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 all the time stunned at how completely different but acquainted the sandwich tasted.
That’s what content material repurposing is, in a nutshell: You’re taking yesterday’s current content material and use it to whip up new content material for at present. Similar 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 increase your content material’s attain (since you share it a number of instances in a couple of format to new audiences)
- Lets you create extra content material with out burning out (since you don’t have to make use of brainpower to think about a brand new concept)
- Boosts your website positioning efforts (pleasant for engines like google since you’re creating a number of content material items focusing on related key phrases)
However what most of us wrestle with is working towards repurposing content material commonly. It doesn’t turn into part of workflows so simply, and it’s usually tougher than it seems to be.
On this article, I’ll first reply a number of the most typical questions associated to content material repurposing that will help you make it a non-negotiable a part of your working course of. Then, I’ll share varied methods of repackaging varied 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 completely different from cross-posting and reposting content material?
The commonality? All three (cross-posting, reposting, repurposing) are methods to reuse your current content material.
Cross-posting is if you share a bit of content material as-is on one other social media platform. For instance, you possibly can put up your TikTok video as an Instagram Reel and a YouTube Shorts video with out altering something since they’re related content material sorts. Creator Laura Whaley does this commonly along with her TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Reposting content material is if you republish a bit of content material on the identical platform. For instance, you repost a writeup on X (previously Twitter) that beforehand acquired a ton of engagement and optimistic 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 retaining the crux of a bit’s concept and adapting it for different social media channels. For instance, you distill high-performing previous weblog posts into Instagram carousel posts.
At Buffer, we commonly repurpose content material — and considered one of our core methods is popping our blogs into social media posts. For instance, we turned this weblog put up 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 varied platforms
- Reposting is posting the identical piece of content material once more on the identical platform
- Repurposing is repackaging a bit of content material into completely different content material sorts
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 it’s best 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 put up the identical piece of content material in varied codecs and channels
2: When ought to you concentrate on repurposing content material?
It relies upon.
Do you have already got a ton of content material backlog?
Then, it’s best to begin excited about content material repurposing instantly. Repackage these previous items (start with the favored posts) to get extra worth out of them.
⚠️ Word: Solely repurpose the posts that are at the moment related. If a bit of content material is outdated, refresh it with up-to-date data earlier than repurposing it.
Are you new to content material creation (for social media or generally)?
Then, attempt to embed content material repurposing into your workflow. For example, you would make it a job to show each YouTube video you create into short-form movies for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok. This manner, you get forward of the sport and don’t wait until you don’t get sufficient natural engagement to consider content material repurposing.
⚠️ Word: Repurposing content material doesn’t imply you must be lively on each channel potential. In case your technique at the moment consists of solely YouTube & TikTok, give attention to 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 quite 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 immediately. Most channels and platforms gives you a bonus in case you put up extra incessantly. To publish at a better cadence, take the content material you have already got on different channels and repurpose it for the brand new platform.
For instance, in case 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 permit for the same sort of content material.
Learn extra: 8 Social Media Content material Concepts to Incorporate into Your Technique
⚠️ Word: 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 will come throughout as repetitive to your viewers.
2a: Must you repurpose solely previous content material?
When 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 manner, previous posts will proceed getting repurposed, and you’ll not accumulate newer 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 possibly can’t repurpose time-sensitive previous items.
For instance, in case you’re launching a brand new product line, repurpose it throughout all platforms as quickly as potential. 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 put up.
(That is why we’re advocates of embedding repurposing with content material creation itself. It ensures no piece goes stale with out getting repurposed.)
You possibly can repurpose irrelevant previous content material after refreshing it.
For instance, in case you’re attempting to repurpose a put up on a work-related matter pre-pandemic, you should 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 it’s best to repurpose?
In a perfect 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 must be your main focus. Must you focus on repurposing your previous content material backlog quick? Or do you have to put the highlight on repurposing newly revealed content material first?
There’s nobody appropriate reply. What it’s best to prioritize relies on your targets with content material repurposing.
For instance, in case your objective with content material repurposing is to pump new life into items which are dropping site visitors, your precedence must be repurposing your previous posts. However in case you intention to construct model consciousness and increase your attain, your focus must be repurposing posts that went stay extra not too long ago.
4: How do you make content material repurposing a seamless a part of your workflow?
The best option 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 and marketing Supervisor at Moz:
“I begin excited about 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 contemplate the specified metrics and goal audiences, understanding the place they spend their time on-line to tell our repurposing technique. For example, our current put up on AI for website positioning serves as a stellar instance of digital asset spin-offs; it has been repurposed into an attractive OG picture, capitalizing on X’s (previously Twitter) new hyperlink preview format to make a stronger visible influence.”
Let’s say you run an lively long-form weblog and an Instagram account. If you’re crafting weblog content material, maintain your Instagram channel high of thoughts:
- How will you construction your article so it’s simple to learn in your web site and as an Instagram Carousel put up?
- What’s the data in your weblog that may make for an attractive Instagram Reel?
- What data 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 superb in-feed put up?
You possibly can maintain a objective to create at the least 5 mini posts out of each lengthy put up — whether or not video or written. Preserving 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 recent put up 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 lively on or the channels you’re attempting to construct a group on. Content material repurposing is a low-lift method of boosting your on-line presence. However that doesn’t translate to being lively and current in every single place.
Justin Simon, Content material Distribution Guide for B2B SaaS and Creator of Content material Repurposing Roadmap, agrees:
“The 2 greatest errors are assuming you should repurpose content material into dozens of codecs after which share it on each platform potential. Each of those errors will maintain you again. The very best factor you are able to do is create a repurposing plan that you’ll follow. Even when meaning creating solely two kinds of content material and distributing on just a few key channels. Executing fewer issues constantly will drive far more progress than in case you attempt to do all of the issues without delay and get burned out.”
Don’t turn into lively on completely different platforms simply because you possibly can repurpose content material for them. Suppose:
- Is your audience even current on the brand new channel?
- Do your clients 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 sufficient return on funding and when you will 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 to be like in motion.
5 methods to repurpose long-form written content material
Lengthy-form written content material consists of weblog content material, ebooks, analysis stories, whitepapers, and case research. These are nice for repurposing as a result of they’ve a ton of insights which you can repackage into varied codecs.
1: Convert your ebooks & analysis stories into blogs
The primary one is the only: Repurpose your current long-form content material to a different long-form content material. For instance, you possibly can flip the varied chapters of your book into blogs of their very own. Or you would repurpose snippets out of your analysis report right into a weblog.
The corporate Influencer Advertising and marketing Hub does this commonly. They’ve a “State of Influencer Advertising and marketing” 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 commonly at Buffer by making a put up on LinkedIn and X for each long-form weblog we publish. For instance, we not too long ago talked about pivoting your private model in an article and revamped that put up for LinkedIn.
💡 Discover how we additionally tailored the put up to suit the platform? The language was snappy, and the construction was extra skim-friendly on LinkedIn. Keep 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 e-newsletter, Fb Teams, Reddit, or Quora. For example, SparkToro commonly shares snippets of their articles (like this one about high-quality content material) of their e-newsletter.
⚡ Professional-tip: When sharing scraps out of your long-form written content material, all the time encourage folks to learn the entire piece with a call-to-action. This ensures you truly enhance the site visitors of your authentic piece.
3: Convert snippets out of your long-form content material into Instagram and Pinterest infographics
Creating visible belongings from written content material isn’t as simple as repurposing it into one other text-friendly format. Nonetheless, it’s worthwhile when you have a presence on a visible social media channel like Instagram or Pinterest.
For example, we not too long ago transformed our weblog put up about AI prompts into an Instagram Carousel put up for Instagram.
4: Convert your long-form content material’s insights right into a YouTube video or an Instagram Reside broadcast
You possibly can 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 stay webinar on their 2023 State of Influencer Advertising and marketing report.
The very best half? Out of your long-form video, you possibly can create varied short-form movies for different social media channels — additional extending the attain of your authentic long-form written piece.
5: Convert snappy takeaways out of your long-form content material into Instagram Reels or TikTok movies
You possibly can 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 lively 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 essential insights from our private branding framework right into a Reel.
⚡ Professional-tip: You too can use static photos 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 consists of any webinar, tutorial, video podcast episodes, or stay broadcasts you do. Since these movies are lengthy and jam-packed with helpful intel, you possibly can repurpose them into varied codecs simply.
1: Convert your lengthy movies into short-form movies
The best option to get extra out of your long-form movies is to transform them into varied short-form movies. YouTube has YouTube Shorts, Instagram has Reels, and TikTok has movies. Lower your lengthy video into varied fascinating snippets and share it throughout completely different platforms for an added engagement enhance.
Creator Cleo Abrams does this commonly. Take a look at how she created an Instagram Reel from her YouTube video and inspired her followers to observe the entire thing.
And don’t assume you possibly can’t do that in case you aren’t lively on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. LinkedIn and X additionally love video content material. Modash, for instance, commonly cuts its video podcasts into posts for LinkedIn.
No matter platform you’re on, edit each long-form video into varied short-form video snippets.
2: Convert snippets out of your video into written insights for blogs, newsletters, and social media
You should utilize insights out of your long-form video as insights for social media posts, blogs, and newsletters.
For instance, Justin Simon wished to advertise the most recent podcast he was on. However he didn’t simply sort a promotional put up 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 put up stands alone by itself, too — which is the magic of content material repurposing. He left a remark as a name to motion to observe the entire podcast.
3: Convert your video right into a weblog
Similar 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 revealed a video about ChatGPT for website positioning in February 2023. Later in Might, they revealed 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 varied content material codecs throughout a number of channels — but in addition 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
When 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 stay enhancing periods with content material advertising and marketing consultants on his YouTube channel. As soon as he realized the demand for audio-only podcasts, he transformed these movies into that format.
Suppose you will have a long-form video like a webinar, tutorial, or interview that works with out your viewers seeing something on their display. In that case, you possibly can convert it into an audio format.
5: Convert photos from the video into shareable photos for social media
This repurposing methodology received’t work for each video, however it’ll work for movies the place you utilize a variety of static photos. Take YNAB — they redesigned their product with new colours and wished to make a journey down reminiscence lane with their viewers.
They shared a YouTube video concerning the change — highlighting the varied designs they’ve had prior to now. Then, they repurposed the video into an Instagram Carousel put up containing the identical photos used within the video.
In case your movies additionally comprise a presentation or static photos, use these as visible belongings to put up on different social media channels. You repurpose your authentic put up and market it, too — win-win.
Learn extra: What to Submit 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 consists of all the things from a LinkedIn put up to a TikTok video.
1: Convert threads and long-form posts on X right into a LinkedIn put up (or vice-versa)
X (previously Twitter) and LinkedIn are sister social media platforms. Everytime you write a LinkedIn put up or a long-form put up 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 satisfy 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. Take a look at how she repurposed her LinkedIn put up 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)
When you can jazz up your threads on X a bit into cool graphics, you’ve acquired your self an Instagram carousel (or in-feed) put up.
It’s tremendous simple to do with Buffer’s Remix app. All you must do is enter the hyperlink of your thread or put up on X, choose the dimensions & model you need, customise it along with your model colours — and also you’re carried out! We use the Remix app on a regular basis to share our posts on X as in-feed Instagram posts.
Take into account our put up on Sunday scaries. We initially revealed 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 probably publish varied kinds of posts across the subtopics inside your social media area of interest. When you’re lively on Reels, Shorts, or TikTok, you possibly can mix short-form movies across the identical area of interest matter and convert them into long-form YouTube movies.
Leisure channels do that usually. Take The Graham Norton Present — it mixed varied clips from the interviews with Emily Blunt to create a brand new (repurposed) video.
3 methods to repurpose e-newsletter content material
Most subscribers anticipate your electronic mail e-newsletter content material to be unique to their inbox. I’d suggest repurposing and sharing your e-newsletter content material in bits and items after the unique challenge has already been despatched to your viewers.
1: Convert snippets from newsletters into posts for X and LinkedIn
Take your e-newsletter’s most gripping hooks and insights and switch them into social media posts for X and LinkedIn. Each are text-heavy platforms, identical to your e-newsletter — so repurposing will likely be fast and environment friendly.
John Bonini does this usually along with his e-newsletter, Some Good Content material. He revealed a e-newsletter about essentially the most defensible content material technique, which he later repurposed right into a LinkedIn put up.
Many small companies observe this repurposing technique as a result of it’s simple to implement and fast to spice up engagement. The one factor essential to recollect is to regulate the content material into a brand new format that matches the platform.
2: Convert insights out of your e-newsletter into shareable photos for Instagram and Pinterest
Repurposing e-newsletter content material doesn’t have to remain restricted to text-related social media platforms. What in case you may flip them into shareable graphics?
Splainer does this as part of its digital advertising and marketing technique. They publish a each day e-newsletter concerning the world’s information and switch it into graphics for his or her Instagram account. For example, they not too long ago had a e-newsletter challenge mentioning Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, which Splainer repurposed into an Instagram Carousel put up.
When you selected this route, transcend posting screenshots of your e-newsletter. Add some life into the pictures by way of colours and graphics (like Splainer did).
3: Convert sections out of your e-newsletter 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 may as well experiment with repurposing them into short-form movies.
For instance, The Know publishes a each day e-newsletter 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 not too long ago repackaged a section of their each day information into an Instagram Reel.
It’s not as in-depth, nevertheless it does a terrific job of maintaining their Instagram attain and selling their e-newsletter.
Be eco-friendly along with your content material
Repurposing is all about content material recycling. You don’t burn your self out by continuously attempting to give you new concepts, and you get the utmost out of every piece of content material you determine to publish. It’s a win-win situation.
Purpose to repurpose at the least 5 social media posts from each long-form piece of content material. And also you don’t should “bear in mind” to repurpose. Make it part of your content material creation workflow, repurpose, schedule utilizing Buffer, and also you’re carried out!
