I read something stupid today. The blog headline caught my eye: Why write 500+ word count articles. I could think of a few good reasons for 500 words myself, but hey. I was curious.
The reasons started well. Articles that are too short don’t deliver on content. True. They sound choppy and aren’t long enough to cover the topic, in most cases. Establishing credibility was another good reason. The more you show that you know what you’re talking about, the more you gain credibility. Makes sense.
But the third reason blew me away: 44.9% of our members are already writing 500+ words or more. Join the majority.
Huh? A good reason to do something is that everyone else is?
That’s the worst advice I’ve heard in a long time. It reminds me of the saying, “If I jump off a bridge, are you going to jump too?”
I was stunned. If I was to apply that advice, I’d just might be a beer-drinking, unemployed, opinionated Frenchman who grew pot in his backyard in full view of the neighbors. My teenaged daughter would probably be smoking and having sex in the back of her boyfriend’s car.
Hey, join the majority, right?
If you’re going to do something, do it for yourself and do it for the right reasons. Don’t do it because everyone else is. It doesn’t matter if it’s how much beer you drink or how you collect your mail or how long you write for. What matters is that you know why you are doing something and believe that you are making the right choice to get the results you want.
Knight is right; there are specific reasons to stick to around 500 words when writing an article. He sure got it wrong when he said it’s to be part of the crowd.
Fair enough…
I screwed up in my copywriting. I admit it. I didn’t make it clear that I was reviewing data in classes of word count ranges because obviously 44.9% is less than 50% and therefore not the majority… even though it was in my mind because of the way I had classed the data [that I failed to share with everyone].
Let me give you a few reasons why it makes sense to do what everyone is doing: Because it works.
Example: Being a kind (nice) person …usually WORKS. Therefore, if the majority of people are kind because it works, then joining the majority makes sense.
Perhaps what you’re really taken back by…is that I and we are not the type of site that ‘does what the general crowd’ of competitors do…so the advice is inconsistent with our innovative/creative lead the field nature.
Anyway…my apologies James and thanks for keeping me on my toes.
I’m not surprised that Ezine Articles does things a little differently than others – that’s great, and the popularity of the site shows that it’s working. I have articles there myself, and I suggest the site to others.
What took me most aback was the point that social acceptance is more important than individual uniqueness. True, following the crowd does have its logic for many, many reasons. Is it the right thing to do? Sometimes. Does it work? Often.
It’s important for people to decide why they are joining the crowd and whether those reasons for being “in” with the majority will produce the desired results. Joining the majority on the basis of “hey, everyone is doing it; so should I,” is a poor reason. Going along with the group because you’re getting the results that you want is a much better reason to do anything.
And Chris, you’re welcome for keeping an eye on your work. It shows that I do read what you write, I do act on and react to your statements (flattering for any copywriter, I think!), and that I’m bold enough to call out the expert
Thanks for your reply!
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