How Long is Too Long When Posting?

When posting on social media platforms it's common to be unsure of the length a post should be. A simple rule is make a post as long as it needs to be to get your point across. Oftentimes people are worried that a post that is too long won’t make anyone stop and read it. On the opposite end a post too short will simply be skipped over. What you don’t want to do is leave your readers hanging by posting too little, yet you don’t want them to lose interest by making it too long.

Guide to Short Form Posts:

It’s been found that it's best to keep LinkedIn posts on the shorter end. When posting, LinkedIn allows for 140 characters to be shown before showing the “see more” button and cutting off the rest of the text. It's critical that you catch a viewer's attention in that short amount of words or risk them moving past it. Posts in the word range of 40 to 49 characters in length have been shown to receive the highest number of views, though be cautioned that a post that is too short risks leaving the reader hanging.

Guide to Long Form Posts:

Long form posts are typically best in the format of a blog. You’ve probably heard people saying “attention spans are shorter than ever” or “no one will take the time to read it”, yet this doesn’t mean you should be cutting relevant information out for a lower word count. If your audience prefers longer content, then give them what they want. Longer blog posts help you demonstrate expertise and authority in your niche. Long-form content gives you the outlet to show your knowledge at length to build trust with the reader that you’re an expert on the topic.

A happy medium between short and long form would be to simply use both. Posting a short tease with some of the main points of a blog on social media can be a way to make the reader stop and evaluate if it's worth reading. Once they have justified that it is they’ll be able to click the link to the full blog hosted on your website. This is the best of both worlds as it gives the reader the option to continue reading while simultaneously driving them right to your website.

Overall you should avoid holding yourself to an exact character count. While there has been research as to what performs best, that doesn’t mean that performance will translate to your audience. Keeping your audience, the posting topic, and the layout of a post should be more important than the word count. Oftentimes people will add fluff that ultimately serves no other purpose than hitting a word count. Avoid this while posting and be clear and concise with your messaging and make the word count an afterthought.