At Little White House Marketing, we often get asked ‘Should we invest in long-form or short-form content?’ The truth is, it’s not an either/or situation. Each has its place, its purpose, and its power. Great marketing isn’t about choosing sides, it’s about choosing strategy.
Long-form content.
Let’s start at the basics, what is long form content?
Content that goes in-depth, think blog posts over 1,000 words, 30+ minute podcasts, white papers, YouTube videos, or detailed LinkedIn articles.
The purpose of long form content is to educate your audience and inform them on the information on a deeper level. This content will show you as a thought leader in your space and a thought leader about that topic.
Additionally, long-form content fosters trust. A study found that 34% of consumers perceive long-form writing as more credible and engaging than other formats.
Long form content will also serve a purpose when it comes to SEO. Within long form content you can use keywords and go into certain topics which will help boost and improve your SEO rankings which you can generate leads and business from over time.
Did you know we have our own dedicated SEO support team? Want more assistance with this, you can reach out to us on hello@lwhmarketing.com or check out more here.
Where it works best:
- Websites & Blogs: Great for organic search and establishing authority.
- LinkedIn Articles: Ideal for B2B storytelling and sharing insights.
- Podcasts & Webinars: Create personal connections and boost engagement through authentic, long-form dialogue (Algorithms also love video content at the moment!)
- YouTube: Especially powerful when audiences want to learn or dive deep. Think about your niche, can your audience learn from this and take insights from YouTube content.
Long-form content shows you’re not just chasing attention, you’re offering real value and sharing your knowledge. For service based businesses, consultants, and B2B brands, this kind of content builds credibility and trust that short bursts simply can’t achieve alone. It’s about sharing your story, knowledge and building trust so you can convert that into results.
Short-form content.
Bite-sized content designed for speed and social consumption, think Reels, TikToks, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Stories, or under-60-second LinkedIn videos.
You want to capture attention quickly, whether this is someone scrolling through Instagram or LinkedIn, you need to think of a hook to get them interested! Did you know the average human attention span has decreased to approximately 8 seconds. Gen Z’s attention span for ads is around 1.3 seconds, emphasising the need for immediate engagement, here is an interesting article all about attention span!
Short-form videos are highly effective, generating over twice the engagement of longer videos. They also play a significant role in purchasing decisions, with 73% of consumers using short videos for product research. – https://www.lifewire.com/short-video-marketing
Short form content is also great for leading your audience to your long form content, whether you are leading them to read a blog post, article or watch a video. It’s also a lot easier to stay consistent when posting short form content, which is great when you are trying to grow your brand and audience.
Where it works best:
- TikTok & Instagram Reels: Excellent for brand personality, behind-the-scenes looks, quick tips, trends or relatable humour. This helps build a connection with your audience because people buy from people.
- YouTube Shorts: Ideal for highlighting key messages from longer videos.
- LinkedIn Video (short-form): Use for mini case studies, brand wins, company culture and 30-60 second updates.
- Stories (IG/Facebook): Good for day-to-day engagement and time-sensitive content.
So, what should you use?
Use both. Strategically. Long-form content builds trust and shows your deep understanding and knowledge whereas short form content builds a buzz around your brand and gets you seen. When combined, they move people from awareness to trust, from scrolling to subscribing, from curious about you to becoming a client and buying from you.
Need Help Creating Your Content Strategy?
At Little White House Marketing, we help brands craft smart, balanced content strategies to grow visibility, authority, and revenue. Ready to make your content work harder for your business? Let’s chat