With to-do lists as long as our arms (and sometimes legs, too!) and never enough hours in the day, it can sometimes be challenging to keep on top of things as a marketer. You have so many hats to wear that sometimes coming up with fresh content falls to the bottom of the pile.
However, we’ve got some good news for you. We’re going to make your job easier by letting you know that you can make your content work harder for you by repurposing it.
In this article, we’ll look at the different ways that you can repurpose your high-quality content, the benefits of doing so, and how to think about repurposing as you go forward.
Read on for the ultimate guide to repurposing your content.
What is content repurposing?
Content repurposing is using your existing content and presenting it in a different way for another channel or audience. For example, a travel company may have a blog post called “10 things to do in Cornwall” and create a short-form video based on this for use on Instagram or TikTok.
Think of it as a kind of recycling.
What are the benefits of repurposing content?
Once you start thinking about repurposing content, it soon becomes a no-brainer. There are so many benefits to including repurposing as one of your marketing strategies:
It helps your content reach a wider audience
Question: where is your audience? Answer: all over the place! With so many channels available to us and all of them targeting a slightly different sector of our audience, there are lots of places where your customers and potential customers can come across your messages.
Changing the format of your content to fit different channels helps to expand your reach. You can potentially reach new audiences too.
Maximises time and creativity
When you’ve spent hours carefully crafting a new piece of content, it’s a shame to just publish it and forget about it. According to research it takes between one and two hours to write a 500 word blog post (source: Hubspot).
When you increase the word count and add the time it takes for content planning and editing, then this soon adds up.
Re-imagining content in different formats means that you’re not spending time on coming up with new ideas and that you make the most of the fantastic content you’ve already created.
Increases your online presence
Having content in various formats across marketing channels increases the chances of your potential audience seeing it and, in turn, improves your brand awareness. It also positions you as a thought leader or expert in your field.
How to choose which content to repurpose
Now that you know that you want to repurpose your content, how do you know which content to start with?
Start with evergreen content
Your evergreen content (content which retains relevancy and stays engaging to readers over a long period of time) is a great place to start, and this ticks off two jobs, as you can update this as you go.
Check your most-visited pages
If you have already identified that some of your blog posts are getting lots of traffic, then it’s likely that they will also resonate elsewhere. Check Google Analytics 4 under “Pages & Screens” to see which pages have the highest views.
Add repurposing content to your workflow
Going forward, you should add repurposing content into your workflow. Every time you create a new piece of content, have a think about where else this would work. Creating a checklist of all your marketing channels will help with this.
3 things to consider when repurposing content
While it is much quicker and easier to repurpose content you already have than to create something entirely new, there is still some work involved (we’re not letting you off the hook that easily!).
Here is a checklist of points to consider when you’re repurposing content:
1. Is the information still relevant?
Check that the information featured is still factual and accurate. For example, if the content mentions an event, check that the date is still valid.
2. What extra content will you need?
Do you need additional video clips or photos, or do you have some already that you could use?
3. Where will this piece of content work most effectively?
Can your Instagram post be easily turned into a blog post and vice versa, or is it very specific to that channel? Not all pieces of content can be easily repurposed.
4 ideas for repurposing blog content
If you’ve been working on your company website for a while, then chances are you’ve got a fairly comprehensive blog with lots of content that is ripe for repurposing.
Here are some ideas for where to repurpose these blog posts:
1. Create a short-form video
‘Top 5’ or ‘Top 10’ posts make for excellent short-form video content that can easily be shared or saved. Create Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or TikToks from these types of blogs. Remember to keep them short and snappy with an engaging intro.
This can work the other way around, too – have a well-performing short-form video? Why not turn it into a blog post?
2. Use extracted quotes
If you’ve got a blog post featuring a quote from an industry expert, pull this out to use elsewhere. Create a graphic for use on Instagram, or post the quote as it is on Twitter, Threads, or Linked In.
Don’t forget to tag the owner so they can share it too!
3. Create a podcast episode
Certain blog posts lend themselves well to podcast episodes, especially if they are opinion pieces. Use the blog post as a loose script and invite guests to chat about it too.
You could also film the podcast while it’s being recorded and share clips on your social media channels.
Side note: if you haven’t considered starting a podcast yet, then it might be something to think about. It’s estimated that by 2026 there will be over 28 million podcast listeners in the UK alone (source: Statista).
4. Repurposing User Generated Content (UGC)
It’s not just your own content that you can get to work repurposing. Content that mentions your brand that others have produced can work just as well.
Why not round up a collection of images with the same theme to share on your social channels? For example, a beauty salon might share a collection of customers’ Christmas nail pictures.
Or you could use customer reviews or quotes to create a new blog post for your website.
Don’t forget to credit the original owner with a citation or link in your blog post or a tag on social media.
