Writing To Succeed

If you want to find something that will help readers find your writing, possibly expand your audience, and maybe even get you noticed for other things, then you’re not alone. But how can you get it done in a world full of want-to-be writers? Look less at what you’re writing now, and more at what other writers have used to boost their views and reads.

When I first started online, somewhere in November of 2020, it was because of the pandemic and all of the downtime I was experiencing. My first inclination was to write fiction. Fiction helps people escape from the problems of their everyday lives, and gives us a chance to forget what’s haunting our existence.

It wasn’t a bad idea, and surely, I found some limited success with the fictional stories I wrote and put on different platforms. But can fiction be something that lasts, or stands the test of time. Shockingly, I learned that it could, if it was about the right subject.

How does that work with non-fiction?

In the case of non-fiction, it works differently than fiction. With fiction, you tie your story to something in the real world or two a popularly searched and easily digested genre of writing. In the case of my written work, probably the best answer to making fiction work that was popular came from one story. It didn’t win a contest, and it didn’t become a book, but it was found and read enough times to earn over $500.00 on Medium.

In the case of non-fiction, it works the same way. It has to be something that stands the test of time. But, how do you write about things in a way that they’ll hold people’s interest, keep getting visits and finding new readers, and most importantly, keep people on the page until the end?

It has to be about something that helps people or gives them value for their time. Because, and let’s face it, the only reason you’re still on the page at this point, is to figure out how to help boost your success as a written content creator. You want to make money, and earn more followers, and be on your way to doing something you can do from anywhere in the world.

WHAT PEOPLE WANT

People want accessible and easy to understand information, preferably with examples of why what you’re showing them works and is needed. For example:

Educational and Informational Content

How-to guides (How to write a resume, How to plan and create a budget)

Beginner tutorials (Photoshop, Excel use, even AI use)

Definitions and explainers (What is ________)

Maybe you know something that will help them with business management or their career. Perhaps you have expertise in job interview skills, or how to get ahead in the stock market. Have you found a working formula for getting in peak physical condition? Or maybe, you have a form you have created that helps you manage your life.

People want to see content that will help them to understand something they need in their lives. They want things that will teach them something they didn’t know, but make it easy for them to digest. They want things that are relevant, or solves a problem or question they have.

The pyramids are among the great wonders of the world. And over the decades, there’s been much deliberation about how they were constructed with the limited abilities of the time they were built.

This case has some oddities that were so strange, and bizarrely missed by the mainstream news, that it stunk of something more foul than the event itself. Why does a man with everything to gain by staying alive, suddenly and without any warning, decide to kill himself, his two kids, and the family dog? Why would a right handed shooter use his left hand? And why, in such a close neighborhood would nobody have heard gun fire? And those aren’t the weirdest things that went on.

The type of content to work with if you’re not gaining traction or picking up readers is known as Evergreen Content.

What is Evergreen Content?

Evergreen content is content that stays relevant and useful over a long period of time. It’s not going to be content that’s tied to a specific trend, or event, or innocuous moment.

Look at it like an evergreen tree. As opposed to other trees, evergreen trees keep their leaves all year. They last for years and years, growing and remaining useful all the time.

At its center, evergreen content gives answers to timeless questions or solves ongoing problems people are searching for answers to, such as when do teenagers get easy again, how can I make more money, and tips for a happier life.

Evergreen contient is not time-sensitive conent that cashes in on the current controversy or trend. How much do you think people really want to read about Donald Trump, the Democratic Parties many problems, or who was really taking money from Jeffrey Epstein. Remember, Trump’s old and is not going to last forever, the Democratic party has been a mess for years, and Epsteins dead. Those aren’t relevant subjects to everybody.

No, evergreen content is powerful for it’s long-term return on your investment. It remains relevant and can consistently attract traffic, generate leads, or educate new audiences without needed to be recreated over and over.

Evergreen content is also powered by search engines. Consider the great pyramids. The pyramids have remained a source of curiosity for generations, and will do so for generations yet to be born. They’re as frequently searched by the curious as the stars, the planets, or our moon and how we abandoned it in the seventies.

Evergreen contient isn’t set it and forget it, oh no no. It’s forever a piece of your arsental and something that you can update when there’s new information. You can recirculate it on particular anniversaries. Such as the story I did on Phillip Marshall’s murder/suicide. Every year I get a boost out of that, even though there hasn’t been anything new.

That’s why, if you’re not exploring options to use evergreen content to your benefit, you’re not bringing your best game as a would-be-writer.

Start mixing projects and doing Evergreen Content focused work in with your passion pieces and other endeavors, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how often these sometimes forgotten pieces show up in your stats feeds on the different platforms you use.

The stories I chose as examples have all made hundreds and have had views and reads measuring into the 40,000 range or higher per story.