Yes, long form content in the beginning, but then, no need to care much

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I regularly come across blog posts, articles and social media updates extolling the benefits of long form content writing.

I have myself repeatedly stressed that long form content is important not just for establishing authority, but also for improving your search engine rankings. But I have always believed that it is not as a “do or die” situation as it is made out to be by some content marketing experts. You don’t always need long form content.

It’s not the length, but the quality and relevance of your content that matters. Google says that 400 words mean good SEO and anything less than 400 words is thin content.

Again, you need to go to the root cause of what is thin content. Thin content is irrelevant content simply used to fill up a website or blog. It delivers no value. It is simply there for the sake of appearance in the search listings.

You don’t need long form content at all?

You need it. In the beginning.

Given a choice, both search engines and people who would like to link to your content, prefer comprehensive blog posts and articles on a given topic.

Given a choice, they would rather link to a 3000-word blog post with multiple sections, than a 300 words of a quick knowledge sharing spurt.

I can relate to that. Writing 3000 words on a topic, with different sections and subsections, is no mean feat. When you publish 3-4 3000+ words blog posts on your website every month, it shows you work hard, and you have got a lot to say. And after all, I charge much more for 3000 words than for 300 words.

Authoritative, quality publishers indeed have lots of information to share through their own observations and research, and through the interactions that they have with other influencers in the industry.

The Google algorithm also assumes that since you are writing so much, you must be covering all the topics pertaining to a subject and the visitor doesn’t have to go through different websites to find different bits of information on the same subject.

For example, if someone publishes 5000 words on “The ultimate content writing guide”, and if it has been decently written, it is certainly going to enjoy greater pull compared to a blog post with a similar topic but containing just 100 words summarizing all the points in a bulleted list, unless these 100 words have been written by someone like Joe Pulizzi. More people are going to link to the 5000-word peace. This will improve its search engine rankings and make it easier for more people to find it. Far more people are going to link to it. It becomes self-perpetuating.

Frankly, long form content, just for the heck of being long form content, isn’t that useful. Recently I was reading a book by a well-known influencer (I’m not going to name him because I admire him) and what he has written in his book, he could have written in 10% of the pages his book has; he goes on and not just to have a thick book.

So, sometimes people publish 5000 words simply because they intend to publish 5000 words. Most of the time they are repeating themselves or they are publishing facts and graphs they have already published 10 times. Yes, those who don’t follow them regularly may be awed by the “length and breadth” they have covered, but experienced people like me can easily make out what they are trying to achieve.

Use long form content in the beginning. It is valued. It is appreciated. It also helps to cover all your bases. Your readers will appreciate if they can find everything they need in a single blog post.

Just like everything in life, there is a threshold, and after the threshold, things sort of move forward on their own unless you do something destructive.

Once you have built enough back links, once you are generating enough traffic, don’t bother with long form content unless you really have lots of information to share.

Once the traffic is good, even shorter pieces of content – 100-300 words – will begin to appear in search results.

In fact, once you have made a name for yourself (among humans and among algorithms), people prefer short form content because instead of having to go through a thesis, they get the answers they are looking for in 100-300 words.

Better content writing often needs input from the clients

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Just because you have hired a content writer it doesn’t mean that you simply hand out a title and then go on with whatever you’re doing.

Some topics are common. Specialized information is not needed.

But, there are some topics for which the information can only come from someone who works inside the industry – the client.

Sometimes some clients take their web copy so casually that they just send me a site map or a list of web pages in an Excel sheet and then ask me to come up with appropriate content.

Recently there was a client who wanted me to even come up with the different services that he wanted to put on his Services page! So much disinterest.

I was aghast. I mean, how was I supposed to know what services they were providing?

Please remember that a content writer is being paid for writing content, not for being your content strategist, or your subject specialist. If you are hiring a strategist, then pay the fee of a consultant, and not merely a content writer. Anyway, that’s a different topic.

So, whether you are a client, or a content writer, the right information is important. Get it either through research or through work experience.

Sometimes the client says, “Oh, if I have to come up with everything, why am I hiring a content writer? I might as well do it myself.”

When a client says that, I tell him or her, “Sure, go ahead. If you think you can easily write what I’m going to write for you, then you definitely don’t need a content writer like me.”

Don’t shy away from asking. Otherwise you’ll be blamed for writing lousy content.

How to keep your emails personal yet professional?

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Every email marketing guru advises you to keep your emails personal.

What does being personal mean?

Here is a list to keep in mind:

Use your name for the “From:” field.
Know the name of the person and start with “Dear name” or “Hello name”.
Use a conversational style – write in a manner you would talk to someone sitting across the table.
Be specific in the message; this way the person knows that you’re specifically talking to him or her.
Mention something familiar (but not intimate).
Introduce yourself in the first line without sounding salesy.
Inform the person why you are writing.
If possible, inform the person why you are writing to him or her, especially.
Avoid using long sentences.
If it is a compound or complex sentence, keep just one sentence in a paragraph.
You can have 2-3 simple sentences in a paragraph.
Be genuine and come to the point as fast as possible.
Remember that your language represents your business, and more importantly, you.

How to keep your email message professional at the same time?

There is no need to do something extra. Professional writing doesn’t mean writing highfalutin sentences or injecting jargon in every expression.

Being professional simply means sticking to the business. No need to bring up intimate knowledge even if you possess it.

Be culturally sensitive. Remain as gender neutral as possible. Don’t use words and expressions that you wouldn’t use when talking to your child or someone you care for.

Should content writing be done in-house or outsourced?

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Should you hire in-house team for content writing or outsource?

It is very important for your content marketing strategy to know whether you should do content writing in-house, or you should outsource it.

A few days ago I advised a client to hire an in-house content writer even when she was eager to outsource her organization’s content writing requirement to me.
Initially I had agreed because I thought it was a one-off assignment.

They wanted me to work on a document of around 22-25,000 words. I agreed to work on the assignment because initially she had said that they would be providing the research material and I would just need to compile the information in a “writerly” manner.

But the next day she said that they also wanted me to do the research.

The problem with the research was that it needed to be verified from multiple sources. Another problem was, they wanted to pay a fixed price – per word.

Yet, another problem was, they were finding my content writing service a bit expensive, although, considering the quality I was providing them, they agreed to pay me my price.

I was about to start the work when I got another message from her that she was interested in outsourcing 10-15 such assignments every month.

I told her that they needed to hire an in-house content writer for such a job, and politely declined to work on the current document.

I couldn’t afford to spend so much time on research and writing for an ongoing project for which they were eager to pay a fixed rate. One never knows how much time such research is going to take. Especially when research needs to be verified and confirmed from multiple sources.

How to decide whether you should outsource your content writing or hire an in-house content writer?

To be frank, I have a content writing and copywriting business. It is in my interest when people outsource their content writing needs.

One needs to take multiple factors into consideration before deciding whether hiring an in-house content writer is the way to go or it makes sense to outsource.
I don’t take bulk content writing assignments. Most of the clients who hire me go through my website, like my writing style, and hire me expecting that I’m going to use the same style and the same quality for their websites or blogs.

Therefore, often, it becomes difficult for me to hire multiple writers or outsource my content writing further. I need to manage most of the writing myself.
If the content writing agency can handle the volume of content writing work that you have, well and good, you should outsource.

Outsourcing definitely has its benefits. But if lots of research is required and you don’t want to pay a variable rate (according to the number of hours spent on your work), it is better to hire an in-house content writer. Or a team of in-house content writers, if you need to publish a lot of content.

Take for example the above case of writing documents containing around 25,000 words. And they need 10-15 such documents every month. Add to that research. Sometimes research takes as much time as the actual writing. Sometimes, even more time.

Even if cost-wise paying per word works for you, it doesn’t work for the content writer. If I had taken the assignment, I would have ended up spending all my time on their work, neglecting not just the work from other clients, but also neglecting my own marketing that I need to do to keep getting assignments.

Outsourcing is good when you don’t need lots of content. Cost wise, if you need to publish hundreds of thousands of words in a month, you either work with a bulk content writing agency (and compromise on the quality in the process), or you hire an in-house team that is going to spend all its time researching and writing content. You will get quality content, and the writers will be compensated according to the pay scale they have agreed to.

What is a cliffhanger in copywriting?

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What is a cliffhanger in copywriting?

A cliffhanger in copywriting is also called the “curiosity gap”.

You want your readers to read your entire copy, right?

Making them read the entire copy is important for call-to-action and conversion.

You want to keep them hooked.

You need to pique their interest.

They should quickly want to read what comes next.

What makes reading gripping? What do you call a page turner?

When the writer always keeps you on the edge.

Something is always just about to happen.

You must have seen cliffhangers in many Netflix series: the current episode ends at a drastic juncture, and you desperately want to know what happens next.

So, you watch the next episode instantly.

You can use cliffhangers similarly for writing copy that you want people to read till the end.

Why is it important for your readers to read your copy till the end?

You are building a narrative.

You want to inform, educate and motivate them enough so that they convert.

Your entire narrative builds towards your call-to-action.

If they lose interest midway, they will never respond to your call-to-action. They will never be motivated enough.

Therefore, it is important that you keep your readers hooked with the help of cliffhangers.

Build the suspense. Tantalize them. Hook them with incomplete sentences and opportune questions.

Here are some examples:

“He wasn’t sure if he could afford it, but then…”

“Just when he thought he had seen whatever could have been seen, something totally unexpected unfolded.”

“This app doesn’t just help you manage your tasks, it does much more than that. Want to know what?”

Don’t overdo, though. Use cliffhangers in copywriting strategically for maximum benefit.