Making the Most From a Short Blog Post

Posted by Thom

Oct 28

notebook 300x225 Making the Most From a Short Blog Post As bloggers, we often feel as though we have to pen the perfect rendition of a modern day War and Peace for each post. We slave and suffer over word selection, sentence structure, and word count. How long is the perfect post? Shouldn’t they always be over 500 words? I’m stuck… what do I do!?!

First, let me reassure you… every piece doesn’t have to be the perfect piece. They don’t have to be novella length dissertations and you’re not going to fail the class if you don’t get it just right. In fact, short blog posts can be very powerful and many readers will appreciate them. Lets face it, sometimes we’re asking our readers for a pretty hefty investment to read the post we slaved over… so most won’t.

When you need to make a blog post short, keep these key blog post elements in mind:

Define and declare your Main Point (a.k.a. your thesis)… the WHAT of your post. Define your point that your making quickly and clearly. Complex points are not good candidates for a short blog post, so break down a complex topic. The short form post needs to have a single topic and be able to articulate it in one sentence, preferably early on in the post. Extra points if you get it in the post title!

Make your argument. You’ve told your readers what (your main point), now tell them SO WHAT. Why is your main point important to them. Remember, you are writing to your reader, not your self. You have something to say and you want them to buy in… give them a good reason.

Elicit a Response – Make a solid call to action… your NOW WHAT part of your post. If you want your readers to leave a comment, ask them. If you want them to retweet your blog post, ask them. Oh, and don’t forget to make it easy for them. Asking them to subscribe to your newsletter is great… but don’t make them go looking for the link!

So, this is a pretty short post… at least for me, only 350 words so far. And hopefully I’ve been able to convey the what, so what, and now what of my main point. Oh, wait… I forgot the now what… sorry.

What’s your preference? Long thorough post? Short, to the point posts? Or something in between? Drop a comment below and let me know. And give some good reasons why, I’ll work those in to the next writing tips post!

If the writing tips help, share them with other people. Use the retweet, facebook or sharethis links below to spread the word. I really appreciate it!

@jtrigsby

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Filed under: Writing Tips, blogging

reidklos

JT,
As a new blogger I'm tackling blogging with the same ferver, joy, and perfectionistic precision that I do with all my writing, which probably explains why I have double the amount of drafts than published posts, lol. Yet, that's the joy of writing - you have time to edit. I would never subscribe to a "don't post if it isn't perfect" mentality because I might as well shut down Tailor Made. Just think if we thought like that before speaking! more than 90% of us would be Charlie Chaplan clones.
Write, edit, post, edit, repost.
Thanks for letting me know that it is okay to have long posts as well as short ones. I have the long ones down pat, but I've been worried that they wouldn't get read. They do, though, because there are still people out there that love the artistic flare of prose no matter the length.

jtrigsby

Well, it seems I'm clearly in the minority here Reid!

I guess the real point I was trying to encourage is that you shouldn't fall into a mode where every post takes days to write. Sure, its ok for your pillar posts to get the write / edit / make it as perfect as possible treatment. I just believe that if take that approach to every post... you'll get frustrated with the protracted process of getting posts out.

Thanks for stopping by and throwing your contribution into the conversation! I really appreciate it!

Thom

Neonjade

I like mixing it up :) I have a posts that range from 20 words to 20 screen scrolls - well divided, with subheadings and pictures, of course!

I do agree with Rod. You should still sweat the small stuff on even the smallest posts. I might not get it perfect, but I try. You never know what traffic you might lose from a poorly executed blog. That posting may be the only thing a visitor will ever see from you. I can feel a little tear forming now...

jtrigsby

Yeah, ok... so I'm beginning to see a pattern in these comments... strive for perfection?

I'm not sure I intended to advocate low quality or ignoring glaring errors. My point was simply this. Obsessing over every little detail can prevent you from ever getting a post out.

So I guess here's the real question. Is it better to post with a somewhat less than perfect post, or not post at all? I personally fall on the somewhat imperfect over none at all.

Just my thoughts? Anyone else?

Neonjade

Since you've met me, it's probably no surprise that I couldn't keep my response to response size. :) I posted it here.

Rod

Good post, J. You're absolutely right, you don't have to write a novel, but I don't think you should sacrifice quality no matter the length of the post. The first blog post I ever wrote was probably very essay like and I knew it was a blessing just for anyone to read through it entirely.Writing is something that I've always done so I had to kind of "re-learn" how to write for blogs because, like you said, people want the meat before they go to deep into the post.

jtrigsby

I know exactly what you mean. My first posts took many hours, if not days, to write and put out. Now, not so much. And short can be good if it keeps you out there in front of your readers... always a good thing.

Thanks for the comment!

Buzzregog

Good thoughts. I am not really sure I have a preference on post length. For me I am just as happy to read a 150 word post as I am to read a 1500 word post. As long as those posts are both appropriate and well crafted. Get my interested and I'll read it.

jtrigsby

Well and that is the magic formula isn't it. If you can write a compelling piece about the state of the art in cinder block manufacturing, you may only get 100 readers (ok, maybe 10... I was trying to be optimistic!) but those 100 readers will read every word with rapt attention!

Sometimes though, even for something from Brogan I just can't read it all... I'm not in the right frame of mind or whatever. Its at those times I really appreciate the short ones.

I think as we are moving toward our own hyper-personal news stream, short will be preferred.

Just my two cents worth. Thanks for stopping by and the comment!

jtrigsby

Thanks for that feedback Buck. It is an important point to remember that most readers don't read your posts... they scan. Bullet points, sub-headings and strategically placed emphasized words can draw the reader's attention to you main points.

Having said that, and looking back over this post visually, you're right, it does look like a big body of text. Hhhmmm... that's giving me an idea...

BuckDaddy

Bullet points help. For scanners this blog post would seem long. So you could have put your 3 points into bullets. My main problem is I overthink the post and then never write it

jtrigsby

Ok man, the new post is up at Making the Most From a Short Blog Post... Redux, let me know what you think!

@jtrigsby

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