That is by far the most common question I hear about business blogging, and my standard response is 500 words for a how-to article and 350-500 words for other types of posts.
What about long-form content, i.e., blog posts or e-books spanning 1,000-3,000+ words? These can yield impressive search results and social media sharing, but can be timely and/or costly to produce. You can always experiment with these later once you’re more comfortable blogging regularly, or you have the resources to outsource.
But for now, I want you to succeed with your blog and your business. So let’s set a manageable blogging goal you’ll be able to meet once or twice a month.
Before you get too caught up in how long your blog posts should be, here’s a far more important question:
What is the point of your blog post?
When I’m editing clients’ blog posts, I sometimes notice that they finish their articles talking about something different than when they started. So much so that the titles don’t always reflect what seems to be their most important point.
That’s why it’s a mistake to publish the first draft of your blog post. Instead, review it with a critical eye to make sure you can answer the question, “What’s the point?”
Once you’ve identified your point, make it clear to the reader by spelling it out at the beginning of your article (you might also want to repeat it at the end).
Make your point just as clear to prospective readers, by crafting a blog post title that promises what you actually deliver. From there, you can write a series of social media posts as variations on the same theme.
If you find yourself trying to make several different points, follow these tips for how to pare down a long blog post, how to spot a blog post series, and how to focus your mind, your topic and your writing.
Most importantly, make sure the point of your blog post is something that will be meaningful to your target audience. Does it answer a question they’ve asked? Does it demonstrate your expertise and concern for the problems they’re struggling with? Does it point them towards a helpful solution?
If you can answer yes to these questions, you can confidently use as many words as it takes to get your message across. Your readers will respond to your genuine passion for their wellness.
This is an updated version of This is More Important Than Blog Post Length.
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