Maybe. But I'd argue that it depends on your niche, your vibe, and your writing style.
Take Paul Millerd, for example. I'm a huge fan of his writing. His authentic, inquisitive takes would lose their soul if forced into this kind of "punchy" structure. He may not go viral often, but his community is deeply loyal. There's something to be said for that kind of connection.
The thing is, his meandering thoughts and longer-form explorations are his brand. They invite you to think alongside him, not just consume quick takeaways. That's valuable too.
For me, whenever I've tried using AI to audit and improve my work, it almost always defaults to this snappy, bullet-pointed style without proper prompting. It's kinda annoying, honestly. The tools seem to think every piece of writing needs to be optimized for maximum skimmability.
But some ideas need room to breathe. Some thoughts require you to sit with them for a while. Not everything has to be a Twitter thread disguised as a blog post.
Don't get me wrong. The advice in the original post is solid for certain contexts. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. There's still a place for writers who trust their readers to stick around for the full journey.
I agree, except this isn't recent. This is how people have always read blogs and newsletters. The NNGroup studied this starting in the 1990s and it's just how people read online (or rather don't read). They skim and scan. Continued studies have shown pretty much the same behavior over many years. Not much has changed.
Maybe. But I'd argue that it depends on your niche, your vibe, and your writing style.
Take Paul Millerd, for example. I'm a huge fan of his writing. His authentic, inquisitive takes would lose their soul if forced into this kind of "punchy" structure. He may not go viral often, but his community is deeply loyal. There's something to be said for that kind of connection.
The thing is, his meandering thoughts and longer-form explorations are his brand. They invite you to think alongside him, not just consume quick takeaways. That's valuable too.
For me, whenever I've tried using AI to audit and improve my work, it almost always defaults to this snappy, bullet-pointed style without proper prompting. It's kinda annoying, honestly. The tools seem to think every piece of writing needs to be optimized for maximum skimmability.
But some ideas need room to breathe. Some thoughts require you to sit with them for a while. Not everything has to be a Twitter thread disguised as a blog post.
Don't get me wrong. The advice in the original post is solid for certain contexts. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. There's still a place for writers who trust their readers to stick around for the full journey.
so true
Thnk you for this!
Short posts also work a lot better for me than my long posts.
This is a masterpeice and packed with value about formatting. Thank you so much.
Sadly: True. Thanks for this.
Makes me re-evaluate my writing. Thank you.
I write 1-minute devotionals and I agree 100% on all your points!
Who has time to read long format?
I also do 5-minute devotionals because who has an hour to devote to a podcast?????
Great tips!
This was great Burk, love the coffee test. Going to share this in my newsletter :)
Thank you for the great article.
I agree, except this isn't recent. This is how people have always read blogs and newsletters. The NNGroup studied this starting in the 1990s and it's just how people read online (or rather don't read). They skim and scan. Continued studies have shown pretty much the same behavior over many years. Not much has changed.