Repurposing content is a great way to bring back old ideas and make them fresh and new. Appealing to your followers with — let’s call it “pre-loved”— content can be a boon in several ways. Why would you want to know how to repurpose content?
First and most obvious?
It gives you a break from creating original material. It can be overwhelming for any business to come up with completely fresh content, day-after-day, for the social media platforms they have a presence on. Reusing successful posts from the past ensures something tried-and-true will go up, even if inspiration is flagging. Longtime fans may recognize it from before, but it will be fresh and new for some.
An added benefit: it can reign in, and tighten your message. You may have veered away from what made you popular with your followers in the first place, and bringing back “evergreen” content is an opportunity to place renewed emphasis on things that initially drew people to your brand.
Naturally, it only makes sense to check your analytics to find what posts performed best, and make those your top priority. Beyond that, here are some top tips on how to repurpose content on any social platform, so that you get the absolute most out of every type of post:
1. How to Repurpose Content: Written Material
Blog
Have a favorite blog post you’d like to revive?
In your next blog, write something that relates to the previous one and link to it. If the blog was worthwhile, people won’t have a problem being led back to it and and seeing what it has to offer them now. You can repurpose a blog into video for Instagram, Stories, etc. by isolating segments of text and streaming it over stock footage, for example.
Another less-common but fun and effective way to re-use a blog involves turning the headers, text, and images into a Powerpoint slideshow: Copy and paste your blog into a blank Word document. Distill it into a few key ideas/best sentences and images, etc. and save. You can now import this doc using Powerpoint, and it will automatically convert the condensed blog into a slideshow.
You’ll want to do some editing, but you’ve essentially just created a 10-30 second video either summarizing or promoting your blog. Perfect for social media posts, but especially for Instagram Stories!
Facebook Business Post
A new blog can be repurposed into multiple Facebook Business Page posts. You can create a visually appealing post — perhaps with text in the image and a great CTA — and make a purposeful “pinned” post.
You can create alternative versions to keep your feed active easily for an extra couple of days or create evergreen versions of the post that you can use later. You can make different versions of the post to be used for Facebook Ads.
Of course, you can also apply above to personal Facebook posts or LinkedIn to build your personal brand as well as the actual proper brand page.
Pinterest Infographic
Similar to the Powerpoint approach outlined above… distill the blog into key points, text and media, and stretch it vertically into traditional Pinterest-post size dimensions.
IG Stories + IG Highlights
Some extra tidbits beyond what we’ve already mentioned: Instead of turning the Powerpoint method into a video, you can use the resultant slides as individual Instagram Stories, turning your whole Story into a slideshow instead of a single video.
If you make a habit of this and introduce some cute visual touches for branding consistency, it only makes sense to keep a special Blog section on your Instagram Highlights… perhaps even multiple. Don’t forget to give your Instagram Highlights cute custom covers!
Email Newsletter
Include a snippet of the blog as a treat for your readers. You can add a “Popular on Our Blog” section and include the best of your blog for the week or month (or however often you send newsletters).
Freebies or Lead Magnets
Instead of distilling a blog down into multiple bits of marketing collateral, here you’d conglomerate many blogs into a single, impactful entity. Take your best, most useful, most popular blogs and consolidate them into an ebook. Or, use them as a platform to create a webinar. If your blog is unique and valuable enough, you could even turn it into an online course and monetize it.
Podcast
Relevant if you host a podcast, or you’re often a guest on them. A high-level blog can be turned into a podcast on its own, with each new piece being worth an episode. One really good blog per month could end up providing enough material for a thirty-minute podcast or ten-minute interview, something to consider if you’re looking to increase credibility and authority in your field.
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Interview
Have you ever done an interview with someone for your channel or blog? If you’re wondering how to repurpose content from an interview, the perfect way to do it is to bring up a subject you discussed in the interview in a new post.
This gives you the chance to say, “If you want to learn more about this topic, I did an interview with [insert interviewee’s name here] where we talked about it.” And, of course, link to that interview.
2. How to Repurpose Content: Visual
Photos and Graphics
If you have a high-quality photo, infographic, or other visual media that was well-received by your audience, don’t let it fade from memory. Consider making it a logo, add it to another post in the background, or simply repost it as appropriate for a fun little reminder of what people liked most from you.
Video Footage
Videos can be expanded upon to make long-form footage for YouTube, or shortened and edited for Instagram Stories (and more). Play with speed, aspect ratio, and other changeable elements, which will make the material feel updated and exciting.
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General Thoughts About How to Repurpose Content
Maximizing views on your social media posts is a never-ending quest for success. Repurposing content can give you an excellent boost of energy when you need to recapture some past glory with minimal effort.
Done creatively, it will please old fans while drawing new followers closer into the fold.
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