Short posts vs long posts

Which is best? Well, here's the truth nobody wants to hear.

This is one of the questions I get asked constantly.

It comes from people who are just thinking about starting to write online, people who’ve posted a handful of times, and people who’ve been doing it for months and have written hundreds of posts.

They all ask some version of the same thing:

Should I write short posts or long posts?

Most people ask because they’re trying to reverse-engineer the algorithm. They want to know if there’s an “optimal” length that gets more reach, more engagement, and more results.

And I get it. If you look through your feed, you’ll see every possible post length under the sun.

• You’ll see short posts that do nothing.

• You’ll see short posts that explode.

• You’ll see long posts that flop.

• You’ll see long posts that become the biggest post you’ve seen all week.

So it’s natural to assume there must be a best length. There must be a sweet spot. Someone must have a spreadsheet somewhere that proves it.

But after four years of posting consistently, starting in January 2022, writing thousands of posts and generating millions of impressions…

I can tell you the answer that most people don’t want to hear:

It’s not about short vs long.

It’s almost always about the idea.

---

The only thing people actually engage with

People don’t engage with your writing because it’s short.

They don’t engage because it’s long.

They engage because the idea is interesting enough to give it their time.

That’s why you see long posts perform well. If the idea is compelling, the right people will read. And it’s why you see short posts perform well too. If the idea lands quickly, people will react quickly.

Length isn’t the driver. Length is just the container.

When the idea is strong, the container matters less than you think.

When the idea is weak, changing the container won’t save it.

That’s the core truth.

But there are still patterns worth knowing, because short and long posts do different things well.

---

What short posts are good for

Short posts are usually faster to write, simply because you’re writing fewer words. They tend to be simpler, and they’re almost always faster for the audience to consume.

That matters because faster reading creates faster reactions.

If someone can read your post in twenty seconds, they can form an opinion quickly and hit like quickly. That doesn’t guarantee engagement, but it lowers the friction to get there.

Short posts also work well when the goal is a quick emotional response. They’re perfect for sharp opinions, punchy educational takeaways, small lists, jokes, or anything that creates a fast hit of agreement, disagreement, laughter, or surprise.

The best short posts don’t feel like essays. They feel like a moment.

A clean hook, a quick payoff, and an exit.

That style naturally suits short writing.

The downside of short posts

The biggest cost of short posts is that they’re easy to forget.

Because the reader spends less time with you, the impression you make is often shallower. They read it, react, scroll, move on, and it rarely sticks.

Short posts also limit how much depth you can show. You don’t get much space to demonstrate how you think, why you believe what you believe, or what your experience has taught you. You can signal expertise, but you can’t really prove it.

And because the engagement is so quick, it’s often surface-level. It’s not that people don’t care. It’s that you haven’t given them enough time or material to care deeply.

---

What long posts are good for

Long posts take longer to write and longer to read. That’s obvious, but the consequences are important.

Long posts are less about dopamine and more about investment.

When someone reads a longer piece, they’re giving you more of their attention. They’re spending time with you, not just reacting to you. And time is what creates trust.

If someone reads a post that takes ten or fifteen minutes, they’ve effectively had a longer conversation with you than they would from ten short posts they skimmed in a week.

This is why long-form writing builds deeper relationships. It allows the reader to see how you think, how you make decisions, how you approach problems, and what your worldview is.

And because of that, long posts often generate more thoughtful comments. If someone has actually spent time reading and absorbing the nuance, they’re more likely to respond with nuance too.

The downside of long posts

Long writing is harder to keep engaging all the way through. It requires more concentration from the reader, and it requires more skill from the writer.

The longer something is, the more likely people are to drop off partway through. That doesn’t mean long posts “don’t work.” It just means you have to accept the trade-off: you may get fewer full reads, but the reads you do get can be deeper and more meaningful.

Long posts are also more prone to skim reading. People will scan for headings, spacing, and key lines. If your formatting doesn’t help them navigate, you make reading harder than it needs to be.

And the biggest point that matters here is audience.

Some audiences love long writing. They’ll happily spend ten minutes reading a thoughtful post if it’s relevant to them.

Other audiences are more “scroll culture.” They’re looking for quick hits, quick entertainment, quick takeaway, and then they’re gone. If you write long essays for an audience that doesn’t read essays, you’re fighting their habits.

Which brings us to the real strategy…

---

The real strategy isn’t “short vs long”. It’s “who am I writing to?”

If you want a reliable way to decide how to write, stop thinking about algorithms and start thinking about readers.

• Who are you writing to?

• How do they consume information?

• Do they like long, thoughtful explanations?

• Or do they want short, quick, practical takeaways?

If you’re writing for people who watch long YouTube videos, read articles, and think deeply about their craft, long posts can work brilliantly.

If you’re writing for people who are busy, distracted, and primarily scroll for quick dopamine, shorter writing often fits their habits better.

This is why there isn’t one universal best length.

There’s only the best length for your audience and your idea.

---

The balancing act: attention vs depth

Short posts tend to win on attention.

Long posts tend to win on depth.

Short posts can get you quick reactions and more frequent touch points. Long posts can get you deeper trust and more meaningful engagement.

So the question becomes:

What are you optimising for right now?

If you’re trying to build familiarity at scale, short posts can be a good tool.

If you’re trying to build authority, trust, and a deeper relationship with the right people, long posts can be a better tool.

But again, none of this matters if the idea is weak.

---

The conclusion most people skip

Here’s the summary I want you to remember:

The more time someone spends with you, the more they will trust you. The longer the writing is, the harder it is to keep someone fully engaged. So writing is always a balancing act.

But ultimately, it’s not about the length.

If the idea is something people care about, the right people will read it whether it’s long or short, as long as it’s written well.

If the idea isn’t interesting, it won’t matter what length you choose. People won’t read it.

So instead of obsessing over post length, spend your energy on the two things that actually move the needle:

First, come up with ideas people genuinely want to read.

Then, test communicating those ideas in short, medium and long formats until you find what works best for you and your audience.

That’s the real optimisation.

Not length.

Ideas.

Cheers,

Matt Barker