How to Create Effective Long-Form Content

Long-form materials allow you to dazzle your readers with your most recent research, expertise, or thought-provoking viewpoints. But how to do it correctly (without turning your post into a slog of boring text)? Keep reading to get my top recommendations to master long-form content.

We’re all aware that there’s a narrow line between content that entertains you and others that make you want to click the back button.

That tightrope can be much more difficult to walk when writing long-form content. On one hand, long-form content provides an excellent opportunity to go into detail, demonstrate expertise, or provide a thought-provoking opinion or demonstrate the findings of your research.

With more words, though, there is always the risk that a reader will become bored or perceive your work to be too long to consume.

However, long-form content almost always outperforms the short-form

Don’t be disheartened. Long-form content always is worth the effort. According to one study, contents with 7000+ words generate nearly four times the traffic of the ones with 900–1,200 words! That’s a huge difference!

Yes, 7,000 words may appear to be far too long. Long-form articles of 1,500 words, on the other hand, can provide pretty much the same traffic benefits. After all, it’s all about providing genuine value to your readers and providing the material that answers their burning concerns or gives them a credible, inspiring, or amusing point of view.

Even though our worldwide attention spans are shortening as we spend more time on social media, the average article length across a range of media grew by roughly 42% between 2014 and 2018, from 800 words to 1,151 words.

Unfortunately, merely creating lengthier articles will not ensure success. No, sir. Not at all. A good long read requires a lot of work, which we’ll go through in this post. (Don’t worry, it’s not too lengthy!)

What makes long-form content different from short-form content?

The first noticeable difference is the word count. This varies, but a good rule of thumb is:

• Short-form: Less than 750 words
• Medium-form: 750–2000 words
• Long-form: Over 2000 words

However, it is not only the length of the article that makes them different; it is also the content of the piece. Short-form material does not need a lot of critical thought. It is two minutes long and is just about receiving information without any extras. It has a place, especially in this era of shortened attention spans and a preference for short-form media (think TikTok, or Vine if you are a dino like me). And, if what your reader is looking for is a fast tip or a solution to a topic they’ve Googled, your material may be just what they’re looking for.

Short-form material is commonly in the form of listicles or image-rich information.

Longer content takes greater mental effort on the part of the reader. It often necessitates critical thinking and presents novel thoughts and ideas. Long-form pieces, rather than just conveying facts, encourage readers to think beyond the box and examine their own views.

To put it more simply, short-form content allows you to connect and engage with your audience. Long-form material is meant to educate and broaden their worldview.

So this must have you wondering. Short- or long-form? Which to pick?

Just because long-form content traditionally performs well does not mean that every piece you write should be 2,000 words or more. Consider the goal of each item you publish and the appropriate structure for it.

Long-form content may be performing well almost always, but it doesn’t mean that every content you write should be 2000 words or more. Consider the goal of each item you publish and the appropriate structure for it.

What is the problem that your piece is attempting to solve for the reader — do they require a brief explanation or a thorough examination?

Assume you’re writing a piece about car camping. If you’re writing for a beginning readership that knows nothing about camping out of a car and needs as much information as possible, you should absolutely strive for a long-form piece that has plenty of subheadings that acts as a guide.

However, if you’re writing for a group of car camping enthusiasts who already know the fundamentals, a short-form checklist may be more effective in getting them to click.

9 tips for making your long-form content bulletproof

Okay, we’ve spent so much time talking about how critical it is to perfect your long-form content — here are my top recommendations for you.

Have a certain objective in mind

What is the goal of this content? You can’t provide a nice experience for your readers until you know exactly what they’re searching for in your content. Is the content going to be gated or ungated?

Decide how you will structurize the content

This one transports you to high school English class. You must begin with an intriguing introduction to draw the reader in before moving on to the body of the piece. What is the most startling or thought-provoking aspect of your article? Use it immediately at the start to draw people in. It’s also an opportunity to use current statistics to show and strongly support your initial claim.

Another excellent approach to keep people reading is to include a story in your introduction — something personal to which they can connect. It should be mentioned a few more times in the body of your piece, and once more in the conclusion. This simple strategy results in a coherent, engrossing tale.

Make your subheadings bulletproof

When you have a large body of material, it is necessary to divide it up into subheadings. Headers lead your reader through the key portions of your work, making it far easier for them to cognitively comprehend than addressing each one independently. And, let’s be honest, most people never read the entire piece. They’ll skim the text for a subheading that fits their wants the best.

And we’re not just talking about bold and italics; H2, H3, and H4 are also on your side. For example, in this post, we used H2 to emphasize the main portions of the essay, H3 to highlight the key points, and H4 to divide the many suggestions in this section.

Make your content scannable

Bullet points, mini-lists, blockquotes, and anchor text are all great ways to break up a big piece.

When a reader can scan a large block of text and instantly discover the information they want, it helps to keep them on the page.

Meet your new besties: Images

Similarly, when feasible, break up your prose using visuals and infographics. You are a reader yourself. When you’re skimming through an article and come across an intriguing photograph, you’ll be instantly attracted and interested. Just like in this very moment…

Make every sentence count

Your readers have made the commitment to read a lengthy post, but there is nothing worse than slogging through paragraphs of fluff information that might simply have been taken out or condensed. Make sure that each paragraph or section has a function and that it provides the reader with the information they would desire to consume. Carry out a search at the end to make sure you haven’t overused a phrase.

Use shorter paragraphs

Even if you’re reading the most fascinating article on the planet, large blocks of text will cause anyone’s eyes to glaze over. Ideally, paragraphs should be no more than three sentences long, unless adding more makes structural sense.

Of course, this rule may differ, but go through what you’ve written again. Is the paragraph flowing? Does it end in a natural place or should you add another sentence?

Long-form content can be fun to read

Long-form content does not have to be taken seriously. In fact, a story that is overly dry or lacks personality would likely turn off many readers.

Yes, they’ve come to learn something or to hear your thoughts. However, this does not exclude you from incorporating your unique voice into your work. Maintain a conversational tone throughout your piece, as if you were speaking with your best buddy. Just pick the types of articles you enjoy reading and base your writing on that.

Hire a skilled writer

At the end of the day, writing is a difficult task. Not everyone is born with the ability to write a decent, interesting piece.

Allowing an expert to come in take the pen is sometimes the best thing to do. Perhaps you should need a person, a professional, who can bring your ideas to life with captivating content. A person who can collaborate with you to provide the exact material you require to attract viewers and grow your brand.