How to Add New Life to Existing Content

If your company's website has a blog, keeping it updated is a priority. You constantly have to think of fresh and relevant topics to write about. However, there are days when you can't squeeze anything out of your head.

Now, when you're stumped for fresh topics or ideas, it's these times when you can repurpose your site's existing content and breathe new life into it.

So how do you revamp old articles?

Get Inspiration From Old Blog Posts

If you've been creating content for quite some time, chances are some articles in your archive can be expanded. Let's say you published a write-up on engaging users on Twitter. If Twitter adds new features useful for prompting engagement, update your post and include this information.

Another example would be to lengthen a short post. You can add relevant and up-to-date details to make the article 'meatier' and more useful for readers.

Convert Content To Different Formats

People have various ways of digesting information. Like studying, some understand a topic just by reading about it, while others need visuals before they can comprehend the info.

The same thing applies to your content. You can adapt it to other mediums so your message is expressed in various ways. Here are some things you can do:

• Create a presentation slide. Break down your article into different points and put them into slides. You can even add some images to give the presentation more life. You can then upload this to sites, like SlideShare, to promote it.

• Record a podcast. If books can be turned into audio recordings, so can your content. Offer a recording of an article you wrote or created a recorded conversation of your existing posts.

• Produce a video. The Open University has a knack for producing 60-second videos about a particular topic. It's both entertaining and informative as the information is relayed through animation. You can do the same for your content.

• Design an infographic. Some people just want to gloss over content and not read it. An infographic is a good way to get the gist of what you are trying to convey and present it in a visual format.

• Provide tips through images. If you have an article on getting the most out of Facebook, you can put each point into separate images. You can use stock photos that convey the message of each point or have the images created.

Turn List Posts Into Individual Articles

Numbered posts work because they offer a specific promise. They tell you exactly what you can expect when you read the article. If you've got this type of post lying around in your archive, turn each point into a separate article. This helps expand the topic further and allows you to provide useful examples.

You can then link the individual articles to the list post so it's filled with more resources readers can use for further reference.

Mine Your Social Media Accounts For Ideas

You might find certain updates that you could add to your existing content. Check your Twitter feed, Facebook timeline, and LinkedIn account for anything that is useful to share with those in your industry. Don't forget to give credit where it's due as well. Through this, you're not only updating your content, but you're building relationships as well.

Don't Forget To Promote Your Repurposed Content

Who will know about the updates you made to a certain post? Your subscribers? Why not extend this to include other interested parties? Share your content through social media platforms and use features like hashtags to reach a wider audience.

Conclusion

Modifying existing articles and giving them a new spin helps keep your site updated. It also puts the spotlight on posts that might not have gained much traction when they were first published. So, the next time you run out of ideas, know that you can always repurpose your existing content.

What method of turning old content into new did we forget?