People will never outgrow or out-evolve their desire for a good story. And our exclusive report, "The State of Contributed Content 2023," proves it. The report is filled with fascinating statistics and significant insights, all of which point to one thing: If you have something to say, now is the year to say it.
Without a doubt, the need for riveting content has swelled. Is it any wonder, when we’re all glued to our devices on average around two-and-a-half hours a day? We’re not just scrolling aimlessly through social media images; we’re looking for information, ideas, hacks, and thought leadership. We’re hungry for news and thirsty for knowledge — and editors and publishers are ready to provide it.
How do we know? We asked 46 online publication editors to share about the content marketing trends they saw ahead. We also analyzed more than 113,000 pieces of content that were published last year. What the editors told us dovetailed well with what we saw, which was a prediction for 2023 to be a robust year for creators, thought leaders, and all types of content producers.
Some of the truly exciting findings we discovered include:
1. There’s no such thing as offering the
world too much content.
As of today, 97.5% of editors plan to publish the same amount of or more guest-contributed content in 2023. They’re eager to push out great pieces; that’s a wonderful opportunity for you to share your expertise.
2. Video is soaring to the top of the charts.
Video is a hot commodity that 76.7% of editors plan to take advantage of this year. If you haven’t already invested in a good camera, you might want to. This could be the year your videos go viral.
3. The spoken word is becoming nearly as important as the written one.
While you’re updating your camera, pick up a good microphone, too. Nearly 63% of editors are open to publishing podcasts. We haven’t seen this much interest in podcasting before, and it’s the perfect avenue to fold into your dynamic content marketing strategy.
4. The content "sweet spot" length appears to be about 800 words.
We often get asked about how long a blog post or a guest-contributed article should be. While word length can often be set by publications, the average word count of the most-shared content in 2022 was 792.
5. You can stop writing headlines when you hit double digits.
A tease is all you need from a headline these days. The average headline word count of the most-shared articles in 2022 was capped at 10. Aim to entice, not give away everything, with your titles.
Above all else, our report is a snapshot of what’s happening in the broader content industry. It’s a data- and anecdote-driven look at why keeping a constant flow of high-quality content matters now more than ever, whether you're a thought leader or a CEO.
Craving the whole story? Download our report today!
