10 tips to writing evergreen content for your affiliate marketing strategy

Writing a top-notch blog every week to skyrocket your readers’ interests would be ideal if it didn’t require the manpower it does. Finding useful and trending topics within your niche, while also harnessing maximum creative power, is a feat on its own. However, there may be other ways to maintain the interest of your readers without the amount of effort you’re imagining. One way, in particular, is by indulging in the benefits of evergreen content. Evergreen content is a timeless content that maintains its relevancy over long periods of time. You’ve probably already consumed various forms of evergreens, such as product reviews or case studies.

Given that around 87% of consumers trust online product reviews about as much as they would word-of-mouth, it’s a good call to run through the types of evergreen content and see how affiliate marketing campaigns could benefit from them. Although it may seem too good to be true, there are elements to the evergreen formula that should be taken into consideration in order to optimize this writing technique. This article will cover why evergreen content is essential for every marketing strategy, as well as tips on how to develop a great timeless piece for your brand.

What is evergreen content?

Out in nature, evergreen refers to a plant group whose foliage remains green all through the seasons of the year. When applying this analogy to digital marketing, one can easily assume that evergreen content is a type of content that remains fresh and relevant over time. Of course, this isn’t talking about a specific “expiration date” for a publication, which almost doesn’t exist. Evergreen content revolves around the creation of quality content that will be useful for readers, regardless of how much time has passed since the publication. This differs from time-sensitive content, also known as topical content, which has short periods of relevancy. These are mainly about trendy topics, which experience drastic seasonal peaks and troughs correlated to readers’ interests.

When considering evergreen content ideas for your affiliate marketing strategy, there are two elements that can be distinguished:

• Evergreen topics: These are topics that continue to receive interest and searches in the future.
• Evergreen content: These are types of content about an evergreen topic that will never become outdated.

Why is evergreen content important?

We’re living in a very fast-paced world right now, with news being published each minute of each hour. There is only a limited amount of attention people can give to each piece of content, and monitoring search volumes is one way to see where and for how long this attention is focused.

In January 2021, followers of the subreddit r/wallstreetbets caused havoc for Wall Street after initiating the GameStop short squeeze. Around that time, GameStop had become a hot topic, especially when the news of its stock price elevation caused short sellers a loss of around $26 billion. At this time, there was a huge spike in interest, also known as the “Spike of hope”, as many flocked to read what happened, how it happened, and details about shorting stocks. However, within a few months, this incident faded out when other news had taken the spotlight. This resulted in a downward trend of interest, commonly termed the “Flatline of nope”.

This is a common cycle, which requires content to be created and published continuously to maintain traffic. However, creating evergreen content usually has the opposite effect on affiliate campaigns. This brings in two main benefits to your evergreen content strategies: you reduce the amount of work you have to do as this type of content requires less maintenance than writing brand new content, and organic traffic is regularly generated over time.

What are some examples of evergreen content?

Evergreen content pieces can be distinguished by being long-term relevant content. This means that over time, the piece of content can be edited for minor details, such as sources or tips, without having to change the overall content purpose. Let’s hone in on the distinctions with some examples. Here are some instances of content that are not evergreen content:

Posts on current trends

Trends, while very popular, are mostly temporary, therefore won’t keep long-term interest peaking as its initial spike. A good example of this could be the spike of interest in cryptocurrencies during May of 2021.

Statistics that are likely to change

Research is continuously being conducted, with past research being updated and other statistics becoming obsolete. An example of this could be the mass adoption of 5G technology, which may leave statistics about 4G usage less popular in the future.

News articles

Events are happening non-stop, so nothing stays in the headlines for too long. Elon Musk purchasing Twitter is a great example of a news article that has a sudden spike of interest, and will most likely fade out once most people have already accepted the fact and moved on.

Seasonal holidays

Just as the seasons change, the next holiday that is being anticipated does too. Publishing content about Christmas deals and gift ideas when Easter is just around the corner will do your strategy no good.

Here are some examples of types of content that are considered evergreen

Tutorials

The expanse of online tutorials allow people to learn skills or find easy tricks to replace old techniques for just about anything. Let’s take gift wrapping as an example. With birthdays, holidays, and any other reason for celebration, there’s always a chance to give someone a gift. Of course, you can have a professional wrap the gift for you, but if you’re feeling creative, you can find loads of tutorials online that will help you out. The technique of wrapping isn’t something novel, in fact, as we switch over to gift bags, the oldest posts might be more useful for a classic look!

Ultimate guides

Being one of the more popular evergreen content types, ultimate guides offer information and answers about common problems that people may have. It often dissects processes and offers in-depth explanations for each step of the way. An appropriate example could be “the ultimate guide to opening up your own Etsy shop”, which was something quite relevant for those looking to start their own small businesses.

Another area where guides are always sought after are markets that have been relevant for long periods of time, such as the stock market. For over two centuries, the stock market has been an important part of economies. As time goes on, many people turn to the stock market as another form of wealth building, and look for guides to learn about stocks and alternative investments.

Product reviews

Reviews are a great long-term asset as it shows potential clients the length of time your product or service has been reliable and appreciated. Approximately 90% of consumers search for product reviews before considering the brand. Not only does it contribute to the overall positive impression others may have of your brand, but it also acts as a database of relevant feedback, showing potential clients aspects of your product they otherwise wouldn’t have considered.

Case studies

Although this heavily depends on the industry, case studies still offer great long-term value, as you potentially will be referenced back to them as time goes forward. Creating case studies regarding content strategy or other educational purposes can lengthen the time your material will be useful to reference.

Try to remember that it’s not just a matter of choosing the right content format, but that it is also an appropriate topic that has the potential for long-lasting relevance. Depending on your specific niche or industry, make sure to adapt your affiliate marketing campaigns so that it is relatable for your audience.

Why you should use evergreen content in your affiliate marketing strategy

Since quality content is the foundational element of a good affiliate marketing strategy, it is useful to incorporate all types of valuable content for your potential customers to consume. Creating evergreen content pieces can have many benefits for your marketing strategy, so without further ado, here are some of the most important reasons why you should dedicate time to creating them.

People are always seeking information

One of the benefits of having our miniature devices with us at all times is the ability to have vast expanses of knowledge at our fingertips. Whether it’s to check up on small details we don’t remember or to begin a journey of learning a new skill, people are constantly searching for information. Whatever the reason, 93% of all internet-related experiences start on a search engine. Now, the ability to see experts’ and professionals’ opinions on their respective topics is incredibly accessible. When users find solid websites or sources of information, chances are they’re likely to return for more.

Subscribing to newsletters, following social media pages, or even bookmarking websites are all ways users can return to valuable content, or ideally, a specific brand that caught their attention. High-quality content will always bring consistent traffic, and if you dedicate effort into continuously making valuable content, you can ensure the increase of traffic levels over time.

People don’t block evergreen content (but they block a lot of other ads)

Along with the expansion of the digital world, came the relentless wave of ads. Brands are continuously trying to find new creative and effective ways to display their ads to the public, although at times, it does become overwhelming. People are beginning to use ad blockers to make their internet experience less interrupted. Globally, 42.7% of internet users claim to use an ad blocker. Some companies, like Google and Apple, are integrating built-in ad blockers on their browsers and operating systems to combat these massive amounts of information. Evergreen content, on the other hand, holds up when it comes to ad blockers. Since this type of content is considered valuable information, it is less likely to be blocked by users.

Low cost and high ROI

Timeless pieces of content translate to long-term investments. When you create an evergreen article that is relevant for years or decades, you reduce the cost needed to create such a post in comparison to buying ads on other mediums. In contrast to timely content, which only receives spikes of attention for a short period of time, evergreen content gains organic traffic as time goes on. By offering users information to learn about topics, skills, or products via high-quality content, you consequently reduce the overall costs of marketing expenses, while also generating a higher ROI. Providing this type of content to your affiliate marketers is also great for them to use as supporting material when they create promotional content about your product or service.

10 tips to creating evergreen content

Now that we’ve covered why evergreen content is a must for any affiliate marketing strategy, it’s time to narrow down on some important aspects to keep in mind while building your evergreen posts. Here are ten essential tips to make your evergreen content stand out from the others and perform optimally over time.

1. Avoid dates

Evergreen content is meant to be everlasting, or in other words, be timeless content. Although in some cases it may be inevitable, paying attention to dates or time-referencing terms is essential for evergreen posts. To maintain its readability over long periods of time, it’s a good idea to avoid specific dates or time-related words, such as:

• yesterday
• this month
• last year
• since October 2019

These are all examples that can imply when content was created, which reduces its timelessness. Avoiding details or terms like this can extend the lifetime of the material, and reduce the necessity of date-related updates in the coming months or years.

2. Do your research

Regardless of the type of content you are creating, doing research prior to writing is always a good idea for your content strategy. This will give you a better feel of what you are writing about, allowing you to gather the industry’s leading experts’ opinions, as well as learn about current trends in the niche, all of which will be reflected in your work. Consumers appreciate well-written and informative content. It builds trust and also contributes to others referencing your work. In fact, the number one SEO ranking factor is the content itself. Since evergreen content will be consumed over long periods of time, these pieces of content should be solid, well-researched, and readable with the appropriate keywords. Using target keywords will keep your articles high up on the search rankings, generating continuous traffic over time. Remember that with the advancements in technology, news, and social trends, your research can become obsolete at some point in time. While this is sometimes unavoidable, it isn’t the end of the world. Make sure to keep coming back to your work and update research, statistics, and sources where it needs to be done.

3. Promote your content

Evergreen content, just the same as any other form of content, should be continuously promoted. When content is newly published, it’s easily visible on the top of the page. Over time, however, it slowly moves downward as you post other new fresh content. One of the advantages of evergreen posts is that they can be easily re-shared and re-promoted on a regular basis. It’s a good idea to republish your evergreen blog posts and news articles at least bi-annually in order to generate awareness and rekindle the sparks of interest in your audience. You can also add them to campaigns during social media promotions, or include them as supporting links in your email marketing campaigns.

4. Keyword research

As with all content, having appropriate keywords are paramount when writing up relevant pieces of content. That means that evergreen content requires, just as you probably guessed, evergreen keywords. Utilizing an SEO keyword tool, such as Ahrefs or SEMrush, allows you to browse for specific keywords related to your niche topic. Ideally, your evergreen keywords should be hitting around 1000 searches or more per month. By checking the search volume for each word, you can determine which keywords are optimal and are being searched for continuously over time. Consistent Google trends indicate a long-term interest, marking that as a good candidate for evergreen content. Adding these keywords to your content will help make your evergreen posts to be worthy of the first-page ranking, consequently increasing organic traffic.

5. Avoid complicated jargon

If you’ve created a solid evergreen piece of content, it will most likely show up as one of the top rankings in the SERP results. Making sure your evergreen posts are search engine optimized is absolutely crucial in attracting new visitors who want to learn about your niche topic. However, being SEO optimized isn’t the only factor in attracting organic traffic. When creating evergreen content, make sure to avoid overly technical jargon so it appears readable to new audiences. As it is, the average internet user only reads approximately 20% of a page’s text. This highlights the necessity to write clear and concise content to portray the most important information as quickly as possible to hook your readers. The more user-friendly your material is, the more likely you are to retain new traffic.

6. Use your own visuals

An important element in content marketing strategies is the addition of rich content. Rich content includes various types of media such as images, audio, or videos. Adding visuals to your content is sure to make it stand out much more than just pure text. Of course, it’s easier said than done. It’s not only the mere addition of rich content, but also making sure it is appropriate, well-placed, and complimentary to the content itself. In fact, viewers who watched a video with information were 95% more likely to remember the message in contrast to a textual ad. Infographics are a great way to portray important bits of information in a fun and easy visual. DIY and tutorials are other forms of content that require visuals. There are many stock photography services where you can purchase images to assist you, but hiring a graphic designer and making your own designs will go a long way for your branding efforts! Having quality visuals will also increase the chances of others using your content, simultaneously increasing your exposure and boosting your SEO.

7. Pay attention to backlinks

Starting out with a fantastic content piece is the perfect way to begin with your evergreen content strategies… but it doesn’t end there. While in the process of creating a blog post with information and visuals, make sure you pay attention to building backlinks, something that will help you get Google’s attention more effectively. The more backlinks you have, the higher your page authority is, which consequently elevates your ranking. To put this into perspective, the top results on Google’s first page all have on average 3.8 more backlinks than the succeeding links. Having a great evergreen blog, as well as high-quality backlinks to begin with, will enhance your overall domain authority and generate natural backlinks over time. While on the topic of paying attention to links, occasionally reviewing your previous posts and fixing any broken links you may find is another good idea for evergreen content maintenance.

8. Keep content up to date

If you’ve chosen an appropriate evergreen topic, its relevance can last for many years, even for many decades. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good call to publish it and leave it alone from then on. Monitoring your content and making sure it is up to date will allow it to retain its evergreen status. By tracking your rankings and volume, you can determine whether an update is pending or not. A slow and consistent decrease in ranking over time can indicate there is a potential need to check up on past publications and address elements such as broken links, published dates, and outdated statistics.

9. Highlight your evergreen content

Although evergreen content is meant to be a long-term publication, it doesn’t mean it can just be left alone to be dug up and found. It will do you good to dedicate effort into highlighting your evergreen content so that it is accessible and visible for users to find. As mentioned previously, reposting past evergreen posts is one way to bring back attention to it, but it’s not the only way. Featuring these posts in your website’s sidebars, building a social media campaign around it, and building visible links that redirect to the article (such as support links for tutorials) are all other methods of highlighting your evergreen content.

10. Use multiple social platforms

By featuring your evergreen content on multiple social platforms, you open up to various streams of audiences and eventually generate more exposure from different traffic sources. The more you are mentioned across different channels, the better your organic growth. 54% of social media users claim to use social media platforms when researching products, so it’s definitely worth expanding on various channels. During your social media campaigns, affiliate marketers posting promotional content with their affiliate links can also contribute to a better SEO score (some, but not all affiliate links count as backlinks). Providing affiliates with high-quality evergreen content is a win-win situation, as they can send you more targeted traffic, while you provide them with helpful content that they can use as well.

Conclusion

Evergreen content is a fantastic way to recycle high-quality material into your marketing strategy. It’s full of useful information that is relevant over long periods of time and thus generates organic traffic increasingly as time goes on. While there is a time and place for timely content, evergreen content on its own is an absolute must for every brand. People are constantly searching for information in this digital era, so using that to your advantage is a guaranteed benefit. Apart from this, evergreen content is rarely blocked, so you have long-term material that is more likely to be consumed by users. This is a low-cost method to increase your ROI with less effort than consistently writing new content. Avoiding dates and technical terms, paying attention to backlinks, and highlighting your content on multiple different social channels are all ways to keep the interest high in your evergreen content. There’s a welcoming space for evergreen posts no matter the industry, so make sure to dedicate some time and effort into building timeless pieces for your audience to enjoy!