Why I Write Longform When TikTok Rules

The world is consumed with TikTok.

With more than 1.5 billion monthly users, TikTok isn’t just an app—it’s a global habit. Users spend an average of 95 minutes per day scrolling short-form videos. They watch more than 167 million videos every single minute across the platform. TikTok’s largest user demographic? People aged 18–24, who make up more than 40% of TikTok’s global audience. In 2024, TikTok brought in an estimated $20 billion in revenue, outpacing YouTube in per-minute engagement. It’s not a trend. It’s a digital reality.

So why do I write long-form content?

Because I believe in playing to my strengths.

Nitty-Gritty: The REAL Reason I Write Longform—When Shortform Video Rules

I’m a writer. Not an entertainer. Not an influencer. And not a lip-syncing coach in an algorithmic casino. My medium is the written word. It’s not flashy, but it’s fire-tested. I’ve built a life on sentences—on structure, rhythm, argument, and voice. That’s not something I’m giving up because the algorithm changed.

Longform is an art form. Just as painting differs from photography, or jazz from trap beats, long-form prose offers space—for breath, nuance, contradiction, and complexity. It respects the reader enough to go deep. Not just what happened, but why it matters.

Don’t get me wrong—short-form video has benefits:

• It’s fast.
• It’s accessible.
• It’s emotionally punchy.

But longform gives you something else:

1. Depth — It stretches ideas beyond the bounds of cuts and catchphrases.
2. Retention — Readers who engage deeply are more likely to remember, reflect, and return.
3. Authority — Long-form content builds thought leadership and trust over time.

Despite what you’ve heard, longform isn’t dead. On the contrary, it’s thriving in spaces that reward intellectual engagement. Platforms like Substack, Hive, and Medium are proving there’s still an appetite for essays, arguments, and serialized storytelling.

Not only can you build an audience, but you can monetize one. Hive rewards readers and writers with crypto. Medium pays through its Partner Program. And if you’re persistent, long-form content becomes the raw material for books, courses, and consulting gigs.

Most importantly, I love what I do. I don’t plan to pivot away from the writing life I’ve cultivated. It’s not stubbornness—it’s stewardship. The tools may change, but the core calling doesn’t.

So if you're the kind of person who still believes that some thoughts are worth sitting with, Follow me. Share this. Subscribe.

Originally published at Substack. Image generated by Substack AI. Learn more about my work at authorallentaylor.com.

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