Keeping your content concise is one of the best ways to ensure quality, engaging material. As a business owner, you’re likely passionate and knowledgeable about your industry, which means you are willing and able to write pages and pages and pages of unique content in your field. But writing in detail isn’t usually the best way to go.
There are several reasons why writing long, extended articles don’t carry the same weight as shorter, more concise written blurbs:
· Readers get bored easily with extended material
· The amount of redundant and/or unnecessary information in the body increases with length
· Long documents are not as scannable, and therefore are less likely to be looked at
· Longer material is harder to distribute and publicize
Almost counterintuitively, longer content does tend to take less time to write than more concise material. It’s easy to ramble on and on about a given subject, especially if you’re familiar with it. But writing in a voice that is sharp, clear, and to-the-point usually involves writing to some extent and then editing that material down to a bare minimum final product.
Accordingly, the most important part of the writing process is not writing, but editing. It takes time to write everything you want to say and whittle it down to only the most important pieces.
It’s easy to get carried away with this process, so remember your goal isn’t simply to cut out as much as possible. Your goal should be to include the best, most concisely worded, least “fluffy” content you can produce. Your editing process should not be focused on “cleaning” so much as it should be focused on “exploring.” Instead of going through and throwing out pieces of content that don’t seem relevant, focus on what pieces of content really jump out at you, and let those flourish.
The more experienced you become at making your content concise, the faster you’ll be at it and the better your content will become.
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