Long-form content is time-consuming to put together, which can deter some businesses from creating it.

Despite this, long-form content like white papers, analyses, how-to guides, and case studies can benefit your business in a multitude of ways.

If you’re not already publishing long-form content, here are some reasons why it might be time to consider publishing some on behalf of your business:

Conduct original research

While you don’t have to conduct original research for long-form content, it can be a great way to show it off.

The key is to make sure you cover one topic in depth—don’t jump around and try to cover everything.

Covering everything in one place means your content is less likely to be read because it’s too long, your original research stands out less because it gets drowned out, and you have less space to show off your in-depth industry knowledge.

If your page count is limited and you want to cover everything, your content will be crammed together, making the text harder to read and therefore less accessible.

Simple things like how many words are in a sentence and the spacing between lines are often underestimated but make a huge difference to readability.

If you’ve got lots of things you want to write about, pick an easy one to start with. You can always save your extra ideas for future content!

Your audience needs to understand what the key takeaway is from reading your long-form content or they’re not going to be interested in checking it out.

Show off your research skills

Long-form content allows you to show off your original research

if you do choose to conduct original research, long-form content is a really good way to show off your research skills.

If you work in an industry where research is important, such as sales or marketing, it will help you build your authority and brand on several different levels.

Define your voice

As I’ve mentioned in my previous blog posts on brand voice, many companies struggle to define how they want to sound.

Working on a longer piece, particularly with an external writer or editor, can help you really define that brand voice.

Other team members can then use that as an example to inspire their future business writing, too.

Realising you know more than you think

This one is more of benefit for you than your business.

When you create a comprehensive document breaking down everything you know on a topic, it can really help build your confidence and show you that you know a hell of a lot more than you ever thought you did.

The reaction to that content can often show you that people don’t know as much as you thought about something as well. 

I’ve been writing about storytelling for over a decade. Because it’s a part of my daily life, I often forget it’s not an everyday skill, hobby, activity, or thought process for other people.

It was only when I started talking about storytelling to other business owners that I realised I have a unique perspective. Many business owners are often still thinking and writing in the more academic style they were taught in an educational setting, while I’ve never thought that way, which benefits me and my customers.

Differentiate yourself from your competitors

Long-form content differentiates you from your competitors

Not every business is going to put together a comprehensive guide or take the time to conduct original research. It’s difficult to put together, time-intensive and possibly stressful, especially if it’s created in-house.

So, if you’re thinking of putting some long-form content together, it may be that you’re the only one in your industry who’s created something on that specific topic. What a great opportunity!

Showing your unique knowledge and expertise

Every business has different stories and experiences to share. The real challenge is getting to the root of them.

Long-form content allows you to explore in greater depth the experiences of you, your employees, and your customers.

This could be in the form of a case study, anecdote, or long-form thought leadership piece. You could even include these insights alongside your original research.

SEO rankings

Backlinko research found that content ranked #1 is 10x more likely to get clicked.

The click through rate (CTR) for positions 2-10 are about the same.

The average length of a blog post that ranks at #1 is between 2,100 and 2,400 words, according to Hubspot.

Obviously, you don’t want to pad anything out unnecessarily, but if there are other questions your prospects might have that are related to the topic you’re writing about, why not answer them in that blog post?

Prospects will see you as more helpful as they won’t have to go searching elsewhere on your site—or worse, someone else’s site—to get the answers they want.

BOOM! You’ve just saved them time and energy.

Anyone who doesn’t have those questions will just skip that section and move on to the next one that’s relevant to them. 

Most people won’t read a full-length piece of content regardless of how long it is, so what really matters is if you can answer their key questions and give them valuable insights they can use going forwards.

Focus your goals

If you don’t have a clear idea of what you want to say, or what your key goal for a piece of long-form content is, it leads to a haphazard document with no clear direction and no real reason for someone to read it.

When you know exactly what you want to say with your content, it’s going to be more successful at helping you stand out, building your authority, and reaching more people.

Conclusion 

Long-form content doesn’t have to be scary for you or your customers. It can help you define your brand voice more clearly, improve your results in search, and achieve your business goals.

The key is to write about one topic in a lot of depth, whether it’s original research or personal experience and knowledge.

Don’t know where to start?

If you’d like to create some long-form content but you’re not sure where to start, I’m working on some new long-form content packages and looking for a few people to help me test-drive them.

You’ll get a discount, be featured in a case study, and receive my undying gratitude.

If you’d like to find out more get in touch today.