What if you were better informed as a content writer?

I did some research for you.

I have the idea that amid all the social media violence, many people actually feel the need to deepen their knowledge.

Did you know?

SEO expert Brian Dean and his team analyzed 11.8 million Google search results in 2020. It showed that the first page on Google had an average of 1,447 words

Target group

Would you like to explain to the visitors of your website how they login? Then your text should be short. Without a doubt.

The same goes for a letter or email explaining how your readers can cancel their membership. Your readers need solutions. And they want to fulfill them as quickly as possible.

Inform or persuade

Do you want to inform, amuse or convince the visitors of your website? For example, do you want to tell them why your brand is more sustainable than all those other brands? Then you could really use a few more words.
Your readers had a different goal when they started your text. They want information to support their choice, to understand you better.

Social media

Do you publish a text on instagram? There is a lot of competition from other posts on social media. In addition, the focus is more on images than on text and texts are broken after several lines.
If your text is too long, people will have scrolled further. Click on your article? Not at all. Why would they? To make sure of that, you need to get to the heart of the matter in a few sentences and use a catchy image to trigger.

A magazine?

A magazine probably grabs your target audience for other reasons. Not to quickly check, but to sit down extensively. To relax. In that case, they do take the time for a longer article. Before you know it they are 1,000 words further.

Product value?

Suppose you are selling a product. In that case, the cheaper your item is, the less time people have to think about the purchase. It’s not that big of a risk.
But with more expensive items, such as a home, investment account or health insurance, people want to know more about the product. And they also want to put in some time.

What does the product offer the reader? What do other people think? And why should the reader go for this product and not another?

Even when it comes to the mission or vision of your company, you often have to convince a reader.

And they need quite a few words for that.

Not surprising, because their potential customers probably have some questions.
If you use too little text, you as an organization run the risk that readers will be left behind with doubts and drop out. Or worse, visit another site to get answers to their questions.

Another reason to go for long copy is, search engines love it. Long text pages come across as more expert, relevant, and unique than short texts.
Visitors also stay longer on your page, because there is more to read.

Google concludes that you have written a good text and gives your page a higher SEO score, making it easier to find for your target group.

That doesn’t mean you have to write a 3,000-word text. That was often thought of in the early days of the SEO hype. A text of 1,000 to 1,500 words is sufficient, even for Google. Because Google especially likes relevant and unique content.

Well, a long text can really work. You just need to know how to hold the reader’s attention.

How do you write an attractive long text?

1. Pay attention to your writing style

The rule, as far as I’m concerned: a long text works, as long as it is well written. That means you use active sentence structures and understandable words, and alternate between short and long sentences.
This makes it less difficult for your readers to follow your story and they are less likely to drop out. Of course, this also applies to short texts.

2. Keep your paragraphs short (just like your intro)

Your text may be long, but it is advisable to keep your paragraphs short. Preferably a maximum of five lines. Online readers especially give up on long blocks of text without subheadings. Sometimes a paragraph of one sentence can also work.
Because that stands out.

3. Add visual features

Visual features increase the readability of your long text.

Subheadings
Bullets
frames
photos
Videos
Infographics

4. Stimulate your reader with something striking

A piece of news, for example. Or an anecdote. This way you draw the reader into the story and then hold it.
I personally often address the reader personally. Preferably in the intro already. Why should the person read this text? I try to answer that question right away.
In addition, I sometimes incorporate myself into the story. Just like now. Because recognition appeals to readers. Whether they know me or not.

5. Complete your story

Another way to keep long copy attractive is to trigger your reader with something you will come back to much later. For example, start your article with a question.

What do all users of this product have in common?
Only answer this question at the end of your article. If you refer to the intro at the end, you round out the text nicely. Readers love that.

Stay critical

Even with a long text you have to keep asking yourself: is this passage relevant to the story? Does it contribute to the point you want to make? Or could you just as well just delete it?
Don’t write to fill a page, but to reinforce your story. Good luck!

Aadya2

Donations 3$ - for my tesearch go to missing children of the world. https://ko-fi.com/aadya2