Why Long-Form Content Is Making A Comeback
Anyone who spends time online has felt it. That feeling like your attention span is just a ping pong ball zipping and banging around never stopping to land for more than a few seconds. The quick hits of content making a 2 hour movie or reading a book seem like torture.
While this is totally valid, the tide is starting to shift. People are yearning for longer content. The deep dives. The hour long YouTube video essays.
I've watched TikToks longer than 10 minutes just because of how captivating the speaker or topic is.
The rise of newsletters on Substack, blogs and podcasts makes the assumption that bite size content is still king seem presumptuous.
Long form didn't truly disappear. It just moved to quieter corners of the internet while the loud, short content is blasted in every direction.
We didn't lose the ability to focus. We lost the environments that support focus.
Short-Form Content Trains Us To Consume
With so much content being posted and churned out the system encourages looking at everything for a few seconds, surface level only, maybe throwing in a like or emoji reaction and moving on.
The endless scroll feels fun but eventually feels like a bottomless pit with no reward at the end. It's like a giant well and you’re the bucket.
The feed promises one more insightful tidbit or funny video before reaching the water and quenching your thirst. But the water never comes.
These apps and algos were designed to make your attention span non-existent. It's not your fault. They harness the illusion of depth while staying shallow.
Short form content is optimized for a quick skim not for depth or discussion or true engagement.
Why People Are Craving Depth
People are moving away from consuming 7 second videos on a loop with shallow engagement that is forgotten in a few days if not a few hours.
The novelty of having new content presented to you by the algo is intriguing at first until your eyes start to glaze over from doom scrolling fatigue.
This leads people to seek out more thoughtful content that stays with you. Along with context and nuance this is the secret sauce for the new type of content that people are hungry for.
This to why newsletters, blogs, and resource hubs feel comforting and intentional.
Long Form Content Works When Design Supports It
This type of content, long-form, only works if it’s designed intentionally and with readability in mind.
A few helpful design elements are:
Line length and spacing
Typography choices
White space and section breaks
Visual hierarchy
Good design turns a block of a bunch of text into an easy, inviting experience.
Websites As Attention Sanctuaries
Websites are intentional environments unlike feeds. Even though I do enjoy sprinkling some social media elements in my site.
Blogs, resource libraries, and long-form pages invite slower reading and deeper engagement. Have you tried skimming a long article? It doesn’t usually work.
Your website is an attention sanctuary aka the opposite of the surface level, skimmable content. It can be where long form content is crafted for connection and learning lives.
My favorite websites are the ones that are a treasure trove of knowledge. They aren’t pushy or trying to hold your attention hostage. They invite you in and encourage you to dive deeper into any number of topics.
Long-Form Content Builds Better Relationships
The depth inside your content and website builds credibility, authority, and emotional connection. Long-form content doesn’t scream for attention, it earns it.
We know that going viral isn’t the perfect marketing strategy. In fact, many creators and creatives that have become overwhelmed by all the messages and engagement from people who don’t care about their products or services.
The better, less flashy, strategy is building a connection with potential clients who actually need and want what you provide. Definitely more doable and less stressful!
How To Create Long-Form Content Without Overwhelm
If you’ve been nodding along this whole time but are running into the typical time crunch of the busy business owner, I’ve got you.
Here's a few different ways to get started with long form content:
First, pick your favorite medium to create in. This makes it easier to stay motivated in the long run. For me, I like writing so I have this blog. Hello (wave emoji).
Start with a strong post that makes sense for you and your business. This could be based on a common question you get all the time or your path to starting your business. Everyone loves an origin story!
Prevent burn out by repurposing your long form content. Take podcast or video transcripts and make them posts. Or take written content and break them down to some key insights for posts. Long-form content is supposed to be sustainable, not exhausting.
Design Long-Form Content That People Want To Engage With
If you've been nodding along and want to create long-form content that feels calm, readable, and aligned with your brand, my website templates and mood board challenge are built for exactly that.
Feel free to check them out or keep following along on the Redesignia blog.
