{"id":12174,"date":"2013-01-09T08:44:08","date_gmt":"2013-01-09T13:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.shareaholic.com\/?p=12174"},"modified":"2014-05-13T11:03:19","modified_gmt":"2014-05-13T15:03:19","slug":"reuse-old-blog-posts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/reuse-old-blog-posts\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Creative Ways to Reuse, Rework and Recycle Old Blog Posts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"recycling<\/a>

Photo by nickwheeleroz<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019ve been blogging for a while, you\u2019ve probably had a day where you thought, \u201cI have nothing to blog about! I\u2019ve blogged about everything I can imagine already!\u201d It happens to everyone.<\/p>\n

So what can you do? You could try clearing your head to come up with new blog post ideas<\/a> or taking a break from blogging<\/a> until you\u2019re inspired again.<\/p>\n

But those two options are passive\u2014you\u2019re waiting for the good idea to come to you. If you don\u2019t have the time to wait around for inspiration, reworking some older posts to be current and relevant is a great way to get blogging again.<\/p>\n

While recycling old blog posts might seem like \u201ccheating\u201d at first, it can be incredibly valuable for your readers. Some may have missed the old post and others may appreciate the new insights you bring after some time away.<\/p>\n

That being said, you shouldn\u2019t just repost old content\u2014if you\u2019re recycling an old post, you need to find a way to keep the content current and engaging. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

How to make your new content better than the old<\/h3>\n
\"Photo<\/a>

Photo by fossiled<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

1. Use analytics to see what\u2019s working.<\/strong> Before picking any old post to rework, pause to reflect on what your analytics already tell you. Which posts have done the best for you? Then take a deeper look at the content in those posts\u2014are there any common topics or formats that your readers best respond to?<\/p>\n

By using your analytics<\/a> to figure out common threads in your most popular posts and then applying them to your recycled post, your new post will be much more likely to succeed.<\/p>\n

2. Listen to feedback from your readers.<\/strong> Besides checking out the numbers associated with previous posts, read through successful old posts\u2019 comment sections for ideas on how to rework the post. Through comments and shares on social media, you may find new angles or ideas for the reworked post you wouldn\u2019t have thought of on your own.<\/p>\n

If you end up using reader feedback for the post, be sure to thank them\u2014they\u2019ll be pumped to hear that you\u2019re listening just as much as they are.<\/p>\n

3. Use Google Trends<\/a> (formerly Google Insights). <\/strong>You can also use Google\u2019s search data to spice up your content. Can your old post be seen differently in light of a current news story or trend? If you\u2019re expanding on a topic you only briefly covered before, is it still relevant to people today? Google Trends will help you figure out just<\/em> how fresh your post is and how to make it even better.<\/p>\n

6 ideas for awesome reworked, reused, and recycled posts<\/h3>\n
\"Photo<\/a>

Photo by nhuisman<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

So now you know how to make your new posts better than your old, but what types of posts do best as reworked forms of their old selves? Here are a few ways to do it:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

1. Follow up with Part 2.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have a post that did really<\/em> well or drew out an intense debate? Breathe life into that old post by continuing the story or addressing unanswered questions in a new post.<\/p>\n

One of our Channels Featured Publishers, Amy Lupold Bair<\/a> of Resourceful Mommy<\/a> used this tactic in the fall when there was a huge controversy with NickMom stealing content from other bloggers and then passing it off as their own. Amy put together this incredibly detailed and thoughtful post<\/a> about the situation.<\/p>\n

A few weeks later, Amy issued a follow-up post<\/a> about content curation, using the NickMom scandal as a case study. Since her readers were already familiar with the situation from the previous post, they could immediately relate to the examples she gave and feel knowledgeable engaging with Amy on the topic.<\/p>\n

2. Create a themed series.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you notice that a post format has done tremendously well, try turning it into a series. Whether you make the series a weekly post or just one that pops up from time to time, continuing a theme builds anticipation and regularity for your readers\u2014a great way to establish a solid reader base<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Pull back the curtain.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you can take a personal spin on a post you\u2019ve already written\u2014do it! For example, if you\u2019re a food blogger and have written a recipe that rocked, try putting together the process behind finding that recipe. How did you find that secret ingredient? Did you have to go through a bunch of horrible recipes first? Did your family or friends help you along the way? Your engaged readers<\/a> will love getting a behind-the-scenes look and learn a thing or two about what you do all day.<\/p>\n

4. Reflect and add more info.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can also update an old post with new information, especially if there is a lot of time between the two. One of my favorite bloggers, Gini Dietrich<\/a>, used this technique over the holidays. More than a year ago, Gini wrote a post<\/a> about Evernote<\/a>. She republished that post<\/a> a few weeks ago with more insights on why Evernote rocks\u2014because she had more than a year to reflect on the post, she could provide even more value to her readers, even to those who had read the initial post.<\/p>\n

5. Create The Ultimate Guide to Something.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After blogging for a while, you probably have a ton of posts that could fit nicely together\u2026so why not round them up into an Ultimate Guide? Ultimate Guides are great ways to get readers to discover more of your posts since you\u2019re linking to them all in one place. We\u2019ve done this on the Shareaholic blog before with an Ultimate Guide to WordPress<\/a> and had great responses from our readers.<\/p>\n

6. Get visual. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Try using the same content in a new medium. Make a video explaining the post more in-depth or add an infographic to download for free. For example, if you\u2019re a fitness blogger, you could do a video workout and a one-sheet guide of all the moves you\u2019re doing. Your readers will enjoy seeing your awesome content in a new light.<\/p>\n

What creative ways have you seen content be reworked, recycled and reused? Share a link with a reason why that post STILL rocks in the comments.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve been blogging for a while, you\u2019ve probably had a day where you thought, \u201cI have nothing to blog about! I\u2019ve blogged about everything… 
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