Deciding on the type of content you’re going to post can be crucial to the success of your blog. Often this can become a choice between posting evergreen content or a post about a hot, currently trending topic.

Evergreen Posts

Evergreen content is material that will usually be good for many months or even years, while hot topics rapidly become ‘out of date’ after a short period of time.

If you are just starting a blog you want to build a good foundation of material for your visitors to read. Usually, evergreen material is best for this. If you are starting with only a limited number of readers you want posts that don’t become outdated and remain of interest to the readers you gain as your blog grows.

While evergreen topics remain relevant longer than hot topics it is likely you will eventually have to update them. New developments or changes in fashion or best practice will make this necessary.

However having plenty of evergreen content on your site can pay off even years after the post was published. You can link to it repeatedly over time from social media accounts and refer to it in later material. Writing regular evergreen topics is a great way to showcase your personality and tell ongoing stories that are of interest to your audience.

Topical Posts

Topical posts may only remain so for a day or two, or perhaps as long as a week or month. However they can show your readers you are on top of the latest developments in your niche, which can increase your authority in their eyes.

They can also spread your content. Your readers are much more likely to share a well-timed hot topic post simply because it is relevant, will reflect well on them for passing on useful information, and can be shared immediately with friends and colleagues across social media. Hot topics can also be a great way to get discussions going.

A post about a trending topic can also take advantage of the fact that people will be searching for this information when the post is published. They are also a good option for when you can’t think of anything to write or don’t have the time to produce a post that goes in depth on a topic. Just search the latest news in your niche for inspiration for hot topic content.

The Right Mix

Ideally you want to have a blog consisting mostly of evergreen topics, interspersed with some hot topics.

The right mix of both evergreen and hot topics depends entirely on your niche. Some niches remain static throughout most of the year, while others change daily. The mix could range between 80% evergreen for a fairly unchanging niche to 90% hot topics for a blog aimed at keeping its readers informed on a niche that changes daily. As a blog owner you just have to try different percentages to see what works best for your niche.

Having a variety of content will make your blog more interesting, current and relevant to your target audience. Include evergreen material to give your visitors plenty of interesting posts to read, and topical content to show your readers you are aware of and have an opinion about the latest developments in your niche.