Taking the time to understand your audience and see how they interact with a product or service will help you determine what type of content you should create. To do this, you should consider the following when choosing between short and long-form content:
Your goals
You need to know what your goals are and choose the most effective way to achieve them.
Setting goals (for each type of content, not just a general strategy) is the first step in choosing format and length.
Smart marketers set their goals first. Then they work to try to achieve them.
For example, if your goal is to build brand awareness for a new product launch, you might decide that the best way to achieve this is with short emails that deliver a direct message to your subscribers. You can also combine this with posts on your social channels.
In this case, short content is the most effective option.
On the other hand, if your goal is to rank on Google for highly competitive search term italy mobile number example , generate associated traffic and conversions, then you will most likely need to create long-form content.
If you don't know where you're going, it'll be hard to figure out how to get there.
The intention
You need to understand the intention that your content needs to achieve.
Sometimes it's as simple as taking the time to research existing content that's available and working for your competitors on the same topic.
Our guide on how to identify search intent is a good place to start. It can help you understand the concept in detail, as you need to determine what your audience wants from the piece of content you're creating.
When your audience's intention is to learn, you'll typically need to create long-form content. But if they're looking to be entertained or stay up to date with the latest news, short-form content is a better option.
Understanding intent before you start creating content is an important, yet often overlooked, step.
The competition
If you're creating content to rank in search results, or if you're looking to generate traction on social media, you need to know who you're competing against. You also need to analyze what's working for your competitors.
To compare content for search engine ranking purposes, you can use SEMrush's SEO content template tool that will help you analyze which pages are ranking. You'll also be able to see the word count goal. Think of it as research, but keep in mind your intent and goals.