How to Create Evergreen Content That Lasts
What is evergreen content? And why should you care about it? This blog post will discuss what makes content evergreen, how to create it, and its benefits for businesses and bloggers.
We'll also give you some tips for promoting and sharing your evergreen content with readers and followers that you can adapt for your own blog or website.
Table of Contents
What Is Evergreen Content?
The term “evergreen content” can refer to videos, written text, and infographics – really any engaging and relevant content for your audience.
It doesn't go out of date, and it can be adapted and shared with new readers and followers. Unlike trending content based on current events, evergreen content has a long shelf-life and can be reused over time.
An example of such content would be a piece like “How to write a good blog post.” This type of content is always relevant and can be shared with new readers who are just starting out blogging.
Evergreen content is also flexible – you can update it over time to keep it fresh or repurpose it into different formats like an e-book or infographic to fit marketing trends.
Another example of evergreen content is a product review. These are helpful for people looking to purchase a product, and they can be updated regularly to include the latest information on pricing, features, and availability.
Evergreen content is essential for any brand strategy because it provides long-term value for your audience.
It's also great for search engine optimisation (SEO) because evergreen content is usually keyword-rich, informative, and regularly updated.
Why Is Evergreen Content Important?
There are several reasons why an evergreen content strategy is essential for both businesses and individual bloggers.
First, evergreen content can help you attract new followers to your blog or website. You'll be more likely to bring in new readers by creating content that lasts. And as your audience grows, so does your platform.
Promoting your content on social media, mailing lists, and other channels can help you reach a wider audience and grow your blog further.
Additionally, evergreen content is a great way to build trust with your audience. When you provide helpful, relevant information that doesn't go out of date, your readers will begin to trust you as a reliable source of information. This trust can eventually lead to conversions, whether a sale, sign-up, or desired action.
If you only publish timely content, your blog or website will become outdated and less relevant to your audience. But evergreen content will always be on-point, which means it has the potential to bring in new readers and followers even years after it's been published.
How to Create Evergreen Content
Now, let's talk about how you can create everlasting posts or videos. There are quite a few things to keep in mind.
Make sure your content works for your audience.
Before you start writing, take some time to think about your target audience and what they find interesting and helpful. It's essential to create content that appeals to your target reader, making it more likely that they will stick around. Consider the following things:
- topics
- tone and style
- illustrations
- length
- headlines and subheadings
When you're writing a blog post, keep your audience in mind. Write for them, not for yourself.
Start with a strong foundation.
Evergreen content should also be well-researched and well-written. Spend time developing a solid foundation for your blog content long before you even start writing. This means doing things like:
- outlining your content
- gathering data and statistics
- finding expert sources
- checking your facts
Once you have the base for your post, you can get down to business. Remember that it's essential to back up everything you say with data or expert sources. This will make your content more credible and trustworthy.
Make it exciting and engaging.
Just because evergreen content is always relevant doesn't mean it has to be boring. Take the time to make it exciting for your readers. Use images, infographics, videos, and other visuals to break up the text and engage readers.
Marketers often use Canva and Infogram to create custom illustrations, charts, and banners as they add visual interest and help explain complex topics.
It's also essential to write headlines that accurately reflect the content of your article and make people want to click. Be creative – try to come up with something catchy and unique. If you feel stuck, experiment with Portent's Content Idea Generator to help you overcome writer's block.
Be concise
Nobody likes reading massive walls of text. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short, and use subheadings to break up your content. Get to the point quickly, and don't pad your post with fluff. This will make it much easier for readers to digest your content and find the information they're looking for.
Edit, edit, edit
Make sure to proofread your content carefully before you hit “Publish.” Nothing will turn readers off more than a bunch of typos and grammatical errors. Take the time to edit your post until it's polished and error-free.
It's also good to have someone else read over your content before posting it. The second set of eyes can help spot errors and awkward phrasing that you might not have noticed.
Keep it relevant
Even though evergreen content is supposed to stay relevant, that doesn't mean you should never update it. As time goes on, you might find new data or sources that you can use to improve your post. Or, you might want to add new sections to address changes in your industry or adapt to content trends.
When updating your content, change the publishing date, so readers know it's been refreshed. You should also add a note at the post indicating what's been changed. This way, people who have already read the article will know what's new and why it's crucial.
Write for the long term.
When writing evergreen content, it's essential to think about the future. Create content in a way that will still be relevant and helpful years from now.
Avoid using outdated information or statistics, and make sure your advice is still sound. With Google Trends, you can check which topics stay relevant throughout time and which ones are seasonal.
For example, a guide on creating Christmas cards will get the most traffic in December, but a how-to article about hand-made birthday gifts will be relevant throughout the year.
Evergreen Content Tips to Get you Started
Now that we've gone over the steps of creating evergreen content, let's see what you can make for your blog or YouTube channel.
How-to guides and tutorials
How-to guides are the first type of evergreen content. People always search for instructions on doing things, whether “how to start a blog” or “how to make a perfect smoothie.”
To create a how-to guide, choose a topic that you're passionate about and have some expertise in, then break down the steps of accomplishing it into an easy-to-follow format.
For example, if you teach people how to use software products, you can either write out the steps or use a screen recorder to make videos about them.
Product reviews
Another example of evergreen content is a review. People love reading or watching reviews before they purchase to see if a product is worth their money. If you decide to do product reviews, select those you're familiar with and think will be interesting or helpful to your audience.
Resource lists
Resource lists are another type of valuable evergreen content. They provide a list of tools, websites, books, etc., that your readers can use. For example, if you're a lifestyle blogger, you can create a compilation of the most popular fashion blogs or the best health and fitness apps.
To create a resource guide:
- Make a list of links/apps/blogs on your chosen topic.
- Write a brief description of each one.
- Include why you think it's valuable and how your readers will benefit from it.
Listicles
A listicle is simply a list of things, usually with a theme. For example, “10 Ways to Make Money Online” or “5 Easy Crockpot Recipes for Busy Moms.”
To create a listicle, come up with a catchy title and then brainstorm a list of items that fit under that umbrella. Once you have your list, flesh out each item with a few sentences or bullet points.
FAQs
FAQs, or frequently asked questions, are another excellent option for evergreen content. People are always searching for answers to their questions, so this content can be beneficial and get many views.
To create FAQ content, make a list of questions people often ask about your topic. You can collect them by researching Google's suggestions, and the People Also Ask block. Then, answer each question clearly and concisely.
Case studies
Case studies are an excellent form of evergreen content because they're specific and detail-oriented. A case study is a feature story about how someone used your product or service to achieve a specific goal.
Choose a customer who had success using your product or service. Then, interview them about their experience and write up their story. Be sure to include details about what they were trying to achieve and how your product or service helped them.
How to promote your content
When it comes to promoting your content, there are two main strategies. The first is to generate buzz about a topic before you post anything on the subject and use it as fuel for your posts.
This will give you more followers and make people more likely to share your content, so they can be seen as part of the group that discovered it first.
The second strategy is to post things without any pre-building and do all the promotional stuff afterwards. This works well if you have an existing following but not so much if you don't. Most people won't take the time out of their day to find new information from someone unknown unless they see other people talking about it already.
When creating new content, consider what format would work best for promoting it. A well-designed infographic is more likely to get shared than a lengthy text post, and an exciting video is more likely to go viral than either of those.
No matter what you create, make sure the title is attention-grabbing and accurately reflects what people will find if they click through. Half the battle is already won if you can get people to read or watch your content.
Here are several ways of promoting evergreen content:
Social media
To promote your content:
- Start by sharing it on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
- Use relevant hashtags so people who don't follow you can still find your post. You can also submit articles to places like StumbleUpon and Reddit for more exposure.
- If you have a website or blog, include share buttons, so readers can easily repost your content to their social media accounts.
Email newsletters
Another great way to promote your evergreen content is to email it to your subscribers. This ensures that your content gets in front of people who are already interested in what you have to say.
If you don't have an email list, start building one. You can do this by offering a freebie in exchange for people's emails, such as an e-book, mini-course, or PDF of your best blog posts.
Guest blogging
Guest blogging is when you write a blog post for someone else's website. This is a great way to get your name and work out with a new audience.
When you guest-blog, include a link back to your website so that people can find you. You can also include links to your social media accounts and email newsletter sign-up page.
Paid advertising
If you have a budget for promoting your content, consider paid advertising. You can use Google Ads or Facebook Ads to target people interested in the topics you write about. Paid advertising can be very effective, but it's essential to track your results to know what's working and what isn't.
New content
When you create new content, use it as an opportunity to promote older articles that are still relevant. For example, if you write about a new development in your industry, link to an older article that will give readers more context. This helps increase traffic to your evergreen content and keeps it from getting buried on your website.
Your other channels
You can also repurpose old content into new formats, such as turning a blog post into a video. If you have a podcast, you can also mention and link to your evergreen content in your episodes. This is a great way to increase brand visibility and get more mileage from your existing content.
When it comes to promotion, the sky is the limit. Get creative and try different strategies to see what works best for you and your audience. With effort, you can get more eyes on your evergreen content and turn it into a traffic powerhouse.
No matter what strategy you use, always be mindful of how often you're posting and try to maintain a good balance. Posting too little will lose followers because people will forget you exist. If you post too much, they will get annoyed and feel like you're spamming their feed.
Conclusion
Creating evergreen content takes time and effort, but the benefits are worth it. If you're looking for a way to keep your blog or website relevant and engaging for new and returning readers, evergreen content is a great solution.
And if you're looking to build an audience and grow your platform, it can help you reach a wider audience and promote your blog or website on various channels.
Have you ever created evergreen content for your blog or website? What tips would you add? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
