Short Form vs Long Form Content - Which is Better?
Content marketing is still one of the best ways for brands to raise awareness about their products and services. However, today, the types of content to apply to this strategy are more varied than ever. Not only can you distribute content in the forms of text, images and video on various social platforms. On top of that, you also have to decide how long your content should be.
There are different applications for short-form and long-form content production. Although the latter often takes more time and thought, there is enough preparation in short video content that it’s vital to find the best-converting solution.
Content length can be a difficult decision if you’re just starting out with your content marketing strategy. In this article, we’ll look at short-form production and its longer counterpart and weigh which is better.
Short Form Content Production
Short form content is anything under 1000 words. In the case of video, it’s anything under 10 minutes. Compared to this, there are shorter bite-sized content forms of under two minutes or snackable content that's just 30 seconds long.
Short form content is very mobile and social media friendly. On platforms where users are scrolling and not looking for anything in particular, it is easier to catch their attention with a shorter piece of media. Therefore, short-form content competes mainly in saturated markets and has to provide something that grabs the attention of potential viewers.
It should be snappy, entertaining, and lose no time to reveal its value.
The benefits of short form content production are:
It’s quicker and often cheaper to produce
It caters to short attention spans and immediate consumption
People on mobile can access it more easily on the go
Some platforms only support short-form content. Take Twitter, for example.
Long Form Content Production
Long form content, subsequently, is anything above 1000 words or 10 minutes in length. You will find long form content less frequently on social media. Instead, you might find more explorative videos on YouTube or short films on a business’ website. Long form content also covers webinars and courses, as you might find on a provider’s knowledge base.
The benefits of long form content production are:
It’s great for SEO, as you can include more keyphrases and extensively cover a topic.Â
It generates more backlinks
You can tell more of a story and express more of your brand’s personality
You can go in-depth on the subject, exploring features of your product in detail
The most successful brand doesn’t choose one form of content production over the other. Both short and long content types have their place, so long as you know how to put them to good use. Whilst it's easier to create short-form content in-house, longer video content may require the help of a video production house.
At Highstakes Films, we help your brand create suitable content for you, regardless of length. We know the ins and outs of snackable content for social media and the more passionate storytelling of longer projects. So get in touch today to chat about your idea.
