Post updated, July 2023.

If you were hoping for a guide on how to get laid, I have no idea how you do that. This article is about long-form writing and how it calls like a siren to your prospects.

What is long-form writing?

No one seems to agree so you’ll struggle to find a definitive answer. I know, I hate it when that happens, so lemme tell you how I define it. In my world, long-form writing is a blog/article that exceeds 900 words. Other kinds of long-form (in terms of business writing) are whitepapers, case studies and industry guides.

Things are now going to get grubby as I attempt to make comparisons with romantic relationships and long-form writing.

The long game to attraction.

When you deploy your amazing content strategy, you’re building an online library of client-focused information, because babes, you want to be in a relationship.

Now, you might be under the impression (due to my cynical take on nearly all marketing speak) that I’m nauseated by business ‘relationship building’. I’m not, what sickens me is fake relationship-building, the sort of ‘let’s be mates’ shit to make some coin.

Genuine relationships can be cultivated via your content. Folks will inevitably get to know your business the more stuff you publish and share.

And like any worthwhile tryst, it takes time to build awareness and trust. But not all relationships are the same. Long-form writing/content marketing is the ‘wine and dine’ approach to pulling clients. There is no wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am with this method. If you’re after a casual hook-up, direct response copywriting might be your thing. But also, long-term love can grow from different circumstances. A quickie (sale) can become something much more.

Here’s another way to look at it: long-form writing is your route to organic traffic and copywriting is the paid ads route to web traffic. We’re talking here about long-term and short-term goals. Content creation allows you to linger in the mind of your audience. It’s about being remembered long after the paid traffic has dried up. Over time, long-form writing will build organic reach, so a blog is nice to have alongside your paid campaigns.

It’s called the long game for a reason.

You don’t roll in the hay with the first blog post you meet. And although a sales page is often written in long-form format, its aim is to get you so hot for the product, that you simply have to date it (buy it) after you’ve read it.

The long game to attraction is to nurture warm leads and it includes a mating ritual, a dance that can take time before anyone wants to buy the goods. And just like romantic relationships, you’ll have your preferences. You’ll have your client type and you’ll attract by being the perfect partner to those that seek you out.

Law of attraction.

I’m not referring to some woo-woo philosophy (if you’re on LinkedIn, that shit is the bread and butter of life/business coaches). I’m talking here of the art (is it an art?) of attracting like for like.

When we fancy someone, it’s for a number of reasons…

Firstly, we like the look of that person, we notice that someone across the room/on a Zoom call. (I appreciate, we’re all wired differently, so looks might be the last thing you consider.) Secondly, we’re attracted to certain personality traits.

But finding that special human often involves meeting someone who shares similar values, having just enough in common to keep things interesting and working.

It’s sorta the same when we’re trying to nab perfect clients with our long-form writing. You attract your audience by appealing to particular factors. If you’re writing in such a way that makes your prospects feel “oh my god, they just get me”, you’re pushing the right buttons.

Not everyone wants to bang you.

And it’s the same in business, you won’t be attractive to everyone. Even Gillian Anderson isn’t making every heart flutter (I know, utter madness). To further illustrate the point, I fancy the Danish actor, Claes Bang (yes, his surname means shagging, how brilliant!).

Now, to you and probably many others, he may not be considered ‘Mr Hollywood’ (I’m not talking Paul Hollywood, even I draw the line there). And yet he’s totally hot, in my opinion…

I’m losing my thread… ah, yes…

So you see, it’s not about playing the long game for anyone and everyone, it’s about appealing to your idea of The One (David Ginola, Brian Blessed or whoever that is).