Why Do I Write Long Blog Posts? Should You Blog for Quality or Quantity?

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There are two types of Bloggers when it comes to blog post length and blogging frequency; Those that release multiple short posts a day, and those that release a lengthy post every few days.  I certainly fall with the latter.

Without going into the advantages and disadvantages with each approach, here is my attempt to explain why I write rather long blog posts and don’t post as frequently as a new blogger should, or is advised to do so.

Passion Fuels the Length

I am absolutely passionate about what I do, and because of that passion along with such a diverse experience, I am able to write about the topics I write on in detail.  Moreover, I don’t run out of tangents to bounce off to.

Because everything is so intertwined and somewhat related, there is always something to talk about.  Heck I even wrote about the similarities between a Farmer, you and I, and what we can learn from farming.

Subject Matter Authority

Because of all the hard work I have put into my personal development (which includes higher education, top notch professional experience and several side gigging experiments), I really do consider myself a subject matter authority on topics I write about.

When you truly believe in your capabilities and have the experience to substantiate your confidence, you can easily get carried away talking or writing about a particular topic you feel passionate about, resulting in long blog posts.

My interests are vast enough for me to blog for the rest of my life, or until blogs exist and people care about them.  Again, a big part of this is because all my interests are somehow intertwined.  Consider these topics for a minute: entrepreneurship, small business, personal development, spirituality, personal finance, investing, real estate, blogging, websites, charity, service.

Do you see any linkage?  One can make an argument everything you do in life is intertwined; and I won’t disagree with that either.

Leveraging Education, Professional Background & Experience

A perfect practical example of what I mean is the following.  I have blogged quite a bit about making money through niche content websites and blogs.  Now as an “internet marketer”, or a “website owner” or “blogger”, I should have no business blogging about business incorporation, asset protection and personal taxes right?

One would think.  As would I.  But because of what I know and have experienced, I know that generating money online is a “business”, and that business incorporation should be considered to segregate personal assets from business assets, and that this segregation protects you from unnecessary and excessive financial loss.

I also know that running a business comes with a set of tax advantages, particular for someone who is running a side business in addition to their full time profession.

So although I may have started writing with one sole intention, my experiences compel me to write about the relevant and high impact tangents necessary to provide as comprehensive of a picture and deliver the most value to my readers as possible, therefore once again turning into long blog posts.

Diversification or Narrow Focus?

Most internet entrepreneurs preach that you should focus on a narrow niche and stick to one topic.  Sure there is place and time for that, but I often ask the question why does it have to be that way? It doesn’t.

I have been blessed enough with a well rounded background and balanced experience that I can write about varying topics on my blog. I like the flexibility and the freedom. Depending on my mood and emotional estate, I may write about flying cows tomorrow. Why not?

While I strongly believe that focusing on a niche and knowing your audience very well works well for some initiatives such as niche content websites, I also believe in diversity and the shot gun approach when appropriate, such as on a blogging platform.

Let’s remind ourselves that a Blog is an abbreviation for a Web Log, essentially a personal journal. That said, this blog has taken several twists and turns and still hasn’t found a straight path. I am not sure it will?

The Devil is Always in the Details of Long Blog Posts

What can a 300 word blog post tell you? Sure a joke or two, or the recent robbery in a town in a place you have no clue about, but it is not until you get into the 1,000 word range when you start scratching the surface.

There are excellent writers out there who manage to communicate the world to you in just 300 words or even less, but I think you understand the point I am trying to make?  I personally don’t like it when I am left hanging with more questions than I started with after I consume material such as reading a blog.

That said, we need to put a full hard stop to a blog post at some point.  I do understand that if I didn’t, my blog would simply be one long, never ending post (assuming I could ever do that).  I am continuously learning to better balance the need to communicate the “entire story” while keeping the blog posts manageable both from my writing and your reading standpoint.

As a bean counter in my previous life, I hope the love for details makes some sense to you?

My Attention Deficit Disorder

I have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).  No, that is NOT a joke. My mind is ultra spontaneous and cannot focus on just one task.  It is always working, thinking and wandering into both familiar and unfamiliar territories. It is very curious, often for my own harm.

I often start something with one intention in mind, and up in a completely different corner of the planet when I am done.  What ends up happening is that one subject leads to another, and then sub-topics within topics somehow form themselves.  It all builds up and scatters the article or post all over the place.

The good thing is that because the topics are somewhat related, there is a way to make it all come together in the end.  Most topics end up being interdependent, much like the global environment that we live in today.

The only reason my blog posts likely make sense and are somewhat coherent is because when done writing I go back and spend a lot of time ensuring the post flows well, makes sense and has relevant headings.

This is why it is a joy for me to be able to write a blog post straight in one sitting, skimming back over it and seeing no errors.  This doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it makes me proud.  I am learning, I am getting better.

Concluding Thoughts

The ultimate question I suppose is should you blog for quality or quantity?  The obvious choice is a hybrid both.  I don’t necessarily advocate writing long blog posts all the time.  Because some can deliver quality in fewer words compared to others, I don’t think there is an ideal length for any particular post.  It’s all relative.

From a business perspective, I understand that profiting from a blog takes time just like building any successful business. I am confident in the quality of my blog and the value it delivers to its readers.

From a technical perspective, there are bloggers out there who strive for a minimum number of posts daily to keep their hit count up, often at the expense of quality and brevity.

I am not a big fan of this approach.  I’d rather build subject matter authority through more comprehensive posts, without creating artificial deadlines or minimum amount of daily posts to submit.

Also consider that Google certainly takes its sweet time getting comfortable with you, your content and credibility before it starts to rank you well and send organic traffic your way.  So if Mother Google is not in a rush, why should I be?

Do you normally produce long blog posts or shorter ones? Why?

5 Responses to “Why Do I Write Long Blog Posts? Should You Blog for Quality or Quantity?”

1. krantcents says:

   June 12, 2011 at 5:57 pm

   What is long or short? 5-600 words is just about right for me! Sometimes I go much longer, but I like 5-750 as an average.

   Reply
2. Allie says:

   June 15, 2011 at 8:06 am

   Sunil,

   I try to lean towards the best quality I can. If what I write isn’t up to par with my standards, I do not post it.
   I run a couple of blogs. One on being a WAHM and one for Swagbucks. I admit, my WAHM blog is more labor intense for me because it is my hub. My Swagbucks blog is more of my fun blog to experiment with. BUT that still doesn’t mean I just post crap. I still try to be simple but complete.

   Great post. I don’t like when people post just to keep up with their quota. You can see the mistakes and low quality.

   ~Allie

   Reply
   • Sunil says:

     June 15, 2011 at 3:27 pm

     Allie welcome to the blog – I definitely agree, that’s why I am often reluctant in declaring a minimum length. For me, it is when I have said enough to explain the topic in as much detail as I feel I could diligently.

     Reply
3. 101 Centavos says:

   June 23, 2011 at 6:13 pm

   I went back and checked on the word count for my last three posts: 833, 857 and 1,481. I guess that makes me a little verbose. But, like you said, sometimes it’s hard to get your point across in 300 words.
   Nice (wordy) post.

   Reply
   • Sunil says:

     June 23, 2011 at 6:23 pm

     not to mention all the SEO juice 😉 plenty of search marketing benefits inherently in longer posts

     Reply