Con: I can't do my classic bun-on-the-top of my head look without at least 4 bobby pins holding up those stragglers at the back.
Pro: My pin-straight hair has been flirting with the idea of a wave. Or at least a wa.
Con: I look like a fucking founding father in a low ponytail.
Pro: I no longer get my hair stuck under my entire body when I'm lying in bed.
Con: See founding father above.
George Washington aside, I think the pros are outweighing the cons at this point. But even if I fully switch to Team Short Hair, I'll still be a biiiiiig fan of length.
You've probably heard a million times that “nobody has an attention span anymore” and that the only way to get people to read your shit is to keep it short and punchy.
Well, I may be on the far side of millennial, but I call bullshit. Wanna know why?
Novels. Movies. Netflix binges. Chill Sunday mornings in bed. Long chats with friends over a few bottles glasses of wine.
It's not that there is no attention span, it's that there are real factors that affect attention span.
For me, it's that:
1. I give a shit about the thing.
2. It's good.
3. It makes sense in context.
Like, am I going to sit down to read an instruction manual while I'm convincing my 6 year old to wear something other than the pretzel jammies he's worn for 5 days straight? No. But I will spend my entire Saturday with my nose in the latest Karin Slaughter.
So, put on your marketing glasses and peep this with me:
1. The right audience gives a shit.
The right person (your ideal client/customer) will want to read longer-form content. Because they care, they're interested, and they like you and your stuff. So give the people what they want!
2. It's good.
As much as I love a long-form sales page, I will admit that I hit the back button if it's poorly written and has unclear or weak messaging.
3. Long-form content and copy makes sense in context.
If we're talking top-of-the-funnel stuff, yeah, it's going to be short and punchy to catch attention amongst all the other ads and headlines out there.
But once you get into the middle (e.g. emails) and bottom (e.g. sales pages), it makes sense to give more connection, more information, and more support, because this is where the ultimate buying decision happens.
Also, and this is especially true for sales pages, do you want people who have zero attention span for your stuff to buy your course or program? Orrrrr do you want the people who will put in the time to actually consume your content, show up to your calls, and implement your strategies?
I feel pretty strongly it's the latter, because these are the folks that are going to get results from your work.
So, if you're about to write (or hire out) a sales page and you're a fellow long-winded homie, I encourage you to stay strong and stay long. It's less about keeping it short, and more about keeping it strategic, engaging, and clear.
You can be concise and cover a lot of ground!
And that's the short and long of it harharharharharhar.
G
