What is long form content?
As the name suggests, long form content (also spelled long-form content) is a type of content that is at least 700 words long and goes deep into a particular topic.
If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: What are the benefits of long form content?
The biggest benefits of this content are as follows:
- It is good for SEO
- It attracts a wider audience
- It reduces your bounce rates
Let us go over each one in more detail:
First, this content is good for SEO not only because it allows you to provide Google’s web crawlers with more context (and squeeze in more of your primary and secondary keywords), but also because longer content typically gets more quality backlinks, which tells Google that a lot of people regard it as a relevant and valuable resource on a particular topic.
Second, since it covers significantly more aspects of a particular topic compared to short form content, it can attract a much wider audience.
An example of this would be a short form article that only talks about the effects of protein powders on muscle building versus a long form article that covers:
- The effects of protein powders on muscle building
- The effects of protein powders help with post-workout recovery
- The different types of protein powders available
- The health benefits of protein powders
- The downsides to taking protein powders
Instead of just attracting people who are looking to learn more about how protein powders help with muscle building, you will be able to also attract people who want more information on the other aspects of taking protein powders.
Question #2: What are the disadvantages of this content?
The biggest disadvantages of long form content are as follows:
- They take more time and effort to produce
- A lot of people do not have the attention span for them
- They are not always the best way to talk about a particular topic
Let us take a closer look at each one:
First, long-form content requires a lot more research and production time than short form content. As we have seen earlier, the goal is to go deep into a particular topic, not just be verbose to hit a specific word count.
Second, no matter how much research you do and how well you structure long-form content, a lot of people would still not consume it simply because they do not have the attention span for it.
Finally, this content is not always your best bet when it comes to presenting information to your target audience—which we will talk about in more detail in the next section.
Question #3: Is it always better than short form content?
No, it’s not always better than short form content—but the reverse is also true. It would ultimately depend on your topic, audience, and platform. Let us take a look at each one in more detail:
First, the goal is to only use as many words as you need to get your point across and not a single word more. For example, a how-to post about frying an egg would require significantly fewer words than an article listing the best vlogging cameras around.
Second, you also need to take your target audience’s preferences and attention span into account. Are they partial to in-depth articles or are they more into bite-size content?
Finally, you also need to consider the platform you are using to publish your content. While it is perfectly fine to publish a 2,000-word blog post or whitepaper, a 2,000-word Facebook or Instagram caption just does not work.
Question #4: Does this always come in text form?
No, long form content does not always come in text form. They also come in video and audio form.