It’s not as a result of somebody mentioned it as soon as in a viral podcast episode. There are deeper causes as to why SEOs and entrepreneurs love long-form content material:

In an trade filled with ambiguity and platitudes (“make useful content material”, “provide worth”), long-form content material offers entrepreneurs one thing concrete to chase.

It’s simpler to say “write a minimum of 2,000 phrases” than it’s to say “perceive your viewers on a human degree, determine what they’re battling, and ship an answer in the best format.”

It’s simpler to dump every part into one place than to make use of judgment and purpose and be selective about what to incorporate.

I see this on a regular basis. I wished to discover ways to prepare dinner a tuna aglio e olio final month and the primary article I discovered coated:

• What’s aglio e olio?
• The place does aglio e olio come from?
• What’s aglio e olio sauce made from?
• What’s the distinction between aglio e olio and carbonara?
• What’s the Feast of the Seven Fishes?

The final one was really a ???. Have a look at how far I needed to scroll to really get to the recipe.

We see long-form content material rating, so we predict that should be one of many explanation why it’s rating. I imply, even a easy question like “tips on how to clear espresso machine” has articles with phrase counts >1,000.

Sounds bonkers, however it works, proper? So we copy.

However that’s like copying Invoice Gates’ morning routine to grow to be wealthy. Positive, it’s what we are able to see and observe, however it’s not the rationale why he turned a billionaire.

You might need seen these stats from different information research:

• “The typical Google first web page outcome accommodates 1,447 phrases.”
• “The bloggers who write 2000+ phrases on common are much more prone to report ‘sturdy outcomes.’”

There’s this “size is power” heuristic baked into our brains:

1. If it’s lengthy, it should be detailed.
2. If it’s detailed, it should be sensible.
3. Due to this fact, lengthy = sensible.

However you possibly can write 3,000 phrases and say completely nothing. Simply take a look at all of the books on the enterprise shelf in your native bookstore.

Lengthy content material isn’t mechanically worthwhile. Funnily sufficient, the other is true. Ask any author and so they’ll let you know that making one thing shorter and easier is more durable than creating one thing lengthy. You may pad phrases, however it takes onerous considering to cut back one thing to its essence.

As Einstein as soon as mentioned, “For those who can’t clarify it merely, you don’t perceive it nicely sufficient.”

Let’s be clear: I’m not right here to trash long-form content material.

There are causes to go lengthy:

• Complicated, high-stakes subjects like finance, well being, and legislation
• Analysis-heavy items
• Foundational guides or tutorials
• Evergreen “pillar” content material that should cowl a number of use circumstances

Some topics merely can’t be summarized in a couple of paragraphs with out doing a disservice to the reader. However even then, the size isn’t the objective; it’s the results of doing the subject justice.

So, right here’s the reality: long-form is a container, not a method.

You don’t goal to make long-form content material. You goal to make helpful, complete, in-depth content material. Generally that requires an extended reply; typically a brief one suffices.

Excited about the phrase depend earlier than you kind a single phrase is the improper method. The size of the article needs to be earned, not decided.

To provide your reader precisely what they want, you want to know why they’re looking for that matter. That’ll additionally let you know in the event that they’re newbies or already know loads in regards to the matter.

How do you determine search intent?

First, you want to ensure you’re focusing on a subject individuals are looking for. In any other case, you possibly can’t determine why they’re looking for it.

Since we all know that individuals looking for “content material creation” are newbies, we have to match their degree of sophistication.

The massive mistake right here—that lots of entrepreneurs do—is cramming every part potential in regards to the matter into an article. All of these 5,000-word-long newbie’s guides are for search engine optimization, not for readers.

As a result of in the event you’ve ever been a noob at one thing, being given a firehose value of data just isn’t really helpful. It’s overwhelming. You’re extra prone to stop than proceed.

It’s essential give readers sufficient to really feel supported and need to study extra, however not a lot that they really feel overloaded. Be as clear and full as wanted.

The key to creating content material work, whether or not lengthy or quick, is construction.

Individuals don’t learn weblog posts prime to backside like novels. They skim and scan. They search for solutions and bounce in the event that they don’t discover them quick.

So give the solutions to them early.

Not each reader desires the identical degree of depth. So why power everybody by means of the identical expertise?

Think about enthusiastic about content material in layers as an alternative:

• Brief-form: Teasers or summaries that create curiosity (posts on X or LinkedIn, quick movies like TikTok or reels)
• Mid-form: Content material that dives straight into the essence (playbooks, newbie’s guides)
• Lengthy-form: Deep dives for individuals who actually need to go down the rabbit gap

Sure, I do know it’s ironic that I simply wrote a long-form piece for the subject of “long-form content material”. Or maybe it’s intentional?

Properly, I believe it deserved the therapy and earned the size.

For those who’re critical about content material that works, it’s important to transfer past the phantasm. Lengthy-form just isn’t a method. It’s only a format.

The true technique is figuring out what your viewers wants, giving it to them quick, going deep when it issues, and eradicating every part else.

Earn the size. Or don’t hassle at all.