I’m talking fiction, nonfiction, copy, blog material….all of it. When it comes to fiction, it’s called the backlist. When it comes to commercial copywriting, it’s called repetition or repurposing. Whatever you write, because you released it once does not mean that others saw it or shouldn’t be used again.
ClearVoice.com is a savvy site about writing copy for a living. That includes ads, social media, blogging, branding, whatever. They also hire out writers and editors, and they talk intently about how to be successful in niches.
When it comes to copywriting, you refresh the work, often putting it on the same blog, in the same magazine, on the same Instagram page, maybe on a Facebook group instead of a page. . . in a new voice or new light. The point is to deliver the message.
Just because I’ve posted before on FundsforWriters about writing for anthologies doesn’t mean I cannot post about it again. I can repeat an article that came out two years ago. I can come at submissions from a different angle. And frankly, as I’m learning via a freelance assignment I’m working on, times change, the industry changes, and sometimes these pieces need an upgrade.
When it comes to fiction or creative works, we’re talking backlist. One of my books is almost ten years old now; however, it is the gateway to the series. Just because I released the fifth book in the series months ago, doesn’t mean I cannot start a campaign advertising the old book. There are a lot of readers who have never seen that book. . . or heard of the series.
Keep putting your best work in front of people. Recycling and repurposing your writing is strong business sense. Just because you put it out there the first time does not mean it was seen. After all, how often have you discovered a new author, new series, or new product through copy or advertising, that has been in circulation for years?
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