This guide outlines when to use long form vs short form content for your marketing and SEO purposes.
Do you use long-form or short-form content when creating content for a website, blog, social media post, or email? Various advantages and disadvantages exist for each type of content, and understanding the ideal length can help you better engage with your customers.
Let us examine the pros and cons of long form vs short form content and decide when to use each.
Long form vs short form: pros and cons of going long
Digital Authority Partners states that long-form content is an article, blog, or post of 1,000 to 7,500 words. It is content that tackles topics in great detail and is primarily written to provide valuable, in-depth information to its reader. Find out the advantages and disadvantages of this type of content to determine if it suits your needs.
Advantages of Long-Form Content
Consider these long-form content advantages in digital marketing.
- Covers a topic comprehensively, enhancing the content’s value and establishing the author as an authority in their field.
- Improves search engine optimization (SEO) because search engines prioritize long-form content since it provides more value and engagement to readers.
- Increases social shares and backlinks, as long-form content tends to be more shareable and linkable.
- Enhances user engagement and experience. Readers will likely spend more time on the site, increasing conversions.
- Provides a longer lifespan than shorter pieces. Well-researched and evergreen long-form content can continue attracting organic traffic and providing readers with value long after its initial publication.
Disadvantages of Long-Form Content
Take note of the disadvantages of using long-form content in content marketing.
- Consumes more time, effort, and resources compared to shorter pieces. Researching, writing, editing, and formatting extensive content is time-consuming.
- Requires additional resources such as graphics, images, or multimedia elements, which can add to the overall production time and costs.
- Decreases attention span and engagement if not appropriately structured or engaging.
- Brings poor mobile user experience because lengthy content may be more challenging to read and navigate on smaller screens.
- Does not resonate with all visitors. Some users may need quick answers or skim the content without reading it thoroughly.
- Requires updates or revisions to stay relevant and accurate.
Long form vs short form: pros and cons of going short
Short-form content is between 400 and 600 words. These are brief, concise, and punchy pieces of information, often with a light and engaging tone. Short content is ideal for providing broad information and is usually found on social media.
Advantages of Short-Form Content
Consider the advantages of using short-form content in digital marketing strategies.
- Provides quick and digestible information, allowing readers to concisely and efficiently get the information they need.
- Improves engagement on social media, where character limits or attention spans are shorter. People on social media platforms prefer short and shareable content.
- Adapts across various platforms and formats to serve as teasers, introductions, or summaries for longer pieces of content.
- Increases mobile-friendly experience as it captures and retains the attention of mobile users, reducing the risk of high bounce rates.
- Encourages a focused approach to messaging. Helps communicate the message more effectively and ensures that your content focuses on the intended audience.
Disadvantages of Short-Form Content
Before using short-form content in digital marketing, take note of its disadvantages.
- Provides limited space to convey information or ideas, leading to a lack of depth and preventing a thorough exploration of complex topics.
- Leads to lower engagement and less time spent on the content. Short-form content might struggle to create an impact or spark meaningful discussions.
- Results in oversimplification of complex concepts. This can be particularly problematic for subjects that require in-depth analysis.
- Provides SEO challenges as longer articles or blog posts tend to have more opportunities for relevant keywords and phrases, boosting their visibility in search engine rankings.
- Reduces authority and credibility as short-form content may be perceived as less credible or less trustworthy as it might lack sufficient evidence, citations, or references to support the presented information.
When to use long form vs short form
Knowing when to use long-form and short-form content depends on several factors. Here are some guidelines to help determine when to use each format:
Uses for Long-Form Content
The following are uses of long-form content in digital marketing:
- Providing in-depth information: Use long-form content to provide comprehensive and detailed information on a complex or extensive topic.
- Creating thought leadership: Long-form content is ideal for establishing the business or its brand as a thought leader. Creating long and well-written content can comprehensively showcase a business’s expertise and insights.
- Improving SEO: Long-form content performs well in search engine rankings. If you want to enhance visibility in search results, target competitive keywords, and provide valuable, in-depth information, long-form content can help you achieve those goals.
- Promoting evergreen content: Long-form content, such as comprehensive guides, tutorials, or research articles, can serve as evergreen resources. Also, specific topics require content that remains relevant over time.
- Supporting complex decision-making processes: This content can provide the necessary information if the content aims to guide users through challenging decision-making processes, such as buying guides, product comparisons, or detailed tutorials. These can help readers make better and more informed choices.
Uses for Short-Form Content:
The following uses short-form content in digital marketing:
- Providing quick updates or news: Use short-form content to share timely updates, information, or announcements on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
- Creating social media engagement: This type of content is highly shareable and ideal for social media platforms. It can spark conversations, generate likes, comments, and shares, and encourage quick engagement with the audience.
- Offering attention-grabbing and memorable content: Short-form content effectively captures attention and delivers vital messages, making it ideal for catchy headlines, taglines, slogans, or memorable quotes.
- Producing mobile-friendly content: With more people preferring to look for information using their mobile devices, short-form content is well-suited for users who prefer easily scannable and digestible information.
Summing Up
Both long-form and short-form content have advantages and disadvantages and have their place in a comprehensive content strategy. It’s essential to strike a balance and tailor the content format to the target audience’s specific goals, preferences, and habits.
