Successful blogs attract more and more readers all the time. And, a key to increasing your blog readership is to keep adding solid content — and that can include reviving old blog posts! Here are five tips for for repurposing your old blog content to highlight the best of the past while giving readers new information. After all, why waste the work you’ve already done and the ideas you’ve already created?

Before the tips, a quip:

“Blogging is best learned by blogging…and by reading other bloggers.” – George Siemens.

It’s the same with writing! The more you write or blog, the better you’ll become. Like any muscle, good blogging and writing takes practice – and constant reading of blogs and writers you enjoy. For more blog writing tips, click No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog by Margaret Mason. And, read on for five ways to revive old blog posts…

Get More Blog Readers – 5 Tips for Reviving Old Blog Posts

1. Add a new twist to an old blog post. Consider, for example, my 7 Traits of Successful Writers blog post. To revive it and attract new readers, I could add a new introduction describing why traits of successful writers are especially relevant now. I could find a current hook that will satisfy my old readers and intrigue new ones. I wouldn’t have to rewrite the whole thing — just enough to make it different — and I could even link back to the original post at the end of the new one (interlinking is a great way to build a stronger blog!).

2. Change your mind about something in your old post. One of my traits of successful writers is “enjoys working independently.” But maybe I’ve changed my mind: now, I think successful writers don’t necessarily need to enjoy working independently – they just need to find ways to stay connected with other writers or bloggers. This satisfies their need for interdependence and their desire to be a successful writer! Disagreeing with myself allows me to keep most of my original post, rewrite a few points, and thus effectively revive old blog post.

3. Modify old blog posts for new readers. This is an easy tip for reviving old blog posts and getting more readers! For instance, I could simply change “7 Traits for Successful Writers” to “7 Traits for Successful Bloggers” (and offer new information, of course). I wouldn’t simply slap a new title on an old blog post, but I could rewrite it with a different audience in mind.

4. Update the content in old blog post. If the info in my Amazon Advertising Tips for Writing Blogs and Websites is outdated, I could update the content and call the post “Updated Amazon Advertising Tips for Blogs and Websites.” Or, if enough readers made solid comments on my How to Make Money Blogging for Writers article, I could use their tips, credit them, and call my new post “Updated – How to Make Money Blogging for Writers.”

5. Turn a guest writer’s post into something new. This is a fun way to revive old blog posts and attract new readers…for example, Mark Richard Webb wrote 10 Tips for Achieving Your Writing Goals on Quips and Tips for Successful Writers about six months ago. If I wanted to repurpose that post, I could write “10 Ways Not to Achieve Your Writing Goals” and turn his tips around (sort of a satirical spin on his original ideas).

If you’ve revived your old blog posts, I’d love to hear from you! Share your quips and tips

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