One of my top posts of all time (likes, earnings, shares, etc) is ~14,000 words. So no, you are not losing readers by writing long essays. Write whatever you want (or alternatively, whatever the topic requires), not less, not more. Damn minimalists…
I’ve written 615 Notes and 44 posts while working a full-time job.
I don’t have time to waste guessing what works.
So I ran a data experiment.
Engagement peaks at 1600 words.