Long-form content, also called downloadable assets, comes in a variety of forms such as eBooks, brochures and manuals. They are called long-form because they usually contain 4,000 or more words.

Long-form content is often overlooked as a valuable tool because it can take quite some time to develop.

However, the benefits to creating long-form content well outweigh the effort put into producing it.

The benefits of creating long form content

There are many ways your business can benefit from creating long-form content including:

• Easily collect customer information: Downloadable content is a great way to get consumers to give you their contact information (Forbes). Simply offer them the content for free if they input their email address.
• Increase brand awareness: Long-form content gives you the unique opportunity to really talk about your brand in-depth, rather than simply summarising all the great things you do in copy. You can introduce your company, give details about the history and benefits of your products and services, or simply talk about important parts of your industry. No matter what you write about, you will easily be able to expand your brand.
• Gain consumer trust: Long-form content gives people the information they need to begin building trust with your company. It also helps establish you as an industry authority and thought leader.

How to create long-form content

Long-form content requires both an investment of time and money, whether you or an employee write the content, or you hire a contract writer. Here are a few things to consider as you get started:

• Set a target: Make sure you know what the objective of your content will be. Since it has a higher overhead than other forms of content, you need to make sure that you get a return on the investment.
• Focus your topic: Once you have decided your goals, you’ll want to choose a topic that will help you achieve them. We always recommend writing a clear outline so that you touch on all the key points.
• Write with authority: Long-form content is where you will really introduce your brand on an in-depth level, so you should always make sure that you are conveying information to your readers and writing as a subject matter expert.
• Create a user-friendly design: Almost as important as your written content is the design of your piece. Make sure any interactive pieces are easy to use and access for your readers.

Following these simple guidelines should help you get started with your long-form content. If you are looking for more tips on how to craft long-form content or need some guidance with such a big project, contact ALHAUS. Our expert content managers have years of experience creating long-form content for our clients and can help you do everything from pick the topic, write the content, and even find the best ways to offer it to your readers.