20 Ways To Promote Old Blog Posts
It’s been over two years since my dog first injured his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). There are things I blogged about throughout his journey from rupture to conservative treatment and eventual surgery. Twice…for both legs. Yet, that post remains one of my most highly trafficked blog posts to date. SEO is an important factor but so is the way you promote a post.
Evergreen content is similar to running a marathon race. The sprinters are quick and get all the immediate glory: These are your timely blog posts. The evergreen “marathon” style blog posts are the ones that are the long form athletes of the blogging world. Here are 20 ways to promote an older blog post by breathing new life into it.
(note: Pick one of your more popular blog posts to focus on for the time being)
1 Take a Good Hard Look at Categories
Clean up your blog categories to reflect your keywords and topics you blog about. In the BlogPaws 10K Challenge to help bloggers grow their blog by 10,000 views, Aimee Beltran writes, “How you organize your blog content and present it to your readers can also make a huge difference with making your site “sticky.” You want people to go down a rabbit hole when they’re on your site so they keep clicking to the next post! More clicks=more views!”
2 Select A Popular Post and Fine Tooth Comb It
In the second week of the BlogPaws 10 K Challenge, five steps are given to each challenger.
Edit your selected post by checking for these 5 things:
- Proofread the Post
- Post Title
- Keywords
- Images
- Links
Learn more about what this means by clicking here for Week 2 of the 10K Challenge.
3 Be Thoughtful About Outbound and Inbound Linking
Take a look at your popular post. Do the words “click here” appear anywhere in the text? People do not search for the words “click here” when they are typing something into a search engine. This also does absolutely nothing for your SEO.
Aimee Beltran says, “The internet has been around long enough that people know what to do when they see a hyperlink. Instead make the hyperlinked words relevant to the keywords in the blog post.
For example, “If you liked this post, be sure to check out my Valentine’s Day Pup Cake recipe.”
4 Join the BlogPaws Boost and News Group on Facebook
The BlogPaws Boost Group on Facebook offers a daily “boost” in our private Facebook group that focuses on a different social media network daily. This is a great way to network and get your content in front of other people. One caveat: You must be an existing BlogPaws approved community member (no brands, please).
5 Clean Up Images
Breathe new life into an older post by refreshing its visual dynamics. Create a new image, ensure the photo is optimized properly, and then redeliver it to your followers in a new, aesthetically exciting way.
Here is a primer on how to tag photos using ALT TEXT and more in WordPress. The dynamics are similar no matter what blogger platform you use.
6 Write It Once; Deliver It Multiple Ways
Let your old content continue to work for you.
How can you take one piece of content and share it multiple ways? Here are a few ideas:
- Create a new image and re-pin on Pinterest.
- Pull a quote or question from the reader comments and share on Facebook to encourage more discussion.
- Create a collage from the post images and re-share on social media.
The above is a tip written by Aimee Beltran. Grab more tips from the 10K Blogger Challenge.
7 Social Media Sharing Buttons
Can I tweet, Facebook, Pin, and more? Each of your blog posts needs to have this capability so I, your reader, can share the great post you wrote with ease. Perhaps when you first blogged, you did not have social sharing buttons installed. Do it.
8 Consider Paid Pinterest Promotion
If a pin gets good organic engagement and/or repinds, then this might be a good pin to promote. Yes, you pay, but once momentum hits, the sky’s the limit. Have a budget and audience in mind. Make sure the pin is re-pin worthy. Something that makes people want to share and look twice, in other words.
9 Lengthen the Content
The post I talked about earlier, the one about my dog’s ACL injury? I increased the text and eliminated some of sentences I felt did not help the article.
Update the content; lengthen the post and bring it up to date content-wise.
10 Tease the Post on Instagram
Doing a product review and have it slated for a Friday? Start teasing your fans on a Monday. I turned a blooper that was pretty cute and funny into a highly trafficked teaser for a paid blog post planned for later in the week. I shot the video on my iPhone. The beauty of Instagram and Vine is that you can embed the code directly into your blog post, so I did that, too.
11 Use Video
Now and again, show your audience your face, your life, your pets, and a problem solved. House that video on YouTube and refer to it when you are in Twitter chats or when the problem comes up on other social media avenues. There is a great beauty in a permanent URL. Oh, and brands love it, too.
12 Add Footers
Add a footer or “read here for more” type content at the end of blog posts, where possible. The “you might also enjoy reading this” WordPress widget (or something similar) can do this for you.
13 Consider a Series of Posts
From time to time, older posts can easily do well when they complement newer ones. Perhaps you did a blog post about how to find the right toy for cats last year. Update it with two more updated posts. For example: How to find the right bed for cats could be part two and you could reference part one at the end of your post.
14 Repackage
Periscope: Show your readers what your post is all about
Instagram: Tease it with a video or photo
Twitter: Tweet teasers in 100 or less characters with the right hashtags.
Use your older blog post on different multimedia platforms, even podcasting if you are into that.
15 Summarize in a Round-Up
Blog a round-up style post to link to and summarize some of your recent articles in a digest format. Even better, include other posts from other bloggers (within and outside your niche) that apply to your topic.
16 Show Your More Popular Posts on a Sidebar
Showcase your most popular content with a few simple clicks.
I keep my most popular blog posts in rotation on my sidebar (see above) for easy access. Realize that having them above the fold is probably in your best interest.
17 Just Say Know to Errors
The above usage of the word “know” is on purpose to illustrate a point. Correct typos and grammatical mistakes and step up to the ranks of professional blogger. Everyone makes mistakes: Own them and fix the errors, both grammatically and spelling, etc.
18 Get An Updated Quote or Two
Ask an expert to provide a comment, with permission, for your older blog post and link to said expert. Breathe new life into dated material by infusing a current school of thought.
19 Tag and Mention Relevant Folks
Let’s take Twitter, for example: The next time you share an updated blog post (or even a current one) on social media, tag a brand or person mentioned in the post in your Tweet. Your content might get shared, you just might get a follow back, and if you play nice, you could form a fabulous online camaraderie. Note: There is a fine line between light promotion and pesty.
20 Remember Your Current Fans
Many bloggers make the mistake of thinking “everyone has seen their content.” This is not always the case. As your social media accounts grow, so too, does your reader base. Breathe new life into older posts and everything old can be new again (especially to current fans).
What are you doing to keep your older posts visible? Did we miss anything?
About the Author: Carol Bryant is the Marketing and Social Media Manager for BlogPaws and runs her own blog, Fidose of Reality and its fundraising arm, Wigglebutt Warriors®. When not busy playing with her Cocker Spaniel, Dexter, she stays far away from cooking. Her trademark is her mantra and is tattooed on her arm: My Heart Beats Dog.®
