Quality long-form blog posts can drive a lot of traffic to your website especially if can you pump them out fast. But, the question arises, how to create long form content fast without compromising on the quality?
To write quality long-form content quickly, you need a system. A replicable process where you first answer one central question per article, and then the related pain points.
The intent is to pack each post with valuable information that keeps your visitors coming back for more. The blog size is just an outcome.
Alright, so we mentioned a system, we mentioned a process, but it’s not all jargon. Promise. We’ll prove that in the upcoming paragraphs. Also, you must have a bunch of questions already; we will answer them one by one.
Table of Contents
- How long is long-form content?
- How fast is fast?
- The system that lets you create long-form content fast
How long is long-form content?
Typically, a long-form blog post must have at least 1447 words.
That is the average length of blog posts served on the first page of Google.
But to rank in the top 3, the articles must be even longer.
As a benchmark, aim to write articles that are at least 1500-2500 words long.
But, if your blog post adds nothing new to a topic that already has 10213 blogs on, it won’t rank! Add valuable content or share your experience, that’s what makes your article unique.
How fast is fast?
You should be able to publish at least 1 blog post a day.
Definitely, based on your niche, you may go slower or faster, but that’s the benchmark.
One blog a day may not sound like a big deal, but you don’t have all day for it, right? You might have another job to manage or a family to spend time with. So we will aim to write the post within 2 hours. And…
Here is a system that lets you create long-form content fast.
We learned this system from Income School. Their video will help you get started and the paragraphs after expand upon the system.
Spend a day researching keywords and write headlines around them.
I can’t stress this enough, keyword research is the most essential step of the blog writing process, do not cut corners around it.
Pick keywords that align with the search intent of the searcher, but at the same time, fill a gap in Google’s content repository. See it this way, Google has a lot of content to serve, but if you can identify a missing piece of the puzzle, you will rank on the top for that keyword.
Also, make sure you write content that aligns with what Google looks for in a webpage. For instance, pick keywords that have the potential to generate featured snippets. They drive more traffic than regular search results.
Okay, now that you have the keywords, it is time to craft catchy headlines around them. Bear in mind that headlines are what drives traffic to your blog, they propel the searcher to click on your impression. Make the topics enticing, and address pain points through them.
I recommend the Coschedule Headline analyzer tool to craft crafty headlines. For this blog, I took my main keyword – how to create long-form content fast – and added a spin to it with the tool.
Given the time and focus this step takes, keep a day aside to write headlines that will last the whole month. This way, you can spend your most active hours writing content instead of headlines.
Alright, now that we have a headline, let’s see…
How to write a solid outline for your blog post?
The best way to write a killer outline is to frame questions from the readers’ perspective. Ask yourself – what follow-up questions might my readers have after reading each sub-topic? The list of those questions becomes your outline.
For instance, in this post, we talk about the main topic in the introduction then the subtopics enlisted in the index section above.
We discovered those topics through the Google Search page. It is the easiest, quickest, and most cost-effective, and most efficient way to do that.
Here is what we did for this article –
- We picked the main keyword for this post – how to create long-form content fast.
- Pasted that in the search bar and checked the auto-fill section. Noted down all the questions people have about this topic.
- If your topic is too specific, break apart the keywords and search them separately. For instance, we would look-up, long-form content, instead of the whole keyword, and note down all the auto-suggests, people also ask and Related Searches section of the Search Results Page (SERP.)
- We also checked the Reddit and Quora pages to see what questions people ask.
Okay, now we have an outline ready. It is time to add some meat to the skeleton real quick. And it all starts with online research.
How to do research for your article faster?
For faster research, stick to your outline and spend a very specific amount of time on each item. Even before you start your research, you can set the ball rolling…
Mix your experience with online research
Each sub-topic must be composed of the information you find online, amalgamated with your own experience. Quickly, jot down points related to your experience. Do not more than a minute per sub-topic.
Next, look up conversations around this topic on the online forums. Often, you will find some unique pointers. Add them to your previous list but make sure you write your own version of those ideas. Spend up to 15-20 minutes max per article on this step.
Use HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to get sources.
HARO is a tool that allows reporters and journalists to get quotes from experts.
You can subscribe to HARO as a reporter and submit your requirements. Your entry is shared with others through an Email format, sent to the sources 3 times a day. The experts can then send you their quote as a response.
Bear in mind, there is a caveat to HARO. Experts use it for PR, and they want backlinks from reputable sources. So, if your website is new or has a low domain score, you might get fewer responses.
Nevertheless, HARO can be a great source of content. It can, however, only plug in some gaps in your content. You have to build the structure yourself, and here is how you do it fast.
How to speed up your writing process?
Speech to Text Software
The best way to save time on typing is using speech-to-text software. If you use Google Docs, you can find the tool in-built under the Tools menu.
It will save you hours of writing and add a more human touch to your article.
Read through the content after reading out. Weed out fillers, fix spelling errors and address grammatical mistakes. Mix the content with the quotes you received through HARO.
Save time in editing.
Do not focus on editing content after every paragraph. Sure, it is a writing style preferred by many, but it eats up your time and disrupts your focus.
In the same vein, do not write directly into an editor like Grammarly. It will keep popping suggestions, you can not escape the urge to fix them then and there.
In short, keeping your focus while writing will save you many minutes.
Spend time editing
Often, writers are never happy with their own edits. So don’t get carried away with it. Dedicate a fixed amount of time to editing. If you took 1.5 hours to write your post, spend a maximum of half-hour editing it.
First, proofread your content through Grammarly. It is a free tool that weeds out silly errors. The premium version will let you shorten sentences and use better words to help you sound professional.
In the first read, try to cut down more content. You can uproot whole paragraphs if they do not serve a purpose or if they are redundant. Sharpen your sentences and replace words with a better fit where possible.
In the next read, enhance the beauty element of the content. Introduce a bit of rhyming and rhythm; if that is your style. Nevertheless, add a persona that makes the blog stand out from the crowd.
Finally, add elements that improve the UX – Table of content, sticky images, etc. And also add a Call to Action (CTA).
How to get Images Faster?
Images are an integral part of blog posts. They help you to keep the attention and support the text. Include screenshots, workflow diagrams, infographics, etc., in your articles.
But designing images takes expertise, time, and money. If you do not have an in-house designer, you can use Canva to create imagery for your blog posts. It is a free, simple-to-use tool.
However, it takes time to design the perfect image that aligns with your brand. We recommend you reserve a day creating images.
A faster alternative is to use royalty-free stock images available on websites like Canva, Unsplash, Pexels, etc. You can pick any image you like, resize, and compress it to match your requirements.
Final Words
We tried our best to make this blog post a good representation of the structure we suggested.
The post starts by addressing the pain-point – writing quality long-form content fast. Then we answered questions related to the topic but did not stray too far from the main topic. For instance, we did not cover the benefits of long-form content for that reason.
All the above tips and steps will help you save time writing quality long-form blog posts online. But still, you have to develop a system offline too. You must dedicate these 2 hours daily, no matter what. Keep your phone away and discipline yourself to not wander off to social media during your research.
That’s gotta do it, folks. Hope this post helps you create long-form content fast. I am a one-man team working on this blog, so shower some love by commenting on this post. There is no better motivation than that.