When is a blog post too long?
What is too long for a blog post. I try to keep my posts less than 3 paragraphs. Sometimes they’re a lot longer because I have a lot to say. Do you judge posts by paragraphs or word count.
I know some people have word counters and said their readers don’t like posts over 400 words. I don’t usually count the words in my posts. I just type until I feel I got my point across.
What do you think? Do you think a post can be too long? What would make you not want to read a particular post.
I think it actually depends on what kind of post it is. Personally, I often just like to browse and when I do that, it can be said that short posts (3-5 paragraphs with short 2-3 sentences each) are better since anything more than that I don’t read through anymore. That’s why, if you do want to make a long post, you have to catch your reader’s attention at the first two or three paragraphs at most. It is up to them if they get hooked to read the rest.
On the other hand, there are particular blog posts that I read through specifically because of the exhaustive content. For instance, I like to read reviews in their entirety, because just reading the first three paragraphs wouldn’t make a lot of sense. And besides, I really just want to know what the reviewer’s honest opinion is and I won’t know that unless I read everything.
So in short, it really depends on the kind of post. But just to be safe, it is advisable that your first three paragraphs are entertaining and designed to catch and hook your reader’s attention.
That’s just an opinion. I don’t necessarily apply it to my own blog.
1 jute September 24th, 2007 at 12:15 amI think a post would be too long if it’s composed of more than 10 substantial paragraphs. Nope, I’m not being stringent. But if one paragraph is more than a screen page long and you have ten of it, then it’s definitely very long.
In my experience, if what I’m writing has subtopics or subtitles, I just put 2 or 3 of those subtopics/subtitles in one post and then continue the entry in another post. Like making a part I, Part II, etcetera of it. It makes a good series too.
2 Prudence September 24th, 2007 at 12:08 pmJute,
I try not to write more than 3 or 4 paragraphs. Or I try to break it into bullet points.
3 Sabrina September 24th, 2007 at 12:17 pmPrudence,
Yikes, 10 paragraphs! That is long. I try to keep my posts under 4.
I do break my posts into parts on my other blogs because there’s so much information.
4 Sabrina September 24th, 2007 at 12:18 pm