By Daniel Murray

Tracey Wallace was a journalist from childhood and hasn’t stopped writing since. There’s not much she doesn’t know about content marketing, check out the latest episode.

As a child Tracey wrote magazines for her neighbors, revealing the activities of the local cats. She also took her red pen to Vogue and Teen Vogue, casting her editorial eye over them both. Now she’s Content Director at Klaviyo and a Workweek creator.

Daniel and Tracey talk about her transition from journalism into content, via tech and retail, the importance of design in content, and how Google Sheets is winning the content repository game.

You’ll also hear Tracey’s spicy take on why content marketing is chaos.

And if you LOVE The Marketing Millennials drop us a five-star review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/marketingmillennials, I really appreciate your support!.

Follow Tracey:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/traceyrwallace

Twitter: twitter.com/TraceWall

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Timestamps

0:00: Intro

4:41: Battling The Headwinds Through Repurposing

10:20: Long Form Strategy Process

13:48: The Difference Between Reading And Scanning

16:25: The Challenge of Google Drive

18:50: Going Against The Clock

22:44: Content Marketing is Chaos

25:09: All Of Us Are Nicer To People We Trust

30:21: The Internet Might Just Lie

36:46: Experimenting With Content AI

How To Write a Blog Post – Long Form

Long form content has become essential to the success of any blog or online publication.

Users now demand longer reads that delve deeper into subjects that interest them and can be read from start to finish without wanting to gouge their eyes out. 

However, creating long-form content isn’t always easy. There are different rules and techniques to consider if you want your blog posts to get read.

The following guide will teach you everything you need to know about creating long form content for your own blog or website.

Defining What Long Form Means to Your Brand

Before you start writing, you need to make sure you know exactly what long form means to your brand. Although there are no strict rules or guidelines when it comes to long form content, there are certain criteria that you need to meet in order for your posts to be classed as long form. 

These include: 

– A minimum number of words – 10,000 words is a good benchmark when writing a long form article

. – An in-depth analysis of a subject – Rather than just listing the pros and cons of a particular product, you need to fully explore the subject and include concrete examples of why it is important.

 – Excluding fluff and filler words – When writing long form content, you need to cut out as many unnecessary words as possible so that your readers don’t lose interest. Your articles need to be concise and to the point, but without being too abrupt. Achieving this balance can be difficult, but it’s important that you don’t over-complicate things or use complicated language.

 – An engaging tone – You need to write in an engaging tone that keeps your readers interested and engaged throughout the entirety of your article.

Writing a Great Headline

No matter what type of content you’re creating, the headline is crucial when it comes to gaining readers. This is particularly important when writing long form posts, as readers will often judge your blog based on the headline alone. If the headline doesn’t sound appealing, readers won’t even bother clicking through to read the full post. 

That’s why it’s so important to nail the headline when it comes to long form posts. Long form posts are often more detailed and complex than shorter articles, so you need to make sure that your headline is descriptive enough to entice readers but doesn’t give away the entire post. 

You want to make readers want to click through and read the full article, without giving them all of the information they need. Speaking of which, the best way to write the perfect headline is to use the “inverted pyramid” technique. This is when you write your headline first and then work your way down to the beginning of your article. 

This will help you to select the most important facts and details surrounding your topic, which you can then include in your headline.

Using Carefully Selected Vocabulary

As we’ve already discussed, long form content needs to be concise and to the point, without being too abrupt. Y

ou don’t want to use a load of complicated language or fluff words that don’t contribute to the overall message and meaning of your article. Instead, you want to use precise and carefully selected vocabulary that fully explores the subject matter without overcomplicating things. 

This will help you to avoid alienating readers who might be new to the topic that you’re discussing, while simultaneously appealing to people who are experts on the subject.

Decide on Your Key Point Upfront

When writing a long form post, you need to decide on the main “takeaway” or “key point” of your article upfront. 

This is the main point that you want your readers to take away from reading your post, and it will likely be the central theme of your article. This is important because it will help you to write a more cohesive post. It will give you a central focus point that will guide your entire article and allow you to direct your writing towards achieving this single goal. 

This will ensure that your article flows better and doesn’t ramble too much.

Include Useful Visuals And Data

One of the best ways to create a more in-depth and engaging long form post is to include relevant visuals and data. 

This could be graphs, charts, or photos related to your article or topic. You can also use data that is relevant to your topic to back up your arguments or points. This will help to create a more detailed and comprehensive post, while also appealing to readers who prefer more in-depth articles. 

This will help to break up the article and make it less daunting, without sacrificing any of the information that you want to include in your post.

Experiment With Different Font Sizes And Types

You might not consider the font size and type when writing a long form post, but they can actually make a huge difference to the overall readability and engagement of your article. You might want to try experimenting with different font sizes and types to see which option works best for your post. 

Long form articles are often more detailed, so it is important to try different font sizes and types to find the option that best suits your article. For example, you might want to try increasing the font size slightly for paragraphs that contain important facts and data, while decreasing the font size for paragraphs that merely provide context to the article. 

You can also experiment with different font types to find the option that best suits the overall theme of your post. For example, you might want to use a more bold and eye-catching font type for your headlines and sub-heading to make them stand out against the rest of the article.

Wrapping Up

When you’ve finished writing your long form post, it’s time to wrap up and end on a high note. You want to leave your readers feeling satisfied, without feeling overwhelmed or exhausted.

To do this, try to end on a positive note and include some advice or information that readers can use in their everyday lives. This will help your readers to end on a high note, while also making them more likely to share the post with their friends and family. 

Finally, make sure that you proofread your article thoroughly before publishing. You want your long form article to be as concise and error-free as possible. This will help to make your article more accessible to readers, while also boosting your reputation as an author.