What Makes an Asset Evergreen?

A lot of thought leaders get inspired by the news of the day. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and as a leader, they want to address hot topics. Unfortunately, that means many thought leaders often write topical content. While that’s not a bad thing, it means the material has an expiration date – sometimes, one that expires almost immediately after it’s published. So why are you wasting your valuable time on something that won’t sustain you?

Time-sensitive material is only a benefit it gets picked up in a way that boosts your signal to new audiences, and helps you gain a larger following of target readers. Writing about the news of the day might get your signal boosted to a larger audience, but remember, it won’t do you any good unless that audience will be interested in, buy, and use your content.

Here are three ways to keep your assets evergreen:

• Avoid topical references to celebrities or current events.
• Don’t put dates on your pieces (unless you must).
• Avoid trendy jargon and buzzwords that will become stale.

First, avoid writing about topical references, celebrities, and events.

You might see something in the news that is on point for your content, but if you write a piece on it, be sure that you’re exploring a great topic and not just commenting on current events.

My second piece of advice is that you shouldn’t put dates on your pieces unless you absolutely must.

That means don’t put a date of publication, and also, don’t date your pieces by putting time-specific language, references, or issues in your article.

Also, avoid jargon and buzzwords that you know will be dated in six months. Jargon isn’t as bad as “trendy” catch-words, but it’s best to keep your language fresh, simple, and accessible.

Aim for evergreen content, such as how-to posts, top tips, and lists of useful resources.

Explore the history or origin of your content, focus on frequently asked questions, or describe challenges you’ve seen business leaders face. Best of all, talk about your content, and explain how it’s used. Tell stories of things you’ve seen and experienced working with leaders, and give people reasons to dig into your material.