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January 11, 2021 Content Chat Recap: Long-Form Writing Tips and Best Practices

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Despite the prevalent misconception that audiences always prefer short and concise content, long-form content has a rightful place in your content marketing plan. Many audiences rely on deep-dive resources that can answer their questions, explain how they can work more efficiently, and provide a deeper analysis than can be achieved in a 500-word blog post.

In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Chris Craft (@CraftWrites), co-founder of NeoLuxe Marketing and editor-in-chief of InspireFirst, to discuss how marketers can use the 3×3 writing process to accelerate the creation of long-form content. Read the full chat recap below, where we explain what the 3×3 writing process is, share tips to overcome the hurdles of writing long-form content, and discuss how to ensure your content meets its intended goals (from start to publish).

If you’re looking for more resources about how to navigate your content length, you can learn where shorter content fits into your content marketing strategy here, our double-down on in-depth content with these tips to make the most out of long-form content.

Q1: What is the 3×3 writing process, and why should marketers follow it when creating long-form content?

The 3×3 writing process is a framework to optimize your content creation. It has roots in academic writing, but can be applied to most content.

The writing process is designed to help you write higher quality content faster by following a specific set of steps. The community recommends that you revise your copy after you’ve finished the first draft, because editing as you go can bog down your creative process.

One editing caveat for your first draft: ensure that basic proofreading is complete before you dive into the next steps.

Per Jennifer’s question, Step 3/Revise is ongoing, but you should focus on publishing content once it is finished (for the time being) and updating it at a later time.

Q2: Prewriting is the first group in the 3×3 writing process. What is prewriting, and what do you do before writing your content?

Prewriting involves anything you do to get organized before writing and editing your content. This can include keyword research, subject matter expert interviews, competitor research, industry research (including relevant industry data), creating a content outline, and more.

Erika recommends that you create a blog post template that includes your prewriting necessities. This will streamline your process, ensure you have key information top-of-mind when writing, and remove the need for extensive back-and-forth emails with your colleagues or clients.

Q3: What are some of the long content post types that marketers should consider when prewriting, and how do you determine the best form for your content?

Your content format should match how your target readers prefer to consume content. By knowing your audience and their level of familiarity with your topic, you can better assess how in-depth your content needs to be.

There are many ways you can format your long-form content. A few ideas include guides, ebooks, white papers, and in-depth blog posts.

Q4: Writing is the second group in the 3×3 writing process, which may sound deceptively self-explanatory. How can marketers efficiently approach the “zero draft” of the content?

Do not judge your zero draft as you write it. This is still a very early phase for your content, and the point is to just get your ideas down with a general flow.

Use your prewriting materials from step one, including your outline if you created one, to guide your zero draft.

Write the content at a pace that is most approachable for you. You can set a timer and crank out content as quickly as possible to later review…

Or break the process into chunks based on how productive you are feeling.

Focus on editing your content after the zero draft is finished. Ideally, step away and give yourself a break from the content (can be a few hours or a day) to reapproach it with fresh eyes.

Q5: Revise is the final group of the 3×3 writing process. What tips do you have for efficiently revising your long-form content?

If you’ve just completed step two, take some time away from your content to refresh before editing.

Read your copy once without making edits or comments. Then, reread it to layer in notes, comments, and edits as needed.

Read your copy aloud when you’re editing. If it doesn’t read well, it isn’t ready to publish.

Change the font or color of your text so your brain can more readily recognize any errors.

Or, print your content out so you can review a hard copy.

Revisit your creative brief or content template to ensure the draft copy meets its intended goals.

Share your content with an editor (or two) for another review.

You should handle any SEO needs at this stage, too. A checklist will come in handy here. At a glance, you should consider your meta description, content title, internal and external links, keywords, and alt text.

Q6: What questions should marketers ask themselves after writing a piece of content to ensure it meets its intended needs?

The community shares the questions you should ask to ensure your content meets its intended needs. Read through their questions below, and comment if we missed any important questions to ask.

Q7: What general tips and best practices do you have for people struggling with long-form content?

First, know that long-form content is not as scary as it sounds! By following the 3×3 writing process, long-form content feels much more approachable.

The 3×3 writing process can also help you decide the best format and length for your proposed content. Remember, long-form content has a valuable place in your content strategy, but some content ideas are best left in short-form or as a visual.

Make the content skimmable with subheads, bullets, and visuals. You can approach individual sections bit-by-bit to break up the process.

Experiment with short-form content until you feel ready to tackle a long-form piece.

An executive summary and a table of contents can help your reader decide what sections (if any) they want to explore. Bonus points if your table of contents links to the corresponding sections of your content.

Chat about your article with your colleague(s) to build out the idea. Subject matter experts are a valuable sounding board as well.

Templates and checklists are your best friend. This way, you don’t reinvent the wheel each time, and you can more easily confirm that you have all the details you need to start writing.

And if you have an idea, explore it! Like John says, just start and decide if it’s worthy. Your content may not fit your original vision, but you can find a better way to package it so that it provides value. It all starts with having the rough idea on paper.

If you’d like to write a long-form content piece for writers and marketers to enjoy, let Chris and the NeoLuxe Marketing team know!

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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