If you’ve read my blog posts then you know they vary away from just 500 words. That’s not a strategy; I’m literally writing as many words as it takes to get my message across. That could be 500 words, that could also be 1300 words. I don’t have a measurement, but I do keep to a flexible system.
Why Does Word Count Matter?
You can’t just write 50 words and call it a blog. A post like that will surely lack value and will teach readers nothing. Even 150 words is too little. A paragraph isn’t a blog, it’s a poem or an essay, or a short story. You can do it, sure, but if you’re writing a blog then you want to have a little more than that because you want to give the reader something to take home. Don’t waste their time, offer what you’ve got – tell them what you need to tell them.
Why There is No Secret Number for the Perfect Blog
If you write with the intention of delivering a topic, then you won’t have to worry about a word count. Only those who write pointless copy actually focus on word count.
“I need to have 500-word blogs or I’ll never keep a reader on my site!”
That’s the wrong idea.
I’m willing to bet that your blog post is going to be made up stuff with filler words just to hit that sweet spot.
Why Do People Advise 500 Words?
That’s an older concept. Years ago, blog posts were 500 words because it was thought that the attention span for readers was short. While there is evidence to prove that, yes, attention spans are short – as we’ve seen with shorts versus long-form videos on YouTube, there is still a need. If there wasn’t, why are long videos still posted? Why do people still record long episodes for their podcasts? Why do we still write novels in our Instagram posts? It’s not uncool to have longer content. Readers are not obsolete, if they were, we wouldn’t have books being published.
The most important factor is that you produce quality. If it takes you 657 words to get your point across, help a reader out, and deliver an exceptionally well-read article, then write 657 words. Don’t shave off 157 just to make it 500 words.
Same with a blog post that’s under 500 words. Why would I force out an extra 100 words if 400 is perfect enough?
The Flexible System
Too little words, what’s the point? Too many words, what’s the point? That IS the point! How many words does it take to get your point across? The only system I follow is that – am I getting my message across to my reader? I cannot do that in less than 400 words, most of the time. But if you can, do it.
My guess is that if you’re a copywriter, then you love to write. One thing I know about writers is that they LOVE to write a lot of words. I haven’t met a writer who gives me short sentences and calls it a day. You can always tell a writer in someone you’ve exchanged phone numbers with, too. Want to know how to tell? How long are their text messages. We all know someone who texts way too long of a text. I’m one of them.
Writers have trouble knowing when to stop. So, follow some form of a flexible system, like 500-1200 words if you can. Give yourself some room without restrictions. That frame gives you ample space to get your point across but also caps your addiction to words.
But get rid of the idea that is has to be 500 and only that. You wouldn’t want to let your reader down by writing them “5 Tips for Copywriting” and only giving them four. Of course, you wouldn’t do that, but don’t limit how much detail those five tips truly come with just to hit a certain word count.
Leave a Reply