If you’ve been reading us for a while (hi, there!) you’re probably aware of how much we like content repurposing. We do it ourselves and we love talking to “content-overwhelmed” clients about the benefits of recycling and reusing things they’ve already created on more than one occasion.
Not only does repurposing content help you widen your reach, it also helps you save time and effort by using something you’ve already created and sharing it again – with a twist!
From transforming successful podcast episodes into infographics, old blog posts in video tutorials, or webinars into instagram graphics, repurposed content gives you and your team the opportunity to make the most out of something that already exists instead of wracking your brain searching for new ideas by the hour.
Here are a few reasons why you should be repurposing your content and how to make it as successful as possible:
Yes, you should be repurposing your content. Here’s why…
There are many reasons why you should consider repurposing your content as an essential part of your marketing strategy.
Some of these include:
- Saving valuable time
- Maximizing your efforts
- Boosting your online presence
- Expanding your reach
- Strengthening your message
- Redeeming lost or forgotten content
- Diversifying your content
- Improving SEO
- Providing more backlink opportunities
- Targeting various stages of the buyer’s journey
- Promotes accessibility
Repurposing content is a great way to keep the ball rolling when your creativity starts to run dry and you’re scrambling for content ideas to keep an eager audience engaged, learning, and excited about what comes next.
READ MORE: 5 Reasons Repurposing Content Can Help Your Marketing Strategy
This means that…
Less stress = less chance of a burn out = a more holistic marketing strategy
How to choose which pieces of content you should be repurposing
Now, you might be wondering: “But I have so much content! How do I pick what to repurpose and what to leave alone?”
Great question! Let’s dig deeper.
When it comes to choosing which content is worth repurposing, ask yourself the following questions:
How did this piece of content perform in the past?
One of the most important ways to choose which piece of content to repurpose is to understand how it performed in the past. If the piece was super popular with your audience it’s worth looking into a few different ways to present it again.
When looking for popular content, these are a few good places to start:
- What piece of content received the most likes on Facebook or Instagram?
- Is there a blog post that was re-shared multiple times?
- Has a blog post or article you’ve written been linked by other brands?
- Which YouTube video has been viewed the most?
Once you’ve picked out a few of these popular pieces, it’s time to start brainstorming how to repurpose it (that comes next!)
Is this piece considered “evergreen content”?
When we talk about evergreen content we’re referring to pieces of content that don’t “age” over time and stay relevant with no – or very little – adjustments. In the case of evergreen content, traffic will grow over time because of its “forever relevance”.
Some examples of evergreen content include
- “How-to” guides and beginner tutorials
- Case studies
- Glossaries & definitions of industry terms
- Listicles
- Checklists
- Product reviews
READ MORE: How Small Businesses Can Effectively Create & Use A Content Calendar
If you’ve published evergreen content in the past, it’s worth looking into repurposing this content to revive it and popularize it with your new audience.
Can this content even be repurposed?
The most important thing to ask yourself when repurposing content is if the piece you want to recycle can even be repurposed.
It’s important to keep in mind that not all content can be brought back to life in a new format. Whether the concepts are too difficult to explain differently, the message can get lost if transferred to a different format, or there’s no creative way to showcase the information in a new and exciting way, it might be best to leave the content untouched and find a different piece.
Remember, the name of the game isn’t to simply repurpose content for the sake of repurposing it. This might actually do the opposite of what you’re striving for and make you double your efforts when you’re meant to be cutting this time in half.
1. Transform a blog post —> into a video
While some people prefer to read a lengthy blog post that dives deep into a specific subject, other styles of learners much prefer a more audiovisual approach. With this in mind, a great idea when it comes to repurposing content is to transform a popular – and long – blog post into a shorter video that your audience can watch or listen to to get all the information they need.
Transforming a blog post into a video also means you’ll be tapping into a completely new audience that might not be familiar with your blog. This is a great opportunity to get your name out there and connect with even more people who might be interested in your services.
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When it comes to repurposing written content into a video, here are two things you can try:
- If you’re not camera shy, you can present the information yourself standing in front of the camera.
- If you are camera shy, play around with graphic design and create a fully-animated video that explains the subject you’re talking about while you (or a member of your team) narrates.
2. Make your how-to guide —> a bite-sized social media post
Much like some people prefer to learn through listening, there are also people who absorb information better when it’s presented in visually-appealing, bite-sized chunks.
A great way to do this is by repurposing how-to guides (and listicles) into graphic pieces you can post to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and even Twitter. How-to guides and listicles usually work best because the format (step-by-step, numbered, etc.) lends itself well to create carousel-style posts – which (secret’s out) perform well on Instagram.
When it comes to this, always make sure these pieces are visually in line with your brand and that the value of the content isn’t lost when cut down. If you feel like something is missing when you go from a long-form piece of content to something much smaller, it might be worth reconsidering if this is the best way to repurpose the content and if there are other formats that would work better.
3. Go from internal data —> to a case study
Business owners, you know this well. Years of market research, client calls, small and big wins, and mistakes have taught you so much that you WISH✨ there was a way to share this valuable information with the world.
Good news: there is!
All that internal data you’ve racked up can be repurposed, reorganized, and redesigned and come back to life as a bangin’ case study. Not only will you be adding value to your audience’s life by sharing these life-business hacks, but you’ll also be making the most of your efforts by using this content for multiple purposes.
READ MORE: 3 Ways Small Businesses Can Share Their Social Impact
A few examples of “data turned case study” could be…
- Did you learn something new from working with a client? Let people know how you helped them! (Remember: always, ALWAYS ask for permission before posting sensitive information like this online.)
- Did you discover something helpful after a redesign? Talk about what you were doing before, after, and why things might have improved.
- Did a recent A/B test bring in surprising results? Show the difference and write about the factors that might have swayed people’s decision for one over the other.
4. Use a blog post to —> create an infographic
In some cases, there are certain types of blog posts or articles that would perform well visually. These include, but are not limited to:
- Industry statistics
- Beginner tips & tricks
- Step-by-step guides
- Itineraries (in the case of travel and tour companies)
- Informational pieces
Repurposing blog content into graphics not only makes it more appealing to different audiences, but it also makes it more accessible, easy to read, and informative at the same time.
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Worried about the design aspect? Throw that worry out the door. There are plenty of online – and FREE! – platforms made for creators who want to experiment with different types of content. From Canva to Piktochart, you don’t need to be an expert designer to create something that’s likeable, saveable, and shareable. Talk about the full package 😉
5. Take your quotes —> and create Tweets or graphics
This is a great example of how using a single piece of content and repurposing it multiple times can be successful.
A few examples of how to repurpose quotes are:
- Take a how-to guide and create a separate Tweet/graphic with each point
- Find a meaningful quote from a specific blog/post article and highlight it visually
- Use a quote from a video session or webinar and share it on its own to promote a future session
- Live-tweet a conference to get more people interested about joining or signing up
With so much content to choose from, you’d probably be able to create over 100 pieces of content like this.
That’s…a lot of content with little added effort and even less stress.
6. Repurpose a Q&A session —> into a blog post (or video!)
The great thing about Q&A sessions is that they let you take a peek inside your audience’s head and learn a little more about
- What they want to learn about
- The topics that interest them the most
- What they need the most help with
- Where they struggle
- Where they do well
- And SO MUCH MORE!
That’s why repurposing content from Q&A sessions is a win-win. You already know the content will be popular because it was specifically asked about and you already have the base to start from after giving a short, real-time answer.
READ MORE: 5 Ways To Increase Engagement In Your Community Organically
Whether you compile a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) after a training or scour the internet for other FAQs that people in the industry are interested to learn more about, there’s plenty of opportunities for you to take it one step further by providing your audience with a more in-depth answer.
Long story short, repurposing content is a MUST
Whether you’re looking to maximize your efforts, cut your content creation time in half, or reach new audiences, repurposing content is one of the most adaptable parts of any marketing strategy – new or old.
But how, exactly, do you repurpose content? And where do you start?
First of all, ask yourself these questions
- Is this piece of content popular?
- Is this piece of content considered “evergreen content”? (meaning that it will stand the test of time, no matter how long it has been)
- Is this piece of content even repurposable?
Once you’ve found the answers to the questions above, here are a few places to start when it comes to repurposing content:
1. Transform a blog post —> into a video
2. Make your how-to guide —> a bite-sized social media post
3. Go from internal data —> to a case study
4. Use a blog post to —> create an infographic
5. Take your quotes —> and create Tweets or graphics
6. Repurpose a Q&A session —> into a blog post (or video!)
And there you have it! Getting the most value out of your existing pieces of content is a great way to make sure you’re not struggling to find new ideas or burning yourself out on the quest for content to share.
Give yourself a hand and look through your older content for inspiration – you’ll thank yourself later!
Have you tried repurposing content? What content have you repurposed in the past that worked for you? Let us know in the comments!
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