I’ve always been a big proponent of radio on-air talent doing more topical content to take advantage of the fact that they are live, or recorded day of, when others are pre-recorded days in advance. As well as identifying the thing everyone is talking about that day and hitting it early and often. That’s why I always say if I can listen to your entire show and not hear anything that couldn’t have been pre-recorded weeks in advance then you’re not doing it right. However, there is also a huge value in talent mixing in a healthy balance of evergreen content as well. It’s not dated so it can live longer online, we can recycle it again later on-air and it helps fill the void of slow news days. Which keeps us from stretching and covering the less interesting topical content. But, not all evergreen content is created equal. Some of it falls into the category of nevergreen, content that should never air. Here are a few ways to filter through that content and tell the difference.

• On team shows is it a topic that everyone on the team instantly has an opinion on during off-air conversations? Yes, then it’s evergreen.
• On solo shows is it a topic that your friends, family or coworkers all have an opinion on when you throw it out in casual conversation? No, then it’s nevergreen.
• Would the topic spur conversation at a dinner party with your closest friends (evergreen) or kill the conversation (nevergreen)?
• Is it a topic that’s getting a lot of engagement on social media or a Reddit forum? Yes, then it’s evergreen. Some of the best on-air topics I hear shows do are directly from Reddit forums (which are great because they’ve already been tested and we can also use some of the best comments as well).
• Does the topic split the room (evergreen) or does everyone feel the same way about it (nevergreen)?
• Is it a topic you’ve done before that immediately lit up the phones? Then it’s definitely evergreen and worthy of bringing back as long as it’s not topical or date-specific. Talent often feel like topics are one and done, mentally checking them off once they’ve talked about them. In truth, most successful talent regularly rehash topics that work well because they understand how much audiences turnover and they’re likely going to have a fresh take on it anyway so even returning listeners will find it interesting.
• Does the topic lead to stories (evergreen) or single comments (nevergreen) from listeners?
• Are you confident 60% or more of your audience will relate to it? Yes, then it’s evergreen.

I didn’t coin the term nevergreen, I stole it from comedian Neal Brennan. He was on one of my favorite podcasts recently, Stavvy’s World with comic Stavros Halkias, and the two were riffing when Neal mentioned the word that stuck with me. I wanted to credit him since I’ve never heard anyone use that term before. By the way, long-form podcasts turned into short form clips are a great way to identify which topics are evergreen versus nevergreen. Because we can see in real time which ones are getting impressions and engagement and which ones aren’t. Something comedians like Stavros have all figured out to help themselves build massive audiences they can monetize in several non-traditional ways that weren’t available just a few years ago.

What do you think? How do you choose your evergreen content? Comment below or email me at Andy@RadioStationConsultant.com.

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