Should I Have Short Or Long Posts | Christian Blogger

ADDED NOTE (01/20/2020)– I want to add, as I discuss at the bottom of the post, short posts can be meaty! I have some additions inspired by comments to help clarify the post. Thank you everyone for the discussion!

What attracts most people? How do I grow my audience?

I know these are tempting questions for new bloggers and current bloggers. Letting you know upfront, this post is not about how to get traffic or increase your stats. I warn Christian bloggers on these posts about being careful about these temptations because it’s so easy for our focus to shift from Jesus Christ to numbers.

In the same way, a blogger who blogs about food isn’t considered a Fashion blogger, not blogging about Christ doesn’t make you a Christian blogger. 

Americans and others who live in countries in which they (currently) are able to talk about Jesus without being behind bars or killed… do not take the freedom lightly! We should be living our lives daily in a way that should persecution of this magnitude happens WE WILL BE READY TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT JESUS DESPITE DEATH! Talking about Jesus is crucial and anything good in this world can connect to Jesus, we just have to make that effort.

• Post | Do I Have To Talk About Jesus On Every Post?

In the past, I’ve felt guilty when bloggers say they are against long posts. However, both short and long posts can be helpful. Your average post length may vary. For me, short posts are 400-800 words, and longer are 1,000 – 1,400 words (though, I certainly have done much longer depending on the topic). As one blogger mentions, what is considered long or short can be subjective. At the end of the day, it isn’t about us or our numbers. Jesus has to be first.

Why Long Posts Are Beneficial:

1. We are not here to entertain people purely. Our posts should be informative and encourage people to draw closer to Jesus and God’s word. They can be convicting and challenging, therefore, they can be hard to read, no matter the length. But we shouldn’t opt out of writing a long post purely to please. 
2. Some topics require multiple scriptures, which should be shared when needed. Referencing scriptures (with links especially) is beneficial though most do not look them up (share the links anyway). Sharing scriptures on our blog posts help people SEE what it says. The more scripture we have can also dissuade some disagreeable comments because our points are clear. 
3. Even if people skim your long posts… it’s important to highlight what you want people to take home with them. Headings are important, too. You also could break up a long post into shorter posts, after posting the long one.
4. The post may be needed for that ONE person. I know when I am researching topics it’s helpful when someone has put everything together for me. Longer posts help readers have all they want at once. Issue With Breaking Up Long Posts– If it’s broken up, people can take bite-sized pieces, however, if it is broken up that is not a guarantee a reader will read all the posts, and therefore could lose some beneficial information. (So make sure to have your long post published, too, if this is a topic that wouldn’t do well broken-up) 

Speaking of bite-sized pieces…

Why Short Posts Are Beneficial: 

 1. A balance of milk posts and meat posts. Milk posts refer to the scripture in which Paul talks about a congregation that should have been ready for mature content (meat), but they were still on the milk, therefore, Paul had to give them bite-sized pieces. Short posts allow lighter discussion on heavier topics.  We do not always know what kind of walk a reader has with Jesus when they visit our blog. They may NOT have a walk with Christ at all. They could be under false teaching (and NEED the milk).

(Side Tangent/Explanation On Milk & Meat) – This doesn’t mean people who are on the milk can’t read meatier posts, but they may not understand them or fully grasp what you are saying. It’s not always the fault of the blogger, rather the individual isn’t ready.

Kinda like a friend who struggles with the same issue for years, despite you saying the same thing. But then one day comes and the friend comes to you with this new revelation, an AHA moment, of when things click for them. What you’ve been saying for years, they finally understand and believe. We are not the Holy Spirit. We can’t open people’s eyes, only God can. The Lord can help us leave stones in people’s shoes, though. 

We can read the same thing multiple times and not attach it to our lives.  Again, this is the importance of repeating the truth in our posts. People take time, show them patience. 

Having shorter posts on “milk topics” introduces a basis for deeper discussions later because new believers cannot handle everything at once.

Breaking up topics into chewable pieces is helpful. Remember, it doesn’t matter how mature a Christian is, we still need to be reminded of the basic and simple milk/introductory stuff.  

    2. Shorter posts give you and your audience a break and balance. Heavier posts can take up time. Shorter posts can take up less time. You may be able to reach people with shorter posts that you wouldn’t be able to with a long post. 

    3. Shorter posts do not mean not impactful– You can have a meaty post in 400 words. You can have a light topic pushing people to draw closer to the Lord in prayer, worship, and scripture.

Ultimately, this is what matters regarding length… 

• Is this a Biblical topic, even if it is out of your comfort zone and what you normally write about?
• Did you pray about it? 
• Is the post for your benefit or for the glory of God and others? – Blogging for Jesus doesn’t mean we write what we want to a lot of the time. It’s writing what He wants and what needs to be discussed.
• Would the post be better broken up into two posts or more? 
• Is this topic something that needs a lot of details and clarity? Or can you talk about the topic fully under 700-600 words?
• What type of research does this topic require? What kind of links, amount of scriptures, and the amount of time you need to invest?

When editing:

1. Are there extra words (you’re repeating yourself and it isn’t needed)? Ex. This post alone I’ve deleted about 300 words because they said the same point over and over.
2. Can you summarize a full paragraph in one or two sentences?
3. Does a scripture need to be written out or could it be referenced?
4. Are there future posts you need to write on or possibly write BEFORE you publish the one you’re editing? Ex. I have a post talking about how people have judged me for “judging others”. I realized writing a post on judgment and looking at what scripture says about judgment would be beneficial to explore and learn from first.

Blogging can be a battle, do not walk in unprepared and pray for the Lord to guide your flesh/emotions. Part of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control and we need it! Read the Bible daily and study.

I hope this was helpful in your blogging journey with the Lord. Glory be His.

COMMENT BELOW: 

What have you learned as a Christian blogger when it comes to writing posts?

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