What is evergreen content?
Simply put, the term ‘evergreen content’ refers to a type of content that is designed to stay relevant for a long time after it is published.
If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: What are the benefits of publishing evergreen content?
The main benefit of publishing evergreen content is that you get significantly more mileage out of it than something that is more trendy.
You see, while you might see high initial views and engagement with trendy content, you can expect those numbers—along with the traffic they generate—to drop close to zero as soon as the trend passes. This means that if you want to see continued growth, you will need to keep finding new trends to capitalise on.
In contrast, when you publish this content, you do not really see as big a drop in views and engagement after the initial wave passes. It will keep generating traffic (and revenue) for you years after its original publishing date.
Sure, you will still have to keep putting out new content in this case, but each new evergreen piece you publish will generate more steady traffic for you over a much longer period of time, making growing your brand so much easier.
Question #2: Examples:
Examples of evergreen content include:
- How-to guides
- Frequently asked questions
- Glossaries of terms
Let us take a look at each one in more detail:
First, how-to guides are a great example of this content because there are always people searching for instructions on how to do all sorts of things. You can make one on virtually any topic you could think of as long as the instructions for doing it remain virtually the same over time.
Examples of this would be:
- How to set up your computer for audio recording
- How to set up your camera for low-light shoots
- How to make banana bread
Another great example of this content are frequently asked questions. Just like how-to guides, it answers questions that a lot of people ask all the time, allowing it to stay relevant long after it was originally published.
Finally, glossaries of terms are also a great way to generate steady traffic long after they are originally published because people are always searching for definitions of terms online all the time.
Question #3: Does this content stay relevant forever?
There is no way to know for sure if evergreen content stays relevant forever. It ultimately depends on the type of content, the topic it covers, and the industry.
For example, if you are making content for the tech industry, there is a big chance that what is considered evergreen now will be considered obsolete just a few years later given how quickly technology advances—even if you focus on publishing evergreen formats such as how-to guides.
For instance, if you publish a ‘how to take awesome photos with your iPhone 13’ guide today, you know that after just a few years, there will be very few people who are still using said phone and trying to figure out how to take awesome photos with it. At that point, your guide would no longer be technically evergreen content.
Despite this, however, regardless of the type, topic, and industry—the relevance will stay significantly longer than trendy content, so they are always worth creating.
Question #4: Should I only publish evergreen content?
The short answer is no, you should not only publish evergreen content. Not only is doing so extremely limiting, it is also a great way to miss out on massive opportunities to capture new audiences using trending content.
The goal, then, is to publish a mix of both trendy and evergreen content so you can capitalise on the traffic spikes the former brings and the steady traffic the latter provides.