2025 Blogging Report: AI Use Explodes While Average Article Length Slides
Blog posts are getting shorter. Results are getting flatter. And AI is now standard issue in a writer's toolkit.
Here's what the latest data says about what works and what wastes your time - plus a simple plan to stack the odds in your favor.
Blogging still works - just with fewer big wins
About 80% of marketers say their blog delivers measurable results. Only 21% call those results strong. Most sit in the middle: blogging helps, but it doesn't hit like it used to.
Word counts are down, but depth still pays
The average post is now around 1,333 words, reversing a long run of longer content. Even so, going deep still outperforms. Almost four in ten writers who publish 2,000+ word pieces report strong results.
Publishing less, shipping faster
Most publish two to four posts per month. Weekly posting is falling. The exception: teams that publish several times a week see the highest wins, with roughly 37% reporting strong results.
Time per post dropped to about 3 hours 25 minutes (down from just over four in 2022). AI editing and outlining shaved minutes off the process.
AI is everywhere - assist, don't automate
Nearly everyone now uses AI. Only about 5% skip it. Most use it to brainstorm, outline, or clean up copy. Few hand it the full draft.
The sweet spot: AI-assisted writing with human editing. Multi-editor teams perform best, but AI + human review comes close. Full automation trails behind.
Visuals and original data keep readers
Images appear in 88% of posts. Sixty percent include charts or data, a quarter include video, and a small slice use audio. That small audio group punches above its weight, with about 30% reporting strong results.
Volume matters: posts with seven or more images perform roughly three times better than those with one. Original research is a quiet advantage: almost half publish their own data, and about a quarter of them see strong outcomes.
Formats that win
How-to articles dominate at roughly three-quarters of posts. Lists and guides follow. Data-backed reports, long tutorials, and detailed explainers show higher impact, with around 27% calling results strong. Effort still shows.
Promotion is skewed to social - but paid and influencers punch harder
Social is used by 93% of marketers. About a third lean on SEO, and another third use email. Paid promotion and influencer outreach are less common, but the payoff is better: both hit strong results about 30% of the time.
Only 9% work with influencers regularly, and that small group performs best overall.
Search got tougher
More than half report declining organic traffic. Sixty-three percent call search their top challenge; 56% call out engagement. AI-driven summaries and zero-click results are part of the squeeze.
Discipline helps: those who always do keyword research see strong results 32% of the time. Skipping it almost halves that rate.
Measure everything, and publish off-site
Creators who track every post hit a 32% strong-results rate. Occasional checkers land around 13%. Guest posting helps too: about 37% publish externally and double their success rate compared to those who don't.
The four habits that predict success
- Write longer pieces (2,000+ words) regularly
- Use multiple visuals (aim for seven or more)
- Collaborate with influencers
- Track analytics for every post
What this means for writers
Shorter posts are fine for speed. Depth is still your edge. Pair AI with human judgment, ship on a consistent cadence, and make your content easier to consume with visuals and data.
Promotion matters as much as creation. Build relationships with influencers, test small paid pushes, and measure everything so you can cut what doesn't move the needle.
7-step action plan
- Publish one 2,000+ word pillar each month, plus 1-2 shorter posts weekly to maintain momentum.
- Use AI for research, outlining, and line edits - then do a rigorous human pass for clarity, tone, and nuance.
- Run keyword research before writing. Map a primary keyword and 3-5 supporting topics per post.
- Include at least seven visuals: charts, screenshots, annotated examples, and pull quotes.
- Ship original data quarterly: quick surveys, small experiments, or aggregated benchmarks.
- Promote with a repeatable mix: social, email, SEO snippets, plus periodic paid boosts and influencer collaborations.
- Instrument every post: goals, UTMs, and a simple dashboard. Review weekly. Guest post to expand reach.
Source: Orbit Media's Annual Blogger Survey.
If you want to sharpen your AI workflow for writing, explore AI courses by job from Complete AI Training.
Bottom line: Short is faster. Long still wins. AI helps you ship - your judgment makes it worth reading.
Note: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools.
