Creating high-quality content is time-consuming and often expensive. Yet, many marketers make the mistake of letting great pieces of content sit idle after just one use. In fact, studies show that 60% of marketers struggle to consistently produce engaging content.
This is where content repurposing helps marketers. By turning one piece of content into multiple formats, you can reach new audiences, boost your SEO, and get more mileage from your work.
In this guide, we’ll break down what content repurposing is, why it’s so effective, and how you can start building your own content repurposing strategy.
What Is Content Repurposing?
Content repurposing is the process of taking existing content and transforming it into different formats to reach new audiences and extend its shelf life. It’s about adapting your content for different platforms and formats, whether turning a blog post into a YouTube video, a podcast into an infographic, or a webinar. This approach not only saves time but also maximizes the value of your original content.
Benefits of Repurposing Content
Repurposing content isn’t just about recycling old posts. It’s a smart way to maximize the value of your existing content and reach a broader audience.
1. Saves Time
Repurposing saves you from constantly creating fresh content. Instead of starting from scratch, you can use existing material, which reduces production time and effort. This approach is especially useful for busy marketers and small teams.
2. Reaches New Audiences
Different people prefer different content formats. Some might like blog posts, while others prefer podcasts, videos, or infographics. Repurposing helps you reach these diverse audiences without creating entirely new content each time.
3. Boosts SEO
Repurposing allows you to target multiple keywords and attract more organic traffic. It also gives you more opportunities to earn backlinks, which can improve your overall domain authority and search rankings.
4. Strengthens Your Message
Repetition reinforces your message. When you present the same ideas in various formats, it increases the chances of your audience remembering your brand and message.
5. Fills Content Gap
Repurposing helps you cover more topics without stretching your resources. You can address content gaps by turning a single in-depth piece into multiple smaller, focused assets, like social posts or email newsletters.
How to Pick the Right Content to Repurpose?
Not all content is worth repurposing. To get the most out of your efforts, it’s essential to choose the right pieces that have the potential for extended reach and impact.
1. Top-Performing Posts
Start by identifying the blog posts, videos, or social media updates that have already performed well. These pieces have proven their value and are likely to do well in other formats too. Use tools like Google Analytics, Semrush, or your platform’s built-in insights to find high-traffic pages or posts with high engagement rates. Repurposing these can amplify their reach even further.
2. Evergreen Topics
Evergreen content stays relevant over time, making it perfect for repurposing. These are topics that don’t rely on trends or seasonal changes, like “How to Repurpose Content” or “Basic SEO Tips.” Because this content remains valuable for months or even years, it’s ideal for creating multiple pieces of related content. You can use tools to amend your content, like essaywriter.pro, to enhance your content and make it more useful to the audience.
3. Detailed Guides
In-depth guides and long-form articles are gold mines for repurposing. They often contain numerous subtopics and insights that can be broken down into smaller, more targeted pieces. For instance, a comprehensive guide on “Content Marketing Strategy” can be split into blog posts, infographics, or social media snippets.
4. User Favorites
If certain content has resonated well with your audience, that’s a clear sign it’s worth repurposing. Look for posts that have generated lots of comments, shares, or positive feedback. You can even ask your audience what type of content they’d like to see more of to guide your repurposing efforts.
How to Repurpose Your Content
Repurposing content isn’t just about copying and pasting old posts into new formats. It’s about creatively reimagining your existing material to reach new audiences, boost your SEO, and extend the lifespan of your best work.
Here’s a look at some practical ways to repurpose your content effectively.
1. Blog Post → YouTube Video
Turning a blog post into a YouTube video is a great way to reach a wider audience, especially if your readers prefer visual content. Here’s how you can do it:
Steps to Repurpose:
- Select the Right Blog Post: Choose a high-traffic blog post that already resonates with your audience, like a detailed guide or a listicle.
- Script the Video: Break down the main points into a script, making it conversational and engaging for the video format.
- Add Visuals: Use screenshots, relatable images, B-roll footage, or animations to keep the audience engaged. Tools like Canva, VistaCreate or InVideo can help with this. Use video editing tools or online platforms to create and edit the video.
- Create storyboards to help plan the visual elements of your video.
- Optimize for YouTube: Add relevant keywords, a catchy thumbnail, and proper tags to improve visibility.
- Include a CTA: Direct viewers to your original blog post for more in-depth information.
- Promote Across Channels: Share the video on your social platforms, email lists, and embed it back into the original blog post for SEO benefits.
2. Webinar → Slide Deck or Short Clips
Webinars are packed with valuable insights, but their long format can limit reach. Breaking them into smaller, digestible formats can extend their life.
Steps to Repurpose:
- Break It Down: Extract key points or sections from the webinar that stand out.
- Create a Slide Deck: Use PowerPoint, Keynote, or Canva to create a visually appealing slide deck. Highlight the main takeaways with bold headers and supporting visuals.
- Short Video Clips: Use tools like Descript or Clipchamp to cut the webinar into short, topic-focused clips for social media or email marketing.
- Share and Embed: Publish the slides on platforms like LinkedIn or SlideShare and embed the clips into related blog posts or landing pages.
- Use for Lead Magnets: Offer the slide deck as a downloadable resource to capture emails or as a lead magnet for future webinars.
3. Podcast → Blog Summary or Quote Graphics
Podcasts are great for building authority, but not everyone has time to listen to a full episode. Transforming them into written content can expand your reach.
Steps to Repurpose:
- Transcribe the Episode: Use tools like Otter.ai or Descript to quickly transcribe your podcast.
- Highlight Key Quotes: Extract impactful quotes and turn them into shareable graphics using Canva or Adobe Express.
- Write a Blog Summary: Use the transcript as a base to create a blog post, adding your insights and links to related content.
- Add SEO Elements: Optimize the blog summary with relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and internal links.
- Cross-Promote: Share the quotes on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn to drive traffic back to the full episode or blog post.
4. Case Study → Instagram Carousel or Email Newsletter
Repurposing a detailed case study into a visual format can attract potential clients who prefer quick, impactful content.
Steps to Repurpose:
- Identify Key Takeaways: Focus on the problem, solution, and results to create a compelling narrative.
- Create Visual Slides: Use Canva or Adobe Spark to design an Instagram carousel that walks viewers through the case study.
- Write a Newsletter Version: Condense the case study into a few key paragraphs for an email blast. Include a strong CTA to learn more or book a consultation.
- Share on Social Media: Post the carousel on Instagram and LinkedIn, tagging the client (if possible) for social proof. Craft engaging captions or post descriptions that encourage users to interact with your content.
- Add to Your Website: Use the same content as a downloadable PDF or a landing page on your site for lead generation.
5. Listicle → Infographic
Turning a listicle into an infographic is one of the easiest ways to repurpose content, as the structure is already list-based.
Steps to Repurpose:
- Choose a High-Impact Listicle: Pick a popular blog post, like “10 Content Marketing Tips,” that has clear, actionable items.
- Design the Infographic: Use tools like Canva, Piktochart, or Venngage to visualize each point.
- Add Data and Visuals: Include stats, icons, and charts to make the infographic more informative.
- Optimize for SEO: Add a catchy title, meta description, and alt text to the image when uploading it to your site.
- Promote on Visual Platforms: Share the infographic on Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and consider submitting it to infographic directories for backlinks.
6. Live Q&A → FAQ Page or Blog Post
Live Q&A sessions are a goldmine for content ideas. They provide real-time insights into what your audience wants to know.
Steps to Repurpose:
- Transcribe the Session: Use tools like Descript or Otter.ai to capture the conversation.
- Create an FAQ Page: Group the questions and answers into a comprehensive FAQ page on your site.
- Write a Blog Post: Use the transcript to craft a blog post, adding context and additional resources where needed.
- Create Social Snippets: Pull out the best questions and answers for Instagram stories or LinkedIn posts.
- Repurpose for Email: Use the best insights as a weekly email series to keep your audience engaged.
Best Practices for Content Repurposing
Repurposing content maximizes its value while maintaining quality and relevance. Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
1. Don’t Just Copy-Paste
Avoid simply copying and pasting content into a new format. Instead, think about how you can present the same message in a way that suits the new platform. For example, a detailed blog post might become a short, engaging infographic or a series of social media posts.
2. Update Old Info
Before repurposing, make sure the original content is still accurate and relevant. Update statistics, case studies, or examples to reflect the latest trends and data, ensuring your content remains valuable to readers.
3. Maintain Quality
Just because you’re reusing content doesn’t mean you can skip quality checks. Each piece should be polished, error-free, and tailored to the platform you’re using, whether it’s a podcast script, a LinkedIn article, or a YouTube video.
4. Link Back to the Original
When you repurpose content, always link back to the original piece. This not only helps with SEO but also gives your audience a chance to explore the topic in more depth if they’re interested.
5. Plan with Purpose
Be strategic about which pieces of content you choose to repurpose. Focus on high-performing, evergreen content that can deliver long-term value. Also, consider how each piece fits into your overall marketing goals.
Tools That Make Content Repurposing Easier
Using the right tools can make the process of content repurposing faster, more efficient, and more impactful. Here’s a look at some popular options:
1. Canva
Canva is a versatile design tool that helps you turn long-form content into visually appealing assets like infographics, social media posts, presentation slides, and short videos. It’s perfect for creating engaging visuals from blog excerpts, case studies, or customer testimonials.
Design the infographic using an online tool like Venngage’s infographic maker to achieve a clear and logical layout, ensuring the information is easy to follow. You can also add your logo and branding elements to maintain brand consistency with the help of a reliable logo maker app for Android.
How It Helps:
- Create eye-catching graphics for social media.
- Design infographics from data-heavy blog posts.
- Customize templates for consistent branding.
2. Descript
Descript is an all-in-one audio and video editing tool that’s great for repurposing podcasts, webinars, and video interviews into shorter clips or text-based content. It also has AI tools for transcription, making it easy to turn spoken content into written summaries or blog posts.
How It Helps:
- Automatically transcribe your audio and video files.
- Edit videos by editing the transcript.
- Create short, shareable clips from longer recordings.
3. ChatGPT
ChatGPT can help you transform complex content into simpler, more digestible pieces. Use it to create outlines, rewrite sections for different platforms, or even generate scripts for YouTube videos or social media posts.
How It Helps:
- Generate fresh angles for existing content.
- Rewrite blog posts as LinkedIn articles or social posts.
- Create summaries, FAQs, or follow-up emails.
4. Trello / Notion
Both Trello and Notion are excellent for content planning and organization. Use them to keep track of repurposing ideas, plan content calendars, and collaborate with your team.
How It Helps:
- Organize and prioritize content repurposing tasks.
- Track project status and progress.
- Share ideas and notes with your team.
5. Hootsuite / Buffer
These social media management tools are essential for distributing your repurposed content across multiple platforms. Schedule posts, monitor engagement, and analyze performance to refine your strategy.
How It Helps:
- Schedule and automate social media posts.
- Monitor engagement and track performance.
- Manage multiple accounts from one dashboard.
6. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is invaluable for measuring the success of your repurposed content. It provides insights into traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates, helping you identify which pieces are worth repurposing further.
How It Helps:
- Track the performance of repurposed content.
- Identify high-traffic pages that are good candidates for repurposing.
- Measure the impact of your content strategy over time.
Conclusion
Content repurposing is just a time-saver and a way to extend the life of your best work. It helps you reach new audiences, reinforce your brand message, and boost your SEO without constantly creating new content from scratch.
However, successful repurposing requires careful planning and a clear understanding of your audience’s needs. Use the right tools, keep your quality high, and always aim to add fresh value with each repurposed piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Types Of Content Can Be Repurposed?
Almost any type of content can be repurposed, including blog posts, videos, podcasts, case studies, infographics, and social media updates. The key is to pick content that has lasting value and can be adapted for different platforms.
How Often Should You Repurpose Content?
It depends on your content strategy, but regularly updating and repurposing high-performing pieces can keep your audience engaged. Aim to refresh content at least once every 6-12 months.
What Is The Difference Between Repurposing And Reposting Content?
Repurposing involves adapting content for a new format or platform, like turning a blog post into a video. Reposting is simply sharing the same content again without significant changes.
Can Repurposing Content Improve Seo?
Yes, repurposing content can improve SEO by creating more opportunities for backlinks, increasing keyword coverage, and keeping your content fresh for search engines.
How Do I Know Which Content To Repurpose First?
Start with your most popular and evergreen content, as it’s more likely to have ongoing relevance and a proven track record with your audience.
Is Repurposing Content Time-Consuming?
It can be, but using the right tools and having a clear strategy can make the process quicker and more efficient.
Does Content Repurposing Work For All Industries?
Yes, content repurposing can be effective across industries, from tech and finance to lifestyle and education, as long as the content adds value.
Should I Always Link Back To The Original Content?
Yes, linking back to the original content helps with SEO and provides context for your audience, building authority and trust.
