Creating content that stands out and provides real value to your audience is important. In a world where attention spans are shrinking and information is readily available at the fingertips, why create long form content at all?
This blog will change your perception of long content pieces and how they are the game-changers in today’s age through an overview of long form vs short form content.
Long Form vs Short Form Content
Long form content is:
- Any information over 2,000 words.
- More detailed and comprehensive and offers in-depth topic coverage.
- Requires a longer attention span and investment from readers
- Typically shared less frequently but has higher engagement levels.
- Studies show that posts over 3,000 words get an average of 77.2% more backlinks.
Short form content is:
- Typically between 50-300 words.
- Quick and easy to consume, often providing quick tips, insights, or news updates.
- Less detailed than long form content and requires less reading time.
- A cost-effective option for businesses with lower budgets.
- Shared more frequently on social media platforms and has a higher chance of going viral and reaching a larger audience.
Disadvantages of Short Form Content
Short term content needs more depth and detail due to the condensed format, making it less effective for specific content, such as educational or informative. Short form content examples restrict space for storytelling, which can be a powerful tool for building emotional connections with audiences.
Furthermore, short form content may perform less well in search engine rankings than long form content because they tend to favour longer, more comprehensive information.
How Can Long Form Content Help With These Shortcomings?
Long form content can provide a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of a topic, making it a valuable resource for audiences seeking to learn more. Long form content marketing can further help establish a brand as an authority on a topic, which helps build trust with audiences. Longer content pieces also perform better in search engine rankings because of a larger scope of incorporating relevant keywords and phrases.
The online education platform Coursera reaps the benefits of long form content by regularly publishing in-depth articles that provide valuable insights into various topics related to online learning. These articles are typically around 2,000 words and include detailed analyses and expert opinions. Coursera has established itself as a leading authority in online education by providing this depth and expertise.
Similarly, InVision, a digital product design platform, creates long form content, such as case studies, design guides, and thought leadership articles, that showcase their expertise in the design industry and provide value to their target audience.
One example of a successful long form content piece that benefits InVision is its Design Systems Handbook. This comprehensive guide offers practical advice and insights for designing effective design systems, including best practices, case studies, and real-world examples.
Long form content, albeit with a longer production time, can generate more engagement and position the creator as an authority on a topic.
In a 2015 article, Kevin Delaney, the former editor-in-chief of Quartz, described a “V-shaped” correlation between the length of an article and its social media success. Delaney’s claim is based on the idea that articles of a certain length tend to perform better on social media platforms.
Quartz has discovered that readers crave short and snappy content and longer, analytical pieces. However, the danger zone lies in the middle. Articles that fall between 500 and 800 words are too long to be easily shareable and too short of providing a satisfying analysis depth.
This leaves us with two options: short and rapid content or long and exhaustive content. What advantages does the latter have over the former?
Benefits of Long Form Content Marketing
If you want to create content that makes an impact, it is time to embrace the long and meaningful. Let us explore why you need long form content (and why your readers will thank you for it).
1. SEO
Secure a top position in SERPs
Long form content SEO helps marketers secure a higher ranking in SERPs. You can include more keywords naturally in long form content.
HubSpot has a long form content SEO collection where posts are over 2,000 words, and some are even over 10,000. Their post on “The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Campaigns” ranks on the first page of Google for the keyword “marketing campaigns.”
Longer content = longer reading time
This indicates value and engagement to search engines.
Red Bull’s website features long form articles about extreme sports, music, and culture, which appeal to and retain users for several minutes, improving their search engine rankings.
Long form content helps generate backlinks
Securing backlinks provides authority and value to your content.
The online marketing blog Moz regularly publishes long form content on link building and local SEO, which generates thousands of backlinks from other websites, helping them rank higher in searches.
2. Social Media
Compelling headlines pique readers’ interest and encourage them to click through and read the full article.
The New York Times shared a long article on the rise of digital nomads, using the headline “The Digital Nomads Did Not Prepare for This”, which generated engagement on social media, leading to more shares and likes.
Additionally, graphics help illustrate your points and make the content more engaging.
BuzzFeed published an in-depth article on the rise of TikTok, using eye-catching graphics and video clips, which made the content engaging, shareable, and attractive.
3. Thought Leadership
Crafting a well-researched, insightful article shows that you’re a bona fide expert who is a trusted authority in the field.
Consider Neil Patel, who is known for creating long form content examples on his website, including over 10,000 words long articles which are well-researched and in-depth. His articles are shared widely on social media and linked to numerous other websites in his industry.
4. Lead Generation
Creating long form content that addresses the audience’s pain points, answers their questions, and offers solutions to their problems helps build confidence in readers. Furthermore, offering valuable resources in exchange for contact information, such as a free e-book or whitepaper, helps capture leads.
CoSchedule publishes long form content like detailed guides, case studies etc., to help their target audience improve content marketing and social media strategies. People get access to these guides in exchange for contact information. Once they download the guide, CoSchedule begins nurturing these leads through email marketing, offering additional resources and support.
5. User Experience
Long form content leaves your audience satisfied and informed through a more exhaustive understanding of the topic.
Trello publishes long form content to help its target audience better understand how to use its software to improve their project management workflows. With a clear structure and interactive elements, Trello builds brand loyalty and drives engagement.
Tips for Creating Long Form Content
1. Planning and researching
- Define your topic and audience to narrow your research focus and tailor your writing style
- Conduct thorough research to gather information from reputable sources
- Develop an outline to structure the content
- Write a first draft, and do not worry too much about perfection at this stage
2. Structure content for better readability
- Start with a compelling headline that captures attention and conveys the topic
- Use subheadings to break up the content into chunks, making it easier for readers to scan and find the information they want
- Use bullet points and numbered lists to make the content concise
- End with a clear call to action, encouraging readers to take the next step
3. Supporting content through visual and multimedia aid
- Graphics are powerful engagement tool for an audience
- Visual aids help break up long text blocks and illustrate key points
- Videos and animations explain concepts dynamically and interactively
4. Most Importantly: Optimise
- SEO tools optimise content for higher search engine rankings, making it more visible and accessible to potential readers
- Identify the words and phrases people use to search for content related to your topic
- Link to other relevant sources to help search engines understand the context
- Use social media to increase visibility and encourage engagement
- Optimise your meta title and description tags with relevant keywords
- Regularly update and optimise your content to stay ahead of the competition
Conclusion
Long form content is the key to building a strong online presence, establishing your authority in your industry, and connecting with your audience on a deeper level. But don’t just take our word for it.
The benefits of long form content for SEO have been corroborated by Google technicians, who say that 10% of users’ daily information needs involve learning about a broad topic. Google has started emphasising in-depth articles to help users get the needed search results.
At The Wise Idiot, we understand the power of long form content and are here to help you harness it for your business. From blog posts and case studies to educational articles and more, we have the expertise and creativity to help you stand out in a crowded online marketplace.
Our experienced professionals will work with you to curate high-quality, comprehensive content that resonates with your audience and delivers real results. Check out our success stories here.
Refrain from settling for mediocre content that fails to make an impact. Invest in long form content with The Wise Idiot, and watch your online presence soar.
Are you ready to be our next success story? Contact us today to know more about our personalised writing services and start creating content that makes a difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How many words is long form content?
Ans: A piece of writing that has a length between 1,000 and 7,500 words is referred to as long form content.
Q2. How to Write Long Form Content?
Ans: When composing long-form content, it is essential to follow these steps:
1. Select an appropriate topic that aligns with your interests and expertise.
2. Analyze and understand the search intent of your chosen topic.
3. Create an outline of the content, and structure it in a way that makes it easy to read and understand.
4. Keep your audience in mind as you write, and try to make the content engaging and relevant to them.
5. Elaborate on your points and provide answers to questions such as, “Why should you care?” to make the content more informative and valuable.
6. Use visuals, like images and videos, to make the content more visually appealing and to break up large blocks of text.
