What’s the Difference Between Long-Form & Short-Form Content?

Both long-form and short-form content are used in the world of content marketing, both for different reasons, as they offer different benefits. In this article, we’ll be going through what long-form and short-form content is, their advantages and what the differences are between the two. Let’s delve further into the world of content and everything those different types have to offer:

Long-form content: What is it & what are the benefits?

Long-form content is useful for a wide range of things, including achieving SEO goals. But while we know long-form content is great for optimisation, there are a few other things you need to know about long-form content, including how you can benefit from creating it yourself.

What is long-form content?

Long-form content is content that is more than 1,200 words long and videos that are longer than 10 minutes in duration. It’s perfect for blog posts and articles, along with white papers and journals. Long-form content allows you to go into greater depth when it comes to getting information across to your audience. 

It enables more informative content to be produced whilst also including all of the necessary keywords needed to perform well in the search engine results pages (SERPs). This is often why long-form content is most used above other content types. Examples of long-form content include:

• Blog posts
• Articles
• Videos longer than 10 minutes
• Podcasts longer than 10 minutes
• Journals
• White papers
• E-books 
• Tutorials
• Press releases

What are the benefits of long-form content?

Long-form content, as we’ve already discussed, allows for more informative articles and blog posts to be created, whilst also including all of the keywords needed to do well with regards to SEO. But what are the other benefits of using long-form content? Let’s dive right in:

• Great for SEO – long-form content allows content creators to add more keywords. In addition, the Google algorithm favours longer content over other content types, making it easier to show up on page one of the SERPs
• Lower bounce rates & longer audience retention – long-form content encourages your audience to spend more time on the page, while they read your content. This increases the time spent on a page and reduces your bounce rate simultaneously 
• It builds trust & authority – well-researched, relevant and accurate information is greatly favoured by Google and people, generally. In turn, it increases trust and legitimacy
• Allows for more creative freedom – long-form content allows content creators the freedom to get creative, mainly because they have the scope to do it effectively
• Higher ROI potential – while it requires time and effort to provide, long-form content generates a higher return on investment thanks to its increased traffic, leads and, eventually, conversions and sales

Short-form content: What is it & what are the benefits?

Now that we’ve been through what long-form content is and how you can use it to your advantage, it’s time to talk about short-form content. What does it involve, and how can it benefit you in your SEO and content creation journey? Let’s take a closer look.

What is short-form content?

Did you know that less than 20% of people reach the end of an online article or blog post? This is why short-form content is often utilised by content creators. It offers a wealth of advantages, but in order to get the most out of it, you need to understand what it is. Short-form content refers to content that is short in length or duration. Essentially, short-form content is less than 1,200 words long and videos that are less than 10 minutes long. Examples of short-form content include the following:

• Short blog posts
• E-commerce microcopy 
• Social media posts
• Infographics
• Emails
• Podcasts
• Short videos 

What are the benefits of short-form content?

Short-form content can be used for a wide range of applications within the world of marketing, from infographics and videos to podcasts and social media posts. But why should you give short-form content a go? Here are a few benefits of using short-form content in your marketing strategy:

• Increased engagement – short-form content will quickly catch and retain attention spans, leading to higher engagement rates
• It’s more cost-effective to produce – short-form content doesn’t take as long to make as long-form content, which naturally makes short-form content more cost-effective to produce
• It has a greater reach & visibility level – platforms such as TikTok and Instagram prioritise short-form content, leading to increased visibility and wider audience reach
• Content production is quicker – it’s quicker to produce when compared to a blog post that comes in at 2,000 words, for example
• It’s great for mobile sites – short-form content doesn’t involve the use of continuous prose. Therefore, short-form content can be displayed more clearly and conveniently when compared to long-form content, for instance
• Social media can be better utilised – short-form content is perfect for use on social media. X (formerly Twitter), for example, will limit the length of a post to 280 characters, making short-form content better suited for this purpose
• It makes for quick, clear & concise keyword targeting – keywords can be focused on more clearly and precisely, ensuring better SEO results  
• Information & messages can be put across more clearly – short-form content can be used to get messages across more concisely, as the information won’t get mixed in with continuous prose

Long-form vs. short-form content: What are the main differences?

The main difference between long-form and short-form content is, of course, the length of them. While short-form content will have a lower word count or video duration, for instance, long-form content will have a more considerable word count and video duration. They also differ in the benefits they have to offer, which is why it’s important to consider using both long and short-form content in our marketing strategies. 

Each one brings something different to the table, often providing benefits that the other one just cannot give. While it’s important to know which form of content to use for different applications, it’s paramount that we’re using a smattering of both in order to make sure we’re getting the most out of content strategies and the advantages that both short-form and long-form content have to offer. In summary, the main differences between long-form and short-form content are:

• Long-form content has a longer word count than short-form content
• Short-form content is better for placement on social media 
• Long-form content is ideal for blog posts and articles, where SEO goals need to be achieved
• Short-form content is perfect for getting messages and information across quickly and clearly 
• Long-form content can be used for instances where information needs to be delivered in more depth, such as for white papers or news articles
• Short-form content is more cost-effective to produce
• Short-form content is better suited for mobile use
• Short-form content can be made more quickly 

At Kumo, we offer a full range of digital marketing services to clients across the UK. Based in Nottingham, our experienced team specialises in SEO, PPC, content creation, and website design – each service crafted to elevate your brand and help you stand out. Interested in finding out more? Contact our approachable, professional team – we’re always pleased to offer marketing services to clients throughout the country.