Recycling Your Blog Content
Over the years, I have written hundreds of blog posts. Some of them are no longer relevant, but, frankly, most of them are. The problem is that these inevitably scroll into my blog archives. As a result, they all but disappear.
If you are a blogger, you know what I am talking about. You put a lot of work into those posts, and you hate to see them go to waste. The challenge is to make it more visible and more accessible.
Recently, I started using Twitter to remind my followers about older posts they may have missed. Naturally, you can overdo this, so I am limiting myself to one “re-post” tweet per day. For example, I might tweet,
Note that I try to address a felt need, offer my post as a solution, and then provide a link to the post. I also want to be clear that this is a “re-post” not a “new post.”
Today, I actually took this one step further and scheduled the tweets using TweetLater.com. Here’s how you can do the same:
- Create a new text file. I use TextEdit on the Mac. If you are on the PC, you can use NotePad.
- Immediately, save your file. I called mine, “Scheduled Tweets for My Favorite Blog Posts.txt.” I saved it in a special Twitter folder that I use for all-things-Twitter.
- I went through my blog and identified my 60 favorite posts. (You don’t have to do this many. You can do 10, 20, 30, whatever.) This was pretty easy because I use ecto as my blogging client. I simply scrolled through my list of posts and picked my favorites.
- I wrote a tweet specifically for each post. Frankly, this took me a few hours, but I think it was worth it. Here is an excerpt of the file:
Notice that I shortened the file name using a URL shortener. I like is.gd because it takes up the fewest characters. (With only 140 characters, every character counts!) Another good one is tr.im.
- Register for TweetLater.com. If you use the free version of the service, you will have to copy and paste each tweet into the New Tweet section of the program. (If you register for the Professional version of the program, you can upload the entire text file in one-step. However, it costs $29.97 per month. You can also make each post recurring, so that it shows up once a month forever or whatever frequency you choose.)
- Schedule the tweets one day apart. You can also specify the time you want the tweet to be posted. You can obviously tweet more frequently than this, but I think you risk annoying your followers.
That’s all there is to it. I have been testing this informally for the past few weeks and found that it has become a major source of new traffic to my blog.
Posted on May 16, 2009
In: Social Media
MICHELE CUSHATT is a communicator and storyteller whose speaking experience includes Women of Faith, Focus on the Family, and Compassion International. As emcee and communication coach, Michele is in her sixth year on staff at 
BARRY HILL, JR. is a storyteller, blogger, speaker, barista, and is in his fifteenth year of full-time ministry to teens and their families. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Rachel, and their six children—“the circus.” You can usually find Barry where fresh coffee and good ideas are brewing. To join in the conversation, drop by his blog, 
JOE LALONDE is a husband, explorer, challenger, and an adrenaline junkie. He has served as a youth leader for E3 Ministries for over 10 years. He is usually found wandering the woods, enjoying the company of his wife, or running the trails. Joe enjoys helping others expand their influence and leadership skills. You can connect with Joe at his 
RACHEL LANCE is originally from Alaska but now lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband and daughter. She works in technology and communications for the 
JIM MARTIN is the minister of Crestview Church of Christ in Waco, Texas, where he has served since 1994. He also leads a mentoring group, primarily composed of younger Christian leaders, and serves as a Mentoring Partner for 
TIM PETERS is the Co-Founder of 
JASON STAMBAUGH is a husband, father, former fat kid, accidental techie, and founder of 
JEREMY STATTON is an orthopedic surgeon in Louisville, KY. Although he enjoys writing, reading, and running, his first love is his wife and four kids. His family is currently in the process of adopting a son from China. He is also the author of 
JOHN TILLER is an inspirational speaker and writer. He travels with his family to churches, conferences, and other events sharing 
JUSTIN WISE is the social strategist for 
Pingback: Must Read Bloggers: Top 5 : Slacker Manager - Management and Leadership Advice - How to Be a Good Manager
Pingback: Blogparade - Zwischenbilanz der ersten Woche | overberg
Pingback: Top Posts and Commenters for February 2011
Pingback: Top Posts and Commenters for May 2011
Pingback: Top Posts and Commenters for August 2011
Pingback: 6 Ways to Recycle Your Old Content
Pingback: Top Posts and Commenters for September 2011 | Michael Hyatt
Pingback: Top Posts and Commenters for October 2011 | Michael Hyatt
Pingback: How to Be a Prolific Writer | Goins, Writer