Many things can be said about two of my favorite books, Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich and Lucius Annaeus Seneca’s Letters to a Stoic. Both have transformed the lives of millions, both have cult followings, and most pertinent to this post, both books are timeless. Letters to a Stoic was written well over 2,000 years ago yet the content still applies today, relevant as ever. It got me thinking: in a world where trends change every few hours, what are the qualities that make brand content timeless?
Both timely and timeless content have value. Timely content can be great for digital advertising and brands but quickly becomes irrelevant. While it has its place, brands would be wise to focus on building timeless content. Because the truth is, timeless content is timely – that’s the beauty of it.
Three Tips on Writing Timeless Content
#1) Make it Universal
Timeless writing is both a product of its own time and a unique expression of it. Avoid including dates, trendy words and phrases, and time-specific events in your copy. Write in a way that speaks to people of all ages on a universal level. This doesn’t mean be overly generic, boring or senseless. Write using concise and simple language.
#2 Add Value
Evergreen content retains value. Use content to educate, inspire, connect, motivate or heal. Does your content provide value? Does it communicate truth? Aim for impacting the life of whoever reads it.
#3 Create a Treasured Experience
Content must remain alive. As such, it must evoke a sensation in its reader. When it comes to branding, the best kind of content is the content that inspires action. By creating an experience with your writing, your chances of sparking engagement are higher. This can be accomplished through visual storytelling, drama, facts, humor, etc.
Over 129 million different books have been published, and only an incredibly small percent of those books are classics for good reason: writing timeless content is hard. But when it comes to creating blog content that can be repurposed, and branding that is memorable and inspires action, timeless content is your goal.
