Both newbie and experienced writers are often intimidated by the thought of writing lengthy pieces that rank well in search engines to help their niche sites achieve their goals.
Let’s say, for instance, that you want to get started with an online blogging business. You’re looking for a detailed explanation of building a profitable business and solid advice that you can put into practice right now. You’ll likely be looking for a long and helpful article for this one, right?
This is the best thing about long-form content!
It’s an excellent opportunity to provide your readers with a lot of detailed background information and value. In today’s post, we’ll be tackling more about how to produce long-form content and why it’s necessary to succeed in the content business.
What Is Long-Form Content?
The term “long-form content” refers to articles or other types of content that cover a wide range of topics in-depth. Between 700 to 2,000 words is a good starting point for a paper of this length. Variable criteria, such as focus subject, scope, and audience, determine the highest limit.
Critical thinking is required while writing long-form content. It must be written with the intent of being read. It must be well studied and contextualized. You don’t want to write an article where you try to fit as many keywords into a single piece of text as possible.
Benefits of Writing Long-Form Content
If you are motivated to take your business to the next level, you must bolster your content marketing strategies by creating long-form content. Here are some of the most significant benefits of creating long-form content for your blog.
Proves You Are an Authority on the Topic
Proving you’re an authority doesn’t mean you have to showcase awards and diplomas. There are lots of techniques to show you’re an expert. Properly addressing your target audience’s needs and concerns through long-form content can be a smart strategy.
When you catch your audience’s attention within the first three sentences on your website and solve a problem they face, there’s a big chance of them finishing the whole article without getting bored or clicking away.
This will get you a sale or increase your conversion rates. The main reason why they stayed is that they felt how expert you are at your craft and believed you could solve their problems.
Prospects turn into customers when they’ve finally found the answer. So the trick here is to be confident in writing your content, do your research, and address your target customer’s needs appropriately. In the end, you’ll be making your first sale without even making them feel you’re the authority.
Readers Spend More Time on Your Site
It’s difficult to convince people to click on your link and read what you have to say in an email or in a search engine result. After getting them on your website, you have to work even harder to keep them there.
If you’re a long-form content writer, you can go for the basics, such as adding images, listicles, and call-to-action-centered content. You can lead the reader to a profitable action or conversion right away with these basics.
Higher Google Search Result Rankings
According to SEJournal, the average length of the blog posts in the top 10 of search results on Google is above 2,000 words. Therefore, the content length of a page has a significant impact on how highly it ranks. Backlinks are more likely to come from longer articles, according to a 2012 data analysis. It doesn’t matter how long the content is, but what you put into it matters. If you write a lengthy article, remember that not everyone will read it. They will, however, spend a lot of time reading about topics they are interested in.
How to Write Long-Form Content
Define Your Goals for the Post
Long-form content may be used in a variety of ways in content marketing. It may be used at any stage of the sales cycle, but the most crucial thing to remember when writing long-form content is to give your readers what they’ve been looking for. If your goal is to get more customers to obtain proofreading services from you, write topics about how to improve your writing and grammar and publish it on your website. Make sure to write a catchy CTA in the end if you want to make a sale.
However, if your goal is to share your lasagna recipe with your readers, make sure to add some photos of the step-by-step procedure. This will help them stay engaged with your content until the end. As a content creator, it is your responsibility to ensure that your work is seen as a part of a solution to your readers’ issues. After all, you are the brand that can respond to their concerns. This has a significant influence on the growth of your brand’s authority.
Start with a Post Outline
Having a well-thought-out plan before you begin writing your piece will make it almost difficult for your content to go off track. Make a blog post outline in Google Docs to ensure every aspect of the topic is covered.
Creating a working title is the most critical step in this whole process. First and foremost, you must decide on a topic for your article. There’s still more to do. Afterward, you will be able to “dump” your thoughts. Make a list of all the points you want your readers to take away from the article as a starting point.
This mess of thoughts will now be broken down into a series of large groupings. The next move is to edit and revise your outline. After trimming the outline, add links to support your data. Of course, the last one will always be the call-to-action part.
Break up Big Topics with Headings and Subheadings
Headings help break up long text passages, such as those seen in a blog post. On the other hand, the subheadings provide further information and facts regarding the topic.
Use Dictation Software to Write Faster
There are various methods to express oneself through writing. Composing on a typewriter or a keyboard is preferred for every writer. Most human history has been taught verbally, not written down at all, and we tend to forget this.
As long as you have dictation software, you don’t have to write every word by hand. Put another way, it allows you to jot down your thoughts. To use the software, you just utter it aloud as if you were writing it. The idea that dictation software is a cutting-edge tool isn’t true at all.
Long-Form Content Examples
The New York Times Articles
Located in New York City, the New York Times is a popular daily newspaper that attracts readers from all around the globe. It is the world’s most widely-read newspaper. They don’t stop there, either: The New York Times Opinion department contributes guest writings. They provide a well-reasoned argument based on facts and personal experience that they articulate in their own terms. Their goal is to give the New York Times readers a wide variety of perspectives on critical events or issues that people care about.
2,000 Guest Essays are published annually in the New York Times Opinion Section. Between 800 to 1,200 words is a standard length for written content. The length of their articles may vary, though, and they may write shorter or lengthier ones. To top it all off, this organization invites its members to express their thoughts in whatever format they see fit. This includes audio, video, art, and even data visualizations!
Authority Hacker Articles
Authority Hacker is a reputable website about building profitable online content businesses. This type of long-form content mainly talks about affiliate and online marketing and can range from 2,000 to 5,000+ words per article. If you’re an online business owner trying to level up your marketing strategies or a newbie trying out a new career path, Authority Hacker articles can help you. Their content helps break through the hype and provides readers with information grounded in real-world experience, supported by solid evidence, and always open and honest.