You might be spending a lot of time in marketing meetings, with multiple hours each week chewed up...
Content repurposing can prove influential when creating and marketing your brand, especially when writer’s block has you at a loss for new ideas.
Revamping existing, well-performing content can bring additional traffic to your website by expanding keyword density and boosting SEO efforts.
However, content repurposing does not equate to reposting.
Instead, you focus on transforming something to fit another medium, like turning a blog post into an Instagram story, Facebook reel, or LinkedIn poll.
In any case, cultivating your repurposing toolkit enhances your brand portfolio and leaves room for multiple avenues of audience outreach and engagement.
What Is Content Repurposing, Exactly?
Content repurposing can be a critical aspect of managing your blog, business website, or social media accounts.
Think of repurposing like “recycling.” When you finish licking the last remnants of peanut butter out of the jar, you may wash and reuse the container (if you’re a jar hoarder, like me) or toss it in the recycling bin.
Why do you do this?
People recycle for many reasons–maybe you’re an environmentalist or you recognize how many jobs the industry provides.
Either way, you do your due diligence by ensuring the peanut butter jar lives up to its greatest potential–whether as a vessel for your favorite overnight oats or a key additive at a manufacturing plant.
Now, apply this to content creation.
Why let your awesome work simply go to waste, collecting dust in your archives and the bottomless pit we know as the internet?
Here’s where content repurposing allows you to extend the life of a post by marketing it across different platforms and mediums. Essentially, you use your greatest work as the foundation for an eye-catching infographic, video, or webinar.
Why Should I Repurpose Content?
Repurposing content comes with many perks.
Even the highest-ranking post on your website faces a constant risk of dropping in search engines, meaning you lose traffic and potential readers.
So, instead of allowing the Google Gods to have full reign over your content, you take power back (at least a little bit) by boosting exposure across platforms–thus, driving in new audiences and beefing your SEO efforts (we live for those repeated keywords).
You also save yourself substantial time and potential headaches by cutting the content creation timeline in half. Rather than writing an entirely new blog post, you can use pieces of text as a TikTok script. Or, you can pose the premise of your article as a question to promote audience engagement and further interest.
Here are just a few benefits of repurposing content:
- Requires less time and resources per post
- Allows you to reach new audiences across different platforms
- Encourages more audience engagement
- Offers a bonus SEO boost (hoorah for cycling keywords!)
- Helps your readers rediscover your older content
- Offers your readers the ability to share your content
- Reinstills your brand
But Isn’t Repurposing Just Reposting?
While they may appear similar, repurposing and reposting differ in practice.
Reposting means just clicking “repost” or “share” on a website–you’re not doing any work other than waving the magic wand of social media.
In contrast, you add new life to content through repurposing.
Still, both methods are critical in content creation and management. You want your posts to reach as many people as possible right off the bat, so you cross-post on every social media account you have.
But, when traffic inevitably drops, you use your handy-dandy repurposing hat to gain back some traffic and kick writer’s block butt.
When Should I Repurpose Content?
Repurposing can be beneficial when you have a massive log of old content or are venturing into new platforms.
You want to maintain a consistent brand across the board, so repurposing allows you to do so while building a greater following.
What Content Should I Repurpose?
What you choose to repurpose eventually comes down to your goals.
For example, you may benefit from doctoring older content to boost rankings. Alternatively, repurposing recent content can bring additional eyes to new changes to your brand, message, or overall platform.
However, don’t attempt repurposing time-sensitive content like announcing a webinar, product launch, or other significant events. Common sense tells you this won’t succeed, seeing as the window of opportunity has passed. You mainly want to stick with evergreen content.
5 Creative Tips for Repurposing Content
Content repurposing doesn’t have to be difficult–it should actually save you time and valuable resources.
There are so many avenues to explore, and each medium offers specific advantages and strengths.
Don’t limit yourself to one platform–play your hand at different methods to see what does and does not work for your brand and goals.
1. Transform Blog Posts Into Newsletters or EBook
Ebooks allow you to easily compile your best content into one, readily accessible medium.
Start by determining your theme before choosing every relevant post you’d like to include. You can also use these as the basis for chapters.
For example, headers can act as chapter titles and dictate the format of your book.
Next, beef up your current material with new information, statistics, or similar information that adds value. You want readers to gain more from your ebook–not just reread the same post available on your blog.
Don’t neglect your introduction and conclusion! Create a captivating forward that clearly states the premise of the book and captures the reader. A robust, well-written finale also leaves your audience with a positive feeling and impression, meaning they are more likely to invest in your future content.
2. Use Snippets for Infographics
People love visuals because they compress a lot of information into tasty eye candy.
Moreover, the average attention span is only 45 seconds–meaning you have an incredibly short window to woo a reader.
So, how can you use infographics to repurpose content?
An easy way to get started is to transcribe quotes, statistics, or tips directly into an image.
For instance, you can simply copy and paste a list of “How-tos” with a brief caption that draws people to “read more” by checking out your blog.
3. Rewrite an Article as a Podcast Episode
Podcasts are easily digestible content people can incorporate into their routines with little thought or effort. Many enjoy how they can press play and continue throughout their busy days.
A great way to add authority and trustability to your brand is to ask experts to join you on an episode. You can write questions asking them to elaborate on specific topics covered in the article or provide their professional insight.
4. Convert Long-Form Content into Polls
Everyone has an opinion–why not ask your readers to share theirs? Doing so also provides a perception of their interests and preferences when consuming media.
Say you wrote a blog post about traveling with family members. You could create a poll by posing the question, “What essentials do you need for a successful family vacation?”
Using your published content, you can offer answers from which they can choose (i.e., earplugs to drown out your uncle’s incessant snoring).
From there, you can gauge other topics to touch on–maybe they’d like to read more about the best family vacation destinations or travel options.
5. Make a YouTube Video
Last, but certainly not least, is video creation.
As mentioned, visuals are critical assets in content creation.
While YouTube may not be as popular in 2024 as in 2008, millions still use this platform to obtain information they may otherwise avoid in text form. People would much rather watch a two-minute video about changing a flat tire than read a long-form post by the side of the highway in a snowstorm.
Take the “meat” of your content and condense the primary theme into a few key points. Go crazy with the graphics, using them to convey heavy, bulky text in an engaging way.
Use Your Strengths to Grow Upon
Content creation can be exhausting–coming up with new ideas on the regular can drain you (and lead to burnout).
Repurposing shouldn’t take the place of new content but can leave enough space for you to fulfill other obligations, focus on different projects, or just take a break.
Help combat existential dread, brain fog, and creative impasses. Make the material work for you, not against you.
Photo by Christin Hume; Display image by Meghan Rodgers
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