KEEP SOME EVERGREENS ON HAND

In a recent entry, I mentioned the value of a good swipe file for newsletter development. Another very handy tool is what are known as “evergreen” articles.

What’s an evergreen article? It’s simply a story that provides general information, will always be appropriate for the audience, and isn’t time-sensitive.

For a financial institution, evergreen stories could include subjects such as “How to set up a basic budget” and “What’s in a credit report.” A medical practice could use titles such as “Protecting yourself from the sun,” while an accounting firm might have something on “How long to keep records.”

If you create and maintain a library of evergreen stories, you’ll be in good shape for those times when you don’t have enough new material to fill the next issue. And even though those stories might seem like old news to you, they’ll be fresh and new to your readers.