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List-en Up
Andrew Greenstein
May 09, 2025
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but lists are tired.
They flatten your opinion. They steal your voice. They’re the fastest way to sound like everyone else.
Nobody’s asking for another “Top 5 tacos in the Mission” reel.
But the opposite is also true. Lists are everywhere for a reason.
They pack more value into a single view—five recs instead of one.
They hold attention longer by spacing out the payoffs.
They signal effort: I’ve tried it all—here’s what’s worth your time.
They can be efficient. Useful. Worth saving.
The problem isn’t the list. It’s the generic list. So don’t throw lists out. Just do them better. Make them oddly specific. Sharply personal. Soaked in your taste.
A good list should sound like something only you could have made.
Your assignment for this week
Here’s another hard truth: Your content doesn’t last.
You spend hours eating, filming, and editing—then it’s basically gone in 48 hours.
You’ll always need fresh content—but there’s a trick to making new posts while giving your old ones a second life…and it’s way less time consuming.
Try this:
Go back through your old reels. Look for patterns.
• Have you reviewed five croissant spots?
• Hit up four dive bars in Brooklyn?
• Tried matcha lattes in every neighborhood?
That’s a list. You just haven’t named it yet.
Pull them together. Group them by vibe, neighborhood, or craving.
Time for a gut check - try googling your list. Has it been covered by Eater or Infatuation? That’s a bad sign.
What if you tweaked it?
People are talking about it on Reddit! That’s a good sign.
This is how your content earns a second life - and your voice breaks through the sameness.
So list carefully.
Give new life to old content with a little bit of structure.
List with voice.
List like it matters.
List and Found
Three creators, three classic approaches to lists.
The Best Of…
@sherryeatworld— Top 10 SF Eats of 2024
If you’re not feeling particularly creative, start with a best-of list. It’s personal by nature, curated by definition, and gives your followers the cheat code to your taste.
This isn’t a generic “Top 10”, it’s her top 10—handpicked from 91 reels she posted in 2024. Instagram rewarded it: 385K views.
The Food Tour
@keneats_ + @the_happyepicurean- A Taste of Chinatown Tour in SF
The “food tour” is the Best Of list’s cooler cousin—less roundup, more “we planned your whole afternoon for you.” A food tour just feels fun. You’re walking, sampling, narrating. Not stuck at one table. The structure’s loose but intentional—part story, part service, and easy to remix for any neighborhood.
@discoveringdevin - shocking things my BF has never done in San Francisco
Here’s a clever twist on a city list: "Things my SF-native boyfriend has never done." It hits on multiple levels: it’s a list, it’s local, it’s personal. You want to know what’s on the list, and you start reflecting on what you haven’t done. It’s her highest-viewed Instagram reel to date at nearly 500K. Why? The list is a hook, the story is the glue.
@discoveringdevin I love giving Balboa Boy a hard time
Turn Your Reels Into a Seekeasy List
That’s a wrap for this week.
List like you mean it. Pull from your catalog. Say something only you would say.
Got a reel to share? A creator we should feature? A hot take on lists?
Hit reply. We read every one.
Until next Friday,
Andrew
Seekeasy | Community Lead