You recognize how “evergreen content” must now perform in dynamic algorithm schemes. You realize how the old posts must be quickly modernized to be brought back. You understand the obvious signs that tell you that your evergreen posts have lost their engagement sparkle. You know that it will take an audit, update, signal, and measurement of your content to give it a new life. You are invited to choose a post from the past in your archive and see how it performs this week when freshened up.

What “evergreen” means in algorithmic feeds

Evergreen posts have a value that can be seen to retain traction over a period of time. In this age of the algorithm, social media and other platforms now emphasize recency and how users engage with the content immediately. The timeless information still matters and can be delivered fast in a revised manner. While static evergreen content does not grow, active evergreen content is meant to appear, vanish and reappear. Valuable content that can be appreciated now, in addition to being algorithm-friendly, can gain more influence and retain its strategy in gaining new audiences.

Audit your existing evergreen assets

You can start with the inventory of the posts that have consistent performance or periodic interaction. Note those pieces that used to provide ample value but are lagging behind currently and can still provide evergreen value. You can also note any audience suggestions or constructive feedback that hint at the possibility of improvement in the future. You could also take note of your post formats—some types such as video may perform differently when compared to text posts. Rank your old posts concerning update potential and assess what will work best.

Refresh with new context or formats

One way of giving freshness to your content is the incorporation of up-to-date statistics that are relevant to the present context. You can also innovate by turning long posts into other formats such as bite-sized video snippets or carousels that are easy to digest. Ensure to stick to the main idea while giving it a whole new look. Updating pictures and graphics is a good way to reflect a modern perspective and facilitate sharing. Choose a post that you have modified and note its reception in its new form in the days to follow.

Signal freshness to algorithms

One surefire way of getting the attention of the algorithm is to clearly inform your audience that certain content has been updated and make use of ‘updated’ labels. Reposting content that has been revised can prove effective in drawing new attention. An effective teaser in your captions will go a long way in stimulating interest. Distributing your content across different platforms at key times can also boost its visibility. However, be careful to space out these reposts so as not to cause a request for the audience and make the reposts too similar.

Promote via discovery without losing an evergreen feel

One way of introducing your revised content is to provide context instead of mere promotional talk. Subtle promotion of these posts through discovery tools or third-party support is highly recommended. Make a direct comparison between user interactions on the refreshed content to those of new entries. You should stop promoting a post if observation shows that its performance drops and it doesn’t have real traction. Refreshing selected content gives it a new lease on life in terms of engagement in the long-term—this is the balance that will be required.

Build an evergreen refresh workflow

The creation of a system to maintain your evergreen posts is necessary to keep your content fresh. Regular audits must be maintained for posts that are more than six months old in order to monitor their performance. Make a centralized location of where you track your post ideas. You must clarify who is responsible for reviewing, updating, and reposting to avoid delays. Batching your posts into one cycle will make the refresh routine easier. A log should be maintained of what has been changed and what its impact was in the end to get to know the reasons behind a good post.

Measure renewed performance and learning

Once the refreshing of your post is done, it is critical to watch out for performance indicators. You must be vigilant and take note of the posts’ reach, shares, comments, and how many people come back to see the post. The methodical comparison of post-refresh metrics will lead you in the right direction. Being interested in seeing how the performance holds up over time is helpful. Audience feedback, including explicit mentions, reshares, or engagement will give you a clear idea of how well it is performing. Even modifying the format of the post later on may be enabled by what succeeds in the long term.

Conclusion

You can bring back the value of your evergreen posts through a smart way of auditing, refreshing, signaling, and then measuring. One simple approach is to have a specific old post of yours that is still relevant, upgrade its form and context, then reshare and monitor. The idea is to freshen up your posts at a pace that gives them enough time to reach out to new audiences without becoming repetitive. You should note the engagement of your refreshed post in the next month to appreciate this process.