As artists, we’re used to recycling our original artwork. We scan or photograph our art and use it as images for postcards, greeting cards, posters, framed art, and even licensed products. But have you ever stopped to think about recycling your blog posts?
Between your images and your words, you have plenty of material to spread across several social media sites, traditional media outlets, print publishers, and more! And all it will take is a little tweaking, rewriting, and in some cases dissecting.
Below are several ways to recycle your blog content:
1. Article marketing
After you write your blog post, take the main idea of that post and turn it into new article, then submit it to several blogs that accept guest posts. Or, if you’re really tired, submit it to a general article directory like, EzineArticles.com.
2. Print publications
Take several of the how-to posts you’ve created and turn them into a well-written tutorial (with photographs) for a print publication that specialized in your style of art.
3. Press coverage
Take the announcement you shared on your blog about your next gallery showing, and turn it into a 500 word press release. Then distribute it to your local newspaper, radio station, and television station.
4. Social media outlets
Break an older blog post up into smaller snippets and schedule those snippets to post on your Facebook fanpage, and Twitter page, throughout the week. Remember to include a link back to the full post.
5. Webinars
Did you show your blog audience a clip from a recent workshop that you led and videotaped? Edit the entire workshop to create a webinar, which you can either give away for free publicity online, or charge a small amount and get paid to share a presentation you’ve already conducted.
6. Video slideshows
Use text from your blog post, with images of your art, to create a slideshow. Once complete, post it to YouTube, then share the link with through your social media outlets.
7. Podcasts
Create a podcast using one of your popular blog posts. Simply read out loud what you’ve written (or re-word it and discuss in more depth) to create a new way for people to consume your content.
8. Gallery book
Take the best photos of your art from the past year and create a gallery book. Use excerpts from posts that talk about those pieces as captions.
9. E-book
Find a common theme among your blog posts, then combine them to create an e-book. While you may have to do some editing to make it flow from beginning to end, and include some transition pieces to bring it all together, you’ve done most of the legwork already! You can then offer the e-book as a gift for signing up to your art blog, or you can offer it for a nominal fee.
The next time you need a break from creating art, take a look at your blog with a new perspective. Any one of the options above will work, with just a little effort. Give it a try!