Justin Bieber Blogging
Are you blogging for business or blogging for Justin Bieber Fans?
Or How Long Should My Blog Be?
When you have been blogging since 1999 you get a fair idea of what works in a blog post, instinctively as you’re writing it, you know from the headline which blog will get read, shared and come back to time and time again.
It’s a gut feeling you develop as a journalist and one that has lead to my blogs being read by over 500,000 people
Quite often online and when i’m delivering talks for Successful blogging the one question i’m asked most often is
How long should my blog posts be?
The answer should be as long as it needs to be, but some facts for you, from our own experience
- Our top 5 most read blogs on www.altrinchamhq.co.uk have all been between 550-1150 words long – this also correlates with them being the blogs that have been shared most by readers
- Our 5 least read blogs – all come in at between 3-400 words long
There is definitely a perceived value with the lengthier weightier tomes out there rather than flimsy diet-blogs
Sadly in the past 6 months I’ve increasing heard small businesses inform me that some “Social Media experts” have suggested their blog posts should be 2-300 words.
I visit said experts website and their blog post, which tells you “why blogging is essential” is the first blog they’ve written in 3 months.
Surely the ultimate case of the blind leading the blind
Frequently my flippant response to this has been
Are You Blogging For Business or are you Blogging For Justin Bieber Fans?
What I mean by this is know your audience.
Sure 2-300 words on the latest pop sensation may satiate the need of a 14yr old girl and it may send web traffic through the roof, but what works for that market does NOT necessarily work for your business market.
To be perfectly honest if I clicked on a twitter link to a blog post from a serious business and saw what amounts to an introductory paragraph as a full blog post i’d feel my intelligence was being insulted and would be unlikely to visit said website again
So here’s some pointers for how long your Business Blogs should be?
- Who is your audience? Judge the level of information they have prior to reading the blog
- Remember what you learnt in school about a story having a beginning, a middle and an end – this applies to blogs as well. Make sure you include the meaty bit in the middle
- Draft, re-draft and draft again – always ask the question – What fluff is in there that doesn’t been to be? What have I missed out?
- A blog needs to convey a level of importance and offer value to the reader. By the end of the blog have they learnt something?
- Always end with a call to action – Do you want readers to contact you, comment on the blog or share the blog
Altrincham HQ works with businesses on their blogging strategy do deliver up to date content that works, gets the readers and blogs that get the desired call to action
Would you like to be focused with a clear idea of what your next 6 months worth of blogs will be?
Contact us on 07806 774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk for more info
Share your experiences on blogging below
