Content Repurposing 101: How To Get Maximum Value From A Single Piece Of Content
Content Repurposing 101: How To Get Maximum Value From A Single Piece Of Content
What’s your favorite chocolate bar or candy? I like M&Ms. Maybe I feel connected to them because of the initials of my name, but it’s a go-to chocolate candy for me.
Chances are, if your favorite candy has been around long enough, it’s been presented to you in multiple ways:
Mini M&Ms
Caramel, Crispy, Mint, and so on.
M&M Chocolate Bars
Limited Edition packs
At its core is the original candy. But it’s been repurposed in multiple ways to appeal to people who consume things differently.
Content Repurposing, an important part of Content Marketing, works similarly. It’s taking a core piece of content and chopping it down or changing it up to meet the needs of a specific consumer.
Content Distribution vs. Content Repurposing
We recently covered ‘What is Content Distribution,’ so it’s important to make the distinction between distribution and repurposing.
Content Distribution takes your long-form piece of content and shares it on multiple similar platforms. It’s simply copying the same content or link elsewhere (for example, from your blog to Medium).
Repurposing requires you to take part or all of the content and change the format entirely to suit the platform you want to use. And since multiple social media platforms and formats are available, you can do this multiple times in multiple ways.
If you’re into entrepreneurship, you’ve probably come across Alex Hormozi. He’s gone from a relatively unknown to someone with over 4 million followers over multiple platforms.
But Gary Vee walked before Alex Hormozi could run.
Gary Vee is the master of repurposing content. Every conference or podcast gets cut up into hundreds of pieces of content monthly to share over almost all social media and search platforms.
In fact, he has a fantastic article and presentation on “How To Make 64 Pieces Of Content In One Day”
Repurposing content is one of the best weapons you have in your Content Marketing arsenal.
Content Repurposing Benefits
This article, too, is to help Content Markets repurpose their content so they can increase views and engagement, gather more leads, and maximize their content’s potential.
There are some additional advantages, including:
An Efficient Use of Resources
It allows you to maximize the value of your existing content, saving time and resources compared to creating entirely new content from scratch. You can save some of your creative brainpower for other parts of your Marketing or business.
Wider Audience Reach
Repurposing enables you to reach different audience segments by adapting content for various platforms and preferences. You may not want to be in front of the camera, but you’re missing out on a valuable audience. By repurposing content, you get a wider reach with less effort.
It Boosts SEO
Search engines favor fresh content, and repurposing can help you update and refresh older content, potentially improving search rankings. You can also create multiple pieces of adjacent content to boost your website or YouTube rankings.
It Reinforces Key Messages
Repetition is often necessary for effective communication. Repurposing helps reinforce key messages or information.
It Expands Your Content Library
Over time, repurposing builds a diverse content library that caters to different learning styles and consumption habits. You can also refresh or repost old content because you have a vast library to work with.
The Challenge with Content Repurposing
The one gripe I have with Gary Vee’s article and Content Repurposing in general is that it’s easy, and you can do it in short order.
I couldn’t disagree more.
Repurposing your content takes time, especially if you’re new to the process. You get better over time, but it can be time-consuming and sometimes requires an expert to help get it done.
Additionally:
There’s A Risk of Quality Concerns
Repurposing the wrong part of your content, using tools that miss the mark, or rushing the process reduces your content’s quality. You can lose engagement and followers as a result.
You May Have Platform Suitability Issues
Not all content is suitable for all platforms. Adapting content to fit a specific platform’s requirements can be challenging.
There’s a Risk of Keyword Cannibalization:
Repurposing content without considering keyword optimization can lead to keyword cannibalization issues, affecting SEO.
There’s Diminished Novelty
If you rely solely on repurposed content, your audience may perceive a lack of fresh, innovative ideas.
Now, let’s break down how you can repurpose your content
Creating 50+ Pieces of Content Through Repurposing
We’re going to start off with a long-form piece of content. A long-form piece of content could be:
A blog or article that’s at least 2,000 words long
A YouTube video that’s at least 30 minutes long
A podcast that’s at least 30–60 minutes long
A recorded webinar, conference, or training
An e-book, whitepaper, case study, or other long-form piece of content
Now, it’s time to repurpose that content. We’re going to use a blog post as an example. Where possible, some of these tools or options are backward compatible.
Blog Post to YouTube Video — 1 piece of content
Take your blog post and convert it into a video. You can use the blog post as a script and do a talking head video with your phone or a vlogging camera.
With some editing, you can upload it to your YouTube channel.
That’s too much work? Now, you can use AI tools to create a video in a few minutes.
Common examples include Pictory and Steve.ai, which can convert a blog link or a Google Doc into a long-form video.
Here’s how you can use Pictory to convert a blog into a video.
Cut the Video for Instagram Reels and TikTok — 10–20 Pieces of Content
Now you have your video, you want to share it on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Linkedin, where short-form video creates significant traction.
Canva is a great tool to cut your video into short, punchy clips. Or you can do it on the Instagram app.
However, Pictory or another AI tool called Opus Clip can create multiple clips from one video. It also adds captions, which are popular on Instagram Reels, and rates the video clips based on virality.
You can get about 10 clips, depending on the length of your initial video. Take the same clips and post them on TikTok for maximum reach.
These can also be shared on YouTube Stories, Snapchat, Lemon8, and Facebook Stories.
Blog Post to Podcast — 1 piece of content
You can use an online video-to-mp3 converter to create an audio file, which you can clean up in Audacity, a free audio editing tool. Record an intro, combine it, and place it on your podcast platform of choice.
If that’s a drag, you can also use Eleven Labs, Woord, or other text-to-speech apps on the market.
If you’re starting with a podcast, you can use AI apps to convert it to a blog post. Or simply paste the transcript into ChatGPT to help you craft a blog.
Blog Post to Multiple Tweets — 5–10 pieces of content
Turn each key paragraph into a summarized tweet. Copy your blog into ChatGPT and ask it to take the vital points under each subheading to create a tweet. After you edit them, open up Twitter, paste, and schedule each tweet to get 5–10 pieces of repurposed content.
Tweets to Instagram — 5–10 pieces of content
Pictures of tweets or tweet threads work really well on Instagram.
Take a print screen of each tweet created by ChatGPT, then post them as static images or Instagram Reels with trending audio. That gives you 5–10 more pieces of content.
You can hit up ChatGPT again to create captions for each of your Instagram posts.
Blog Post to Tweet Thread — 1–2 pieces of content
Tweet threads have helped many Twitter bros grow their following, and for good reason. Longer tweets signify a chain of thoughts that resonate with the reader. To create them from your blog:
Review your blog post and identify key points or subtopics that can be broken down into concise tweets.
Craft engaging and informative tweets, ensuring they flow logically when read together.
Use a thread management tool like Hypefury or regularly schedule tweets to maintain engagement.
ChatGPT can also help you with Tweet Threads. Paste some tweets you admire into the chat to adopt that style.
I also found this AI called BlogTweet. As the name implies, it turns your blog post into multiple tweets for a thread. I tried it and was not impressed by the initial output, so you may have to try multiple times. I’d stick to doing them myself or getting help from ChatGPT.
Blog Post to Linkedin and Facebook Posts — 5 pieces of content
LinkedIn posts can be longer than a Tweet, accepting between 500 and 600 words. This allows you to create smaller versions of your blog post to engage a community that’s filled with potential customers and decision-makers.
You can elaborate on sections of your blog and use them for individual posts or articles inside of LinkedIn’s CMS. ChatGPT can also help here if you want to get these posted quickly. Include a Call To Action (CTA) to view the longer form of your content or to see your products/services.
Additionally, you can share these from your Facebook business page or within your respective Facebook groups.
Creating Carousels — 1 piece of content
Carousels are multiple pictures that you can tell a story, give a tip, or teach a technique in just a few swipes. They are popular on Instagram, LinkedIn, and now TikTok.
This could be as simple as a group of Twitter screenshots or a fully fleshed-out design on Canva.
Start by selecting a specific topic or theme from your content. Create visually appealing slides for each point using images, text, and graphics.
Arrange them in a carousel format for platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn. Reuse this same template every week to save time and stay on brand.
Blog Post to Infographic on Linkedin and Pinterest — 1 piece of content
Infographics are a great way to visually portray the main points in your long-form content. They’re also shareable, especially on platforms like LinkedIn.
First, summarize the main points of your blog post into a series of visually engaging sections. Then, use infographic design tools (Canva, for example), to create an aesthetically pleasing infographic. You can also look for templates on marketplaces like Etsy. Share your infographic weekly on Linkedin and Facebook.
Finally, optimize the infographic for Pinterest by adding a catchy title, description, and relevant keywords with a link to your long-form content.
Blog Post to Newsletter — 2 pieces of content
Newsletters are an excellent way to keep communicating with your customers.
They form part of your ‘owned’ channel, as you never know what can happen with your social media accounts.
All businesses should have email marketing or a newsletter.
You can reshare the entire blog post or split it into 2 pieces to distribute as newsletter content at the beginning and end of the week, respectively.
Blog Post(s) to Ebook — 1 piece of content
I mentioned an ebook as a piece of long-form content you can start repurposing. However, if you don’t have an ebook yet, you can repurpose your content to create one.
Take 4–5 blogs and compile them into a Google Doc. You can use Canva to help you design a book cover, as they have several editable templates. Put everything together and convert it to a PDF.
You can use the document as a lead magnet to land more email subscribers or as an add-on to your products/services.
You can get over 50 pieces of content from one long-form article, video, or podcast. We used a blog post as an example, but you can convert a video or podcast to a blog with relative ease and then continue on with the options I’ve outlined here.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Not using a Social Media Management tool: Who wants to jump between multiple social media profiles daily to distribute all these pieces of content? If Content Repurposing at scale is going to be part of your strategy, you need a social media management tool that connects all of your accounts in one place. You can then share your content without getting distracted on the platforms or wasting time switching apps on your phone or computer. Popular options include Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, Social Pilot, and CoSchedule.
Thinking you have to do it all: Can you create these 50+ pieces of content? Absolutely. Should you do it? Probably not. It’s time-consuming and can be overwhelming. Moreover, if you have higher value actions you should be doing, like prospecting, managing, or business growth, this may not be the best use of your time. These options are available to you to mix and match, looking for the signal amongst the noise. Focus on 2 or 3 platforms. Then, if you can afford it, outsource your Content Repurposing to a VA or agency.
Ignoring audience preferences: Over time, you’ll get feedback from your social media analytics, website traffic, and email opens. You’ll see what works and what doesn’t. While it looks cool to keep repurposing and distributing content, you’re wasting time and money if something does not resonate with your audience or the numbers say that it sucks. Don’t be afraid to focus on the types of content that your audience loves the most. Give the people what they want.
Lacking a clear Call To Action (CTA) in your content: I’ve consumed your content. What do you want me to do next? Don’t forget to redirect people to your main piece of content or another piece of content in your funnel.
Out of One, Many
Mastering the art of content repurposing is a game-changer in the world of content marketing. It’s not just about recycling old content; it’s about breathing new life into your valuable long-form content. You can transform a single piece of content into a multifaceted powerhouse that reaches new audiences, reinforces your brand’s message, and gets you more sales.
Remember, the essence of content repurposing lies in keeping it simple and doing more of what works. Use AI tools, print screens, and ChatGPT. Develop a simple process that anyone could follow.
Then, embrace the power of analytics to fine-tune your efforts continually, ensuring that each repurposed piece serves its unique purpose.
So, whether you’re turning a blog post into a tweet thread, a podcast into an infographic, or a webinar into a series of articles, content repurposing is your secret weapon for extending your content’s lifespan and maximizing its impact. Modern content marketers should use a sustainable, efficient, and strategic approach to get the best out of their efforts.
