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If you’re a writer or blogger, you’ve probably heard the buzz around long-form content. But what exactly is it, and why should you care?
Long-form content is any piece of content that is longer and more detailed than typical short-form content you find on social media. It can include blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts, or e-books, and usually contains more than 1,350 words.
So as a content creator, why should you return to long-form content?
For starters, it can help you stand out in a sea of short-form content. With so many people vying for attention, long-form content can help you establish authority and expertise in your industry.
Additionally, long-form content is great for SEO. Google and other search engines tend to favor longer, more comprehensive content, which means your long-form pieces are more likely to show up in search results.
And with AI tools all over the place, serious search engines will favor long-form content over shorter ones and I’ll point out reasons why I think this is so.
Besides, research has always shown long-form content perform better than short content on blogs and websites.
But it’s not just about search engines. Long-form content can also help you build a loyal audience and foster community.
So if you’re looking to take your writing or blogging to the next level, it’s time to consider returning to long-form content.
Table of Contents:
What Is Long-Form Content
Long-form content is a type of content that is longer and more detailed than typical short-form content you find on social media.
This type of content usually contains more than 1,350 words and can go up to tens of thousands of words.
Long-form content can be in the form of blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts, or e-books.
What sets long-form content apart is its comprehensive nature. It gives a detailed and complete view of a topic.
Long-form content is well-researched, well-written, and highly informative. It offers a ton of actionable insights or takeaways and covers topics in-depth.
With this kind of content, you’re digging deeper than the surface of a topic, and the result is content that provides an abundance of information for your audience.
In addition, long-form content will help increase your online visibility through social shares and links, and it can also provide material for altruistic community building and engagement.
When creating long-form content, it’s important to keep the word count in mind. The first page results of a search engine have an average word count of 1,890 words, so you’ll want to aim around that mark for your long-form content.
However, regardless of the word length, the most important thing is to provide valuable information for your readers. Don’t inflate content just because you want to hit a particular word count.
This video will shed more light on the real value of word count to your digital content.
Overall, long-form content is a great way to establish your authority in your field and provide valuable information to your readers.
Why Every Writer Should Return to Long-Form Content
In today’s fast-paced world of short attention spans, it can be tempting to create short-form content to keep up with the trend.
However, as a creator, you should consider returning to long-form content for several reasons.
Here’s why.
It Positions You as an Expert
Long-form content allows you to delve deeper into a topic. It gives room for comprehensive information that short-form content cannot.
This kind of content easily positions you and your business as an expert in your field, establishing trust and authority with your readers.
Enhances Search Engine Optimization
Long-form content is more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages due to its comprehensive nature.
Search engines favor content that provides value to users, and long-form content does just that.
And I believe with the war against AI spam and auto generated content, search engines like Google will begin to favor long-form over short content.
I say this because it’s easier to humanize short-form content generated with AI than it is to humanize long-form content.
So it’s easy to create short content and change a few things here and there. But with a content of 2000+ words, it will take a lot of work for anyone to humanize such and make it meaningful.
A long-form content will have more AI footprints in it compared to short content. So if search engines want to fish out autogenerated content, I think they will tilt toward longer content.
In-Depth Articles Attract the Majority of Web Traffic
Studies show that in-depth articles of 2,000 words or more attract the majority of web traffic.
This is because long-form content provides value to readers, making them more likely to engage with and share your content.
Long-form Blogs Can Easily Be Broken into Social Media Posts
Long-form content can easily be broken down into smaller social media posts, making it easier to share and promote your content on various platforms.
I love this part. With search engines giving creators a black eye every now and then, deversifying your traffic source is a must.
You easily break or convert long form content into newsletters, social media content, reels and short video.
So, unless I want to quickly get current news out on my blog, I do more of long-form content these days.
They serve me on my blog, in my emails, and I can break them and schule them across social media platforms.
Decrease in Website’s Bounce Rate
Long-form content keeps readers engaged for longer periods, reducing your website’s bounce rate.
Even when you may not read most of the content, sometimes you just spend time looking through the headlines.
It’s just a bit harder to jump out of a well-written long-from blog post compared to a short one of about 800 or 1000 words.
I know Google and advertisers check bounce rate when ranking websites. But it’s hard to tell if they check the amount of time spent on a website against the length of the content.
In any case, long-from content will reduce your bounce rate and ultimately help your website outperform competitors.
How to Write Long-Form Content
Writing long-form content can be a daunting task.
Even when you can do it with an AI writing tool, editing can still take a couple of hours.
For AI lovers, I have an article that shares how you can optimize AI content. Go here to check it out.
Now here are some steps to help you write long-form content that your readers will love.
Know What Your Readers Need
Before you start writing, you need to know what your readers want.
Conduct surveys, read comments, and engage with your audience on social media to get an idea of what they are interested in.
This will help you collect keyword ideas and choose a topic that your readers will find interesting and useful.
Pick a Topic or Post Title
Once you know what your readers want, it’s time to choose a topic or post title.
Choose a topic that is relevant to your niche and that your readers will find interesting.
Make sure your topic is specific enough that you can cover it in-depth, but not so narrow that you run out of things to say.
It’s easy to fill your article with fluff if you get this wrong.
Before you write an article, ask yourself if it can work as a long content or if it’s better to make it part (a section) of a longer content.
With this you will be able to pick a topic that will work as a long-form content.
Decide on a Blog Post Format
There are many different writing formats you can use for your long-form content.
Some popular formats include list posts, how-to posts, and case studies.
Choose a format that works best for your topic and that your readers will enjoy.
Conduct Research
Before you start writing, you need to conduct research on your topic.
This will help you gather information and data that you can use to support your arguments.
Use reputable sources and make sure to fact-check your information.
Immerse yourself in the topic. Watch YouTube videos, listen to podcasts, read articles, gather data for the content you want to write.
This will help you understand the subject more and help generate unique perspectives that never exhisted before.
See, even when you write nothing new, when you know a topic in-depth, you can easily do it to resonate with and fit with current trends and narrative.
Create an Outline
Once you have gathered your research, create an outline for your post.
Many just jump in and start writing because they know about a subject. Don’t do this.
Outlining an article will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that your post flows smoothly.
Even when using an AI writer, it helps a lot to review and edit the outline it generates or even give it your own outline.
An outline editor is one of the key features to look out for in an AI writer.
Also, remember to make good use of subheadings to break up your post into sections and make it easier to read.
Write the Article
Now it’s time to start writing.
Use your outline as a guide and start filling in the sections.
Use clear and concise language, and try to keep your paragraphs short. Sometimes a sentence is enough to make a paragraph.
I know what a paragraph looked like in elelmentary classes. But this is digital writing. So undo that mindset and format content for digital readers.
Use bullet points and numbered lists to break up your content and make it easier to read.
Edit Your Post to Improve Readability
Once you have finished writing, it’s time to edit your post.
Read through your post and make sure it flows smoothly.
Use subheadings to break up your post into sections and make it easier to read.
Use bold and italic formatting to highlight important points.
Underlining some parts also work well. There are situation where using bold formatting just feels wrong, so I just go for underlining that part of the writing.
Insert Visuals
Visuals are a great way to break up your long-form content and make it more engaging.
Use images, videos, and infographics to illustrate your points and make your post more visually appealing.
Visuals stand out and make people stop and check. So they can boost engagement for your long-form content.
Add CTA and Lead Magnet
Finally, don’t forget to add a call to action (CTA) and a lead magnet to your post.
Your CTA should encourage your readers to take action, such as subscribing to your newsletter or following you on social media.
With the instability and polluted control we find on search engines and social media, an email list is now an indispensable tool for content creators.
Be sure to make your lead magnet a valuable resource that your readers can download in exchange for their email address.
Following these steps, you’ll be able to write long-form content that your readers will love.
Remember to focus on your readers’ needs, conduct thorough research, and use visuals to make your post more engaging.
Long-Form Content Vs Short Form Content
As a content creator, it’s essential to understand the difference between long-form and short-form content.
Long-form content usually consists of articles or blog posts that are about 1,350 words or more, while short-form content is typically under 1,000 words.
One of the benefits of long-form content is that it allows you to dive deeper into a topic and provide more detailed information.
This level of detail can help you establish yourself as an authority in your niche, which can lead to increased engagement and a better search engine ranking.
On the other hand, short-form content is quicker to produce and tends to be more affordable.
Shorter articles are naturally quicker to turn around, and if you’re outsourcing them, they also tend to be more affordable.
When it comes to SEO, long-form content tends to rank better than short-form content.
Compared to short content, long-form content ranks for more keywords.
Even when you don’t need to do it conciously, having that kind of word count allows you to target multiple keywords and phrases, which can help improve your search engine ranking.
When to Use Long Form Content vs When to Use Short Form Content
As a writer or blogger, you might be wondering when to use long-form content and when to use short-form content. The answer depends on a few factors such as your niche, search intent, competition, and strategy.
Long-form Content
Long-form content is typically longer than 1,200 words and can range up to 10,000 words or more. It’s designed to provide in-depth information and analysis on a particular topic. Long-form content is ideal for:
- Providing comprehensive guides, tutorials, and how-to articles
- Creating thought leadership content and establishing expertise in your niche
- Boosting your SEO and driving organic traffic to your website
- Engaging your audience with storytelling and case studies
Long-form content requires a significant time commitment and effort, but it can pay off in terms of increased traffic and engagement. However, it’s important to ensure that your long-form content is well-researched, well-written, and provides value to your readers.
Short-form Content
Short-form content, on the other hand, is typically shorter than 1,200 words and can range from a few words to around 1,000 words. It’s designed to be easily consumable and shareable on social media platforms. Short-form content is ideal for:
- Creating snackable content for social media channels
- Providing quick tips, news updates, and announcements
- Engaging your audience with polls, quizzes, and surveys
- Creating content for mobile users who have shorter attention spans
Short-form content requires less time and effort than long-form content, but it can still be effective in driving engagement and building brand awareness. However, it’s important to ensure that your short-form content is concise, relevant, and provides value to your readers.
Signing OUT!
Both long-form and short-form content have their advantages and disadvantages.
It’s important to consider your niche, search intent, competition, and strategy when deciding which type of content to create.
If you’re looking to establish yourself as an authority in your niche, long-form content is the way to go.
However, if you’re looking for quick wins and a higher volume of content, short-form content may be the better choice.
And if you’re content creator looking to generate income, I recommend long-form content for the following reasons:
- You stand a better chance of ranking well on the SERPs
- You can break them into short content for your newsletter and social media channels
- It positions you as an authority in your niche
- You’ll rank for more keywords than you would with short-form content
- And will also decrease the bounce rate on your website
I recommend long-form content for serious creators.
But ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which type of content works best for your audience and your goals.
