A few months ago I finally took some advice and started following Seth Godin’s blog. Almost every day he shares something short and pithy. Some insight or challenge. Usually his posts are short. Very short. Like this one: Empathy is the hard part
40 words. Plus the title.
I tend to waffle.
I have a tendency to want to maintain consistency. If I write longer posts, I want to keep writing longer posts – even when I’m not able to. Even when a shorter post would be more effective.
I need to learn to write less. Write to target…
How about you?
Blog content can be whatever it needs to be. You need to focus on identifying who your target audience is, and what you do the best that turns them on the most. The length does not matter. The quality matters. The content matters.
If you turn people on at 200 words fine. If you turn people on at 1000 words, fine.
Just learn what you need to do to turn people on. Just realize that Seth Godin’s formula varies as well. He tends to write short pithy posts. But not always. What he does is a result of him paying close attention to what people tell him. He doesn’t care about the length really. He cares about the fulfillment he is able to deliver doing what he does best.
Paul J. Krupin
Creator and Founder of Presari
http://www.Presari.com
Hi Paul, You’re absolutely right. I think that this is something I’m on a journey to discover with this blog – who I’m writing for. Ideally I want to find readers who enjoy or appreciate or are challenged by what I write, and readers who I can learn from as well.
While I agree that content matters more than length, I think the initial idea of writing a minimum of 100 words a day has given me a useful focus and barometer. I don’t have time to read all the blogs I follow every single day so why should I expect others to constantly turn to mine. Unless I can learn to pack more meaning into a shorter piece that justifies daily reading.
Your right again about Seth’s posts. I’ve noticed he varies his length. Short unless he needs or wants to say something longer. A good discipline