The Ultimate Guide to Evergreen Content: Why Authors Need It and How to Master It
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Well, authors, we have good news, and we have bad news.
Let’s start with the bad news. Social media isn’t going anywhere.
Okay, so maybe for some of you this isn’t bad news. It is for us. We’re not exactly the social media type, if you haven’t noticed.
But as an author in 2024, your online presence is more important than ever. Ugh.
We get emails all the time from authors who are in a constant state of stress trying to manage the noise and competition for attention in the digital space.
And AI? Well, that has only made the landscape even more populated.
What’s an author who doesn’t want to spend their entire life chained to their phone or desk to do?
Here’s the good news: the key to your happiness (and sanity) STILL lies in developing a thoughtful, quality-focused content strategy that aligns with your goals as a writer and resonates with your readers.
And yes, it is still possible to create a solid content strategy that prioritizes quality over quantity, allowing you to make a meaningful impact while freeing up time for your creative work.
Before diving into the specifics, let's first clarify why a thoughtful content strategy is crucial for authors, but especially in 2024:
Content continues to build your author platform: If you’ve been following us for a while now, you know that your author platform is something that takes time, patience, and tenacity. Content is the way to do that. Always has been, always will be.
Read More: How to Create an Amazing Author Platform for Your Book
Content engages your audience: Regular, high-quality content keeps your readers interested and invested in you and your work between book releases. Don’t worry about the platform — worry about your consistency and value.
Content demonstrates expertise: Like it or not, we use our online communities for everything. Sharing valuable insights related to your writing niche can position you as an authority in your field.
Your unique voice is an asset, no matter how crowded the landscape is.
Content supports your book marketing efforts: Your content can serve as a powerful tool to promote your books and attract potential readers.
We’re not talking about spamming people with “please buy my book” posts.
We’re talking ideas, perspectives, and authentic connections that organically get people to want to invest in your ideas.
Content creates new opportunities: A strong online presence can lead to speaking engagements, collaborations, and other partnerships that can take your writing career to new heights.
It would be impossible to overstate this – partnerships are the way to build a thriving business as an author.
Have we convinced you yet? Are you breaking out into a cold sweat?
Fear not! Smart authors are shifting focus to quality over quantity.
Unless you are on TikTok, the era of churning out massive amounts of content to game search algorithms is coming to an end.
Sidenote: TikTok is its own, very special platform which requires a great deal of content and specific strategy. Don’t get us wrong– TikTok is amazing for books! But we just don’t have the time and energy that the platform requires, so we don’t use it.
There are plenty of courses out there to choose from to learn how to use that platform, if you want!
Instead, search engines and readers alike are placing greater value on high-quality, in-depth content that truly serves the audience's needs.
We see traditionally “social media” platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube as search engines more than anything else.
Here’s why this is great news for you, authors:
A higher value on quality content means that you do not need to be chained to your phone, all day every day, posting multiple times a day in hopes that someone will see it.
You can focus on quality over quantity: create a few great posts and use them to bring readers to your book and/or website, over and over again.
However, as with all things, it’s all about intention.
This means that before you start typing away, you need to know a few important things before posting:
SEO has changed
Search engines now prioritize comprehensive, authoritative content over keyword-stuffed articles.
Don’t get us wrong – being strategic about what you post, how you title your articles, the keywords and hashtags you choose, is still important.
But just be careful before you rely on AI to give you “keyword-rich” content–platforms are scanning for spammy material and will not be happy.
Authenticity, always
Most people can sniff out a poser a mile away. Okay, okay, not everyone can, but you get our point.
Don’t worry about filters and perfectly posed images and perfectly curated experiences where you are portraying a version of yourself that isn’t really you. Your authenticity will go a long, long way.
Content should be evergreen
You knew we were going to throw this in somewhere, didn’t you?
We call our business Evergreen Authors for a reason – because the more evergreen your content is, the longer it can make an impact and continue to do the work of “selling” your book for you.
7 Essential Elements of a Quality-Focused, Evergreen Content Marketing Strategy for Authors
Hopefully by now we have convinced you that a solid, evergreen content strategy is a good idea, but most importantly, we hope we have convinced you that quality over quantity is going to free up your creative time AND make it so you have content that is consistently selling your book for you.
So if you’re ready to get intentional about how, exactly, to get that done, here are seven elements you need to consider:
1. Define Your Goals and Audience
Start by clearly articulating your objectives. Are you looking to grow your email list, promote a new book, or establish yourself as a thought leader in your genre? Don’t just create great content without knowing exactly what the purpose of it is going to be!
Failure to do this can result in a whole lot of wasted time, money, and energy.
Next, identify your target audience. Know your readers intimately, and that includes demographics, interests, and pain points.
Most importantly, this will help shape HOW you speak to your audience and what platforms you can use to reach them the best, whether that be a specific social media account like LinkedIn, a paid subscription like Substack, or an email newsletter or blog.
2. Choose Your Content Pillars
Select 3-5 main themes or topics that align with your expertise and resonate with your audience and that you will enjoy writing/creating content about.
These content pillars will serve as the foundation for your strategy, ensuring consistency and focus in your content creation efforts.
For example, if you're a historical fiction author, your content pillars might include:
Behind-the-scenes looks at your research process
Interesting historical facts related to your books' time periods
Writing tips for aspiring historical fiction authors
Book recommendations in your genre
If you are a nonfiction author, your content pillars might include:
Your step-by-step process
Related articles to your topic
Courses and other offerings
Partnerships and recommendations
3. Develop a Content Calendar
Create a realistic content calendar that outlines what you'll publish and when. Remember, the goal is quality over quantity, so don't overcommit.
We talk a lot about setting a realistic content strategy in our book, The Evergreen Author: Master the Art of Book Marketing.
Learn how to turn your passion for writing into a thriving, long-term business.
The Evergreen Author: Master the Art of Book Marketing
Again, a consistent schedule is more important than frequency. For many authors, publishing 1-2 high-quality pieces per month is sufficient.
4. Focus on Value-Driven Content
Have we said this enough times? Probably not.
Every piece of content you create should provide tangible value to your audience.
This could be in the form of entertainment, education, inspiration, or practical advice. Before publishing anything, ask yourself: "How does this benefit my readers?"
Some ideas for value-driven content include:
In-depth articles exploring themes in your books
Tutorials or how-to guides related to your expertise
Behind-the-scenes glimpses into your writing process
Thoughtful analysis of industry trends or issues
Your favorite inspirations
5. Optimize for Search Engines
While creating content for humans should be your primary focus, it's still important to optimize for search engines.
This doesn't mean keyword stuffing or sacrificing quality, but rather ensuring your content is discoverable by those seeking information on your topics.
Key SEO considerations for 2024 include:
Using relevant keywords naturally throughout your content
Creating comprehensive, authoritative pieces on your chosen topics
Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly
Keeping your Amazon A+ content up to date
6. Embrace Multimedia
We’re writers – we’re going to write!
However, incorporating other media types can enhance your strategy and cater to different learning preferences. Consider integrating:
Videos (e.g., book trailers, writing tips, Q&A sessions)
Podcasts or audio content
Infographics or visual storytelling
Interactive content (quizzes, polls, surveys)
In case you’re new here, please know we are NOT saying you need to any of these things. If you want to stick with writing – stick with writing!
7. Repurpose and Update Content
We are amazed by how many authors continue to re-create content, wasting their precious time and energy.
To maximize the value of your efforts, look for opportunities to repurpose your best content across different formats and platforms.
For example, you could:
Turn a popular blog post into a video or infographic
Compile related blog posts into an ebook
Create social media snippets from longer content pieces
WE DO THIS ALL THE TIME. It’s the only way we can balance work, life, and our creative endeavors.
Identifying the Most Effective Content Channels for Authors
Okay, now we’re really getting to the meat of this whole post.
While it's tempting to try to be everywhere at once, focusing your efforts on a few key channels can lead to better results.
Based on current data and trends, here are some content channels that are particularly effective for authors in 2024.
(You might notice that many of these channels are the SAME channels that have consistently worked for authors for decades!)
1. Your Author Website and Blog
Your website serves as your online home base and should be the cornerstone of your content strategy.
Regularly publishing high-quality blog posts not only improves your SEO but also gives readers a reason to keep coming back to your site.
Note: You have endless options for your website. If you’re new to this, check out our friends at Novely.
2. Email Newsletter
Email remains one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience directly.
Use your newsletter to share exclusive content, updates on your writing progress, and special offers for your loyal readers.
Note: Never, never, NEVER spam. We know authors (ahem, US!) who use email very sparingly and get much more engagement as a result.
3. YouTube
Video content continues to grow in popularity, and YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google.
Creating thoughtful, well-produced videos can help you reach new audiences and provide valuable content in an engaging format.
Note: If you’re thinking of skipping YouTube and spending all your time on TikTok instead, read this first.
4. Podcasting
The podcast audience continues to expand, making it an excellent channel for authors to connect with readers.
Whether you host your own show or appear as a guest on others, podcasting can help you share your expertise and promote your work.
Note: Creating your own podcast is something lots of authors want to do, some try to do, and few do with consistency. It’s a lot of work to do a podcast right, and requires its own special marketing efforts. Make a commitment to podcasting only if you’ve done your due diligence and are honest about your ability to commit to it.
5. Pinterest
Lots of people find us here at Evergreen Authors because we recorded a free webinar about how Pinterest can be a powerful, bonus website for authors.
Years later, the lessons in that webinar remain true!
Note: Pinterest, like all online platforms, demands that you use it to its full capacity. In other words, understand how the platform works before committing to using it!
6. Medium
For authors looking to reach a broader audience, Medium can be an excellent platform.
Its built-in readership and recommendation algorithm can help your content find new readers who are interested in your topics.
Note: Medium isn’t the only place you can share your writing. We also love LinkedIn for the ability to post articles and reach a broad audience.
Measuring Success and Adjusting Your Strategy
And now we get to the heart of things: how to know whether all this effort you are putting into your content is actually working.
For many authors, this is the no-so-fun part.
It takes time and patience to build readership, and sometimes our best efforts go unnoticed amid all the noise.
This is why we keep repeating – over and over– that your book marketing efforts need to bring you joy.
We suggest that whatever you choose to do, content wise, you need to stick to that plan for about 6 months. Don’t give up, don’t change course, don’t get hung up on analytics.
Just do what brings you joy for 6 months.
That’s right, we said 6. Whole. Months. At least! Use that time to create, promote, engage, and build.
Then, after you have all that time and content under your belt, you can look to the data to see what’s working.
And guess what? Whatever is working – you’re going to do more of that.
Whatever isn’t working – you’re going to do less of that.
Crazy, right? This is what a data-informed content strategy is all about.
Going in with intention, enjoying the process, and being flexible and open minded about how the data from your efforts is guiding you.
Here’s how you’re going to assess your content marketing data:
Website traffic and engagement: time on page, bounce rate. You’ll do this using your website’s analytics.
Email list: growth and open rates. You’ll see this using your email analytics if you are using an email service like Mailchimp.
Social media: engagement and follower growth. You’ll do this by logging into your social media accounts and looking at your metrics.
Book sales: or pre-orders correlated with content efforts. These numbers can be challenging to track, but Amazon’s author central hub is a good place to start.
Qualitative feedback from readers. You can do this by taking a few moments to read through your comments and emails (or lack thereof).
What do I do if I’m working really hard and enjoying a certain platform, but after 6 months I’m still not seeing any growth?
Great question!
If you ask us, your enjoyment in creating content is a HUGE datapoint to take into consideration.
If your efforts aren’t resonating and you want to learn more about how to use the platform, by all means, do it!
Embracing "Less is More": Freeing Yourself for Creative Work
Your content strategy should support your primary goal as an author: creating (and hopefully selling!) great books.
For us, and for many of the authors we work with, this has meant embracing the idea that LESS IS MORE.
Do a few things well, and stay open minded as to how to continue to evolve and improve.
And yes, of course, some days are going to be easier than others. That’s why we want to leave you with some final thoughts on how this approach benefits you as an author
1. Reduce burnout: By focusing on fewer, high-quality pieces, you avoid the exhaustion that comes with constant content production.
2. Create deeper connections with your community: Quality content allows you to form more meaningful relationships with your readers, fostering a dedicated fan base.
3. Improve your craft: The time you save in focusing on quality over quantity along with the creative process itself can be invested in honing your writing skills and working on your next book
4. Better work-life balance: This one is personal for us: a manageable content strategy helps you maintain boundaries between your author platform and your personal life. TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT!
5. A sense of fulfillment: Producing content you're truly proud of can be deeply motivating. When sales slow and the creative spark starts, it’s important to us that you know you have remained flexible and intentional throughout your writing journey.
That is the difference between a successful author and an unsuccessful one, if you ask us.
Your unique voice and stories are what truly set you apart as an author.
Your content strategy should enhance and showcase these qualities, not overshadow them.
By focusing on quality over quantity, you create a win-win situation: your readers receive valuable, engaging content, and you maintain the time and energy to do what you do best – write amazing books.
As you move forward with your content strategy in 2024 and beyond, embrace the power of doing less, but doing it exceptionally well.
Your readers – and your creative spirit – will thank you.
