6 Tips for Writing Long-Form Marketing Content

Content Writing Tips

In a pinch, most people could cobble together a blog post in a day or so. Indeed, even if you don’t particularly enjoy writing, or if you’re severely out of practice, many professionals could still manage to write a blog or two if need be. However, writing a piece of long-form content is an entirely different prospect. E-Books, whitepapers, pillar pages –– these assignments can prove difficult even for accomplished copywriters. On the plus side, rich content tends to provide great SEO value. Here, we’ll share six tips for tackling time-consuming writing tasks:

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Pick a Good Topic

Not every subject deserves to have a 3,000-word page dedicated to it. Remember, if you can cover a topic in a regular blog post –– then don’t bother trying to stretch it out into a much longer piece. Save your most detailed effort for subjects that truly warrant it.

Make an Outline

Not sure where to get started with a long writing assignment? One great method for kickstarting such a project is to create an outline of all the different tangents you plan on exploring. Even if you end up not using everything in your outline, it’s still beneficial to build one to give yourself a structure to utilize.

Break it Down

As with any big undertaking, it’s always a good idea to try and break down long writing assignments into small pieces. Just writing a few hundred words a day will help you stay on task and make it easier for you to manage all of your responsibilities.

Find a Proofreader

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a great writer to be a decent proofreader. Rather, professionals should consider reaching out to their coworkers to edit and review anything important they write –– particularly if it’s long or complex in nature. A fellow pro will be able to spot the mistakes you missed and influence your paper’s flow in a positive way!

Research, Research, Research

Whether you’re describing a pull marketing strategy or you’re building a page on the ancient Romans, research should dictate the bulk of your writing. Don’t make assumptions or guesses in professional work. Instead, do your best to fill your content with meaningful facts and figures.

Provide Your Readers with Value

It’s important for all writers to consider their audience before they complete a project. And that’s especially true for long-form content. If you’re going to ask your readers to invest lots of time reading a 20-page whitepaper, then you had best offer them solid information in return. Modern consumers are willing to read in-depth articles, but they’ll balk at the first sign of fluff or meandering. As such, keep your writing tight and your readers in mind at all times!