Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
Last week I had a lively discussion with a colleague about “evergreen” content.
I argued that “evergreen” does not automatically mean that the content will stand the test of time. Even content that stands the test of time is not necessarily eternal.
The debate arose from a discussion about the state of AI-generated content – whether AI could produce classic content. You know, something that would be considered fundamental and iconic to the subject matter being discussed.
I'll come back to this discussion, but first I want to explain the difference between classic and evergreen content.
Evergreen vs. classic content
Especially in B2B marketing, many marketing and content teams dedicate at least some time to creating “evergreen content.” As the name suggests, the content is relevant not just in the moment, but for a longer period of time (perhaps forever). Therefore, the creator avoids the direct or indirect inclusion of content that indicates the time of publication.
A team might create a research paper titled “The Strategic Approach To X,” where “X” is an industry, business approach, or elementary best practice. The creator's goal is for the content to always be valuable to the reader.
But I argue that “timeless” content doesn’t always mean it will stand the test of time. And just because someone uses a current context in their content doesn't mean it won't become a classic. In fact, awareness of the present moment could be a central component of classical content.
In other words, there is a difference between “evergreen” and “classic” content, and you should focus on the latter.
Classic content requires more and different effort. It requires that you create something of lasting value or of the highest quality and in the context of its relationship to the moment.
But okay, isn't it all semantics? Why should you care?
Classic content should be a goal
What is the difference between “classic content”?
Well, I love the way author Italo Calvino described a “classic” work in his essay “Why Read The Classics?” He characterizes a classic as something “that, even when we read it for the first time, gives us the feeling of re-reading something we have read before.” But he also says that it is a classic if “ re-reading provides just as much of a sense of discovery as reading it for the first time.”
I love the apparent contradiction. But these definitions really aren't contradictory. When you experience a classic piece of content for the first time, you feel a sense of familiarity but also of new discovery. When you then experience a classic, you feel a sense of discovery in the familiarity.
From a content marketing perspective, The Lego Movie is a perfect example. The deeply creative storytelling offers a distinct point of view and trendy, current characters. Still, families can enjoy The Lego Movie again and again. The film never exhausts everything it has to say to its audience. The Barbie movie will almost certainly be considered another great classic in a few years.
Why is classic content important for B2B marketers?
In my aforementioned discussion with my colleague, I asked (without irony, mind you) if they could imagine using generative AI to create a thought leadership article that was not only timeless (i.e. evergreen), but also something that was offers a lot of value that people would read it back and read it again and again.
They laughed because they thought I was joking. They weren't sure humans could do it, let alone AI. You asked: “You mean, can AI write a “classic” thought leadership book or article? Would it be possible to produce a “classic” video series on SEO that has the same replay value as an episode of Friends?”
(Side note: “Friends,” the now 30-year-old sitcom (ugh, that hurt typing), continues to grow in popularity among viewers both young and old, and is becoming even more popular.)
“Yes,” I replied. “Classic content not only offers added value for new target groups, but also goes one step further. It offers existing target groups lasting added value. They keep coming back to it. B2B content has this ability.”
For example, I keep going back to Theodore Levitt's essay on marketing myopia to refresh my knowledge of business strategy, even though it analyzed industries from the 1960s. The business book Crossing the Chasm, written over 30 years ago about introducing new technologies, remains a popular business book about go-to-market strategies. And “Crossing the Chasm” was based on Everett Rogers’ 1962 classic “Diffusion of Innovations,” which continues to sell 30,000 copies with each new edition.
And there may be no better example of classic content marketing than John Deere's The Furrow. The brand has been publishing the magazine for 129 years and readers regularly keep issues as collector's items. These same readers go back to articles written years ago. The content of The Furrow is both classic and timeless.
Classic formula for classic content
Of course, you can't know if a piece of content is a classic until it becomes, well, you know, a classic. Its core requirement is that it must stand the test of time.
But as a content creator, can you increase the chance that the value of your content will be retained and that you will make that discovery every time you reread it? I believe you can.
At least I believe you can avoid the trap of not being able to reference current events or modern contexts when creating classic content.
When analyzing my own content creation, I found that classic content pieces tend to have the following characteristics:
- Memorable, different characters or viewpoints. Every classic story – even marketing or B2B thought leaders – has their own original take on the world.
For example, “Basic Marketing – A Managerial Approach” is a classic marketing book that you have probably never read. But you have undoubtedly revisited the concept of the four Ps (product, place, price and promotion) as a basic idea of marketing.
What will people remember based on your content?
- A fully realized environment. Think about the world building and your audience, whether you are in B2B or B2C. Rich detail allows the audience to connect to other stories they have heard and experiences they have had. This is a sign of a classic. With each reread, the world feels both familiar and new.
- Distinctive style. Develop a style for words and images and stick with it. Be consistent.
- Greater truths. I talk about this quality in all of my storytelling workshops. Every great story should attempt to illuminate a universal truth that will somehow change the reader.
- Allusions (and connections) to tradition. Embrace the tradition or the work of the giants who came before you. Don't be afraid to create a new classic based on an older classic (e.g. “Crossing The Chasm”) or to consciously rebel against it.
- Classics follow structure – or at least understand it. If a classic deviates from the traditional structure of a story, a course, a business book, etc., it is intentionally designed that way.
- ambiguity — the student mindset. Classic content almost always comes from the mindset of observing and learning with the reader, not from an all-knowing guide. Most classical contexts take into account the present context and its difference from the past to create ambiguity about the future. Too many brands approach their thought leadership with an excess of certainty, failing to allow for blind spots or areas to explore further.
Classic content almost always leaves room for the audience to find their way in the context of when, where and how they experience it. It allows them to come to different conclusions when rereading and interpret as suits them in the present. For example, my interpretation and insights from Theodore Levitt's marketing myopia content have changed over the last decade. It's not unlike making satisfying new yet familiar discoveries while watching a classic film you saw as a child.
The final result? If you want to have a greater chance of creating classic content – content that people want to come back to again and again – focus on great storytelling that uses the context of the present, explores topics in depth, and creates original and different points of view.
And that brings me back to the discussion I had with my colleague.
Classic content is the human advantage
When you consider the common characteristics of classics, you can immediately see how generative AI is hindered from creating content that has a high chance of becoming a classic.
The focus of classic content is not just an original idea or an innovation on an earlier idea. Classic content connects these ideas to the current context, to that original idea, and brings experience, knowledge and judgment to express an idea that will stand the test of time. Generative AI struggles with all of these capabilities.
Generative AI can only express what was before in a new way. It cannot look at what is now and find the deeper meaning of what will be. Yes, generative AI can create evergreen content. But can or will it create classic content? So far the answer is no.
Will it later turn out that I'm wrong? Will generative AI create classic content?
Only time can tell.
It's your story. Say it well.
Subscribe to to weekday or weekly CMI emails to receive rose-colored glasses in your inbox every week.
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT:
Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
