It happens. We all create duds on occasion.
We think that social media post is going to spark insightful conversation. It gets one comment.
We hope that blog post will captivate our faithful readers. It gets less than a dozen views the day it’s published.
We dream of our e-book topping best-seller lists. The downloads trickle in.
It’s silly to think that every single piece of work you put out there is worthy of an A+ rating. It’s not. But, we love our writing. We hate killing our darlings (Thanks, Stephen King!) and the thought of removing them once they’ve been released into the world is cringe-worthy.
Or, is it?
As I was listening to branded content producer David Beebe speak at Skyword’s #Forward17 conference this past summer, he discussed this very topic. The room went silent when he casually mentioned deleting those content fails.
Disclosure: This blog is reader-supported, which means this post contains affiliate links and advertisements. I earn a small commission if you shop through them, which helps fund this website so I can continue to bring you amazing content. Thank you! ~Angela
I was dumbfounded. Delete something after it’s been published? What?
His sentiments have stuck with me, rolling around in the back of my head. Finally, I’ve taken action. I’ve been updating posts and deleting stagnant online content with abandon. Goodbye, flops!
Clicking the publish button isn’t an end-point, my friend. It’s the beginning.
As you get feedback, there’s nothing wrong with making updates to your posts on Facebook or content on your blog. Polish away! Give those readers what they want. Put your best prose forward. Use your knowledge, analytics and comments from readers to improve upon what you’ve created.
My content creation mindset has shifted. Will yours?
Never miss another post from Web Writing Advice. Get email updates by subscribing. As a bonus, I’ll send you my free e-book, “18 Ways to Increase Online Writing Productivity and Earnings”. Click HERE.
Note: This post was most recently updated on August 18, 2022.
