No one likes waste. So why do so many people waste content? There’s a stigma against recycling regarding posts, but realistically, a lot can be gained from a well-planned range repurposing strategy.
Some audiences prefer visual information rather than stats; some would rather read an interview than watch one. Reusing old content allows you to target a different user type, which can reap just as many benefits as the initial post did. Also, repurposing your old work gets more value out of your time and effort – work smarter, not harder!
Here, we look at five ways to make your content go further.
1. “Best of” posts
The first (and perhaps most common) strategy for repurposing content is the classic “best of” piece. This is frequently written as a yearly wrap-up, with a headline like “our best blog posts of 2017”. A bit of creativity goes a long way here, as one of the keys to repurposing content is choosing the right time and topic. Look at your old posts and see if you can group them in a fresh and relevant way for a unique round-up piece.
A good indicator of what you could share comes from looking at Twitter trends and general social media news, as they highlight popular subjects from a wide audience and allow you to piggyback on their popularity.
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These posts work because they encourage users to click through to the multiple source articles and are generally quick and easy to make. The main difficulty is picking a relevant topic with enough blog posts!
2. Update the stats and figures
The content might not need a total rework if it was a hit before. Sometimes, the content requires a little update to be more relevant. This is where statistics and infographics come in.
A good example of this strategy would be to take an old post, update it with the most recent data, and then repost it with a discussion about how the information has changed over time. This is an easy way to extend the life of a study and another way to get readers to click back to the original content.
3. Add a new tutorial or demo
Another way to refresh your content is to produce a new video tutorial or demo based on an old article. For example, let’s say you have an old post that discusses the ins and outs of wordpress – maybe you could repurpose it by publishing a video tutorial that discusses some of the main points. You could either link to that blog or repost it with the tutorial video embedded.
A good way to get an idea of where users want more explanation is to look at the comments section of the original piece – it might give you an idea of which tutorials or demos would be most helpful for your audience.
4. Interview an industry expert
It’s clear that social engagement impacts SEO, but it’s somewhat unclear exactly how. We know that the more something is shared or liked, the higher quality it is likely to be; therefore, the higher the Google bots will want to rank it!
A good way to get something shared is to identify a popular industry expert and utilize their expertise to offer a fresh perspective on an existing blog post. Having famous figures suggest their thoughts on your post will give users an alternative angle on the topic and extend your reach to their audience.
If you have a big enough email contact list, you can even start sending out weekly updates with the best bits from your blog posts. These are similar to “best of” posts but more focused on each post’s “best bits” rather than the whole thing.
These emails also enable you to link through to the initial blogs, so as long as the tips are relevant, users are likely to click back to the original post for the full story.
Wrapping up
So remember, if you’re going to revive one of your older blogs, keep it fresh by either adding something new to it (like a video or stats) or using the “best of” or “top tips” plan. If you need help repurposing your content or don’t have the resources in-house, contact a content marketing and copywriting agency.
Not all blogs will be suitable for repurposing, so keep them relevant and publish them alongside new content.
Tom is a Content Strategist at WooContent, specializing in writing eCommerce, gaming, and video content. WooContent is an international, multi-lingual copywriting agency with offices in Sydney, London, New York, and Singapore.
