Compelling Content that Causes Clicks: The Forbes Magazine Model

For some time now, I’ve been clicking over to check out the delicious “In Pictures” galleries that Forbes Magazine puts up on a continual basis.

These content snippets in particular are great examples of compelling content that creates clicks …

Here’s two examples in particular that I ate up:

• 10 Elements of a Business Plan
• Five Do-It-Yourself PR Tactics

Here are 5 keys why I think this content model is compelling enough to replicate on your blog:

1. It’s a fast read — You just need less than a minute to scan it all and digest it. Then you can always read the full story if you want more.

2. It’s extremely practical content — a business owner/entrepreneur could put most of these tips to use right away.

3. It’s linkbait ready — Read: Digg, Reddit, Del.icio.us, etc.

4. It increases pageviews and ad exposure — I actually don’t like having the slides spread out on different pages, but know it’s good for ads and revenue. As a reader, I’m willing to tolerate it.

5. It’s a great draw to get new readers — This is actually the only thing I read at Forbes right now, but I’ll keep coming back and eventually read more.