Are you looking for ways to breathe new life into your old blog content?
Don’t reinvent the wheel! Repurpose what you already have.
I joined Kelly Mitchell, Founder/Producer of Agent Caffeine, on her live weekly broadcast to share quick ways to breathe new life into your old content.
The topic was based on my article, ”How to Instantly Revive Old Blog Content,” and spawned an enthusiastic discussion.
Each strategy shared is designed to help you repurpose old content and build new buzz around it.
Below you will find five creative ways to dust off old content!
1. Repurpose into a New Format
Not everyone chooses to consume information in the same way.
While one person might enjoy reading, another might look to Facebook. Don’t miss the opportunity to put a new spin on old content.
Take an old blog post and turn it into a podcast, presentation or even a short video.
That’s what we did with the Hangout below. One of my old blog posts became a conversation where I was able to share new information with a unique audience.
Watch the Google Plus hangout here!
2. Create Short List Posts
Drill down into an old post by taking one point and expanding upon it.
For example, you wrote an article on using Twitter to expand your online presence. One of your points was Twitter tools.
Take that point and use a tool like Listly to bullet point each unique Twitter tool that business marketers could use to expand their social presence.
How to use List.ly to blow up your blog traffic http://t.co/GkJhkbCiGj
— Mike Allton (@mike_allton) October 31, 2013
Then embed that list into your blog, linking back to your Listly account. The list above received over 2000 views. Not a bad way to get your content in front of a whole new audience, right?
3. Use Twitter to Grab the Attention of a New Audience
Using Twitter as a research and support tool is a terrific way to filter back through old blog content.
25 Smart Ways to Promote Your Latest Blog Post http://t.co/Rd5OFQlJKl #blogging #marketing
— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) October 26, 2013
Take a blog post and A/B test your titles. Change up the context, add your thoughts and share why your followers should read it.
And don’t just share once. Use a tool like Followerwonk to identify when your followers are online.
Now tweet it out multiple times per day to determine what content resonates with your audience.
4. Write a Follow-Up Post
Have you written an evergreen article that needs some updating?
Write a follow-up post with the new details and an explanation of how those changes impact your readers.
Stop the churn and burn. There is so much great content sitting on your blog.
There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel when you can update an old article in 30 minutes or less.
5. Leverage Google Plus
Lets face it. If you’re a content creator, the social network created by the worlds largest search engine can not be overlooked.
Do not miss the opportunity to capitalize on this vibrant and interactive community.
Did you write a Q and A post five years ago that is still relevant to your clientele today?
Update the information and link back to your original post. This shows that you are actively staying on top of changes within your industry, but also continues to position you as the expert within your field.
Not only do I use Google Plus to filter back through old blog posts. This is a post that I wrote, updated, created a slidedeck and reshared across social media. It’s a great way to get it in front of a whole new audience.
And guess what? This is an article I just updated and reshared. It’s really that simple to put a whole new face on old blog content!
Aprilrose says
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Kumar Gauraw says
November 16, 2013 at 11:31 amHi Rebekah,
I am finding your blog posts richly resourceful. Every time I come here, I am going back with new insights, new tricks that I can implement in my own content and marketing strategy. Thank you for sharing some awesome stuff in each post of yours!
I have not done too much on re-purposing of my old blog posts yet although I have done it a couple of times and results have been encouraging. But looking at your post, I think I can do a bit more of it and put some new life into my old’s posts. Thank you again.
Regards,
Kumar
Ryan Biddulph says
November 12, 2013 at 12:22 amChanging up titles on twitter makes all the difference in the world.
Great post!
Ryan
Cole Wiebe says
November 10, 2013 at 6:04 pmHi Rebekah,
This is the third post I’ve read this week on repurposing my old content… must be a message I desperately need to hear. 🙂
I must admit that I have failed to leverage my former content. It’s an oversight I shall work at remedying. Thanks for the reminder.
– Cole
Singh says
November 9, 2013 at 11:37 pmHello,
Actually i’m new here, Now coming to the post: Social media works really great to create a new life into blogging. Since we have a majority of people using social media we can get awesome leads through it.
thanks
Philip V Ariel says
November 9, 2013 at 10:19 amHi Rebekah,
Good to be here, via your twitter page.
I never thought of my old contents, its really a wonderful idea to give flesh and blood to the old ones at our archives. Thank you so much for giving this info to give life or do some polishing to our old favos. I have an account at bit.ly created few years but never thought of using it whenever require i directly go and get my short url for twitter, now i think i must use it quite often for more easy promotion. Thank you so much ones again for this informative piece.
Keep inform
Best
Phil
Lynne says
November 7, 2013 at 2:06 pmGreat tips on how to revive old blog content. Sometimes when I am having writer’s block, I can’t seem to gather new ideas and have difficulty in posting new content. These tips really help. Thanks!
Jeevan Jacob John says
November 4, 2013 at 5:37 pmI have tried some of these methods, but a few of them are new to me – like the one involving List.ly. I will definitely experiment with it 😀
I do have a decent following on G+, but I haven’t quite made use of it; I definitely need to put more efforts into Google Plus, before I launch my blog.
I would also add mentioning the post in our newsletter emails and/or comments to the list (Of course, we have to be careful with comments. We don’t want the blog owner thinking that we are a spammer).
Anyways, thank you for the tips, Rebekah 🙂 And, nice to meet you. Hope to see you around 😀
Shelley Alexander says
November 3, 2013 at 6:32 pmExcellent tips Rebekah! I do add links from older posts into my new posts so that my blog readers can check them out but I really like your ideas so I’m going to see if I can start doing some of them in future posts. Thanks for the all the good info!
Rebekah Radice says
November 6, 2013 at 1:55 pmThat’s a great way to breathe new life into old posts Shelley. Many people forget that hitting post is only the first thing you need to do in a long list of ways to keep that content alive and in front of a new audience.
Nile says
November 3, 2013 at 2:51 pmThe biggest thing is to remember that the average number is 7 times when it comes to sharing or advertising that someone will do something, and that includes blog posts. You should install Tweet Old Post and have old content randomly tweeted out with you are producing new content.
You could re-purpose or re-publish your content, but the fact of the matter is, you may want to just write a new post, link to the original and call it “Revisited”…. therefore you have those curious to click back, and further into your site… which is a great conversion tactic.
Rebekah Radice says
November 6, 2013 at 2:08 pmExcellent point on linking back and allowing new visitors to visit old content. I try to link to at least one, maybe two relevant articles in each post. Do you have a target number?
Sherryl Perry says
November 3, 2013 at 11:53 amRebekah,
Thanks for the ideas! I especially like the tip on embedding a Listly list. I recently read Mike Alton’s post on Listly and I had been meaning to start using it more. This gives me another reason to get motivated!
Rebekah Radice says
November 6, 2013 at 1:56 pmThat’s a great post Sherryl and one that inspired me to dive back into Listly. There’s always motivation out there to keep us going! 🙂
Donna Merrill says
November 3, 2013 at 9:23 amHi Rebekah,
Now this is just what was on my mind last week. Poof….the answer comes and I thank you.
I wanted to get into those old blog posts of mine and grab some information to bring it up to date. We ALL get stuck on content. I usually get inspired from the comments left on my last post and then address the issue.
But sometimes I just sit here, staring at my computer with too many thoughts in my mind and come up blank. I’m on it Rebekah! There is one particular post that is over two years old that people STILL comment on. Updated it about a year ago, but I think it is time to re-address that issue.
After all, it was a post that keeps hitting the first page of Google and I have too many people to answer, so their comments are still not approved yet. What’s a gal to do? This is a great way to vamp up that particular post.
Thanks so much for confirming the question in my mind.
-Donna
Rebekah Radice says
November 6, 2013 at 2:04 pmIsn’t that amazing when it happens Donna? I love it!
And wow on that two year old article. It’s always exciting to see what articles continue to perform. I then take it as a personal challenge to figure out how I can best myself with a new article or a refresh like you’re doing. Either way…it’s good stuff!
Kim Bultman says
November 3, 2013 at 5:22 amThese are incredible tips, Rebekah! I look forward to watching your hangout. Thank you.
Rebekah Radice says
November 3, 2013 at 9:08 amGlad to hear they were helpful Kim!
Michelle says
November 2, 2013 at 9:46 pmFantastic post! I’m pinning for future reference as well!
Rebekah Radice says
November 3, 2013 at 4:08 pmThanks Michelle!
Rachel Williamson says
November 2, 2013 at 4:59 pmHi Rebekah, This is my first visit to your blog and I’ve already learned a TON. I have recently begun re-purposing some of my old blog posts…one favorite way is to add a video to the existing content. With a new title and call to action, it is ready for a new audience. I will return here to spruce up my Twitter action which has not been a strength. Thanks again for an awesome post!
Rebekah Radice says
November 2, 2013 at 6:15 pmHi Rachel! Video plus repurposing is a win-win. Not only does it give you additional content, but Google and viewers love video. Using it in your biz is a great idea!
Sarah Arrow says
November 3, 2013 at 3:42 amNot only does it work incredibly well for video, but also audio. I love using Sound Cloud for that, although you can easily recreate the content into a podcast by expanding upon it.
Rebekah Radice says
November 3, 2013 at 4:09 pmI hadn’t even thought to use Sound Cloud Sarah. Great idea!
Leanne Chesser says
November 2, 2013 at 11:08 amAwesome suggestions, Rebekah! I recently took a bunch of posts and wrote an “ultimate guide” to repurpose them. Your list post idea is similar (although shorter!). I like the follow-up post idea as well.
Rebekah Radice says
November 2, 2013 at 6:16 pmI just finished reading your Ultimate Guide Leanne and it’s incredible! I am a firm believer in taking the time to reflect on what we’re grateful for. That and affirmations are so empowering!