no exaggeration. I don’t remember the authors, the bloggers, or the magazines. They’ve simply vanished from my memory.

I can’t recall a single specific article that used this formula. “7 Ways to Build Muscle Fast”? I couldn’t tell you even one of the seven.

Why is that?

Because articles with numbered headlines are like fast food. They look tempting, they’re marketed well, but once you’ve consumed them, you realize you’ve gained nothing of lasting value. You still remember that night you had a steak at a five-star restaurant—but you probably don’t remember your first Big Mac.

Fast-food number/list-articles are the same. You consume them, digest them, shit them out, and forget them—almost immediately afterwards you crave something real.

Of course, not every numbered article is of low quality. But by now, too many creators have abused the formula, stuffing low-value content down our throats. Whenever I see a “numbers post,” I just skip it.

Write lists or write something personal.

Numbered posts are the opposite of personal writing. They don’t tell the reader who you are or give them a reason to come back.

Just like you don’t care about returning to McDonald’s because there is another one at every corner, you don’t care about that site with the numbers articles because they can be found all over the internet.

BuzzFeed News is already gone, and BuzzFeed Inc. is struggling financially. The biggest example of “number-post” success has turned into a case study in short-term rise and mid-term failure—and that doesn’t surprise me at all.

If you want to build a real relationship with your readers—or any relationship at all—stay away from numbered headlines and formulas.

My book sales are abysmal.

This week, I gave away another short story called The Last Portrait. I only shared the link on one specific social media profile to see if it would make any difference. It didn’t. As of today, I’ve had only two downloads — for a free book!

I started from zero, so I expected the numbers to be low in the beginning — and maybe for quite a while. Still, I decided to put my numbers out there.

And I’m doing it for two reasons:

1. It creates an authentic record of my progress.

Two downloads are terrible, sure — maybe even embarrassing to share. But ten years from now, this will be part of my story: how a beginner author with no audience tried to make something happen. Maybe I’ll fail completely. But if I do, at least this blog and my transparency will show what didn’t work.

2. It builds trust.

Most things online are fake. People claim all sorts of things on their profiles. How many “lifestyle influencers” out there are actually broke — just faking it until they make it? I’d guess a lot more than those who truly live the lives they portray. What they never show you is how they failed. No, they always succeed at everything. Sure…

With me, you get the real, authentic version — including the failures. That’s why, when I finally succeed at something, you’ll know you can trust me.

My YouTube tutorial channel now has over 11K subscribers. After my first year, I only had 59 subs. It’s still far from being life-changing, but it pays a few bills nowadays. I’m finally in a position where I can teach something about YouTube with real experience — and you can be sure I didn’t fake my way there.

The same will happen with my writing. Maybe in seven years, I’ll be able to say that my books help to pay the bills — maybe it’ll take even longer. But when that day comes, you can be sure I’m telling the truth, because I’ve been sharing my failures from day one — by sharing my numbers.

Everyone I’ve ever talked to says they could write a book. Many people even have an idea for a novel. Yet, whenever I talk to them again after some time, they haven’t made much progress—if they’ve started at all.

The main reason most people never write a book is because it requires delayed gratification. You can’t write a book in a day. Only the truly obsessed finish one in a week, rarely is a book completed in a month. Usually, it takes many months to shape your idea into something polished enough to publish—and most people don’t want to wait that long for the gratification of holding the finished book in their hands.

Blogs are different. You can write something in an hour, click “publish,” and enjoy your reward immediately.

If you keep at it long enough, you might even build an audience to interact with—and maybe even earn some money from it. But what you’ll definitely gain is the daily satisfaction of creating something.

Even though blogging is different from writing a book, it still follows the same principles.

In my case, blogging isn’t just a daily exercise in honing my craft; it’s also a way to improve my English. Sure, my English is far from perfect, but I’ve become much better thanks to this blog.

If English is your native language, blogging will still expand your communication skills. It makes you think about how to express your ideas and arguments more clearly. It pushes you to broaden your vocabulary and experiment with phrasing. It also strengthens your storytelling muscle, since every blog post follows a structure similar to a story scene:

• Grab the reader’s attention.
• Keep them engaged so they stay with you.
• End with a clear, satisfying conclusion that makes your post (or scene) feel complete.

Do you feel like you could write a book?

Start by writing a blog for a month or two—you’ll train your brain well enough to start tackling that 300-page novel, and succeed this time.

I created my first website decades ago. It was a German fitness site that earned me about $100 a month at its peak. While trying to figure out how to drive traffic, attract readers, and make a bit more money from it, I stumbled upon the concept of niche websites.

Back then, everyone was recommending building websites with an extremely narrow focus. I read about one guy who made a site about Micro Machines (the toy cars), another who built one about microscopes, and another about flip knives.

The idea was simple: the more specific your topic, the less competition you’d have. That way, Google would send traffic your way almost instantly for a particular keyword. It worked — for a while. My site made its $100 a month consistently but never really grew beyond that until I moved on to different ideas.

Today, nobody builds niche sites anymore. The market is oversaturated, and AI has taken a huge share of the pie. Trends come and go — and niche sites are definitely going.

Not long ago, NFTs were the hottest thing online. Everyone was talking about those pixelated ape images selling for thousands of dollars. Now? Almost no one mentions them. The market has dried up completely.

When you build your brand around a trend, everything you do becomes tied to it. And when the trend fades, your brand fades too.

That’s why most niche sites have such short lifespans. Just like NFTs, they might enjoy a year or two of hype where you can make some quick money, but after that, it’s over.

So what if, instead of chasing trends, you make your website — and your brand — about yourself?

Now we’re talking about a personal blog, one that documents your way through life. This year you might be focused on getting fit and losing weight. Once you reach that goal, maybe you’ll write about building an online business. And perhaps two years from now, if NFTs make a comeback, you’ll explore that too and share the process.

Sure, not every reader will follow you in every direction. But most readers aren’t there just for your first topic — they’re there for you. And you’ll still be you, whether you’re writing about fitness, online entrepreneurship, or digital collectibles.

That’s why creating a You website is the better way. Such websites don’t fade when a trend fades. As long as people are online and reading, there will be an audience for your writing.

Whatever your interests are, make your blog about you.

For example, I could have started a generic blog about becoming an author. There’s already plenty of content out there to copy or rewrite. I could even ask ChatGPT to write a daily post about book marketing for indie authors to publish on it.

But if I write about my personal effort — how I’m trying to become a successful author, how I market my books, how I find readers — that makes the blog interesting to read for an audience. What I do here is real, it’s authentic, it’s me.

And people who read my stuff are not just interested in the topics I cover; they’re interested in me. And as long as I keep being me, they’ll come back for more.