Creative Ways To Repurpose Blog Content
Sunday, March 14, 2021
So, you've posted a blog post which hasn't taken off. You've tried everything you can to freshen it up, but things still aren't working. Instead of getting rid of the post, there are ways you can give it a new purpose and change the approach of the post! Why get rid of a perfectly good post when you can change a few things and repost it? Here are some different ways you can repurpose your old blog content and gain more traffic from it!
Should You Delete Old Blog Posts?
You can repurpose content if you're struggling with writing or no longer like a blog post. I recently did a blog post on how to refresh a blog post. It talks about updating old content into something more interesting. If you can't refresh a post, you can always repurpose it. Both of these methods help to avoid deleting blog posts. There are many reasons why you should and shouldn't delete blog posts. It's widely debated whether you should or if you should update the post/archive it.
When you update old blog posts, you can increase your traffic by up to 110%. It can also take a few days for your post to be removed from a search engine. This means that any traffic to your post will be directed to a 404 page. It's also better for SEO to update blog posts and keep them going. If you're changing the post's text, don't change the URL. Keep the same link or redirect it. If you don't want to delete the post, you can always redirect the link to something else.
The Yoast plugin can redirect blog posts for you, even without deleting them. I don't recommend deleting blog posts. I believe that you can always find a way to update the content or make it into something better.
Sometimes you can't update a blog post, and it's better to just delete it. In that case, go for it. I've deleted a few blog posts, and it hasn't affected me too much. However, it did take a while to redirect the links and delete social media promotion. You could delete a post and fix all the broken links, but it's not recommended. Stay humble to your beginnings and change any mistakes. Blog posts can easily become outdated, but it's worth changing a few sentences than deleting a few hours worth of work.
Why You Should Repurpose Old Blog Content
Every blog post you publish has taken time to write, edit and promote. Just because you haven't found your audience, doesn't mean the post wasn't quality. Making a few changes can have a dramatic effect on your traffic. For example, Opal Fruits rebranded as Starburst, and you love them just as much, if not more! Here's why you should repurpose your blog content:
- You can appeal to a new audience
- It saves time writing a whole new blog post
- You can boost traffic on unsuccessful posts
- Allows you to offer new things to your readers
- You can improve the SEO of a blog post
Create A Round-Up Post
Everyone loves a round-up post. It's easier to glance over a post of "Halloween Baking Recipes To Try" rather than flick through a whole cookbook. If you have lots of similar content, combine them! It's a great way to use old blog posts and make them into something new. You'll not only gain traffic on your round-up post, but you'll get clicks through to your old content. Round-up posts brush the dust off of old content that people aren't finding any more.
When deciding on what sort of list post you want to write, see what posts aren't getting as many clicks or try to collect posts by theme or holiday. For example, if you have a lot of relationship content, you could create an "ultimate guide to valentines day" post. Be sure to include posts relating to date ideas, restaurants to try and how to thrive in a relationship!
Change The Aim Of The Post
If you want to repurpose an unsuccessful blog post, you can change the aim or direction of the post. Look at why it didn't work well. It could be because it's not of interest, the post is saturated by other bloggers, or you just didn't reach your target audience. To change this, you can rewrite some of the post's content, adding in more updated and relevant bits. For example, if you reviewed a skincare product, you could add it to a blog post of 20 ways to look after your skin, promoting that product within.
One of the first blog posts I published was "7 Disney+ films I'm loving in lockdown". Not only does that limit who's reading the post, but it's only really related to lockdown. I decided to change the post's aim and made it more inclusive. I compiled a bucket list of every Disney+ film you should watch, and it took off, unlike the original post! It just goes to show that a few changes can make a big difference!
Republish Your Posts With New Content
Republishing a blog post is beneficial for two reasons. The first is that you can update an old post, meaning you have less content to write. Take a blog post you published when you just stared and update some of the content, making it better and more relevant. Then, repost it as a brand new post! It'll increase your traffic as people think it's new, and you're likely to have more readers than when you started.
The second way you can republish posts is by choosing a successful post and adding new things to it. One of the first posts that took off for me was about helping your community in isolation. I took that post, added new things and better pictures, and reposted it. I also recreated a similar one for Christmas which also did really well!
Use Your Tweets To Create A Post
I like to post motivational or helpful tweets on my Twitter account. If you use the tips you have, you can repurpose them for something else. If you create a thread about making money online, why not write a blog post going into more detail about it? Taking your tweets and filling them out is an easy way to link your social media to your blog. It's a great way to come up with content too!
Look for any similar tweets you have, and come up with a relevant blog title. Some people like to share daily affirmations, while some give blogging advice. These are all really good blog post ideas. If your Twitter followers are enjoying that content, they will be sure to read a blog post going into more detail. Similarly, if your followers ask you something, use those questions and turn them into a helpful blog post which solves a common problem!
Turn Your Tweets Into Infographics
Linking with the idea above, why not turn your tweets into infographics which you can either add to a blog post or use for Instagram. Infographics on your blog posts are great visual representations of the information you're typing. If you add an alt tag, you could get traffic through Google image searches, as people click on the infographic and are taken to your website.
If you create the graphics, you can also share them on other social media channels. Pinterest and Instagram are very visual sites, so followers are drawn to infographics. With the same infographic being used, you can connect all your channels together, and people can find you easily. Make sure you add a watermark or website to the graphic, so people can't steal it for their own gain.
Add An Opt-In Freebie
Everyone loves a freebie. Whether you're using old content to create an eBook from, or adding a sign-up form to a blog post, you need an opt-in freebie for your blog. They're a great way to gain more readers to a specific blog post or use old content in a way that converts better. There are so many freebies you can create for your blog, but make sure it's relevant and different from what other bloggers are offering.
You can create an opt-in freebie for many different reasons. For example, if your blog post is short, anything new can be put into a freebie at the end of the post. This way, you can gain email subscribers. You could take a blog post and change it all into a freebie, or use old tweets to form your freebie. I have a lot of half finished content which I don't want to waste. Content that you've not used can be added to other blog posts or made into a freebie. Writing takes a lot of time, so don't waste anything you've worked towards!
There are so many ways to repurpose old blog content. If you've got some spare time, it's handy to do, especially when you can post it as something new. I love going through old posts and making them better. Don't forget to add in good SEO practices while you're editing content. That will help you to gain organic blog traffic! What creative ways can you think of to repurpose old blog content and social media posts? I'd love to hear how you're bringing posts back to life!
16 comments
These are some really great tips! I've been going through and optimising old blogs posts and some really old ones I have archived - but maybe I'll go through and see if I can repurpose them xx
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant advice Em. I am slowly working my way through all my old posts and working on SEO etc.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard work but I love seeing the changes and what works better x
Great tips here! I barely had a following when I went from Wordpress.com to wordpress.org, because I never promoted it, but many of them are still on my website. I should really freshen them up to get them the attention they deserve! Thanks for inspiring me!
ReplyDeleteI barely had a following when I went to wordpress.org instead of wordpress.com and I barely promoted my posts back then. I really should freshen them up, I actually think some of my current readers would actually appreciate their content still. Thank you for inspiring me!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a good idea for making use of old blog content and making sure you are being creative :) thank you for sharing these recommendations, I particularly like the idea of using tweets x
ReplyDeleteSomething I need to do is update old blog posts and repurpose old content, eventually I'm going to run out of ideas so this will benefit me! x
ReplyDeleteLucy | www.lucymary.co.uk
So many cool ideas in this post! I have soo much old content and I defo want to do something with it all!
ReplyDeleteRosie
Thanks for these tips! Will definitely look into applying it as I try to revisit and fix some of my old posts. I like what you said here: Stay humble to your beginnings and change any mistakes. :)
ReplyDeleteThese are all great tips! We are going through our old posts to check SEO and pictures, so it's always a great change to publish something that might be freshened up! Really need to add infographics on twitter, never thought about it! Thanks for sharing x
ReplyDeleteThese are great ways to repurpose blog content. I love the idea of changing the aim of the post and republishing the post with new content. I use the aforementioned tips, they are amazing and they give the post a whole new feel. I repurpose my blog content every now and then and it is a great way to improve your content and blog as a whole!
ReplyDeleteThis is so helpful. I am also trying to reuse some of the previous writings I had and turn it into something worth reading.
ReplyDeleteSo many good tips in this post Em! I am guilty of not going back to older posts often, but I think i will now. Its amazing to see how much improvement you do from those first initial posts, isn't it? Another good way is if you are looking to do video as well. You can turn old posts into video format, and add them to the post. Gives the post a different perspective too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these fab tips!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
This is such a useful and interesting post! Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteKatie | katieemmabeauty.com
Great tips. I'm on a updating old blog post mission at the moment some of my old content is absolutely dire. Shame I absolutely hate doing it but it must be done! x
ReplyDeleteI've been repurposing alot of older content lately especially as I've been editing my old content for SEO. These are some really fun ideas for improving content x
ReplyDeleteReally useful tips! I definitely made the mistake with my first blog not revisiting old posts and giving them a refresh. Especially with a new perspective as our opinions can develop over time. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete