If you’ve been writing articles for any length of time you have a ton of them. If you’re like me you have an additional ton that are written but not yet posted. Now here’s the idea – new people are coming on to the internet all the time, many of them are looking for information we have been writing about for a long time. So what can we do to recycle all that great information?Create a topic page
This is the absolute easiest step to take. Simply give a page a category and gather up all the articles you wrote on that topic. For instance I might have one on setting up your blog and another on crafting an ebook. I could have one on creating a telecourse and another on article writing. This idea is particularly great when you are setting up a membership site but a page with a lot of internal links is going to raise its page rank and give your readers a lot of food for thought.
Write ebooks on a topic
If you gather up all the articles you have written on a particular topic you will find you have a head start on a great ebook. If fact, if you’ve been writing article in series you’re set. Look for a strong overarching position for the ebook and write whatever supplemental threads you need to. You can have a new ebook ready in no time.
Submit your articles to new submission sites
My article submissions have taken a turn for the better with the use of the EzineArticles Plug-in that allows me to submit when I post a blog but there are a lot of other great article submission directories that never even heard of me. I have a few things on Self Growth but could easily submit more.
Turn your articles into the foundation for a teleclass
Articles are a great way to explore and expand on the topic you want to teach. Use articles to develop an idea or gather comments that help you strengthen your course. As you write and post those articles you also create an interest in your readers that is peaked when you offer the course.
Make a podcast from your articles
It’s a snap to read your article out loud and turn it into a podcast. There is an entire audience out there who consumes information by listening. Of course you want your articles and ideas to reach them. Set aside an afternoon for recording.
Make a video from your articles
Make a few Power Point slides and start talking. Put it up on iTunes and you are good to go. Do remember that videos need to be really short. Consider a series that offers one point at a time in a 90 second format.
Complete the articles you already started
If all of that doesn’t keep you busy, go look over those written articles that are close but need another edit. I probably have 150 or more of those. Some of that comes from the fact that I always wait at least 24 hours to post in order to review what I have written a fresh mind. But sometimes it needs still another pass or I simply don’t have the time to post it. I could probably pre-schedule both my blogs for the next six months in a few days simply by finishing what I started.
OK now I feel overwhelmed with all the possible opportunities to recycle my articles. Oh, and I just thought of one more. Years ago I wrote an emagazine with short philosophical observations many of which will make wonderful expanded articles. And oh yes, there are the lists I’ve made that I could make each item a separate articles. And there are question my clients ask that I have answered in emails. But wait, that’s new stuff. Start with what you have written and bring it around for a new audience.
© 2011 Cara Lumen
About Cara Lumen
Cara Lumen, MA, Your Idea Optimizer helps you earn money forever for work you do only once! Her Magnetic Content Development System helps you develop outstanding information products that educate, motivate and inspire your choosen community. She helps you teach what you know!
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