After spending about 5 years writing articles strictly for a small college-focused website, this was my next step up in article writing, moving on to write about all sports for a nationally-recognized brand. In 3 months, I wrote 13 articles and was featured twice in a Bleacher Report email blast.

Bleacher Report enjoys these “All-Time Best” countdown articles and has made it a staple to completing their writing program. When I wrote the “Miami Dolphins’ All-Time Best Third-Round Draft Choice”, I wanted to avoid writing something random. It needed to be appropriate to the time of the season and relevant to the team’s situation.

After reading and writing these types of articles, there’s a craft to it. It isn’t strictly about writing a countdown article that people can agree to. It needs to be researched, justified and planned in a particular way. Your initial picks need to pull the audience in and your top picks should initiate conversation.