Evergreen content.
It’s one of those marketing phrases you often hear thrown around. You might even have heard people saying it’s a must-have for your content marketing strategy. And they’d be correct.
But how, exactly? And what IS evergreen content?
What is evergreen content?
Evergreen content remains valuable to your audience for a long time. Unlike new articles or other time-sensitive content that quickly becomes outdated, it remains useful long after publication. The term takes its roots from the concept of evergreen trees, which remain green and keep their leaves all year round.
Some Evergreen examples include:
- How-to guides: These are step-by-step instructions on how to solve a problem or perform a task. They offer valuable information that remains relevant over time.
- Top 10 lists: These are lists of the best products, tools, or resources in a particular industry category.
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs): FAQs address common questions and concerns about a topic, product, or service.
- Case studies: Case studies evaluate successful companies or projects and provide valuable insights and lessons.
- Glossaries and terminology guides: Glossaries and terminology guides define technical terms and industry-specific jargon.
- Product reviews: Reviews of products, software, and services can be valuable for long periods as long as publishers update them to reflect changes.
- Historical overviews: These are pieces of content that provide a summary or overview of an industry’s or other topic’s history.
- Beginner’s guides: Beginner’s guides are like how-to guides but geared towards new users or customers in a particular industry or hobby. They provide foundational knowledge that remains relevant over time.
- Expert interviews: Interviews with experts in particular fields or industries offer perspectives and insights that people can continue to learn from long after publication.
- Health and wellness guides: Wellness and health guides, such as fitness or nutrition guides, continue to be useful for people looking for healthier lifestyles.
Evergreen content vs. timely content: What’s the difference?
Evergreen content can be repurposed, updated, and shared multiple times over time. It typically focuses on core questions or topics within a particular niche or industry.
Meanwhile, timely content is only relevant for a specific period, often related to a current event, season, or trend. Examples are news articles, event coverage, and holiday-themed content. The primary goal of this type of content is to capture a specific moment or trend.
As we can see, the primary difference between the two is the shelf life of the content. Evergreen content provides long-term value, while timely content can capture the attention of readers or viewers during specific moments. A mix of both in your content strategy can deliver lasting value for your audience.
4 benefits of evergreen content for marketers
Content marketing is a long game. You have to publish high-quality content consistently to drive real results. But what happens if you stop? For one thing, traffic to your website can take a hit.
But if you’re publishing evergreen content around timeless topics, you can capture traffic with your posts month after month. This content can even attract users for years. In contrast, content with shorter shelf life, like election results or immediate news, can capture traffic for only short periods.
Aside from increased organic traffic, other benefits of evergreen content include the following:
1. Long-term value
Unlike time-sensitive content, like news articles or a merger and acquisition announcement, evergreen content remains relevant. That’s because it can continue to attract traffic, leads, and engagement long after initial publication.
2. Cost savings
Evergreen content has a longer life span and requires less frequent updates. Because it can generate traffic and engagement for longer periods, the initial investment for creating and publishing the content can generate returns for many months — even several years — down the road.
3. Thought leadership
Evergreen content is typically comprehensive, well-researched, and informative. This can establish a brand’s expertise and authority. A company can become a trusted, go-to resource for industry information with content that offers unique insights and actionable advice.
4. Repurpose potential
The information offered through evergreen content is helpful for other content types. You can repurpose an evergreen post into a video, a webinar, or a case study. Other repurposing strategies include infographics or a blog compilation into a downloadable white paper.
Here are tips and best practices for writing evergreen content:
Step 1: Select a timeless topic
When deciding on your evergreen content, choose a topic that likely won’t change over time. Consider relevant, long-term core subjects or ideas within your niche or industry.
For example:
- How to shed 20 pounds safely within four weeks
- Best practices for improving your public speaking skills
- Significant events in the life of Albert Einstein
- Stress management techniques
- Guides to popular destinations
Step 2: Provide in-depth information
Evergreen content provides in-depth coverage of a topic. This requires thorough research, information gathering, and reliable sources. Such sources include reputable news outlets, academic journals, and authoritative websites.
The following help support your content::
- Statistics, case studies, and expert quotes
- Multimedia, such as images, videos, and infographics
- Answers to common questions and concerns
Step 3: Use clear and concise language
Evergreen content should be easy to understand. Avoid using technical terms or jargon that may confuse or alienate readers.
Some additional tips:
- Avoid burying the central point under a lot of background information or unnecessary details.
- Use active voice.
- Break up long paragraphs and sentences.
- Use headings and subheadings.
- Use examples and visuals.
Step 4: Optimize for SEO
Optimize your evergreen content for the search engines by:
- Creating content around ranking keywords
- Using attention-grabbing, keyword-optimized titles
- Including a persuasive meta description
- Adding internal links to other relevant website pages on your website
- Building external links to your evergreen content from reputable sites
Step 5: Update regularly
Even evergreen content can become outdated. Review and update your content regularly to ensure it remains accurate and relevant.
Some tips to keep in mind when updating evergreen content:
- Add new information, data, or insights to keep the content fresh
- Add new case studies or examples
- Refresh statistics and update outdated references
- Improve readability by simplifying complex concepts, breaking up long paragraphs, and adding headings and subheadings
- Ensure the content is SEO-friendly through keyword optimization, internal linking, etc.
Leveraging evergreen content for long-lasting results
Evergreen content offers a significant opportunity for businesses to generate long-lasting results. These might include a boost in monthly traffic and website visits. It can also lead to higher search rankings. By creating content that remains relevant and useful to audiences over long periods, businesses can attract and retain customers and significantly boost their brand authority.
Need help creating evergreen content? Book a content strategy session with a ClearVoice expert today.
