Marketers spend much of their time developing content for materials ranging from tweets and Facebook posts to email campaigns and white papers. Writing copy is hard enough, but when you start questioning whether you either do not have enough or too many words, it becomes a challenge that can keep you from finishing your content piece. You might be asking questions such as “How long should a blog post be?” and “What are the character limits for a Tweet?” Through expert resources and proven best practices, we offer the answers to all your content marketing questions you have about the length of specific content pieces.
1. How Long Should a Blog Post Be?
Blog posts can vary in length, especially when it comes to the type of blog post, but any blog that is over 300 words is sufficient. Best practices show that blog posts that range from 600 to 1,000 words are where you can see impacts on search engine optimization (SEO) and keyword rankings.
2. How Long Should Articles, eBooks and White Papers Be?
Short-form content, such as blogs, has specific character limits, but what about long-form content assets? Pieces such as articles, eBooks and white papers tend to have greater character limits than short-form content. Here are a few best practices and recommended character limits for these assets:
- Articles: While similar to blogs, articles are more in-depth, evergreen pieces of content, thus having a greater character limit than blogs. Articles are recommended to be over 1,000 words and not exceed 2,000 words.
- eBooks: eBooks incorporate valuable information and visual elements. While it is important to balance the text content and imagery, it is as equally important to ensure there is sufficient text so the reader can take away actionable information. eBooks should be around 1,800 to 2,500 words.
- White papers: White papers are in-depth, research-based pieces of content. It is recommended white papers are more than 2,500 words. The several pages of information covered in white papers can take a considerable amount of time, but the value delivered is worthwhile.
3. What Are the Character Limits for Social Media Posts?
The most commonly used B2B social media platforms are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Here are the character limits for each:
- Twitter: 280 characters
- Facebook: 63,206 characters, but it is recommended to keep the post around 100 characters
- LinkedIn: 3,000 characters
- Instagram: 2,200 characters
4. What is the Best Length for Email Subject Lines and Body Copy?
Email marketing is a powerful tool for B2B marketers, so it is important to optimize every component, especially the subject lines and the body copy of the email.
- Subject Lines: A subject line is one of the most critical parts of an email. It determines how many people open and engages with the email content. If your subject line is not compelling, a person might not open the email. It is recommended to keep subject lines to around 60 characters.
- Email Body Copy: Once your subject line grabs the attention of the email recipient, the email body copy needs to deliver the same impact. The recommended character limit can vary based on the type of email. For example, a transactional or reminder email might be one paragraph while a nurture email or newsletter email could be twice or three times the length. It is best to keep it short and to the point. Many readers like to skim through emails, so omit “fluff” or extra details when possible.
5. What Are the Recommended Character Limits for SEO Metadata Information?
Optimizing content marketing pieces for SEO is instrumental in improving search engine rankings, increasing organic traffic and so much more. When crafting blog posts, white papers, eBooks and other content marketing assets, follow these SEO character length best practices.
- Title Tag: Under 60 characters, spaces included
- Meta Description: Between 55 and 160 characters, spaces included
- URLs: Under 75 characters
Content marketing helps fuel various components of overall B2B marketing. Looking to establish and elevate your content marketing efforts? Contact us today or request a free marketing consultation. As a full-service B2B marketing firm, we help companies with content development, execution and more.
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