An evergreen campaign in Digital PR is often known as the “gift that keeps on giving”. That’s if it’s successful, of course…
Put simply, evergreen campaigns are concepts that can be updated on a quarterly, bi-annually, or annual basis, depending on the topic and research. Like every campaign, the content should focus on topics and insights that your target audience is interested in and will continue to find useful. If planned and distributed properly, it’ll continue to drive results over time.
Below, I’ve shared some of my top tips on the basic things to consider when planning your first evergreen campaign, alongside how to truly keep it “evergreen”.
FOCUS ON A TOPIC THAT’S RELEVANT AND WON’T DATE
The best content for evergreen campaigns focuses on matters that your audience cares about now but will also care about in the future. Focus on topics that won’t date. A few examples include the property market, such as buying behaviours, costs, places to live, retirement (such as average ages and top locations) and consumer purchasing habits.
Here at c3, we’ve had some great successes with our evergreen campaigns. For instance, our Blacktower Expat Hub campaign revealed the key locations across the globe for the best quality of life for retirees.
Following the initial outreach of the campaign, we now re-analyse all of the initial factors to make sure we have the latest figures, update the on-site content, and re-launch to the media every six months. And this is what keeps the campaign evergreen!
CHECK THE DATA YOU’RE USING TO FORM YOUR CAMPAIGN
The last thing you want to do is focus your evergreen campaign on a one-hit-wonder data source that you won’t be able to gather data from in the future. So, if you’re analysing different factors, sourced via desk research, make sure the sources will be accessible in the future.
Some other useful sources you could use to form your campaign include:
- FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) data
- Polls
- Statista
- ONS (Office for National Statistics) data
You might also want to consider using your own internal data.
UTILISE YOUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
If you have a presence on social media, then it’s likely your target audience already follow you. So, to make them aware of your campaign and the findings, share key information across your social channels, encouraging them to head to your dedicated landing page on-site, for more information.
Also, speak with your paid team and consider putting some spend behind these posts to ensure you’re targeting the right people. Each time you update the campaign, re-share it on social media to keep your audience updated and engaged.
MAKE SURE JOURNALISTS KNOW IT’S NOT A ONE-OFF CAMPAIGN
Once you’ve launched your first evergreen campaign, and you’ve achieved media pick up, inform the journalists that you intend on updating the figures bi-annually, annually – or whatever timeframe works best for you.
Ask if they’d like to continue receiving the insights, and make sure they’re included on all distribution lists. In some cases, the journalist may approach you for the insight before you’ve even had the chance to re-launch it…
DON’T CREATE A COMPLETELY NEW PAGE ON-SITE, JUST UPDATE IT
Once you’ve got your updated findings, rather than writing completely new content on your site, simply update what you already have. Or, just rewrite certain sections that are now outdated. Visuals and other supporting content, such as tips should also be updated to reflect any new findings.
COMPARE YOUR LATEST FINDINGS TO THE PREVIOUS
Sounds obvious, but before you approach journalists with your updated campaign and insights, make sure you compare your latest figures to previous ones.
Touch on any key stats such as increases or decreases in spending, trends, habits, etc. And justify your points, too. Explain why you think these changes have occurred, has there been adjustments in the industry that could have impacted this? You want to make sure your updated story is still as news-grabbing as the previous.
SUPPORT YOUR LATEST FINDINGS WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
When approaching the media with your updated, evergreen campaign, it’s always good to try and offer them something new/different from previous.
Could you source case studies from people that have been impacted by your new findings? Or could you include some top tips from yourself or other experts on the matter that will be helpful to the reader?
MAKE SURE THE TIMINGS FOR DISTRIBUTION ARE RIGHT
It can be tricky knowing when to update and distribute your campaign to the media. A general rule of thumb is annually, or bi-annually. Six months is a good timeframe to aim for, as it allows enough time for the figures and insights you’ve analysed previously to have updated. Quarterly is particularly good if you’re using your internal data.
It’s also worth checking out if there’s a “popular time” of year for the sector you’re focusing on, or when the topic is often talked about in the media. For example, if you’re focusing on the property sector, spring tends to be a popular time for house purchases. You might then want to think about launching around this time.
DISCOVER MORE
Hopefully, this blog has covered the basics of what you need to know if you’re thinking of running an evergreen campaign. And if you’d like more information on this subject, feel free to contact us. Or check out more of our digital PR blogs, here.
