Don’t Let Your Blog Post Go Stale – 11 Ways to Repurpose Old Content

This is the pot calling the kettle black when I say don’t let your blog posts go stale. You need to repurpose old content and not just let it sit on your website. I’m putting a plan together to make more of what I’ve already written. If you follow me on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, you’ll see that I’ve been sharing; but that’s not all there is when it comes to repurposing old content.
Think about why you’re blogging.

• Drive traffic to your website.
• Share your own content on social media.
• Call people to action.
• Make prospective clients interested in working with you.

You can’t meet any of these goals if blog posts are just sitting dormant and unshared on your website.

Make the most of your blog posts with these eleven ways to repurpose old content.

1. e-book. You’ve got a lot of written content sitting on your website. Take a series of related blog posts and create an e-book website visitors can download in exchange for their email address. You may need to massage the copy a bit but it’s better than starting from nothing AND you’re building your email list.
2. Podcast or livestreaming. Take the ideas from your blog posts and repurpose to a podcast and/or livestream where you can reach a new audience. Share podcasts and the transcript to your blog as new content.
3. Share on social media. Breathe new life into old content by sharing it on social media. Share with the title and a link to the post. Then take shorter pieces from the body of the post and share on social media. Use a scheduler like Buffer or Hootsuite to keep the social media pipeline filled or hire a Social Media Manager like Leanna Glenn-Clark of Out of the Box Marketing.
4. Revamp and re-release. Not every blog post is evergreen meaning that it stands the test of time. My old blog posts about social media like Which Social Media Fits Your Brand are outdated. I barely give a nod to Pinterest and never mention Instagram. As for livestreaming (Facebook Live, Periscope, Meerkat), it wasn’t even a “thing” yet. It’s on my to do list to revamp and re-release a blog post about social media platforms.
5. Spin it differently. Instead of writing generically on your topic, write for a different audience. For example, if you sell life insurance, write about why people need life insurance, then also write life insurance for families, why you need more than just your employer sponsored insurance, spousal life insurance, life insurance tips for young families. Keep your target market in mind as you spin content differently.
6. Case Studies. Let’s take the life insurance example from #5. Rather than telling people why they need life insurance, give them an example in a case study. Tell why the client came to you, what you offered as a solution, and the outcome. Use these stories as your commercials at networking events to get people more interested in what you’re offering.
7. Value of links. When you’re writing new content, refer to old content. Link to the old content in the new post. You’re more likely to have visitors stay on your website and keep reading.
8. Update the statistics or infographic. Take an old piece and update the numbers or the infographic and you’ve got a new post! Be sure you’re changing at least 30% of the content to avoid duplicate content issues with Google.
9. Best of blog posts. Don’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to creating content for your website. Create a Top Ten list a la David Letterman about content on your site. Link to the old posts to get them back in front of your audience.
10. Pinterest for Brands. If you’re a master of images, utilize Pinterest to drive traffic back to your website. The old post about picking the best colors for your website? Get it in front of your Pinterest following!
11. Newsletters. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel every time you need newsletter content! Use blog posts to create a theme and message for the people on your newsletter mailing list. This will let them know what you’ve been up to and will drive them to your website.

If you’re wondering which of these is most effective to re-engage your audience, use Google Analytics to track website traffic. Not only can you see which posts are getting the most views, you can review keywords and social media sites that are driving visits.

Creating content isn’t a one-time event. With a content strategy you can repurpose old content into newsletters, e-books, live streaming, social media updates, and new blog posts.

Not sure where to get started blogging? Schedule a Getting Started session with me today by calling 480-206-6452 or emailing [email protected].

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