Evergreen Podcast Episodes: Assets for your small business or personal brand
When researching how to start your podcast, you'll find a plethora of advice on tech, equipment, platforms, formats, finding guests, and marketing your podcast.
Even though the above are important things to consider, it’s easy to overlook the most vital part of making a podcast that you can leverage long term: creating evergreen podcast episodes.
Let’s dive into evergreen podcast episodes, how they benefit you, how to choose topics for them, a mistake I made with my first season of episodes, and some additional resources.
I hope these ideas help you create podcast content that will serve you, your audience, and your business long term 🙌
What are evergreen podcast episodes?
Evergreen podcast episodes are pieces of content that stay relevant long after publication. Unlike episodes that comment on current events or time-sensitive issues, evergreen episodes are designed to be more timeless.
The topics in evergreen episodes explore themes, concepts, advice, and insights that remain applicable beyond the initial release date. They have lasting value, making them great assets for your business and listeners. When titled and described intentionally, they can attract and nurture new audiences – and maintain a steady flow of downloads for years.
The benefits of evergreen episodes for small businesses and personal brands
When you’re intentional about the content of your first batch of episodes,
😊 you can direct people to them whenever the subject of an episode pops up
😊 you can showcase your speaking skills to potential collaborators or clients
😊 you can improve your website’s search rankings for key topics
😊 you can attract a steady flow of new listeners (and potential clients)
😊 you have evergreen assets you can point to even if you later decide podcasting isn’t for you
Whether you plan on podcasting for a long time or just want to create a set amount of episodes as a podcast trial period or as a lead magnet, you can make those episodes into evergreen assets for your business.
Should I consider creating evergreen episodes for my podcast?
The main idea or reason for starting a podcast for your small business or as a personal brand will determine whether or not it makes sense to create evergreen episodes. For example,
→ if you’re starting a podcast simply to follow and comment on current events for fun, you may not need to consider evergreen episodes.
→ if you want to leverage your podcast to get clients, build connections, secure collaborations, or get other opportunities, it’ll probably be helpful to create some evergreen episodes that showcase your expertise and stance in your industry.
→ if you have a cohost who isn’t in the same business/niche/industry as you, there may still be a way to create evergreen episodes – but this will depend on the individual situation.
What should I include in evergreen episodes?
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help with choosing topics for evergreen podcast episodes:
What outcomes or opportunities do I want from starting a podcast?
What are my goals for the podcast?
Which podcast format will work best to get those opportunities and reach my goals?
Which topics keep coming up in my work, messaging, conversations, and content regularly?
What sets me apart from others within the same industry or niche?
What do people need to agree on or know about to best benefit from my work?
What will still be relevant to my audience next season, next year, and in 3 years?
In the event that something fundamental about a certain topic shifts and you have something new to say about it, you can replace the original episode recording with a new one! (This is possible with Spotify for Podcasters and many other podcast publishing platforms.)
Do all my podcast episodes need to be evergreen?
Nope! While evergreen episodes are a great way to make sure that you have content that drives traffic to your podcast year after year, it can be fun both for you and your listeners to mix things up with episodes that are more relevant seasonally, or that address current events in the world or updates in your business.
A screenshot of the Spotify podcast feed of Building Balance episodes.
A “mistake” I made with my first season of episodes
When I first started my podcast, Building Balance, it was called Make Your Day. My coaching focus at that point was to help people with their schedules and routines – which is also what the episodes reflected.
So… while I mapped out my first season of episodes intentionally around these topics, what didn’t occur to me was that my focus/niche may still change as I was trying to find my footing with the business. Which it later did, as I took a broader, more holistic approach to productivity and balance.
While this “mistake” would’ve been nice to avoid, I also recognize that had I not created all these episodes and sorted my thoughts out loud, I may not have discovered that I actually wanted to dive deeper than “just” routines and schedules in my business.
So if you’re still figuring out your exact business niche, you may want to consider holding off on starting your podcast. Or you might take it as an opportunity to explore topics you’re interested in – and see where they lead.
You can always keep making evergreen episodes throughout your podcast journey, and not just for your first season of episodes 👍
Additional resources for creating evergreen podcast episodes
If you see the benefits of creating a core set of evergreen episodes for your podcast, but you’re not sure what the heck to actually say and include in those episodes, I can support you in a few ways:
Sign up for my (free) Evergreen Content Episodes guide – which includes 5 dos and (maybe don’ts) to consider as you create your first season of episodes.
Check out how we can work together – if you’d like help launching your podcast, mapping out your first season of episodes, strategizing through a podcast conundrum – or if you just wanna hand off editing to someone else – I’d love to volunteer as tribute 😉
Unsure of what to include in your first season of episodes?
GET THE EVERGREEN CORE EPISODES GUIDE.
Includes five dos and (maybe) don’ts to help you create a core set of episodes that you can leverage again and again.