In a world of fast-paced scrolling, long-form content can seem cumbersome and out of place. Common practice is to create short-form video and digestible content that people can scan and share. Additionally, it can be difficult to find time to allocate to research and development of lengthy content. However, long-form content—longer text articles or videos that go deep into a particular subject—can be a valuable commodity and round out any solid content strategy.

Let’s first define long-form content. Good long-form content takes time to explore an idea thoroughly, explain a complex topic, or dive deep into subject matter that simply cannot be conveyed in 30 seconds or less. Whether it’s written or visual, this type of content places a larger demand on the consumer’s time, and it can be harder to capture their attention. Well-executed content will command authority in your space, increase your engagement times, and build a deeper relationship with your reader.

Here are just a few benefits of creating long-form content in the age of Reels.

Efficient repurposing of content

It may seem counter-intuitive that long-form content could be more efficient than short, but hear us out. Do the research once, and create content for days! Not only can you break the long post up into smaller blog posts, you can create videos with snippets of info, infographics, quote images, and more.

Put simply: Research once, and repackage to your heart’s (and audience’s) content!

Here are just a few ideas for breaking your long-form piece up for social media:

• Pull snippets for text images
• Create short videos around central ideas
• Split it up into smaller blog posts
• Use the data for infographics
• Link back to the in-depth post when necessary

The ideas are endless! But the concept is simple: Long-form content doesn’t have to be one-and-done. Use it as an ongoing source of information in your content strategy.

Increase your credibility with your audience

If someone stumbles across your content, they may not know who you are or why they should believe you. In fact, the internet, in general, has trust issues. You can overcome that by showing them that you know what you’re talking about!

It’s nigh unto impossible to communicate enough information in a Reel or a social media caption. Having longer explainer pieces and research pieces can give you a place to share what you know and show the receipts, so to speak. Your credibility is everything, and your audience wants to know that they can trust you. So show them they can!

Ramp up your user engagement

This may be the most practical part of this entire article, so listen up. High bounce rates and low time on site can hurt your overall SEO and kill your rankings. If these numbers are less than ideal, they can suggest to search engines that your content is low quality. Obviously, that would be a bummer.

By writing compelling content that is created for your market, you’re going to keep people on your site longer. They’re going to spend more time clicking to other articles. It’s a win all around! Some points to consider that will help your audience stay with your content to the end:

• Formatting is really important. Make sure it is easy to read, with clear headers and bullets where appropriate.
• Kill the ads. Okay, if they’re an important part of your revenue, don’t kill them. However, a poor ad experience will quickly drive your users away from your site. Keep ads relevant, clean, and streamlined for performance. There is nothing worse than getting 3 paragraphs into an article and having the article descend into an unusable stream of popups and sadness.
• Add value. Yes, it’s a buzzword. However, it’s important to ask what you are contributing by writing this article. Is this a topic your audience needs to know about? Are you answering questions that they have? Know who you’re speaking to and create things they will enjoy.

That’s about it! Long-form content is an important part of any strategy, and it would be a mistake to abandon lengthy pieces that serve your audience.

If you need some ideas on how to reach your audience consistently and get your social posting streamlined, True Anthem can help! Set up a demo today so you have time to write things that matter and hand off the things that you can.