When it comes to capturing your audience’s attention, choosing the right content format is key. In content strategy, you typically decide between long-form and short-form content, which apply to both written and video formats. Selecting the best approach can significantly impact your post's success.

What’s the difference between long-form and short-form content?

Long-Form Content: Long-form content provides a higher volume of information about a given topic, usually with comprehensive analysis or detailed insights. This format is ideal for demonstrating authority and expertise. It can help deliver thorough information and help potential clients in their decision-making process. 

Written long-form content generally exceeds 1,000 words, with SEO experts recommending 1,500-1,800 words for optimal results. Long-form video is usually over 10 minutes, allowing for in-depth explanation, whether it's a product demo, setup guide, or company story. This type of content is ideal when providing substantive value through detailed insights or expert opinions.

Short-Form Content: In contrast, short-form content is intended to be “bite-sized” and easy to consume. Short-form attracts interest with quick insights and visual appeal. This content can be the gateway many clients use to learn more about a company. 

Written content here includes everything up to 1,000 words, and short-form videos are typically under 10 minutes (often closer to 60 seconds). The appeal of short-form content is its ability to attract a broader audience and adapt to shorter attention spans, making it perfect for ads, quick updates, FAQs, or entertaining snippets.

What does long-form and short-form content look like?

Whether it’s written or visual, content can take many shapes and forms. Each form of content lends itself to specific categories of content.

Long-Form Examples:

•  In-depth articles and blog posts: Often featuring research, analysis, and commentary, these demonstrate a company’s expertise by fully covering a topic. 
• White papers and e-books: These deliver technical information, targeting specific audiences with high-value topics.
• Case studies: Companies use case studies to build trust by presenting successful client outcomes.
• Pillar pages: Longer, more substantial blog posts that comprehensively cover a subject are known as pillar pages. They are typically 2,000+ words and provide high value through research and depth.
• Webinars and podcasts: Whether presented in an audio or video format, webinars, and podcasts allow for deep dives into topics, often with a personal touch via hosts and guest speakers. As a bonus, webinars and podcasts can also be transcribed and easily edited for use in a blog post. 

Short-Form Examples:

• Social media posts and stories: These are meant to be engaging, quick to consume, and most of all, shareable. The limited-time nature of stories lends a sense of urgency and encourages immediate engagement. 
• Infographics: Combining text with visual elements can help condense complex information, making it easy to understand and share.
• Video clips and reels: Video clips and reels are one of the more popular forms of content currently because of their ability to hold the viewer’s attention with brief, entertaining, or informative segments.
• Blog Snippets: Blog snippets provide teasers of longer content, driving traffic to your site.
• Polls and quizzes: If you’re looking for a way to interact with your audience without coming across as sales-focused, polls and quizzes encourage engagement in a fun, informal way.

How do I choose the right format?

Understanding the difference between long-form and short-form content is just the first step. When it comes to discerning when to use each type, there are a few different variables that can help you eliminate some of the guesswork.

• ‍Who will see it? ‍Ultimately, your format has to make sense for the people you want to reach, when you’re trying to reach them. Determine whether your audience prefers quick, accessible content or thorough explanations.‍
• Why are you showing it to them? ‍Think about what goal you’re looking to achieve and how the format of your content might influence audience behavior in that regard. For instance, short-form is great for generating excitement around announcements, while long-form supports deep engagement for product or service interest.‍
• What will it look like? The framework of your content can also dictate the form it takes. Tutorials or how-tos naturally lend themselves to long-form content. Testimonials and product overviews typically work better as short-form content offerings.‍
• How much can you spend on it? For video, costs rise with length and production requirements, so your budget may influence your choice.‍
• Where is it going? Certain channels favor one format over the other. Websites benefit from long-form for SEO, while social media thrives on short-form. Some social media sites have restrictions on the length of content that can be posted there.

Make It Possible

In spite of how simple the formula sounds, deciding between the two forms of content confusing and stressful for a busy business owner. Anntoine Marketing + Design simplifies this by handling content strategy and creation in-house, letting clients focus on their business. Reach out today to find out how we can help you craft the ideal content to highlight your expertise and connect with your audience.