Recycle Your Email into Blog Posts

You may be missing the chance to publish some great blog posts if you’re not directly tapping a great editorial resource – your work email.

A great source of posts are the emails I have to draft at work. After sending an email at work, I’m sometimes able to recycle that content into a blog post on the topic. Because this has been successful for me so far, I am constantly on the lookout for the next good email to peers that also happens to be a nice blog topic. The content is relevant, because if I’m facing a challenge at work, someone else out there is facing the same challenge. I find that repurposing content like this allows me to share ideas more efficiently.

You’re probably creating concise, thoughtful topical pieces every month – you just don’t realize it. That great idea you sent to the Marketing department last week? The response you sent in confidence to your boss, outlining your opinion against the latest company misdirection? You know, the one you wished you hadn’t sent, the moment you did? These emails can live a second life as insightful blog posts. They don’t have to be long. Two or three paragraphs. It’s the thought that counts. Get your idea out there.

Clean it up, and ship it out. With a few word changes to protect the identity of people and organizations, and generalizing the topic as opposed to personalizing it within the context of your company, you can probably find several blog topics lying around your Sent mail box today. Go ahead and check, and happy re-cycling!