Insider tip four: How long should you make your audio and video articles

As I have transcribed articles for various internet marketing experts, big real estate wigglers, and teleseminar gurus, I have noticed something quite interesting. They lose me after about 30 minutes of their “expert” audio/video. Despite the fact that you can pack a lot more useful information into an hour or hour and a half audio file, you will simply lose people along the way. They will fall like melons from a cart on a bumpy road. That’s especially true when your audio/video is transcribed into a document.

A 30-minute audio recording will represent a 13-page document. From my perspective, I can tolerate reading 13 pages in one sitting. However, your current average reader, who often reads at an 8th grade level or below, will take longer to read 13 pages. People who speak and read English as a foreign language will even take longer than that. Others are used to short synopses or summaries on various internet sites and blogs and have no patience for longer articles. As I mentioned in Insider Tip Three, considering your audience is crucial, so keep these aforementioned groups in mind when you’re planning your audio/video or article.

If your recording is an hour or more, it will produce 26-30 pages once transcribed. That’s a pretty long document for most people. I would say that unless you plan to turn your document into an e-book or a print book with chapters of some sort, you’re better off sticking to the 30-minute rule.

There are always exceptions to the 30-minute rule, for example sermons, which tend to be a bit longer. That is to be expected. However, if you are writing for the Internet, keep it short and simple. Use your words carefully and succinctly, they will cost you in the end.