Often when a business blog gets rolling there is a basic plan in place. You will usually see about 10-12 initial title ideas. There will also be a word count mark for each post. It’s often 500 words as a minimum. Or maybe 800. Or maybe 1,000 or even 2,000 words. It can vary. And there is certainly no incorrect answer as far as word count is concerned.
But what about changing word counts?
One week you do a 500-word post. The next week you aim for one that’s 1,000 words. Maybe you start out thinking that a title is good at 500, but by the time you’re done it’s 2,000+ words. Even after you edit it down a little to make it more concise.
I think it can be helpful to have a word count goal. I like goals. I like benchmarks. A goal helps you build a routine. So aiming for whatever word count is often a good thing.
But there are benefits to mixing up word counts as well.
1. Answer Different Types Of Questions
A great base strategy for a business blog is question and answer. Try to identify the questions your customers are asking in relation to your industry. Provide the best answers you can with the posts. Most questions can be answered in about 500-1,000 words.
But if you allow for some leeway with the word count you can try for different questions. Some questions may only require 300 words. Why use more if you can provide a great answer with less?
And the same is true for longer word counts. Maybe you keep hearing a question over and over. Nobody has provided an answer in the industry via a blog or video because it would take too long. Take that on and aim for a 2,000+ word blog post. That can be a real winner both in SEO and social media.
2. More Data To Learn What Works
Blog posts are kind of like songs. Most songs are about three minutes long. It’s what listeners expect. Content just kind of finds its proper length after awhile. It doesn’t mean you can’t break it, but for the most part it’s what’s expected.
Most blog posts are between 500 and 1,000 words. That’s the expectation. But it doesn’t mean you can’t go below or above once in awhile. And there are plenty of popular blogs that post only 2,000+ word blog posts.
If you’re not sure what works for your blog it can be good to change the word count. Experiment. Do so until you have more data so you can see if your audience prefers a certain word count or not.
3. Variety For The Writers
Most writers enjoy writing. They enjoy the process of it. They have to. Otherwise they would get burned out fast. Because most article or posts or books aren’t received well. I remember reading a quote from Dolly Parton where she said that she’d written 5,000 songs in order to get about three hits. I think she’s had more hits than that, but you get the point.
It’s a lot of work for little return in terms of quantity.
Something that can keep writers engaged is changing up the requirements. Maybe not all the time, but once in awhile. Say your blogger has been writing 500 word posts for a year. Throw in a few 1,000 word posts in the next few months. It will likely throw them off a bit and get their creative juices flowing a bit. That can be a good thing.
Conclusion
It’s good to stick to a word count most of the time. I think it helps build a routine. But sometimes you need to shake up a routine. Try something different. See if a change is good or not. So try mixing up the word count. See what your audience is interested in. See what your writers might be interested in. There is no harm in experimenting with your blog on a variety of things. Including word count.