Create an Evergreen Content Cycle in Your Business (and ditch the Instagram algorithm for good).

This is a blog post for those of you seeking slow growth in your business—intentional growth rooted in thoughtful decisions that align with your values. I’m not here to offer you a quick trick on going viral or to promise an immediate increase in your followers this week (there are plenty of people out there who specialize in that—or at least claim to).

Instead, I’m inviting you to walk alongside me and consider a long-term content strategy for your business. How would it feel to develop content that supports your business for years to come? What if you could leave finicky algorithms behind? What if you could be more present to focus on the things that matter… rather than feeling pulled to constantly check the engagement stats on your screen.

I promise, it’s possible. And it doesn’t require more time or money from your business. All it takes is a shift in mindset—a shift toward thoughtful, intentional, evergreen content (rather than struggling to keep up with the fleeting pace of social media).

Aside from Brand Design inquiries, most of the emailed questions I get are about instagram—more specifically, about how to run a business without it.

By now, most of you have probably heard me talk about this topic. If you’re new, take a look at my original post about leaving instagram back in 2021… and then read the updates I sent to my email list after six months (Email Update 1 | Email Update 2). More recently, I recorded a podcast episode about this topic in more detail with Shanna Skidmore.

A quick disclaimer: I do usually hop onto instagram about twice a year to share portfolio updates. I call this a “portfolio dump,” where I post about 20 images of my latest work. I copy and paste the same caption for all of them, so it takes very little effort to share the graphics in a standard format. For me, this feels like a simple way to keep my instagram up-to-date for any new potential clients who might stumble across my profile. This works well for me and aligns with my goals for evergreen content!

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So… running a business without posting on instagram: how does it work? It’s all about creating an Evergreen Content Cycle.

We’ll break these steps down in a minute, but basically the big idea is this: every piece of content you create should be part of a cycle:

Focus on creating high-value core content.
Leverage Pinterest to expand your audience.
Grow and nurture your email list.

When I write a blog post, I share it on Pinterest. Pinterest puts my content in front of a new audience—who then joins my email list. Once they’re on my email list, I share updates with links to new blog posts… and the cycle starts all over again.

*Note: why isn’t instagram part of my Evergreen Content Cycle? Because it’s often a dead end. Sharing a post on instagram may gain some likes or followers, but it doesn’t usually lead those followers to the next step of the cycle. Instagram users are not likely to leave the platform—the app is designed to keep them scrolling on to the next piece of content. That means it’s much harder to lead users over to my website, or to convert instagram followers into email list subscribers. Plus, instagram content has a very short lifespan: I prefer to leverage my time on a platform that keeps driving traffic well beyond a 24-hour window.

Let’s visit each step of the cycle in more detail:

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1. High Value Core Content

The Evergreen Content Cycle depends on creating high-value content. It could be a blog post, a podcast episode, or a free download… but it should be SO good your audience can’t even believe you’re giving it away for free.

Email opt-ins are ideal, because they’re the best way to convert your audience into subscribers. You can learn all about creating effective email opt-ins here. I recommend having one or two email opt-ins that deliver incredible value to your audience… and then building additional content (blog posts, podcast episodes, YouTube videos, etc.) around those email opt-ins.

For example, some of my best core content pieces are my email opt-ins with free downloads:
– 100 Color Palettes
– 100 Daily Affirmations

These two pieces of content have generated over 12k email subscribers for me.

In the future, I can also create additional content that ties into those opt-ins (for example, a blog post with 3 Summer Color Palettes… with a link at the bottom to get access to 100 Color Palettes by subscribing to my email list).

I promise, this high value core content is worth the time and effort now—because it will pay off for years to come. Invest thoughtful consideration into your core content: how can you truly serve your audience with a resource they feel grateful to receive?

Focus on creating one or two pieces of high-value content now rather than spinning your wheels to come up with low-level content over and over again to feed the instagram algorithm.

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2. Leverage Pinterest to Expand Your Audience

Okay, so you have one piece of core content you feel really good about. Now it’s time to share your core content on Pinterest—where it has the potential to be seen by millions of users who are ready to click over to your website.

Why Pinterest?

• Pinterest is evergreen. Content you share on Pinterest can gain traction weeks or months after you post it. Unlike instagram, Pinterest keeps your content alive for a long time.
  
• Pinterest directly links back to your website. Every pin you create links back to your website (vs. an instagram post, which doesn’t link anywhere because it’s designed to keep users in the app). This is great for conversion—you want your Pinterest audience to land on your website, where you can showcase your offerings in an intentional, thoughtful online space. Your website invites your audience into your brand… it’s a space where they can explore purposeful layouts and copywriting designed to resonate with them.
  
• Pinterest acts as its own search engine. Not only are those website links great for direct conversion… they’re also excellent for your website’s SEO. Pinterest has its own search database, which then ties into Google search results (making your content more likely to get found). Every link on Pinterest is a new link back to your website—increasing your backlinks AND searchability.

The best part about evergreen Pinterest marketing is that it automatically multiplies your content for you. I can create infinite pins all leading back to the same core content on my website. For example, here’s what that might look like as I promote my 100 Color Palettes opt-in on Pinterest:

• I create 10 graphics promoting my 100 Color Palettes opt-in
• I duplicate those 10 graphics and change the background color (10 x 2 = 20 graphics)
• I duplicate those 10 graphics AGAIN and change the background color again (10 x 3 = 30 graphics)
• I pin all 30 graphics to my “Resources for Creatives” board (30 pins x 1 board)
• I pin all 30 graphics to my “Resources for Designers” board (30 pins x 2 boards = 60 pins)
• I “loop” all 60 pins via Tailwind, so they are scheduled to re-post to both boards throughout the year (60 pins x 2 posts = 120 pins).

That means there are now over 100 pins that can land in front of a new audience—all linking back to my website (rather than one single instagram post).

^These graphics were made in 2020 and are STILL getting new traffic on Pinterest.

At its peak, our Pinterest account had 9 million impressions per month. As a result, our email list grew by 12,000 subscribers.

Clearly, evergreen Pinterest marketing has SO much potential for creative businesses. It’s the perfect place to share (and re-share) your core content. Need help getting started? Follow these posts:

• How to Create an On-Brand Pinterest Profile (Part 1)
• How to Create an On-Brand Pinterest Profile (Part 2)
• How to Drive Traffic to Your Website Using Pinterest: A Comprehensive Guide

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3. Grow and Nurture Your Email List

Let Pinterest do the hard work for you: get your content in front of a new audience, and watch them subscribe to your email list to get access to the resources you’ve created for them. Once they’re on your email list, continue to offer value (but don’t reinvent the wheel).

As your email list grows, it’s time to re-enter the top of the cycle: every time you create content, share it with your email list. Back to our Color Palette example: if they signed up for my email list to download my 100 Color Palettes, they’re going to love a new blog post with 3 Autumn Color Palettes… (Which is the exact same blog post I’ll be sharing on Pinterest to attract new subscribers 😉)!

When the time comes, you’ll be ready to sell a paid offering to an audience who trusts the quality of your content and can’t wait to invest in your latest offer.

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I know this all sounds like a lot to accomplish… but I believe the payoff will be worth it. Investing your time, thoughtfulness, and expertise now gives you a valuable piece of content you can market for years to come. Let’s imagine you’re currently spending 20 minutes to create one instagram post (recording video, captioning, designing carousels); could you invest that time into a stronger piece of content? What if you invested one or two hours pouring your wisdom into resource your audience can’t resist? How much longer would that content serve you (and your audience) well?

Creating even just one piece of high-value content helps you stand out from competitors and establish trust with your audience. It gives you a solid foundation, so you can continue to build on marketing around this core content in the future. And once you start sharing your core content on Pinterest—you’ll see so much more longevity from your efforts than you would on any other platform.

I hope you’ll consider this approach and give it a try in your creative business. Every entrepreneur is different: I know some who truly love and embrace instagram! But I have a feeling that my Evergreen Content Cycle will resonate with those of you who spend your time here on my blog. You can make a shift toward long-term content in your business. It just starts with one piece of core content. Ready to get started? I believe you can do this.

If you’d like to hear more about evergreen Pinterest marketing, feel free to join my email list. If there seems to be more interest in this topic, I’ll create more in-depth resources to share there. I’d be honored to join your inbox!