Evergreen content is a blog article that stays useful for years: it answers a question that people keep asking, often as a how-to, so it keeps drawing readers long after you publish it. To create it, choose a lasting topic, turn it into a step-by-step guide, and avoid a few common mistakes.
Blogging regularly is important, and so is updating old articles whose information has changed over time. But what draws new readers in is great evergreen content: an article that gives your readers real value, that they find through web searches, and that is shared again and again on social media.
So how do you create evergreen content? Not every article you write has to be an instant hit. Some topics you simply have to write about, and some interest only a small group of readers. But there are a few steps and tips you can follow to create content that stays relevant and interesting for years.
The topic
Before you start writing, you have to find out what to write about. Finding a topic for evergreen content takes more research than finding one for an ordinary article, and even then, success is not guaranteed. But if you follow a few guidelines, you are one step closer to content that leaves a lasting impression.
Keep these questions in mind when you choose a topic:
- What questions do people ask you all the time?
- How can you show that you are an expert in your field?
- What is a major pain point for your target audience?
- Can you write a guide or how-to that answers all the questions and problems your target audience has?
The style
The style is closely related to what a perfect headline should look like. One of the most popular and attractive kinds of headline is the how-to headline. Of course, a how-to headline only makes sense when the article really contains a tutorial. So it is no surprise that how-to articles do very well in the long run.
Once you have chosen a topic for your evergreen content, see whether you can turn it into a how-to for your audience: a tutorial they can follow step by step.
The mistakes
Some writing mistakes are like poison for your content. Avoid them, and your content has a better chance to last.
- Don't sell. Evergreen content is meant to show that you are an expert in your field and to build credibility, not to sell your product.
- Don't back down. Some topics need deeper research, which takes time. Don't give up and water down your ideas: the articles that take the most effort are often the ones that give your audience the most value.
- Don't think short term. Evergreen content goes hand in hand with long-term goals. Invest in ideas and articles that build trust over time.
Quick tips
Finding a topic
- Put yourself in your ideal customer's shoes and find out which challenges they face. Write a tutorial or how-to for the problems and questions you find.
- Divide big topics, or big parts of your business, into smaller articles that each focus on one feature, problem, or benefit. If they belong together, also write an overview that links them.
- Write articles based on your users' questions. The more often a question is asked, the more people will come back to an article that answers it and solves their problem.
Timely content
Recognize timely content and keep it apart from your evergreen content. Timely content draws a lot of traffic in a short time, but it also loses relevance quickly. You can recognize it easily, because it is about a current problem or event. For example:
- New Windows update causes computers to crash
- Top tips for summer 2015
- The best mobile apps of the year
Evergreen content
Evergreen content, on the other hand, draws traffic slowly, but over a long time. You won't see quick success with such articles, but they can bring visitors to your blog or website weeks, months, and even years after you publish them. You can recognize evergreen content because it addresses common problems or gives how-to guides. For example:
- The best places to find cheap antique furniture
- 5 things to look for when you choose a pediatrician
- How to tell when your partner is lying to you
For more on writing for a blog, read blog writing: how to write great blog posts.