Posted by Photo courtesy of Quotes Gram
If only writing is as easy as being cute when you lack height writing short articles will be a trouble-free quest.
The trend these days is to create short but crisp content. The latest buzz says that the audience (this can be your customer or client, lead, or online visitor) does not prefer lengthy compositions or in-depth content to know about a product or service.
There was a study in 2006 by Nielsen Norman Group on online visitors who do not read everything on the internet. This pattern was discussed in the training I had, that visitors read in the ‘F’ pattern when they land on a page. Initially, your introduction, a little of the body of your article, and the list of important details are what matters.
The Nielsen Norman Group released an article after eleven years explaining more about the F-shape pattern of reading. The content analyzed how the said reading pattern was misunderstood and explained that people scan in the F-shape manner because there are no bullets, subheadings, or bold headlines but chunks of texts. The other two reasons are people try to be efficient or are not just interested in what is offered.
There are also other possible scanning patterns discussed in the content. But I digress.
So how are you going to do it – write short written content that has everything your audience needs to know?
- Not More Than 1000 words? There is no straight rule when it comes to length. In fact, according to this case study about article marketing, search engines prefer longer articles which is not the case for readers. But short is not enough, so we go to tip number 2.
- Content is King. It’s always about what it is made of. A delicious-looking burger will prove the initial impression once you get a bite. In the same way, written content has to prove the meat it is made of based on the garnishing it was first introduced with. It has to provide the needed information. It has to serve its purpose. It has to provide satisfaction.
- Know Your Audience Before You Write. Your article is as good as the audience you project to win and won. If you are a writer intending to create content for a particular brand of ladies’ clothing and accessories, your piece will not mean anything to most teenage girls.
- Add Flavor to Your Title. Everyone has a story to tell, and maybe even better than the others, but for some reason, it fails to attract its audience. The title should initially answer a query that your audience has in mind. It has to have a specific purpose that benefits a need and inspires the audience, to read on and finish reading the information provided in the content.
The internet has created a scenario that requires fast-paced communication resulting from the desire to get quick answers.
Short contents are answers to the audience that require prompt resolutions to concerns and pain points.
Yes, it is true, but as always, the call to action depends on the available facts or information, which should be, first and foremost, accurate, and second, to the point. The rest of the story follows.
Bing Writes Content 
I can easily get wordy 🙂 and so even in the days of this challenge, I start playing catch up at some point.. but I do try to make my headlines catchy (at least as far as I can see).. and use a table of contents so readers can pick and choose in case they don’t want to read the full length post
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Your blog has a nice lay-out. I like the table of content aspect. As mentioned, there is no straight rule regarding length. I also love your niche!
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Nice post. I myself have been partial to posts at least a thousand words long, both reading and writing. But that’s all just preference. The most important thing is that our work provides value, which can be a tough thing to do somethings. Anyway, thanks for this post!
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Hi, Stuart! Glad to be reading your input. 🙂 I agree. As writers, we have to cater to the need of valuable content to the audience.
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Bingskee, good points! I decided several years ago to make my blog posts 400-800 words, as the topic requires, make the top photo attractive, and often use bullet points for speed-readers. Then I have to let the chips fall.
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Hi, Kebba! Thank you for appreciating! Especially now that there’s a daily challenge, blog posts need not be that long. It would be exhausting.
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Thank you, I often have trouble just filling a word quota.
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I understand. It’s not really nice to write with a word quota in mind. It’s more fulfilling to just write with gusto and not think about the length.
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Great post and informative. It is hard trying to find a balance between length and SEO. 😦 But as you said, Content is King! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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It’s a struggle for me, too, Samantha – writing for SEO and length. Trying my best to compensate with writing to the best of my ability.
Thanks for appreciating.
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These are good tips for writing content geared to get your audience to read. I remember reading about the F style of scanning. I think I do that alot!
Thanks for sharing!
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I do that a lot, too! ☺️
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Excellent input. I’m always amazed when I click on a “recipe” – or so I thought. Instead there will be the same pictures of the meal in five slightly different varieties, then a lenghty introduction. More pictures, until, MAYBE, finally the ingredients and instructions are listed 😉
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Hi, Tamara! I get what you mean. Some food blogs are just smart to provide its readers a short video and direct to the point instructions and list of ingredients. Sadly, some of them failed in this aspect.
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