Repurpose your content

I hear a lot of business people say “I don’t have time to write a newsletter – besides I don’t know what to write.”

Newsletters that are a list of what’s going on in your business are boring.  So what makes a good newsletter – and one that people stay subscribed to?

Answer: VALUE!

If you don’t have time to write a newsletter, think about your potential readers.  How much are they prepared to invest in reading your newsletter?

Let’s look at this from the other end – which newsletters do you actually read?  Why?  And which ones to delete without even opening them – or maybe even get around to unsubscribing from?

My guess is that the reasons you read newsletters is because:

• They have value for you
• They are entertaining and easy to read

I’m a believer in repurposing content – I’m busy too.  It’s not lazy; it’s practical.

The audience that sees your social media posts are not the same people as those who find your blog on your website and, mostly, not the recipients of your newsletter.

Even if you’re connected to the people you want to impress with your knowledge and expertise on social media, there’s no guarantee they’ll see your posts.  Firstly, they may simply not be looking at the time your post goes live and it can be way down the feed by the time they are looking – and how far do most people scroll?  Not that far.

Secondly, people who find your blog on your website are those who you probably don’t know, and who have searched on some terms that have brought up your blog.

Finally, the people who get your newsletter are those who have provided their email address and actively said ‘I’m interested’.

That means your newsletter is reaching people who have already expressed interest.

The cheat sheet for newsletters

If you write a regular blog post, this is how it works:

1. Publish the blog post
2. Break the blog down into shorter stand alone posts for social media, you could even do a series of short videos around individual points.
3. Use the blog as the value lead for your newsletter, followed by your current offer or promotion.

If I’m writing short blog articles for a specialist audience I send the whole article in a newsletter.  But for a more general audience, I’ll lead with the first 2-3 paragraphs of the article with a ‘read more’ button that takes the reader to the full article on my website.  Then continue with an offer or promotion. 

If more than one blog article has been published between newsletters, then I will follow the promotion with more links to the remaining articles – adding even more value.

So – the only time you need is to write the original article for the blog, and then repurpose it (which can be done by an admin assistant or VA to save you time).

In fact, if you don’t want to write the article – give me a call; we do this for clients all the time!

Are you keeping up with the algorithms?

My social media platform of choice is LinkedIn.  I have a presence on others, but that’s where most of my efforts are focused.  I’ve been a member since 2005 and it’s changed a lot since then.

LinkedIn in 2005 was a sterile environment, mainly a ‘dating’ platform for companies looking for staff and people looking for jobs.  It’s massively different today, with posts, groups – and algorithms!

Getting seen in 2026 is dependent on posting content that the algorithms like and, consequently, present to more people.

Lately a lot of people who have had posts go viral in the past are complaining that they’re not getting traction any longer and creating viral content is much harder.  Is this a problem for you?

That depends on whether a viral post is your end goal – or you’re looking to connect with people who will become either customers or advocates.  Thousands of people liking your posts with hundreds of comments is an exercise in vanity if it’s not delivering the right connections.

What do algorithms do?

Effectively they apply the criteria for a ‘good’ post and the LinkedIn AI follows the algorithm prompt and then presents content that matches to the people that they’ve calculated are the best audience.

How do you find out what the algorithms for a good post are?

Well, you can, but they are changing all the time and you can spend a lot of time learning something that is out-of-date before you’ve got your head around it.  If you want to get to grips with algorithms properly, then Richard van der Blom has an Algorithm Playbook that you’ll find useful.

But understanding the broad strokes is just as useful.

10 Top Tips for LinkedIn content

Tip 1 – ensure your profile is clear and that what you’ve written in your About section is focused on the kind of client you want to work with.  That’s LinkedIn AI’s starting point for reference.

Tip 2 – good quality content wins over jazzy images.  LinkedIn’s AI likes long form content as it has more perceived value.

Tip 3 – forget about hashtags on LinkedIn, they are no longer relevant to how content is presented (or searched on).

Tip 4 – links kill reach, so only include a link if there is a specific call to action – and don’t let the link pull through a thumbnail – that just ensures nobody will see your post.

Tip 5 – get good at creating infographics, they work better than carousels – and are saved more.

Tip 6 – short (less than 90 seconds) videos do well.

Tip 7 – post daily, but remember that only one of your posts will be shown at a time, so if you post more than once a day you may reduce the reach of each post.

Tip 8 – if you can’t think of a post today, repost a previous post.  Use the repost option, don’t copy it to a new post.  If you’re reposting older content you get brownie points!

Tip 9 – Stay online during the hour after your post goes live so you can respond to comments and likes.

Tip 10 – create long form content as a newsletter rather than an article – and actively invite people to follow your newsletter. 

Remember that you’re not aiming for MORE connections, just the RIGHT connections.

What is a nurture sequence?

 

If you want to be in control, your own list is essential.  That’s why lead magnets are still such a powerful marketing tool, especially for service businesses.  But getting someone to sign up for your list is only the first step.

Email marketing platforms provide the means to nurture your list, without having to write content every few days.  It can all be written once and then set up to run automatically.

Assuming you have offered something valuable to entice a sign up to your list – and that this ‘something’ is highly focused on your ideal client profile, creating a follow up sequence should be straightforward.

Email 1 - Thank you

This should go out immediately after the person has signed up and validated their email address, i.e. on day 1.  It will include your thanks for signing up to get whatever your lead magnet is and will tell them how to access this.

You should then tell them what to expect now they are on your list.  What additional value they will get.  You need to manage their expectations, so they are ready to receive what you send them.

Tell them that there will be a series of emails over the next couple of weeks with more tips and opportunities.

If you have a weekly or monthly newsletter with more wisdom around your area of specialism, let them know they will be getting that too.

Email 2 – Add value

This will go out on day 3.  The purpose of this email is to add value in relation to the item they have downloaded.  Explain how to get the best from it, give a strong tip around the subject matter that isn’t in the original lead magnet.

Add a signpost to a purchase, positioned as an opportunity.  Often a good way to do this is in a PS.

Email 3 – Validation

This goes out on day 5 and features a story – either a case study or anecdote showing how what you offer works in practice.  Don’t forget to highlight the outcomes – not just what it did, but what the results were, the return on investment.

The call to action for your product or service can now be positioned as a reduced risk option.

Email 4 – Bashing down barriers

Send this on day 7.  Your task is to identify why people are concerned about the effectiveness of [your offer] – in other words objections.  Don’t tackle a whole list, focus on the top one or two and explain why this objection is unfounded.  Give evidence, examples, and/or demonstration. 

Anecdotal evidence is powerful – tell it as though you’re speaking directly to the reader.

Add a soft call to action to explore the opportunity you’re offering.

Email 5 – The offer

Schedule for day 10 and use it as a recap of your offer, with benefits, outcomes, details and a reason to act, that may be a bonus or discount. 

Remember, if these emails are automated, putting a specific date in will require them to be rewritten when that date passes.  There is also an authenticity issue, don’t offer anything based on scarcity or a cut-off date, if it’s not really the case.

Add your strong call to action.

When this nurture sequence is completed some people will have already become a customer, others may not be quite ready yet.  Sending them your high value newsletter regularly will keep them warm, so that, when they are ready, they won’t have forgotten you.