Evergreen content is, as the name implies, timeless content. It’s content from resources that are usually in-depth inspections of a particular problem, trend, solution, or even topic.
It helps to target the right audience that is seeking a lot of information on a subject that not only is of interest to them, but also adds value to your websites’ blog.
Creating quality evergreen content that ranks, will obviously require additional time and in turn money. Although it is worth the investment, especially if you want your website ranking higher in search engines. This will, in turn, drive traffic to you for years and will most definitely help your targeted audience find what they need in no time.
There are different types of evergreen content:
1. “What went wrong” case study
Even more than success, failure is an effective teacher. In fact, people often connect with our failures far more than our successes. Failure humanizes us. It evokes empathy and builds trust.
So, muster up the courage to get honest about your biggest flop
2. One shocking stat and its consequences
Another creative way to present data is to go really small.
Pick one shocking stat and build an entire article or e-book around it. Explain the stat’s backstory and draw out all the applications you can.
For instance, this article is essentially a response to the problem of content overload and how to overcome those two million blog posts that get published day after day, after day.
Evergreen how-to guides
By breaking down a timeless issue into bite-sized steps, you educate your visitors and provide genuine value. The key is to solve a real problem with a real solution.
For evergreen content, ask yourself:
What hell am I saving my reader from and what heaven will I deliver them unto?
3. How-to for beginners
According to Chip and Dan Heath: “Once we know something … it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others.” Because of this, true beginner guides are few and far between.
4. How-to for advanced users
In many ways, advanced guides are easier to write than beginner guides. Why? Because you and your reader already share expertise and a common, technical language.
5. How-to checklist
The challenge of producing both beginner and advanced guides is how to present a lot of information. Three thousand or more words on any topic is hard to take in.
Enter the checklist. Checklists can stand alone or be added to how-to posts as downloads or content upgrades.
Whichever method you choose, the non-negotiable principle is this: boil it down.
6. How to do something over time
In addition to “do this now” advice, showing your reader how to accomplish long-term goals is vital. You can do this by breaking down your steps into days, weeks, months, or even an entire year.
How to Create a Social Media Content Calendar for a Year walks visitors through five steps to persevere at social media marketing by moving from the big picture — complete with spreadsheet examples — right down to individual posts.
7. How to pick the best product
Explaining how to pick the best product is a dangerous evergreen gambit. Most guides come across as transparently self-promotional.
To avoid that, make your product tutorial about teaching: provide definitions, collect advice from industry experts, and present impartial reviews from third-party sites.
As you have probably gathered by now evergreen content consists of a lot of “how to” articles. This is because how to’s are indeed timeless. At the end of the day, when will a guide on how to do something ever expire? Sure, it can be updated but it most likely will never be rendered obsolete.
Hope you found this information interesting. Thank you for tuning in!
