Evergreen content is an essential part of a content marketer’s toolbox.  This content is not dependent on fashion or news of the day.  Rather evergreen content has an unchanging quality existing as an independent source of valuable information. This is quality content which transcends time, often encompassing global truths which remain relevant to people everywhere, without an expiration date.

We take a look at strategies for writing evergreen content.

1 – Types of evergreen content

Different types of content have their own unique structure and format which provides the opportunity for evergreen content in different shapes and guises.  Examples include:

•  FAQs (Frequently asked Questions):  these are questions which are generally asked by visitors interested in a service or product.  Having this content option saves time, providing your visitor with instant information, thereby reducing frustration and optimising satisfaction.
•  Resource information such as a how to guide or tutorials:  this content establishes your company’s authority, while building a relationship of trust through the assistance provided.
• Checklists are an excellent way of presenting content in a different way.  Additionally, checklist shows your company’s expert in a particular field
• Lists often make for evergreen content.  Include lists such at the top books on the subject, the top quotes etc

2 – Format

It is a good idea to present your evergreen content in different formats.  From writing to videos, images, infographics ad podcasts different formats bring their own unique contribution to making content an exciting experience for your visitor.

3 – Changing the image

LinkedIn expertly uses different images and even different headings to present the same blog at different intervals to different people.  This is effective as it enables repetition so that they can thrown their net to a wider audience, while still providing a fresh look and feel.

4 – Extending content lifespan

Although it is not possible to guarantee eternal life when it comes to your blog there are certain precautions which can be taken to avoid making your content appear to dated.

These include (or should rather exclude) time-sensitive statistics.  Stats can quickly become outdated when content has mention of a certain period in time.  Additionally, including a year or date is an immediate giveaway of when your content was written.  Here, unless you can justify using a specific date such as a historical event, it is best avoided.

5 – Check in

Evergreen content has a certain timeless essence, however, you will still need to check in at intervals such as every quarter or every six months to see if any information needs to be updated.

When it comes to  evergreen content, you need to be consistent and diligent in keeping your information current and topical. Set up a schedule to review your content, so that is maintains its relevancy and its position as a source of interest and value to the reader. This will help motivate your reader to look further into other content on your website, facilitating a deeper understanding of your services and products, setting up the potential to convert a visitor into a customer.

Evergreen content examples

A good example of evergreen content is this health and nutrition blog from The Healthy Grain which focuses on the benefits of barley for bowel health.