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Blog post reading time

Adam

• 3 min read
Blog post reading time

What are some of the general guidelines for a reading time for a blog post? I noticed on some blog platforms it shows how many minutes it takes to read it, and what are the studies or what's known about this subject?

ChatGPT-4o said:
Great question — the reading time estimate is a helpful feature on many blogs, and there is research and general consensus on how it's calculated and why it matters.

📏 How Reading Time is Calculated (General Guidelines)

Most blogs use a simple formula based on average reading speed:

  • Average adult reading speed:
    📚 ~200–250 words per minute (wpm)
  • Basic formula:
    Estimated reading time = Total word count / Average reading speedExample:
    A 1,000-word article ÷ 200 wpm = 5 minutes
  • Some platforms include a buffer for images, adding ~10–12 seconds per image to the total.

🧠 Why Reading Time Matters

1. Improves Reader Engagement

  • Studies have shown that people are more likely to read or stay on a post if they know it won’t take long.
  • “Time anxiety” is a real thing — readers like to feel in control of their time.

2. Reduces Bounce Rates

  • If a reader sees "2 min read," they’re more likely to commit vs. seeing a wall of text with no time cue.

3. Sets Expectations

  • Helps readers decide whether to read now, save for later, or skim.

4. Can Improve SEO

  • Increased time-on-page can signal value to search engines.

📊 What Studies and Data Say

  • Medium.com did an internal study and found:Source: Medium’s “The Optimal Post is 7 Minutes”
    • Posts with ~7 minutes reading time had the best engagement.
    • Longer posts were often abandoned partway through.
  • Chartbeat analyzed engagement and found:
    • Most visitors read for 15 seconds or less, but engaged readers will stay up to 7 minutes on good content.

🧩 Best Practices

  • ✅ Display reading time prominently (top of post, near title)
  • ✅ Keep blog posts between 600–1,600 words for ideal engagement
  • ✅ Use headings, bullets, images, and spacing to make content scannable
  • ✅ Add reading time buffers for image-heavy or interactive content

🔧 Tools and Libraries

If you want to add reading time to your blog:

  • JavaScript: reading-time npm package
  • WordPress: Plugins like Reading Time WP
  • Ghost CMS: Built-in reading time feature
  • Static generators (e.g., Hugo, Jekyll): Built-in or plugins/templates for reading time calculation

Let me know if you want help adding this feature to your blog or calculating reading time dynamically!

You said:
AI conversations seem to be longer than typical blog post. What is the average time of an AI conversation. And for user engagement, what do you think would be ideal time for someone to read a conversation with AI?

ChatGPT said:
You're absolutely right — AI conversations (like those on your MCWAI platform) often go much longer than standard blog posts. They're more like interactive transcripts, and that changes how we think about reading time and engagement.

📊 Typical Lengths

💬 AI Conversations

  • Word count: 1,500 to 10,000+ words
  • Reading time: 7 to 40+ minutes
  • Tone: Mixed — part narrative, part Q&A, often exploratory

📰 Traditional Blog Posts

  • Word count: 600 to 1,600 words
  • Reading time: 3 to 7 minutes
  • Tone: Focused, edited, structured

⏳ Average Reading Time for AI Conversations

There’s no strict “industry average,” but here’s a working estimate based on observed behavior on platforms like Reddit AMAs, chat transcripts, and forums:

  • Short chats (1,000–2,000 words): 5–10 minutes
  • Medium chats (2,000–5,000 words): 10–20 minutes
  • Long form (5,000+ words): 20–40+ minutes
  • Many users skim, so their actual time-on-page might be 25–50% lower

🎯 Ideal Engagement Range for AI Conversations

✅ Sweet Spot (for public viewing):

  • 5–15 minutes max reading time (≈ 1,000–3,500 words)
  • Enough to offer value, but not overwhelming

🔁 Deeper Conversations:

  • Break up longer chats into sections or episodes
  • Add collapsible headings or TOC (table of contents)
  • Offer highlights or summaries up top

🧠 Why It Matters

  • Long conversations = higher depth and originality, but...
  • Most users scan — even if the content is excellent
  • Cognitive load matters: pacing, breaks, and visual cues help

🛠️ Recommendations for MCWAI

  1. Show Reading Time on Each Conversation Page
    • e.g., “Estimated reading time: 18 minutes”
  2. Use Summary Box or Pull Quotes
    • TL;DR or “Key Takeaways from This AI Chat”
  3. Add Visual Markers
    • Break long convos with timestamps, emojis, or context tags
  4. Analytics Feedback Loop
    • Track scroll depth and time-on-page to fine-tune length & format

Let me know if you want help implementing a dynamic reading time display on your site (like Ghost + JS or Hugo front matter plugin). Or I can generate a visual for this engagement strategy too.