Now then. I read an article this morning that said AI has killed PLR. Killed it stone dead. The argument was straightforward: AI writes faster, cheaper, and better than any PLR package ever could deliver, so why would anyone bother with old pre-written content again?

My first reaction was to feel a bit exposed. It got my fur up a bit. That’s pretty much my business they’re describing as a corpse.

Then I got to this line, buried about a third of the way down: “Grok wrote this article in seconds. All I did was write the headline and Grok did the rest.”

Just have another read of that. It’s worth highlighting.

The article declaring PLR dead was published the exact same way a shocking amount of PLR still gets published: grabbed, untouched, and shipped as is. Someone typed a line, hit generate, and whatever came out, that’s what got shipped. No editing, no real voice behind it. The strategy, as much as it was, stopped at the headline.

That’s not a new era.

It’s pretty much the old one, just spewed out much faster.

Or to put it another way: AI hasn’t replaced bad PLR. It’s automated it.

At the heart, PLR has never really been the problem.

PLR has historically been bad-mouthed because it’s mainly generic. Trying to speak to everyone, and ending up speaking to nobody in particular. You’d buy a PLR product, open it up, and find the same recycled angles you’d seen a hundred times because a thousand other people bought the same.

But let’s have it right. That was never really a PLR problem. It was a thinking problem.

The better PLR packs weren’t always valuable because of the wording. They were valuable because someone had already done some of the thinking. The structure, the research, the sequence of ideas. They were always meant to be starting points, not finished products.

The AI in that article has the exact same flaw. Give it a bare headline with no context, no voice, no point of view, and you get competent, well-structured, completely forgettable content. It could have been written by anyone, about anything. Swap the headline and nothing about the writing changes.

Speed didn’t fix that at all. It just made it quicker to produce.

Let’s be fair to the article for a minute…

If the question is whether AI is a better drafting tool than traditional PLR, I’d answer yes without hesitation. It’s faster, more flexible, and capable of producing a bespoke first draft in seconds.

That’s not the question I’m arguing with.

Cost, multimedia, accessibility. Those points can stand or fall on their own merits. What doesn’t stand is treating one lazy example as proof the whole industry’s finished.

There's one line in there that I completely agree with. They admit that strategic oversight, knowing what to ask AI to create, remains critical. I only wish the article had shown us a little more of that process in practice.

That’s the whole game as I see it. The thing that separates content with a pulse from content that simply fills space. Doesn’t matter if you’re starting from a blank page or an old PLR pack. If that judgment’s missing, what comes out is hollow either way.

Do you know what I reckon?

Old PLR isn’t the dead weight you think it is, sitting in your downloads folder waiting to be replaced by AI. It’s raw material. Some packs were better researched than others, granted, but the better ones already had the structure worked out and the angles tested long before you ever downloaded them. AI doesn’t make that worthless. It makes it faster to reshape into something that actually sounds like you.

Blank page plus AI still gives you generic output, just generic output made in seconds instead of purchased in a pack. PLR plus AI, run through a bit of judgment, gives you something informed with your fingerprints on it.

So where to go from here?

Better Angles

If you’ve got a stack of old PLR sat there gathering digital dust (and you know you have), it’s not gone stale like an old petrol station sandwich. It’s loitering there waiting for exactly what was missing all along: someone willing to put their own stamp on it.

That’s no shortcut, by the way. It’s the real graft. AI just helps make the mechanical part of the work faster.

Should that sound like where you’re at, it’s exactly the method I try to walk you through inside Better Angles. No hacks or workarounds. Just a straight process for turning what you’ve already got into something you’re happy to put your name to.

Because whether your first draft comes from AI, an old PLR pack or a blank page, the question is still the same.

Now then, let’s be honest here, and I’ve spoken about this before……....

Been stalling on this for months. Folders full of PLR I bought with good intentions and barely touched. Reports, article packs, and email sequences, all sitting there, poking fun, guilting me every time I see them.

There’s likely a lot of rubbish. Some may be salvageable. I need to go through it.

So I’m on with what I should have done ages ago: sorting the wheat from the chaff. Working out which files are worth the effort to fix and which ones need hoofing out.

Here’s how I’m going to tackle it:

Hoarding PLR is a problem

Not only clutter, but the mental weight of knowing you’ve shelled out for stuff you’re not using. Every time I see those folders, I know I should be doing something with that.

After a while, I stop opening them because it’s easier to ignore it than to face how much is sitting there redundant.

That’s where I’m at now, knowing some of these files will be useful if I put in the work. But there’s also plenty of crap, too outdated, too poorly written, or just completely wrong for what I’m doing now.

I have to separate the two. Stop pretending I’ll magically use everything and face up to what’s worth keeping.

What I’m Looking For

When I go through my vault this week, I’m asking three questions about each file:

1. Is the core information still valid?

If a file is built around strategies that don’t work anymore or platforms that shut down years ago, it’s not worth my time. I’m not interested in salvaging content that would mislead people just because I paid for it.

Some PLR will age better than others. Evergreen topics like productivity, communication, and basic marketing principles all tend to hold up. Tactical stuff tied to specific tools or algorithms? You can bet that dates fast; we all know that.

2. Can AI fix what’s wrong with it?

Limp and lifeless writing, bland tone, paper-thin explanations, and problems that AI can sort quickly. If the meat of it is solid but is poorly executed, you can surely mend it.

But if the whole thing is a mish-mash: factually wrong, poorly structured, or just incoherent, then it’s probably going to be faster to start from scratch than trying to salvage it.

3. Does it fit what I’m actually doing?

I’ve bought PLR that looked useful at the time, but it’s not where my business is now. Health content when I was focused on marketing. Advanced tactics when I was still figuring out the basics.

Even if the content is good, if it doesn’t serve my audience or align with what I’m teaching, it’s chaff. No point keeping it just because it exists.

The AI Prompt I’m Testing

Instead of reading every file line by line, I’m using AI to flag what needs attention. Here’s the prompt I’ll be running on each piece:

“Review the following content and create a list of outdated elements: platforms that have changed or shut down, statistics more than 3 years old, tools that have been replaced, marketing strategies that no longer work, and references to obsolete technology. For each item, note whether it can be updated with current information or whether the entire section needs rethinking because the underlying strategy is no longer valid.”

This should give me a diagnostic rather than an automatic rewrite. I’ll know what’s fixable and what’s not before I waste time trying to salvage something that’s beyond repair.

Just as an aside, this prompt evolved from another I had saved from somewhere:

“Rate my above prompt on the scale of 10”.

Next, instruct ChatGPT to “Make it a 10 out of 10”.

I use it regularly and find it works really well. See here how it worked out.

Three Piles

Eventually, everything will land in one of three categories:

Bin it: Content that’s too far gone. Wrong information, dead strategies, or just so poorly done that fixing it would take longer than creating something new.

Fix it: Solid foundation but needs work. The core concept is sound, but the execution needs updating, tightening, or voice adjustment.

Surprisingly decent: Files that are better than I thought. May need micro-tweaks but pretty much ready to use.

I reckon most will end up in the “Fix it” category. Might be a few pleasant surprises. No doubt a fair chunk will go straight in the bin.

Why Bother?

You might be thinking: if AI can write fresh content, why bother with old PLR at all?

Two reasons.

First, starting with a framework is faster than starting with nothing. Even weak PLR gives you structure and ideas to build on. You’re refining, not inventing from scratch.

Second, I’ve already paid for it. Might as well see if there’s anything worth using before I spend more money on new packs or waste time creating everything myself.

That said, I don’t know yet if this will be worthwhile. I might find a few hidden gems, or I might discover I’ve been hoarding mostly junk. Either way, I’ll know what I’m working with instead of just feeling guilty about it.

What’s Next

I’ll run this assessment over the next few days and come back with what I actually found. Real examples of what was worth keeping, what got deleted, and whether this approach made sense.

Sitting on your own pile of unused PLR? Maybe follow along and try sorting your own. Let’s compare notes and see if the process holds up.

Hit reply if you’ve already done something similar. I’d be curious to hear what you found and whether you regretted keeping anything you should have binned.

Want to follow along? Subscribe below for updates on The Extraction Method: Turn Existing Content Into a Paid Asset Using AI and what I’m learning. No guru promises. Just real progress as it happens.

Maybe half an hour of light left. Tops.

That’s when I spotted it. Every neighbour on the street had their brown bins out. Garden waste collection tomorrow morning.

Oh bollocks.

My yard looked like a bomb had hit it. Fallen leaves everywhere. Rotting apples all over the place. Absolute disaster zone.

So I grabbed this massive rake I picked up at a car boot sale. Started attacking the mess like a madman. Racing against the dying light. Trying to fill the bin before I couldn’t see anymore.

Of course Morgan had other plans. My spaniel kept dropping his slobbery ball exactly where I needed to rake. Every single time. Right in the middle of the biggest pile.

Fine. I gave in. Leaned the rake against the bin. Threw the ball for him. Then got straight back to work.

You know that classic cartoon gag? Where someone steps on a rake and it smacks them in the face?

Turns out it’s not just a cartoon.

It’s bloody real. And it hurts like absolute hell.

Got a purple eye to prove it too.

Sat there afterwards thinking maybe I should just hire a gardener. Let someone else deal with this rubbish. Stop trying to fix everything myself.

Then it hit me. Not another rake thankfully.

We do this with our businesses too. We try fixing everything ourselves. Building complex funnels. Learning new tech. Connecting seventeen different tools together.

All while the light’s running out on our goals.

What if there was a simpler way? What if you didn’t need to fix all that stuff?

That’s exactly why I created the No Funnel Fix. No tech headaches. No complex systems. Just simple conversations that bring in clients.

You’ve been overthinking it mate.

Cheers,

Neil “Purple Eye” Spruce

Mum’s dad lived the nearest and I made sure I saw him pretty regularly.

I was very fond of him. Full of fun and he liked a pint!

But I’d often call him and not get an answer. Either he didn’t hear the phone or couldn’t get there quick enough.

I noticed this when visiting him one time and thought ” I’ll sort this out”.

So I got him a new cordless phone and he was good to go.

Or so I thought…. Nothing changed so next time I was there I asked him how he was doing with the phone.

“I’d sooner pick a fucking snake up” he bit back.

Classic Grandad move. Still makes me smile.

That stubborn attitude reminds me of most marketers.They’d rather wrestle a snake than learn actual money-making skills.

My friend Tony Shepherd just created something different. It’s called “Profit Wormhole”.

Tony talks about you can shortcut your first year (or two) in internet marketing and quit stumbling over methods that don’t work.

It’s basically about how to go from non-earner to potential millionaire in 30 days.

Now hold up…

That does NOT mean anyone is going to be a millionaire in 30 days…it means starting to implement the things that actually get you earning and have the potential to push you into the seven figure bracket in your own time.

Maybe a better way to put it is how to shortcut (or wormhole:) your way PAST the first 1-2 years that most marketers spend failing, getting pissed off and losing money.

So if you want to take that quantum leap past frustration and lack of income..

Here’s where to go now

Neil “you should have met my Grandad” Spruce

Then boom! A whole school of dolphins appeared. They were jumping and playing right next to our boat. I was like a kid at Christmas watching them dance through the waves.

Next came the caves. Our guide pointed at every rock formation. “That’s a gorilla!” he shouted at one jagged cliff. “Look, an elephant drinking water!” he yelled at another. Pretty soon I figured out his game – everything looked like an animal to this guy.

By the time we hit the fifth “alligator cave,” I was laughing so hard my sides hurt. This dude could turn a plain old rock into a zoo animal. His creativity was off the charts.

Back at the villa, my son caught me typing on my laptop. “Dad, why are you writing emails on holiday?” he asked. Fair question. The truth is, I actually enjoy it. Takes me maybe ten minutes and feels easy.

But here’s what hit me on that boat trip. Not everyone wants to write emails while sipping sangria in Portugal. Some folks would rather fully unplug and soak up the sun.

That’s when the smart email marketers load up their autoresponders before they leave. They stack pre-written newsletters that send automatically. No laptop required on the beach.

Your subscribers still get quality content. You still get to relax completely. Everyone wins.

If you’re planning a getaway soon, maybe grab some ready-made newsletters now. Your future holiday self will thank you when you’re dolphin watching instead of deadline stressing.

Cheers, Neil “Cave Spotter” Spruce

The old apple tree got hammered overnight. The same tree that’s been producing the best crop I’ve seen in twenty years. All those perfect apples I’d been bragging about to the mother-in-law were now scattered across the lawn like it’s a kid’s ball pool!

And you know what – she’s coming tomorrow expecting the apples I promised. I’ve even sent her a photo over the weekend showing off them off (WHY!!!!), hanging from every branch. Now most of them were bruised, battered, or completely smashed.

The decent survivors are way up there in the gods. Totally out of reach for this old git. I’m standing there in my slippers thinking “bollocks, what now?” The mother-in-law doesn’t accept excuses. She expects results.

That’s when it hit me. I’ll need steps. Proper steps to reach what I want.

Without them, all those perfect apples might as well be on the moon. With the right steps, I can climb up and grab exactly what I need. Simple as that.

Having great stuff within sight means nothing if you can’t reach it. You need the right steps to get there.

Building an email list works exactly the same way. You can see other marketers making money with their lists. You know subscribers are out there waiting. But without the right steps, you’re just staring up at unreachable fruit.

My Easy 5-Step Guide to a Money Making Email List gives you those steps. No fancy ladders or complicated equipment needed. Just a simple system to reach your first fifty subscribers and start earning.

It’s here and fresher than wet paint!

Stop staring at what you can’t reach. Get the steps you need.

Cheers,

Neil “reaching higher” Spruce