Received: by 10.216.134.5 with SMTP id r5mr33686wei.6.1333054848417;
        Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:48 -0700 (PDT)
X-BeenThere: contentstrategy@googlegroups.com
Received: by 10.181.12.49 with SMTP id en17ls2821368wid.1.gmail; Thu, 29 Mar
 2012 14:00:45 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.180.87.165 with SMTP id az5mr780167wib.4.1333054845304;
        Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:45 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.180.87.165 with SMTP id az5mr780166wib.4.1333054845285;
        Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:45 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path: <eoin.p.ke...@gmail.com>
Received: from mail-wg0-f49.google.com (mail-wg0-f49.google.com [74.125.82.49])
        by gmr-mx.google.com with ESMTPS id w8si28033wiv.3.2012.03.29.14.00.45
        (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=OTHER);
        Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:45 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of eoin.p.ke...@gmail.com designates 74.125.82.49 as permitted sender) client-ip=74.125.82.49;
Authentication-Results: gmr-mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of eoin.p.ke...@gmail.com designates 74.125.82.49 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=eoin.p.ke...@gmail.com; dkim=pass header...@gmail.com
Received: by mail-wg0-f49.google.com with SMTP id dr1so1324516wgb.18
        for <contentstrategy@googlegroups.com>; Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:45 -0700 (PDT)
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed;
        d=gmail.com; s=20120113;
        h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:from:date:message-id:subject:to
         :content-type;
        bh=4DlVBNxStiYj5w1UYb0eyomlQvDvctK70ranV/0sETQ=;
        b=GUJee/4UrRxh4Svte9UgvOGF/2FNF5mexWNFucIFBgV3DqtioqjPPVfHqttdo1OXxG
         bQ6uG+d1HGVtjjTiJsE22wWd+WcopygyxO9Bo/ErCmfl8RDYAiYHnWcBGG4PoO+5lM+E
         fcN/aCLMC6rRoI7xtAOa4d/qHgVjL6u+oN1q+2lA951JysJCcIQP9KBP0VDAwWq9K9n9
         Te+81ScKAVn23OFQz5q4uqi0tbB1cA/HIfOLiI10N6MLl6Iq70kchvW124jCUmh7mcN7
         UystqpD4GqjT9XN5ppOK6tWUJdDxPLAK2dkVwxEZZMLYyfNy95gBeZvyGUDgFjjnEZEA
         xq9A==
Received: by 10.180.104.231 with SMTP id gh7mr9311673wib.10.1333054845136;
 Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:45 -0700 (PDT)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Received: by 10.216.54.143 with HTTP; Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:00:24 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <CAKnViy-j61c9z7k0rFUi6rTa00sB9-Y3DaB67cgh23_P1ko...@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAKnViy-j61c9z7k0rFUi6rTa00sB9-Y3DaB67cgh23_P1ko...@mail.gmail.com>
From: Eoin Kelly <eoin.p.ke...@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:00:24 +1300
Message-ID: <CABxdYPGfaDC+abRj32=ffRLbM6j8DPvw4ysxeff1R0sRa_o...@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Is there any research to back up what this story says about
 content length?
To: contentstrategy@googlegroups.com
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=f46d044288bc82ae6504bc680445

--f46d044288bc82ae6504bc680445
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Hi Nathan,
I don't know of any research that supports it but I can guess at how it was
derived.

1. You hear that that there is a hierarchy of messaging on your page i.e.
primary message, secondary messages etc. You also hear that these levels
are also referred to as the 1 second impression, 10 second impression, 2
minute impression (see Kristina Halvorson at AEA 2010
http://vimeo.com/36673761)
2. A quick trawl through wikipedia says that "The average American adult
reads prose text at 250 to 300 words per minute" (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Words_per_minute)
3. 2 mins x 250 words = 500 words per page.
4. Boom. Fist pump the air.

This is how I arrived at 500 words anyway. Kristina Halvorson isn't
implying that all pages should be at most two minutes and that's not how I
interpreted it but I do use "500 words" as a guideline (not a rule) for
clients because

   1. It puts "brevity" up front as a writing goal for them.
   2. I hope it makes writing content a little less scary for them - 500
   words isn't a lot.
   3. It emotionally prepares them a bit for the editing process - I rarely
   have clients that write too little.
   4. Any page that runs longer than that should do so for a good reason -
   it should be the exception, not the rule and it should be discussed.

Thanks for your time
/Eoin/

--f46d044288bc82ae6504bc680445
Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Hi Nathan,<div>I don&#39;t know of any research that supports it but I can =
guess at how it was derived.<div><br><div>1. You hear that that there is a =
hierarchy of messaging on your page i.e. primary message, secondary message=
s etc. You also hear that these levels are also=A0referred=A0to as the 1 se=
cond impression, 10 second impression, 2 minute impression (see Kristina Ha=
lvorson at AEA 2010 <a href=3D"http://vimeo.com/36673761">http://vimeo.com/=
36673761</a>)</div>

<div>2. A quick trawl through wikipedia says that &quot;<span style=3D"back=
ground-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-he=
ight:19px">The average American adult reads prose text at 250 to 300 words =
per minute&quot; (</span><a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Words_per_=
minute">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Words_per_minute</a>)</div>

<div>3. 2 mins x 250 words =3D 500 words per page.=A0</div><div>4. Boom. Fi=
st pump the air.</div><div><br></div><div>This is how I arrived at 500 word=
s anyway. Kristina Halvorson isn&#39;t implying that all pages should be at=
 most two minutes and that&#39;s not how I interpreted it but I do use &quo=
t;500 words&quot; as a guideline (not a rule) for clients because</div>

<div><ol><li>It puts &quot;brevity&quot; up front as a writing goal for the=
m.</li><li>I hope it makes writing content a little less scary for them - 5=
00 words isn&#39;t a lot.</li><li>It emotionally prepares them a bit for th=
e editing process - I rarely have clients that write too little.</li>

<li>Any page that runs longer than that should do so for a good reason - it=
 should be the exception, not the rule and it should be discussed.</li></ol=
></div><div><div>Thanks for your time</div><div>/Eoin/</div></div></div>

</div>

--f46d044288bc82ae6504bc680445--