Want to do more with the content you already have? Recycle it! These seven tips will help you leverage your old contend, save time on content creation, and drive new traffic to old pages.
Want to do more with the content you already have?
Recycle it!
I discussed content recycling (and shared five recycling tips) in a 2014 blog post. If you’re an overwhelmed content creator, content recycling allows you to leverage the power of your old content in new and traffic-driving ways.
In fact, this year, marketers are embracing content recycling more than ever. A recent study by the Content Marketing Institute found that 86 percent of surveyed respondents wanted to find ways to repurpose old content.
The CMI study inspired me to think of seven new ways marketers can repurpose old blog posts. If you’ve already tried last year’s tips and you’re looking for new ones, here are seven more to try:
Recycle tip #1: Can you optimize old posts?
Many companies started blogging without considering the SEO ramifications. If you see posts that are keyphrase-free, optimizing them and updating the Titles can be a fast way to drive new traffic. Optimizing old content can be an incredible way to boost your search positions, too.
Recycle tip #2: Can you update a post with new information?
If you’re in a fast-moving industry, you’ve probably experienced a lot of changes. Review your old blog posts and see if you can update them with the latest information. Or, if your opinion changed on a topic, you can explain your logic and republish the post.
Recycle tip #3: Can you turn a blog post into a SlideShare presentation?
Consider ways you can transform a good blog post into a spectacular SlideShare presentation. You could even include the link of the original blog post in your presentation. That way, viewers could click through to your site for more information – and your post gets more views.
Recycle tip #4: Can you turn a blog post into a podcast topic?
Just because you’ve already blogged about something doesn’t mean you can’t create a podcast about it too! Use old blog posts as podcast topic inspiration. Can you interview a guest expert who shares a different point of view? Can you discuss another perspective? Give it a try and see.
Recycle tip #5: Can you pull tidbits from various blog posts and turn them into a FAQ guide?
Your readers have questions – and chances are, your blog posts have the answers. Instead of writing a long FAQ guide from scratch, you can write a shorter blurb that answers the question and link to a post that answers it more in-depth.
Recycle tip #6: Can you add transcripts to podcasts or video presentations?
Include a transcript so people who won’t listen to a podcast – but will read a post – can still gain value from your content. Plus, transcripts are wonderful for Google – think of all that great content the search engines can spider! As a tip, some companies release a “modified transcript” that’s been slightly edited. Tweaking the transcript allows you to include subheadlines (which are great for readability) and smooth out any content rough spots.
Recycle tip #7: Can you use old blog posts to create a “best of” post?
You’ll frequently see these posts in December. Companies will often gather their top 10 posts of the year (based on analytics, social shares or other metrics) and include them in one blog post. This is a great way to highlight the most popular posts of the year, plus give those older posts a little love.
Ready for a challenge? Pick one recycling tip and implement it this week. Once you get going (and you see how easy it can be), you’ll be driving new traffic to old posts in no time!
