As long as you’ve covered the topic, you don’t have to go an extra mile to convert it into a long-form piece

There was a time when content marketers and digital marketers used to focus on clear and concise articles to make content ‘killer’. It doesn’t work anymore.

Long form content is the new form of content that works today.

Sure it does, but not all the times.

There are times when you cannot create a long and detailed article. There isn’t just any material or it is something that your readers don’t like or there could be any other reason.

The whole purpose of creating long form content is to make your reader’s life easier by providing all the information about a given topic so they don’t have to run the same search query again.

You don’t have to hit a specific 2,000 words or 1,237 words mark to create a lengthy and detailed article. You just cannot do it for all the industries and topics.

Also read: Definitive steps to a content marketing strategy your customers will love

Here are a few reasons when long-form content might not work and you should switch to short-form content to better engage with your readers.

1. Your readers love short form content

Imagine if Seth Godin starts writing articles that are well over 5,000 words and Neil Patel starts posting articles that have less than 500 words.

They both will lose their readers.

Why?

Because Godin’s readers love short posts, and this is the reason why his audience sticks to him, while Patel’s audience loves detailed step-by-step articles with screenshots.

As long as your audience is OK with it, go for short form content.

There are hundreds of blogs that I’m subscribed too and they consistently post articles that have less than 1000 words and they’re doing great and this includes some of the leading authority sites like Entrepreneur and Forbes.

2. Cover the topic – don’t fluff

Not every topic deserves 2K or more words.

Consider this news story by TechCrunch. It is short and to-the-point. The writer could have easily added more content by talking about Baidu’s history, its background, future plans, and even how to use it outside of China. The writer could have talked about Bosch and Continental and could have shared their history and annual revenues.

But the topic doesn’t demand it.

There are certain topics that demand a detailed in-depth article to delve into the main themes of a specific subject. The in-depth comparative analysis and detailed post on the private planes of the influential leaders in the world, provides a decent illustration of how to cover the topic in detail. The whole purpose of the post was to look at the aircrafts these leaders use to travel, the estimated value of the jets, the size of the fleets, and more. A short post cannot compare and analyze different planes and their costs. It has to be detailed.

As long as you’ve covered the topic, you don’t have to go an extra mile to convert it into a long form piece.

3. A unique new perspective

If you’re writing about the same old topics and you’re still writing a short post, it will get lost. However, if you’ve a new and unique perspective – a short blog post will work great.

If it is unique and new, a few lines will do. This is what exactly Seth’s blog is all about. He shares new and unique perspectives.

IFLScience follows a similar approach. This post on unexpected things about Jupiter has just over 800 words and has 36.6K shares. They post short content that is unique as well as appealing. It works.

Also read: Using case studies can be an excellent marketing strategy, especially for making B2B connections

Short form content isn’t out of business yet. You can still use it and be awesome. There are three rules to short form content:

If your readers are OK with short form content, it will work.
Define the purpose of your blog post and cover the topic by sticking to the purpose.
Come up with new and unique perspective.

If you’re doing it, you’re making your readers (and search engines) happy.

You don’t have to be afraid of posting short form content on your blog. You can still do it as long as you know when to do it.

—-

Want to be part of the ecosystem?

Register for your Echelon Asia Summit access pass now! Enjoy +10% off Echelon Asia Summit Startup, Investor and Corporate passes just for being our favourite e27 reader.

The views expressed here are of the author’s, and e27 may not necessarily subscribe to them. e27 invites members from Asia’s tech industry and startup community to share their honest opinions and expert knowledge with our readers. If you are interested in sharing your point of view, submit your post here.

Featured Image Copyright: damedeeso / 123RF Stock Photo

The post Short form content still works, and here are 3 reasons you should use it appeared first on e27.