How short can a blog post be? What's the shortest blog post allowed?

How short can a blog post be?

A frequently asked question in the blogging world is, “How long should a blog post be?” And you’ll see people debating the merits of 300 – 500 – 1,000 words or more, which ones are better for SEO, blah blah blah, but the fact is, we’re all busy.

When was the last time you settled in to read some long ass blog post? When I’m trying to look something up, actually looking for an answer or information, and I hit one of those SEO recommended long blog posts and you know what I do? I curse the author’s name and I skim that text monster to find what I actually need. Or I go find another, shorter post.

We’re all busy. Keep it short. Get to the point.

You know what else is great about short blog posts? It’s a lot easier on you, the writer. You can get more posts up, keep your blog updated more regularly, and on less words a post than it takes Wordy Wendy over there. Ad revenue doesn’t care how long your blog post is. A hit is a hit. Sometimes doing less isn’t laziness so much as it’s just plain smart, getting the same result from less work.

Write less! Post more! Embrace the short blog post!

In fact, there’s really only one downside to writing short. To paraphrase philosopher Blaise Pascal (no, not Mark Twain you uncultured swine), I write long blog posts because I don’t have time to write a short one. A short post involves more editing, more planning, more time than I usually have. So, most of the time, writing long is just plain easier than writing short.

I love this idea! It appeals to my laziness. But, really, how short can a blog post be?

As short as you want!

I mean, ok, yeah but, like, what’s the minimum word count for a blog post?

Look, there are no blog police. There is no minimum word count for a blog post. You could publish a post of a single word if you thought it would be helpful to your readers. Even a sentence or two by itself can resonate, as the popularity of Twitter shows. A short post can still be effective and get your meaning across.

Stop worrying about word count and just make your words count! In other words, stop worrying about length and just say what you want to say and post that sucker!