Whether you are a blogger who has heard of Evergreen content before, or it’s a new concept to you, understanding Evergreen content is one of the most valuable lessons content creators can learn.
Having unique content that is interesting for readers is a hallmark of a blog. Making content that stands the test of time is your ultimate goal. Evergreen content is content that remains valuable to users over the long term – it doesn’t date, the lessons remain relevant, and the wisdom remains intact. This type of content is what keeps readers coming back to your blog to read your words and share them with their friends.
As you know, most content you will write is ‘time sensitive’ or topical, which means it gets stale the longer it stays on your site. Over time, visitors may overlook these topics unless you spend time refreshing them; making them current again. Evergreen content remains ‘fresh’ without the need for being refreshed because it contains lots of practical tips and advice that never age.
Evergreen content stays fresh forever
The long-term nature of Evergreen content means that it stays fresh forever, offering value to readers now and in the future. As more people become exposed to this content, they will like and link to it. Over time this will increase your search engine ranks and drive more people to your website.
Creating good content is not easy. You need to source topics, find unique angles then write compelling content. While people write articles all the time, they don’t always think about how to get the best use from it. Evergreen content may take longer to plan and write, but if you’re getting more life from it, then it’s worth the extra effort.
Various types of Evergreen content
There are different types of Evergreen content on the web today:
How to articles are popular, and showcase your skills and experience. Craft these pieces by finding a reliable topic of interest to your readers (you can often find this from comments, or even other blogs). Once you have your topic, brainstorm parallel themes which become different articles in themselves. For each of these subjects, craft a challenging question then provide a how-to answer. The deeper you can go, the more value you add to your reader.
Some sites like Copyblogger, go deep on only one or two parts of an answer. This allows the writer to position themselves as a subject matter expert without giving away all their knowledge. This style of writing leaves you with an option to either sell more of your expertise to those who need to learn more, write more on that subject later, or ask people to subscribe to get the rest of the answer in the form of a whitepaper, a checklist or an eBook.
Explanation articles provide background on a topic. An explanation article is different from a how-to article because it defines a single issue in more depth. It creates a deep dive on a single subject and the resulting document could be a white paper or an eBook. You can find topics for definition articles by asking: “What do I get asked about most often?” When you find a problem, explain the subject in your words and unique style
Argument pieces help discussion around a particular theme. I’ve seen many bloggers do this successfully, by being a bit contentious. By presenting some unique thought or angle on the subject, you’ll get people to not only read your content but hopefully ‘engage’ with it as well. If you pick the right topic, that’s not time-sensitive then you will have done your job well and presented some good pillar content that will stand the test of time and keep drawing people to your blog.
Reports, white papers and even templates can be useful Evergreen content. Presenting industry knowledge sets you up as a subject matter expert, and you’ll find people come back for this content consistently. You could give this content for free or use it to entice sign up to a newsletter – the choice is yours.
How often should you write Evergreen content?
As you plan your editorial calendar, you should plan to write one piece of Evergreen content every month. Over time, the number of articles will grow. Give away some of this content on your blog, and reserve some as autoresponder content or subscriber offers to add even more value. By doing this, you will get the most value from your hard work.
So these are my thoughts but what are your tips for writing Evergreen content? Have you found success with it? How do you use your evergreen content? Send me a comment below and let’s chat more about how to blog better.
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