Evergreen Content for Digital Advertising

Creating Evergreen Content

If you’re ready to create some evergreen content, here are a few tips to help you get started.

Pick the Right Topics

Certain topics are better-suited to retain value over time. These include topics like:

• Relationships
• Parenting
• Budgeting
• Diet & Exercise
• Food

Avoid trendy topics, current events, statistics, news, or seasonal holidays. While holiday-themed content can have short-term relevance, it only remains evergreen if created in a timeless way. Similarly, fashion and tech-related content, especially reviews, tend to stale quickly. Make sure whatever topic you choose is relevant to your business in the long run.

Choose an Evergreen Style

Certain formats and content styles also tend to have more evergreen value. Here are a few approaches that can help:

• Answer a Question: Think about common questions users have about your products, services, or industry. Aim to create content that provides honest answers without being overly promotional. Building authority and trust among your audience is far more effective for evergreen content.
• Give Advice: People often turn to the web for advice. Whether it’s tips to make their lives easier or guidance on a common problem, helpful advice can remain relevant for years.
• Teach a Lesson: People are naturally curious. Educational content that introduces basic industry concepts or explains “how things work” is always in demand. For example, The New York Times’ feature on how Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is made received nearly half a million views just one day after posting. High-quality, engaging educational content has lasting power.

Finding Content Opportunities

One challenge with evergreen content is that some topics may already be saturated. In these cases, use your brand voice and perspective to make the topic uniquely your own. A content gap analysis can also help uncover untapped opportunities that are relevant to your niche.

Incorporating Evergreen Content

Once you’ve created a piece of evergreen content, don’t just publish it and forget it. To maximize its potential, you need to promote it effectively.

Avoid burying your evergreen content deep within your blog or content feed. Once a piece is published, it can easily get lost behind newer, topical posts. Be proactive in making sure your audience can find and access your evergreen content over time.

For example, The New York Times has a special column, Modern Love, dedicated to relationship articles, ensuring that readers know where to find evergreen content. They regularly promote these pieces on social media and in ads, whereas their topical content requires less promotion since it’s naturally consumed by readers looking for breaking news.

When creating your content strategy, it’s important to balance both topical and evergreen content. If your time or budget is limited, consider focusing more of your resources on evergreen content. This allows for long-term engagement while still occasionally publishing topical content for quick relevance.

A well-rounded portfolio of evergreen content can be a valuable asset for your digital marketing efforts. It keeps sustained traffic flowing to your site, strengthens your brand authority, and improves SEO. Creating evergreen content can be as simple as answering an FAQ, sharing industry insights, or offering valuable advice to your target market. Try creating evergreen content for your next piece and see how it benefits your business in the long run!