One of the many unfortunate marketing tragedies is the sheer quantity of unused content. Around 65% of content ranging from blogs like this one, videos, or social media posts, remains locked away in a hard drive or folder, unseen by a business’s audience. However, this statistic provides an opportunity to repurpose and revamp unused content. The best way to rewrite content is to examine what media you require and to modify your unused content into a worthwhile post.
Step 1: Create an inventory
Maybe you haven’t recently looked at what’s on your hard drive or shared storage — now’s the time to take a peek. Create an inventory of your unused content and include details like what type (written, visual, video), what subject, and what information it shares. The next time you need to produce a post, take a glance at your catalog for relevant material.
Step 2: Compare current content needs to unused content
Your next steps will vary, depending on expectations for future content. It’d be best to start from scratch if your previous content is heavily unrelated to present goals and/or would require significant investment to polish. This advice applies to videos or podcasts that are tedious to amend after completion.
On the other hand, it’s time to revamp if your old content is partially or entirely relevant to your content needs. Written or visual pieces like blog posts and infographics more often fall into this category. Next, note the gap between the facts in your unused media and the explanations required in your objectives. For example, an outdated infographic may only consist of the fundamentals of inbound marketing, but you wish to add an additional case study. List the required alterations.
Now, search your catalog of non-utilized content for material that contains the additional information. If you find posts with exact details you need to include, combine all posts into one. Otherwise, write the necessary content from scratch and add it to the existing content.
Similarly, remove unneeded descriptions or irrelevant fluff based on what points your planned content must explain. Think of this step of the process as chipping away and polishing a half-carved block of wood into a shiny table or chair.
Step 3: Ensure your draft is useful and enjoyable
Once you’ve modified and combined your content into a first draft, take a fine-tooth comb to it. Ask yourself these questions:
What value does the content provide?
Content ought to deliver practical information for an audience and their unique situations. It’s unlikely anyone will bother reading your post if it doesn’t provide valuable advice.
Place yourself in your prospects and customers’ shoes. What problems do they have, and how can you remedy them? If you fail to answer these questions, then you have a bigger task ahead of you than creating content. Put a pin in this task and research your target audience until you understand their needs.
If your content only delivers theoretical explanations of a principle, resolve this issue by adding real-world examples. For instance, explain inbound marketing and how to plan and execute a campaign. In addition, case studies of fictional or real-life companies are worth including because they assist readers in conceptualizing your advice and provide inspiration for your readers’ marketing.
Is the content length optimal for conveying its information?
The length and detail of the content should make it easy for readers to consume and understand. If your writing is too long-winded, you’ll risk losing readers along the way. Instead, recall the key arguments of your piece, and remove any superfluous text.
Conversely, if the content is too brief, it will only explain concepts generally and fail to introduce genuine insight. Add more specific tips, case studies, and practical applications. Furthermore, consider addressing other concept areas. For example, your original article instructs how to create a content calendar, while your final article may additionally discuss options for certain scheduling software.
How enjoyable is the content?
An ideal piece of media will seamlessly merge utility and entertainment. As a result, AI-generated text falls flat because it lacks the life and dynamism of a human writer. Avoid jargon and don’t be afraid to include personality or humor, as long as they don’t violate your brand voice.
These aren’t questions that you should only ask when you’re reusing content. They are also necessary to ensure unused posts will be just as high quality as your current content. Content creation can be incredibly time-consuming and mildly nauseating, but you have a catalog to make this easier. Reusing and rewriting means 65% of your content no longer needs to remain locked away in the dark. Allow your hard work to see the light of day, for its sake and your own.
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