How Long Should a Blog Article Be?

Determining how long your blog articles should be can be very challenging. The question was asked by Kathryn Alexander from Ethical Impact during last week’s Blogging Content Camp Webinar. The simple answer is you should have some short posts and some that are more detailed and are longer. 

During the webinar, Jeanne broke blog articles down into five different types. Your goal is to write blog articles using all five varieties. You should also think about the behavior of your blog readers. Do they have time to read a long, detailed post or would they prefer shorter, quicker posts?

Raisin Bran Articles: These are short posts that are rich in keywords. They are easy to write, but make sure the content will be useful and relevant for your target audience.

Spinach Articles: These articles should establish your website as a thought leader in your industry. You should put time into them and write a few per month.

Roast Articles: These articles require a lot of work. Usually they have a lot of links, require a lot of attention to detail, and can sometimes be formed into a series of blog articles. Create one or two roast articles per quarter.

Tabasco Articles:  These articles should make a bold statement. Be prepared to defend yourself. They usually receive a lot of links and comments.  You might start losing some trust if you write too many Tabasco articles.

Chocolate Cake Articles:  These posts are usually fun in nature and you can sometimes poke fun at yourself when writing them. The often include a video or image in the post and receive a lot of links and comments. An example of a chocolate cake article is “5 Online Marketing Golf Shots You Need for a Par.”

Key Takeaway: Your blog articles can vary in length, but you must be writing about relevant topics that your audience will find interesting.

What are your favorite types of blog articles?  How many words does your shortest and longest blog article include?