Why Do So Many Writers Think Longer Is Better?
Here’s the surprising proof. Short posts can go viral and earn you big time
Many writers load up their work with a bunch of information you don’t really care about. It’s full of fluff.
It could have been 10 sentences but it’s 100 sentences or even more.
Why do so many writers think longer is better?
If you’re a writer and you try to simply communicate a good idea to your audience keep your post short.
A short form post can just be as good as a long one. Good writing is about making your idea tight and crisp.
Moreover, short form pieces have garnered some of my highest reads and earnings.
What’s short form?
When (new) writers tell me they don’t have the time to write regularly, there’s one thing I keep telling them:
Write short form pieces instead of long form articles!
Well, then they ask me what a short form piece is. I tell them the following…
The power of bite-sized reads:
- Medium’s short form pieces are only 150 words or fewer
- They provide little pieces of information readers can use for their daily lives.
- Medium will automatically classify a piece of 150 words or less as short form content.
Short form posts can go viral too
If you think that only long articles can go viral, you may be surprised to know that short form articles can go viral too.
You can earn around $45 for a 1 min read.
Here’s the proof:
Here’s my viral 1 min short form post with 2k and $45.:
and here’s the high-performing long form article which made also around $40+ for a 4 min read with 620 views.
The mind-blowing secret to publishing daily
As far as I’m concerned, I care about writing. I care about my side hustle and I dream of building an online writing business.
In order to fulfill my dream and reach my big goals, I dedicate significant time to my side project.
It’s a challenge to produce quality, longer pieces, every single day.
Short form writing taught me I can publish daily! It’s possible.
You’re busy? You’re lazy?
One short form post takes me around 30 minutes.
Mind blowing math: If you can find 2,5h per week you can publish 5 articles per week.
I can find or make half an hour per day to write a short piece.
It even gives me a dopamine kick and it keeps me in the habit of writing.
Pubs where you can publish short form pieces
Since the beginning of my Medium journey in late December 2020, I have been submitting short form articles — primarily to this pub, where I hang out the most: The Shortform.
This publication has more than doubled its followers within the last past few months.
I have become a regular writer there and have earned a decent amount of money for my writing.
For me, a short form article is like a love poem. It can lead to a romance or not.
Here’s a list of 5 pubs where you can submit short form pieces to
1 — The Daily Cuppa
We like nature, food, pets, plants, people, and all things simple — or complex that can enrich our lives. We celebrate humanity. Serve up your cuppa tea, coffee, wine, cocoa, or whatever pleases you, and enjoy our daily bites.
- Followers: 1.2k
- Editors: Katie Michaelson; Adrienne Parkhurst
- Submission Guidelines
2 — The Shortform
(…) is dedicated to the quick read. If you are looking for some tiny nuggets of knowledge or some easy entertainment, you came to the right place. Specially designed for consuming content when you are short on time or energy.
- Followers: 1.1k
- Editors: Tom Fenske and Burk
- Submission Guidelines
A place for all things bite-sized! A collection of poetry and shortform pieces! 🧠🍜 We have daily poetry prompts, weekly shortform prompts and now introducing, monthly essay prompts!
- Followers: 664
- Editors: Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)
- Submission Guidelines
(…) is not just a publication, but a movement to build a mutually supportive community that encourage active reading and better writings.
- Followers: 461
- Editors: Winston Drashti Shroff
- Submission Guidelines
My tip: Enter a coffee challenge in order to get a cup of ‘Buy Me A Coffee’.
- A cup of coffee is valued at US$5.
- Coffee awards are capped to the first 20 winners who get more than 300 claps within 3 days of posting.
5 — 2 Minute Madness
The next generation has no time for fluff. Follow us for 2-minute reads about wealth, health, and art!
- Followers: 2.2k
- Editors: Toni Koraza
- Submission Guidelines
*I am not sure if this is the full list of pubs to where you can submit short form pieces. If I am missing any, please let me know in the comments section.
8 Things I like about short form writing
- You can tease a long article of yours
- You have to be brief, concise, thought-provoking, and relevant
- Writing a short piece ‘quick and dirty’, gives you a nice kick
- It helps you build a writing habit
- It keeps you in the habit of writing
- It’s a source of consistent weekly views.
- It’s a good way to experiment with different (niche) topics and headlines.
- It’s an easily accessible goal.
What other writers like about short form writing
- It was a lot harder than I imagined! I really had to mince words without compromising meaning haha. Preeti Ramachandran
- I am currently doing a challenge. 400 shortform articles in the month of october. Edina Abena Jackson
- Love shortform. (…) I am busy and lazy-ish. I prefer to take a nap over writing. JS Adam
- Long-form writing is like a steak dinner, or a fancy dessert, to me. It’s special. It takes more time to write, and I generally have to spend at least a little time researching things and looking up links. Maria Shimizu Christensen
Final Takeaway
I am strategic with my time and writing. Short-form gives me the most bang for my buck. Maria Shimizu Christensen’s article.
Maria hits the nail on the head: Short form writing is her bread and butter. Mine too.
We don’t need to write a long form story. Longer isn’t always better.
What are you waiting for? Dare to write short form posts and start now!
What do you think about short from writing?
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