If you’ve been on social media for a while, you’ve probably collected tons and tons of content that you’ve created over the years. You might have blogs you wrote five years ago that haven’t seen the light of day since, or you might have an infographic where the design is terribly out of date. Good news! That content isn’t useless, not with the possibility of republishing or rewriting it.
The question is, what should you republish, what should you rewrite, and when should you just look for new content instead?
Republish
Sometimes you create something and it just doesn’t reach the number of people you wanted to. Sometimes that’s to do with quality, but just as often it’s a matter of luck and timing. If you have content that you still love and wish for more people to see, then you might benefit from updating it and republishing it!
“Repurposed content can be just as effective as brand new content if done right! Knowing the type of content you’re using and how to refresh it is key. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find something truly amazing that just didn’t get the spotlight it deserved a couple of years ago. Now is its chance to truly shine!” – Like A Voss
Maybe you created some fantastic content a few years ago when you were just starting out. Your audience was much smaller back then, so obviously not that many people saw it. If you still love it, if it’s still relevant, and if it’s still high quality, then republish it! Your newer audience will love to see it!
Rewrite
Sometimes your old content just isn’t up to par with what you create now, but don’t worry! Not all is lost! Taking the time to rewrite that content can give it a whole new life while also allowing yourself to see it in a whole new way than you did back then. It’s your opportunity to elevate your work or introduce it to a new audience instead of giving up on it.
“If you’ve written an article that is geared to your non-profit clients, for instance, could you rewrite the article to speak to similar challenges faced by the small businesses with whom you work? If you have an active media outreach program, you will also be able to target a broader range of publications with minimal extra effort. Substitute stories, anecdotes, and data and you should have a new blog post ready to go in no time.” – Hinge Marketing
If you’re going to spend the time rewriting old content such as blog posts, they have to be something that already has a solid foundation, otherwise, you might as well write something brand new. Use the old blog kind of like an outline for your new one. It gives you direction while the present you fills it with new information and higher quality writing. If the old blog doesn’t give you any direction whatsoever, it might be time to move on from that one and write new content instead.
Find New Content
No matter how great republishing and rewriting can be, you can’t forget about new content. Only so much of your content should be rewritten or republished for two big reasons: one, your audience will begin to catch on and be bothered that you’re not putting in the effort to create something new, and two, if you rewrite and republish forever, you’ll eventually run out of things to rewrite and republish that haven’t already been rewritten or republished!
You always need to be creating new content, just not as much as you might think. If you have a lot of old content, finding a balance between new content, republished content, and rewritten content can make your job easier and add dynamic to your social media!
Need help republishing, rewriting, or finding new content for your social media? Contact us today to set up a FREE discovery session with our team – we’d love to help!
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