My mother taught me a neat trick after I went to school: Take the leftover veggies from dinner, chop some positive onion, add some sizzling sauce, and use it as your sandwich unfold.
I used the hack on a regular basis — typically for breakfast on busy mornings and different instances for snacking in late evenings. I used to be at all times shocked at how totally different but acquainted the sandwich tasted.
That’s what content material repurposing is, in a nutshell: You’re taking yesterday’s present content material and use it to whip up new content material for at present. Identical to my sandwich did for me, it’ll prevent hours you’d’ve spent creating one thing new from scratch.
And the advantages of repurposing content material exceed above and past time-saving. Within the digital advertising and marketing world, content material repurposing:
- Helps you develop your content material’s attain (since you share it a number of instances in a couple of format to new audiences)
- Allows you to create extra content material with out burning out (since you don’t have to make use of brainpower to think about a brand new thought)
- Boosts your website positioning efforts (pleasant for serps since you’re creating a number of content material items focusing on related key phrases)
However what most of us battle with is working towards repurposing content material often. It doesn’t grow to be part of workflows so simply, and it’s typically tougher than it seems.
On this article, I’ll first reply a number of the commonest questions associated to content material repurposing that can assist you make it a non-negotiable a part of your working course of. Then, I’ll share numerous methods of repackaging numerous kinds of content material — from long-form articles to short-form movies. Let’s go! 👇
5 FAQs about content material repurposing answered
1: How is repurposing content material totally different from cross-posting and reposting content material?
The commonality? All three (cross-posting, reposting, repurposing) are methods to reuse your present content material.
Cross-posting is once you share a chunk of content material as-is on one other social media platform. For instance, you possibly can submit your TikTok video as an Instagram Reel and a YouTube Shorts video with out altering something since they’re related content material varieties. Creator Laura Whaley does this often together with her TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Reposting content material is once you republish a chunk of content material on the identical platform. For instance, you repost a writeup on X (previously Twitter) that beforehand bought a ton of engagement and constructive response out of your viewers. For instance, Katelyn Bourgoin posted a timeless recommendation on X in 2020 and repeated it in 2021, additionally on X.
Repurposing content material is protecting the crux of a chunk’s thought and adapting it for different social media channels. For instance, you distill high-performing previous weblog posts into Instagram carousel posts.
At Buffer, we often repurpose content material — and one among our core methods is popping our blogs into social media posts. For instance, we turned this weblog submit on creating content material pillars into an Instagram carousel (and even a thread on X!).
The distinction is minute however essential:
- Cross-posting is posting the identical piece of content material on numerous platforms
- Reposting is posting the identical piece of content material once more on the identical platform
- Repurposing is repackaging a chunk of content material into totally different content material varieties
In your social media advertising and marketing technique, you want all three.
Why? Cross-posting saves time, reposting helps you double down in your success, and repurposing content material helps you with content material distribution.
Right here’s how you need to strategy the three strategies:
- Cross-post content material throughout social media channels wherever you possibly can
- Monitor the posts getting essentially the most attain and schedule them to be reposted after a sure time interval
- Bake repurposing into your content material creation workflow and submit the identical piece of content material in numerous codecs and channels
2: When ought to you consider repurposing content material?
It relies upon.
Do you have already got a ton of content material backlog?
Then, you need to begin interested by content material repurposing instantly. Repackage these previous items (start with the favored posts) to get extra worth out of them.
⚠️ Be aware: Solely repurpose the posts that are at present related. If a chunk of content material is outdated, refresh it with up-to-date info earlier than repurposing it.
Are you new to content material creation (for social media or basically)?
Then, attempt to embed content material repurposing into your workflow. For example, you might make it a job to show each YouTube video you create into short-form movies for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok. This fashion, you get forward of the sport and don’t wait until you don’t get sufficient natural engagement to consider content material repurposing.
⚠️ Be aware: Repurposing content material doesn’t imply it’s a must to be energetic on each channel doable. In case your technique at present contains solely YouTube & TikTok, concentrate on repurposing just for these channels. You don’t want to consider Instagram simply because it’s accessible. It’s higher to ace two to 3 channels reasonably than do a mediocre job of managing 5 platforms concurrently.
Are you breaking into a brand new channel or platform?
Then, begin content material repurposing straight away. Most channels and platforms offers you a bonus when you submit extra ceaselessly. To publish at the next cadence, take the content material you have already got on different channels and repurpose it for the brand new platform.
For instance, when you’re attempting to develop on Instagram Threads, you possibly can simply repurpose (and even cross-post!) content material you posted on X since each platforms enable for the same sort of content material.
Learn extra: 8 Social Media Content material Concepts to Incorporate into Your Technique
⚠️ Be aware: If you’re hitting the bottom working with a brand new channel or platform, sprinkle repurposed posts together with native content material. If all of your posts on the brand new channel are repackaged from some place else, they’ll come throughout as repetitive to your viewers.
2a: Must you repurpose solely previous content material?
If in case you have an up-to-date content material backlog, don’t restrict your self by repurposing solely previous content material. Make content material repurposing part of your workflow for brand spanking new posts too.
This fashion, previous posts will proceed getting repurposed, and you’ll not accumulate more moderen posts in your “must be repurposed” pile. Sprinkle the previous repurposed and the brand new repurposed strategically throughout your content material calendar.
2b: Must you repurpose solely evergreen content material?
Sure and no.
You’ll be able to’t repurpose time-sensitive previous items.
For instance, when you’re launching a brand new product line, repurpose it throughout all platforms as quickly as doable. It is information that’ll get previous quick. If it’s already been greater than a month for the reason that launch, you possibly can’t repurpose a “new” launch submit.
(For this reason we’re advocates of embedding repurposing with content material creation itself. It ensures no piece goes stale with out getting repurposed.)
You’ll be able to repurpose irrelevant previous content material after refreshing it.
For instance, when you’re attempting to repurpose a submit on a work-related matter pre-pandemic, it’s essential first replace it with the information and happenings of the post-pandemic world. As soon as refreshed, you possibly can repurpose it (even when it isn’t “evergreen”) — as a result of it’ll be related to your audiences at present.
3: How do you prioritize which content material you need to repurpose?
In a super world, we’d repurpose our previous and new posts concurrently at scale — with out burning out. Both we’d have the psychological capability and time, or we’d have the group to perform one thing of this scale.
However in actuality, it’s difficult to find out what needs to be your main focus. Must you consider repurposing your previous content material backlog quick? Or do you have to put the highlight on repurposing newly printed content material first?
There’s nobody right reply. What you need to prioritize depends upon your targets with content material repurposing.
For instance, in case your purpose with content material repurposing is to pump new life into items which are shedding visitors, your precedence needs to be repurposing your previous posts. However when you intention to construct model consciousness and develop your attain, your focus needs to be repurposing posts that went dwell extra just lately.
4: How do you make content material repurposing a seamless a part of your workflow?
The best approach to bake content material repurposing in your present workflow is to consider it on the content material creation step itself — like Chima Mmeje, Senior Content material Advertising Supervisor at Moz:
“I begin interested by repurposing alternatives from the second I am reviewing a content material temporary. It is a strategic a part of content material creation, with a watch on lifecycle and future engagement. I think about the specified metrics and goal audiences, understanding the place they spend their time on-line to tell our repurposing technique. For example, our current submit on AI for website positioning serves as a stellar instance of digital asset spin-offs; it has been repurposed into an enticing OG picture, capitalizing on X’s (previously Twitter) new hyperlink preview format to make a stronger visible impression.”
Let’s say you run an energetic long-form weblog and an Instagram account. If you’re crafting weblog content material, maintain your Instagram channel high of thoughts:
- How are you going to construction your article so it’s simple to learn in your web site and as an Instagram Carousel submit?
- What’s the info in your weblog that may make for an enticing Instagram Reel?
- What info out of your weblog can you utilize to create an interactive Instagram Story?
- Are you able to flip your weblog right into a slideshare presentation for an Instagram Reside broadcast?
- Which graphics out of your article will make for a wonderful in-feed submit?
You’ll be able to maintain a purpose to create a minimum of 5 mini posts out of each lengthy submit — whether or not video or written. Maintaining repurposing on the middle of content material creation ensures you don’t should spend many hours repackaging posts to be pleasant for one more channel or platform.
On the finish, scan your contemporary submit once more. Problem your self to search out much more methods to repurpose it for different social or content material advertising and marketing channels you utilize.
5: Must you repurpose your content material for each channel?
No.
Repurpose your newly-created or previous content material just for the channels you’re already energetic on or the channels you’re attempting to construct a group on. Content material repurposing is a low-lift manner of boosting your on-line presence. However that doesn’t translate to being energetic and current in every single place.
Justin Simon, Content material Distribution Marketing consultant for B2B SaaS and Creator of Content material Repurposing Roadmap, agrees:
“The 2 largest errors are assuming it’s essential repurpose content material into dozens of codecs after which share it on each platform doable. Each of those errors will maintain you again. One of the best factor you are able to do is create a repurposing plan that you’ll stick with. Even when which means creating solely two kinds of content material and distributing on just a few key channels. Executing fewer issues persistently will drive far more progress than when you attempt to do all of the issues directly and get burned out.”
Don’t grow to be energetic on totally different platforms simply because you possibly can repurpose content material for them. Assume:
- Is your target market even current on the brand new channel?
- Do your prospects like to listen to from you on this platform?
- Do you and your group have the bandwidth to create a mixture of native and repurposed posts for this new channel?
Solely introduce a brand new platform into the combo when it may give you adequate return on funding and when you might have the capability to develop your viewers on one other channel.
With these doubts cleared, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of what repurposing seems like in motion.
5 methods to repurpose long-form written content material
Lengthy-form written content material contains weblog content material, ebooks, analysis reviews, whitepapers, and case research. These are nice for repurposing as a result of they’ve a ton of insights you can repackage into numerous codecs.
1: Convert your ebooks & analysis reviews into blogs
The primary one is the best: Repurpose your present long-form content material to a different long-form content material. For instance, you possibly can flip the assorted chapters of your e book into blogs of their very own. Or you might repurpose snippets out of your analysis report right into a weblog.
The corporate Influencer Advertising Hub does this often. They’ve a “State of Influencer Advertising” Report launched yearly. They repurpose this report into an article of its personal — sharing solely the important thing statistics from the entire report.
2: Convert snippets out of your long-form content material into X & LinkedIn posts, newsletters, and group responses
Lengthy-form written content material has a ton of data. From each bit, you possibly can create a number of posts for X (previously Twitter) and LinkedIn — as a result of each social media platforms are text-friendly.
We do that often at Buffer by making a submit on LinkedIn and X for each long-form weblog we publish. For instance, we just lately talked about pivoting your private model in an article and revamped that submit for LinkedIn.
💡 Discover how we additionally tailored the submit to suit the platform? The language was snappy, and the construction was extra skim-friendly on LinkedIn. Bear in mind, repurposing isn’t cross-posting! Make modifications to suit the platform.
Equally, you possibly can share snippets out of your long-form content material in your publication, Fb Teams, Reddit, or Quora. For example, SparkToro often shares snippets of their articles (like this one about high-quality content material) of their publication.
⚡ Professional-tip: When sharing scraps out of your long-form written content material, at all times encourage folks to learn the entire piece with a call-to-action. This ensures you really enhance the visitors of your unique piece.
3: Convert snippets out of your long-form content material into Instagram and Pinterest infographics
Creating visible property from written content material isn’t as simple as repurposing it into one other text-friendly format. Nonetheless, it’s worthwhile if in case you have a presence on a visible social media channel like Instagram or Pinterest.
For example, we just lately transformed our weblog submit about AI prompts into an Instagram Carousel submit for Instagram.
4: Convert your long-form content material’s insights right into a YouTube video or an Instagram Reside broadcast
You’ll be able to current your long-form content material as a video on YouTube and Instagram, too. For instance, HypeAuditor collaborated with an influencer advertising and marketing skilled — Gordon Glenister — for a YouTube dwell webinar on their 2023 State of Influencer Advertising report.
One of the best half? Out of your long-form video, you possibly can create numerous short-form movies for different social media channels — additional extending the attain of your unique long-form written piece.
5: Convert snappy takeaways out of your long-form content material into Instagram Reels or TikTok movies
You’ll be able to convert the takeaways out of your long-form piece into an Instagram Reel or a TikTok video, too. Not each written piece could be distilled into a brief 15 to 60 second clip, but when it has clear takeaways — and also you’re energetic on Instagram or TikTok — give it a shot and see how your viewers likes it.
We do that ourselves at Buffer by sharing Instagram Reels about our blogs. For example, we narrated the crucial insights from our private branding framework right into a Reel.
⚡ Professional-tip: You can even use static pictures from inside your long-form content material with a voiceover within the background to make repurposing content material extra environment friendly.
5 methods to repurpose long-form video content material
Lengthy-form video content material isn’t restricted to your YouTube channel. It additionally contains any webinar, tutorial, video podcast episodes, or dwell broadcasts you do. Since these movies are lengthy and jam-packed with helpful intel, you possibly can repurpose them into numerous codecs simply.
1: Convert your lengthy movies into short-form movies
The best approach to get extra out of your long-form movies is to transform them into numerous short-form movies. YouTube has YouTube Shorts, Instagram has Reels, and TikTok has movies. Lower your lengthy video into numerous attention-grabbing snippets and share it throughout totally different platforms for an added engagement enhance.
Creator Cleo Abrams does this often. Have a look at how she created an Instagram Reel from her YouTube video and inspired her followers to look at the entire thing.
And don’t assume you possibly can’t do that when you aren’t energetic on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. LinkedIn and X additionally love video content material. Modash, for instance, often cuts its video podcasts into posts for LinkedIn.
No matter platform you’re on, edit each long-form video into numerous short-form video snippets.
2: Convert snippets out of your video into written insights for blogs, newsletters, and social media
You need to use insights out of your long-form video as insights for social media posts, blogs, and newsletters.
For instance, Justin Simon needed to advertise the most recent podcast he was on. However he didn’t simply sort a promotional submit about, “this was a blast. watch this!” and name it a day. He took it a step additional and repurposed an perception he shared on the video podcast with textual content and a video snippet on LinkedIn. The submit stands alone by itself, too — which is the magic of content material repurposing. He left a remark as a name to motion to look at the entire podcast.
3: Convert your video right into a weblog
Identical to you possibly can convert your long-form content material right into a long-form video, you possibly can convert your movies right into a weblog.
For instance, Ahrefs’ YouTube channel printed a video about ChatGPT for website positioning in February 2023. Later in Might, they printed an article on the identical matter and embedded the video inside it.
This not solely boosts your content material’s attain by publishing it in numerous content material codecs throughout a number of channels — but additionally permits you to present your viewers with their most well-liked mode of consuming your content material.
4: Convert your lengthy video into an audio podcast
If in case you have a video that’d additionally match as an audio podcast, you possibly can repurpose it by releasing audio-only variations on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and extra.
For instance, Tommy Walker used to host dwell modifying classes with content material advertising and marketing specialists on his YouTube channel. As soon as he realized the demand for audio-only podcasts, he transformed these movies into that format.
Suppose you might have a long-form video like a webinar, tutorial, or interview that works with out your viewers seeing something on their display screen. In that case, you possibly can convert it into an audio format.
5: Convert pictures from the video into shareable pictures for social media
This repurposing technique received’t work for each video, however it can work for movies the place you utilize a variety of static pictures. Take YNAB — they redesigned their product with new colours and needed to make a journey down reminiscence lane with their viewers.
They shared a YouTube video in regards to the change — highlighting the assorted designs they’ve had up to now. Then, they repurposed the video into an Instagram Carousel submit containing the identical pictures used within the video.
In case your movies additionally include a presentation or static pictures, use these as visible property to submit on different social media channels. You repurpose your unique submit and market it, too — win-win.
Learn extra: What to Put up on Instagram: 19 Examples from Small Companies That You Can Make Your Personal
3 methods to repurpose social media content material
Social media content material contains all the pieces from a LinkedIn submit to a TikTok video.
1: Convert threads and long-form posts on X right into a LinkedIn submit (or vice-versa)
X (previously Twitter) and LinkedIn are sister social media platforms. Everytime you write a LinkedIn submit or a long-form submit on X, repurpose it for the opposite channel.
Many individuals cross-post throughout these two platforms, however I’d advise shifting the phrasing, hook, and content material to fulfill the various wants of each channels. For example, X wants a stronger opening sentence than LinkedIn, whereas LinkedIn wants extra construction than a thread on X.
Chima Mmeje nails this. Have a look at how she repurposed her LinkedIn submit about AI right into a thread on X (previously Twitter) by barely tweaking the hook and the construction.
2: Convert your threads on X into an Instagram Carousel (or vice-versa)
Should you can jazz up your threads on X a bit into cool graphics, you’ve bought your self an Instagram carousel (or in-feed) submit.
It’s tremendous simple to do with Buffer’s Remix app. All it’s a must to do is enter the hyperlink of your thread or submit on X, choose the dimensions & fashion you need, customise it along with your model colours — and also you’re performed! We use the Remix app on a regular basis to share our posts on X as in-feed Instagram posts.
Take into account our submit on Sunday scaries. We initially printed it on X, used the Remix app, and shared it on our Instagram account, too.
3: Convert Instagram Reels & TikTok movies on the identical matter right into a long-form video
You possible publish numerous kinds of posts across the subtopics inside your social media area of interest. Should you’re energetic on Reels, Shorts, or TikTok, you possibly can mix short-form movies across the similar area of interest matter and convert them into long-form YouTube movies.
Leisure channels do that typically. Take The Graham Norton Present — it mixed numerous clips from the interviews with Emily Blunt to create a brand new (repurposed) video.
3 methods to repurpose publication content material
Most subscribers count on your e-mail publication content material to be unique to their inbox. I’d suggest repurposing and sharing your publication content material in bits and items after the unique situation has already been despatched to your viewers.
1: Convert snippets from newsletters into posts for X and LinkedIn
Take your publication’s most gripping hooks and insights and switch them into social media posts for X and LinkedIn. Each are text-heavy platforms, similar to your publication — so repurposing shall be fast and environment friendly.
John Bonini does this typically together with his publication, Some Good Content material. He printed a publication about essentially the most defensible content material technique, which he later repurposed right into a LinkedIn submit.
Many small companies comply with this repurposing technique as a result of it’s simple to implement and fast to spice up engagement. The one factor crucial to recollect is to regulate the content material into a brand new format that matches the platform.
2: Convert insights out of your publication into shareable pictures for Instagram and Pinterest
Repurposing publication content material doesn’t have to remain restricted to text-related social media platforms. What when you might flip them into shareable graphics?
Splainer does this as part of its digital advertising and marketing technique. They publish a each day publication in regards to the world’s information and switch it into graphics for his or her Instagram account. For example, they just lately had a publication situation mentioning Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, which Splainer repurposed into an Instagram Carousel submit.
Should you selected this route, transcend posting screenshots of your publication. Add some life into the pictures by way of colours and graphics (like Splainer did).
3: Convert sections out of your publication into short-form movies for Instagram Reels, TikTok movies, and YouTube Shorts
In case your newsletters are structured in the identical format each time, you can too experiment with repurposing them into short-form movies.
For instance, The Know publishes a each day publication sharing solely excellent news with their subscribers. They repurpose this content material each day right into a short-form video for Instagram Reels by studying the information in a listicle format. See how they just lately repackaged a section of their each day information into an Instagram Reel.
It’s not as in-depth, but it surely does a terrific job of maintaining their Instagram attain and selling their publication.
Be eco-friendly along with your content material
Repurposing is all about content material recycling. You don’t burn your self out by always attempting to provide you with new concepts, and you get the utmost out of every piece of content material you determine to publish. It’s a win-win situation.
Goal to repurpose a minimum of 5 social media posts from each long-form piece of content material. And also you don’t should “keep in mind” to repurpose. Make it part of your content material creation workflow, repurpose, schedule utilizing Buffer, and also you’re performed!