When I worked in publishing, new releases were very important, of course. But of almost equal importance was the backlist – those books that had already been published and had built awareness, an audience, a niche.

If your title moved to the active backlist, you could say it took on a life of its own. It had staying power.

Now that I’ve written a blog for three years – and many people have done it for longer than that – it struck me how little attention we pay to a blogger’s backlist – those entries that were posted last week, last month, last year or more. Because in blogs they’re moved to archives – and we all know how often we visit an archive.

I think that’s a real shame because many (OK some) older posts are probably as relevant now as they were the day they were published. Unfortunately, social media’s immediacy pushes things to the bottom of the heap faster.

So here’s what I’d like to suggest.

Bloggers – Go back and carefully reflect on which posts truly stand the test of time. (Likely  fewer than you think.) Then republish some of your greatest hits. But don’t use this as excuse to be lazy.

And readers, when you have a few minutes – I know, who has any extra time? – why not dig a little deeper and have a look at a blogger’s past (entries, that is).

I’m sure you’ll find a few gems. And when you do, I hope you’ll share them.

About Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman, MCM, is a digital communications strategist. He conducts AI research, leads digital and social media training workshops and speaks at events across North America. He's co-founder of two PR agencies, president of a consultancy and has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Martin is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, teaches digital strategy and social media at McMaster University, the Schulich School of Business, University of Toronto SCS and Seneca College. He's a member of the Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center and a past-chair of PRSA Counselors Academy. He has a Master of Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster-Syracuse Universities.

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