Can I have your attention please? Why long-form content is here to stay
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By Caroline Morris | Fitch Ink Associate Editor
There has been plenty of fear-mongering around the claim that human attention spans are now shorter than that of a goldfish. Those reports of the death of attention spans have been greatly exaggerated.
It’s not that we can’t focus. It’s that we’re too distracted by the million different wonders the internet is constantly throwing in front us. But when a really compelling, high-quality piece of content catches our eye, we’ll stick around.
“One of the most valuable advertising spaces … is next to long, absorbing articles from trusted publications,” says Nathan Heller in his New Yorker article, “The Battle for Attention.”
In a world of six-second ads, this sounds counterintuitive. It turns out that long form, high-quality content may be a better way to get attention.
Eyeballs don’t always translate to connections and conversions. As Mike Follett, managing director of Lumen Research, said, “You can look without seeing — and you can see without looking.” So just because content is short and gets lots of views doesn’t mean that it’s getting quality engagement.
And it’s true, isn’t it? I know I’ve fallen prey to the content machine plenty, reading comments while a video is playing to increase my entertainment value then scrolling before it even finishes. But then I pick up an old favorite book and suddenly I look up to find six hours have passed.
As it turns out, people are not only willing to engage with long-form content — there’s growing evidence that people are yearning for it.
Goodbye, short and sweet?
This change can be seen across the internet. TikTok burst onto the scene in 2016 with its endless feed of super short, scrollable videos. Initially video length was capped at one minute, but over time maximum length increased to 10 minutes, with certain creators given permission for 15-minute videos in 2023.
That change is already showing long content’s value. According to Buffer, TikToks between 3 minutes to 10 minutes get the most views.
YouTube has also increased its video length to up to 12 hours. A significant shift from its original 10-minute limit imposed in 2006.
One recent video that exemplifies the hold longer content can have on an audience is the 4-hour YouTube video, “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel” by creator Jenny Nicholson, which nestles a damning critique of Disney’s current money-first, guests-last ethos within a travel video about her two disastrous days at the now-defunct Disney Star Wars Hotel.
The video garnered more than 5 million views in under two weeks and tons of online praise for the mammoth video that kept viewers watching until the bitter end and still wanting more. In the two weeks after the video, Nicholson gained more than 100,000 new subscribers and her views across all her videos increased by more than 3,000% as people discovered more of her enthralling long-form video essays.
Books are back
Then there’s BookTok which has given new life to an industry once thought to be on the chopping block — publishing.
BookTok is a TikTok community that grew rapidly during 2020 (the hashtag now has more than 100 billion views) in which users not only provide book reviews and recommendations but create inside jokes and memes.
Thanks to this new community, reading has gotten a jolt of life, along with popular BookTok authors. Colleen Hoover, who wrote “It Ends With Us” and “Verity,” saw a 661% increase in sales after going viral on BookTok. New names like Rebecca Yarros, author of the “Fourth Wing” series, found breakout fame. And it’s even gotten readers to look back to classics, with novels like “Little Women” and “The Great Gatsby” finding new popularity.
The impact was so large that the U.S. book market grew 21% from 2019-2021, compared to an average of 4% in previous years.
What this means for you
People are clearly open to longer content. Yet it’s critical to remember with countless options available, most are discerning in what they give their time to. To rise above the ever present noise, your work needs to be of a high quality, drawing your reader in from the very start. Some ways to raise your work to the next level include:
Choosing a topic that offers your reader something of value — not what seems easy or trendy
An informative headline that doesn’t utilize clickbait but catches their eye
A strong hook to draw them in
Well-written prose that keeps readers engaged
With high-quality writing, readers won’t just click on your content, they’ll read to the last sentence.
At Fitch Ink, we know about quality as it’s what sets us apart. We curate only the best writers and editors from across top publications within our team so any company is proud to put their name on the content we create.
If you want your content to raise the bar and reach the right audience who will read it from start to finish, get in touch. Fitch Ink is ready to help you stand out from the crowd.