Has it ever puzzled you when a blog post you put a lot less time into gains more popularity than a post that you put less effort into? I know I am, and I always wonder why that is. But more importantly, is it a good thing or a bad thing?
From nearly any perspective, there is always going to be a reason that will shoot down your opinion. In this post, I’m going to list some of these arguments and show you how there can always be a better argument for the opposite side.
But before I start, think about this on your blog. Look at posts that you have put a long time into. Maybe they took you hours to write up and plan. Then look at your other posts that may be more successful and think about why that might be. How do you feel about that. Do you think that post with more effort was just a swing and miss opposed to that shorter post which was a home run (I’m trying to add more analogies into my posts)?
Progress: If I write shorter posts all of the time, there’s no need to write long posts
If you write long posts on your blog that are less popular than short posts, what kind of posts will you want to write more often? If you can build a strong foundation on your blog with really good short posts, than you are definitely making your way as a blogger.
Problem: Laziness
Every blog needs their “pillar articles.” Pillar articles are the best blog post on your blog, and you HAVE to have some. Even if they don’t do as well as you think they should, pillar articles are the posts that you must have. But when you make a career on short posts, how many pillar articles will you have?
I can tell you from experience, good pillar articles are usually around 900 to 1000+ words. Those numbers aren’t what I would consider a short post. But it may be possible you will be more determined to keep pumping out those short posts, but try throwing out a few long articles every now and then.
Progress: If I write less in one post, I can write more about it in another post
It sounds like a good deal to cut posts in half and only write about a certain point about one topic on one post, then do the same in the next. It’s a great way to create a theme for your blog, and having a theme to revolve your posts around on a blog is ideal.
Like a building, your pillar articles will support your blog until the very end.
Problem: Inside Thinking
The one problem with establishing a common theme on your blog is how to diversify your posts more. While you should put a lot of focus on one thing, you should also pay attention to other topics you can be covering.
That just leads to the point of “inside the box” thinking (you know, the opposite of thinking outside the box). When you write about the same thing over and over again, it may get overwhelming and your idea train can stop.
Progress: I save time
Posts can consume a lot of time out of your day. Short posts that are usually about 300 – 700 words are easy to write and can be knocked out in under 30 minutes. Why take time to write a post for 45 – 60+ minutes when you can build a blog on posts that are short? It just seems like the smart thing to do.
Problem: Possible Less Quality
This may be stereotyping, but I think that many posts that are on the short side prove to be of lesser quality than those on the longer side. Short posts usually do so well because of how quick of a read they are, but if they can be read quick you’re either a damn fine writer, or you just cut out some information.
Always work to provide the reader with the most content in an easily digestible way. I read a great post recently entitled “Are you Brain-Dumping?,” and it talks about the differences between writing with education, or just writing what’s on your mind with no real point. It got me thinking, and I think I may be doing that here on Blogussion.
Progress: Writing Improvement
If you can write your post and cover your topic perfectly in a short term, then your writing style must be amazing. It would definitely have improved since you started your blog, and you figured out what kind of stuff works and what doesn’t work on your blog.
Problem: For How Long?
Even if you only come up with a couple of great, short posts — how long do you think that success will last? Maybe you will realize that you can’t rely on short posts and you have to put more effort into your next posts.
That’s Just the Gist of it
There are plenty more arguments here, and for every one of those arguments there is a counter argument. I personally think this is an interesting thing to debate about, and I would love to see some more “progresses vs. problems” in the comments. See if you can come up with one that has no counter argument! Good luck. :p
15 Discussions
It’s interesting to read this because I was just thinking that I have been making some of my posts too long. I know a lot of major news sites break their long articles down into pages. Have you generated any beliefs on this technique? Also, if you don’t mind sharing I’m curious to know what the short article was that you were referring to in the introductory paragraph. I can’t think of any more progs and probs right now.
Nick Tart´s last blog ..40 Chinese Proverbs for Entrepreneurship
Hi Alex,
When it comes to little effort getting more noticed, for me it goes not with the length of my posts, but what I would consider the quality of my content.
I have been amazed to see some of my post that I would consider of “lower value” compare to most of my posts, but somehow, out of the blue, they show up with a PR2…
Puzzling indeed…
Nicolas Prudhon´s last blog ..Day 16: 21DSM – Internal Links Structure
First of all, thanks for the link!
I’m going to come from a different perspective here, in that effort is not related to the length of post, but rather it’s related to the value your readers get. As time progresses, you get better at adding more value with less effort.
This come from 2 things:
1. Skill
You become more skillful at writing in simple concise manner, engaging the reader with less words.
2. Experience
You become more familiar with what your readers want, the problems they face, the issues on their minds. You become better at “hitting the nail on the head” in your posts.
So if you are talking about progress vs problems, I’d see this as progress.
Charles´s last blog ..Are you Brain-Dumping or Communicating?
Awesome post man! I personally think that posts should be as long as needed to get your point across. If that means 300 words, awesome. If that means 800, then that’s great too. Just make sure you have your message clearly presented and surrounded by interesting and useful examples.
Corey Freeman @ Outstanding Writer´s last blog ..How to Lose Blog Readers (And Your Girlfriend)
Hey friend,
A very informative and I grasp lot from this. You have to keep it up. By the way, are you a teenager?
YingHang´s last blog ..My New Name Cards
Yes, I am 15 years old.
Alex´s last blog ..When Little Effort Goes More Noticed: Problem or Progress?
nice post, really well written. You should write more about this.
Alex, your third comment “How I Make $300 a Day Online” is spam. Everyone is getting the same comment by this spammer who is cunningly using a gravatar. You can delete this comment after you have dealt with him.
Charles´s last blog ..Are you Brain-Dumping or Communicating?
Thanks! He tricked Akismet here and at my other blog Asnio. I knew something was up when I got the same exact comment on both of my blogs!
Alex, let me congratulate you for one of the best post I’ve read lately.
Now, as others mentioned before, the success of a blog post is rarely dictated by its length. I’d say it’s a sum of factors:
1. The information’s level of ‘freshness’;
2. The quality of this information. Can be read as ‘usability’ too;
Y. the effective way you present the info.
Thanks for stopping by Alex!
I agree with your little list there, and even to add on: it’s relevancy in the months to come. Could be considered as “quality information,” but still very note worthy.
A post from a different perspective. I like your style of writing and the post flow is really captivating. Great read and i am re-tweeting it
Richael | Domain Marvelous´s last blog ..Can .sex (or the new gTLDs) finally dethrone .com?
Thanks a lot for the compliments and retweet! That’s like all of the best stuff packed into one comment, haha.
Very good post and remind to check my blog posts, specially I have reached my 100 post!
mmm I really don’t know, but it’s not easy to imagine what people really like about articles on your blog, some times I spend the whole day or maybe two days working on one post, and preparing useful information from here and there, and the post don’t get that much attention!
From the other side, some of my very fast posts got so many comments and opinions, and people love it!
I also think that the title of the post is a main factor to grab reader attention and help your post to find more people who could like it while promoting it on social media, the post simply can find new interested people on the topic than those who are already loyal reader on your blog.
Just an opinion!
Hesham @ FamousBloggers´s last blog ..5 more Reasons you must Guest Post
Writing good content is something I think all bloggers struggle with. Your content is usually at its best when you decide to create a blog post on your own volition. Those “pillar” articles are important. I think a blog should have at least 5 exceptional article series that contain at least 5 posts each. There is also viral content.
Blogger´s last blog ..Choosing a theme for your blog