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Phil Cooke > Shorter Is Better
I’ve been teaching for a long time that too many churches and religious organizations are making a huge mistake
by only posting full length sermons and teachings on either their website or podcasts. Certainly it’s fine (and a good idea) to archive your live stream, media programming, and other content in full online. However, when it comes to people actually viewing it, it’s an “ergonomic” thing.
Just because I can download “The Godfather” on my computer, doesn’t mean that’s where I want to watch it. Most people will only view short pieces on a computer or mobile device. People generally want their web content in smaller “chunks” so they can digest it in reasonable bites.
For the most part, people view content on the web in short spurts – even when it comes to entertainment. Yes, there are places where people will view the longer form programming, so it’s good your full content is there. I will watch a movie from Netflix or Apple TV at home, or other movies on a plane or in a hotel room. But for the most part, I want much shorter pieces.
Check out this article from CNN/Money.com from a decade ago. If it was true then, our attention spans are even shorter now.
Believe me, it’s worth it to have someone edit your longer content down into 5-10 minute segments. Do both and offer your followers a choice. More people are likely to use it, which makes your outreach far more effective.
This post originally appeared on Phil’s blog.
Join the conversation About Phil Cooke
An internationally known writer and speaker, Phil Cooke has actually produced media programming in nearly 50 countries around the world. In the process, has been shot at, survived two military coups, fallen out of a helicopter, and in Africa, been threatened with prison. And during that time—through his company Cooke Pictures in Burbank, California—he’s helped some of the largest nonprofit organizations and leaders in the world use the media to tell their story in a changing, disrupted culture.
According to former CNN journalist Paula Zahn, Phil is rare—a working producer in Hollywood with a Ph.D. in Theology. He’s appeared on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, and his work has been profiled in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
His book Jolt!: Get the Jump on a World That’s Constantly Changing shares his secrets of making today’s culture of disruption and change work for you. One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do helps you find the great purpose and calling for your life and was named by the Washington Post as one of the Top Five Business Books for 2012. His newest book is Unique: Telling Your Story in the Age of Brands and Social Media.
He’s lectured at universities like Yale, University of California at Berkeley, UCLA, and is an adjunct professor at the King’s University in Los Angeles. In addition to writing his blog at philcooke.com, he also blogs for The Huffington Post, and is a contributor to Fast Company, Forbes.com, and FoxNews.com.
