There is content, and then there is content. You know the type: a blog post your customers always reference as their reason for getting in touch during their intake calls. The video that showed them your team members are people they’d like to work with.
The holy grail of your content marketing strategy.
Now, you can’t always create stellar content, but you don’t have to. With content repurposing, you can ground yourself in fantastic content pieces and transform them for different channels to amplify their influence.
Today, we’ll show you everything you need to know about publishing more amazing content with less work.
Let’s dive in!
Why Is Content Repurposing the Best Kept Secret in Marketing?
As marketers, we always feel the need to exceed our expectations from campaign to campaign or from one content piece to another. Everything needs to be flashier, bigger, and better. We have high expectations for our content strategy.
But, at the end of the day, when our analytical counterparts show us the numbers, we realize that there’s always a handful of content pieces that performed exceedingly well.
Those are our North Stars, and we can’t wait to replicate their success.
Content repurposing allows you to transform one fantastic piece into even more content! Of course, you’ll adjust the channel and the format, but the core content maintains the same appeal, allowing you to share its influencer wider to get more leads.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
The second reason you should seriously consider content repurposing is the time it returns to your plate.
Creating new content from scratch takes days (if not weeks). In contrast, you’ve already researched and validated the excellent content piece. All you have to do is – y’know – repurpose it.
The Benefits of Content Repurposing
In addition to giving back time, content repurposing also:
- Improves your content distribution – A video can only be seen by leads on your website or on YouTube. But if you repurpose it as a Twitter thread, a blog post, or a slideshow, you’ll get more distribution opportunities. Plus, not everyone likes reading – some of your audience members will prefer videos.
- Increases your content ROI – One content piece can only go so far before it plateaus. The costs of producing a new piece aren’t always necessary if you can reduce them by taking your evergreen content and adapting it to new channels.
- Improves your productivity – Spend more time brainstorming new awesome content ideas while your repurposed content does the heavy lifting.
It’s a no-brainer. But how exactly do you repurpose content without stretching yourself too thin and ending up down the Canva rabbit hole?
How to Repurpose Content in 2022
Step 1. Identify Suitable Content
Yes, sometimes you get a good gut feeling when seeing a piece of content. You know it’s the winner. Unfortunately, you can’t prove it unless you have data (and gut feelings have been known as tricky).
Dive into your analytics (Google Search Console, Google Analytics, or your tool of choice) to identify your contestants:
- Which content is getting the most impressions?
- Which content is converting at the highest rate?
Then, look at your evergreen content, like ultimate guides and other in-depth pillar pieces. Since they’re so comprehensive, you can always pull out a (sub)topic or two to repurpose.
Let’s look at an example from SparkToro’s Amanda Natividad. She first published an article on influencer marketing:
Then, she repurposed it as a Twitter thread:
Amanda is one of our content-repurposing role models. Her team at SparkToro consistently creates excellent blog posts they repurpose for email, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As she once explained:
“I focus on something I call content sustainability. Every piece of content needs to become at least one other, additional piece of content. It helps to ensure the message is heard by a wider audience and that we’re getting the most out of our production costs.”
Remember the ROI! You want that foundational content piece to generate more and more revenue as time passes.
Step 2. How Will You Add Value with the Repurposed Content?
We’re not going to lie: sometimes, it’ll be enough to plug your blog post into Lumen5 and get a video out of it. But that rarely happens. In most cases, you’ll need to know how your repurposed content adds value.
For example, will your repurposed video focus on the speaker’s experiences more than the blog post?
Will your infographic add more data to your claims?
Source: Visme.co
Make sure you outline your goals before you put in the work. For example, if you’d like to generate more sales, repurpose content for your ABM content strategy. If you want to increase your visibility, repurpose content for social media.
Step 3. Choose the Distribution Channel
Again, look to your audience for guidance: which channels do they prefer? You can start with one and then repurpose it for the other.
Sometimes, it’s also good to test repurposed content on new channels you believe might be profitable.
For example, repurposing your blog content as a Twitter thread significantly increases your organic social media visibility.
Some content will naturally be a better fit for specific channels.
For example, a whitepaper can be repurposed as a slideshow you can use on social media and as sales collateral.
And speaking of channels…
10+ Content Repurposing Ideas for 2022
Turn Customer Feedback into Excellent Content
Let’s start off easy.
Spin your comments section or customer feedback into an excellent content piece that proves you have a track record at helping with specific challenges. This is a great option for using B2B copy to convert.
Create case studies and testimonial videos (excellent for retargeting ads and ABM marketing), or elaborate on the use case as part of a more extensive article.
For example, sheet.best referenced their customer feedback as part of a bigger article:
Tap into Reddit Leads with Repurposed Content
If you wish you could tap into the highly-targeted Reddit community, why not keep an eye on threads and offer bits of advice from your blog posts?
Then, once you’ve provided the answer, there’s nothing wrong with linking to your blog post in case the readers are interested in learning more.
Similarly, leverage your blog content to create a relevant Reddit thread.
Source: Wishpond
Repurpose Your Content as Twitter Threads and LinkedIn Posts
Every social network wants to keep users on the platform. And, if we’re being honest, users aren’t keen on clicking out, either. You’ll have to earn the click with your repurposed content.
Let’s look at SparkToro again:
Remember to split your content into threads with the most important takeaways. Then, use emojis for emphasis.
You can end the post with a question or simply invite the users to check out your initial content piece for the bigger picture.
Similarly, you can repurpose your content for LinkedIn as Andrea Bosoni does:
Pay attention to how he speaks about his experiences and metrics; you want to speak from personal experience when repurposing for LinkedIn.
For example, you could turn a blog post into a LinkedIn story about your founder’s experiences related to the post topic.
Create Video or Podcast Spin-Offs from Your Initial Content
If your audience responded well to a specific topic, why not expand on it with a video or a podcast spin-off?
For example, suppose you create a guide about marketing metrics. If it performs well, you can interview a well-known expert on your company podcast or record a video explaining the best strategies in practice.
Turn Your Blog Posts into a Lead Magnet eBook
Lead magnets are always in demand, but why reinvent the wheel? Collect your most popular blog posts around a subject and turn them into an eBook your leads can download in exchange for their email addresses.
Upgrade Your Content
If you have a detailed blog post, consider adding a content upgrade:
- Checklist
- Workbook
- Calendar
For example, Hubspot frequently spices up their best-performing content with additional materials available for download. In the example below, they’ve supplemented their ultimate guide to content marketing with a free editorial calendar:
Content upgrades are fantastic for making a single blog post go further! Plus, they add more value to truly interested leads (and help you add them to your funnel).
Can You Repurpose Content for Instagram?
Repurposing content for Instagram is trickier, but it can be done with a bit of creativity!
For example, you can turn an informational content piece into a series of Instagram Story quizzes or create mini-guides with the help of great visuals.
Source: Later.com
Educate New Leads with Repurposed Drip Sequences
If your content performs so well you hear customers referencing it, it’s a sign you’re onto something. You should use it to convert new leads or use bits to onboard new customers successfully.
For example, LowFruits uses bits of their instructional blog posts for their drip onboarding sequence:
Users can scroll through the summaries and click through to follow the entire tutorial.
You can repurpose helpful content for your long-time customers, as well.
For example, if you notice that your customers struggle to achieve Goal A and you’ve recently covered it, why not turn it into a practical email checklist?
Content repurposing isn’t just for new customers – it can also help you increase your existing user base’s lifetime value as you craft content for each stage of the buyer’s journey.
Repackage Hefty Whitepapers as Blog Posts
If you have whitepapers, case studies, or other sales collateral, ask your sales team which ones perform best.
Then, repurpose them as evidence-backed blog posts.
Perspective is irresistible; blog posts backed by in-depth research or use cases will always go further than vague articles.
Repurpose Your Content as Video
Some people are auditory learners who always have a video playing in the background. And who can blame them when YouTube has gotten so good at recommending relevant content?
If you and your team prefer to write blog posts, consider your audience’s auditory portion. Turn great content into YouTube videos, be that explainer, animated, or talking-head videos.
For example, Looka turned their font-choosing guide into a YouTube video:
(Remember that YouTube is a search engine in its own right, so add a transcript and the relevant keywords.)
Repurpose Your Internal Content
Wait, wait a second – what do you mean by ‘internal’ content?
We mean your processes, templates, and other documents you use to make your work easier.
If it can be helpful to your audience, why not share it and simultaneously put your money where your mouth is?
For example, Moz had a great content strategy template they kept in Google Docs. Once they realized how useful it could be to their audience (and validated it through data), they turned it into a blog post.
Similarly, if you’ve done internal market research, why not spin it into a report or a blog post about industry trends? Your audience will want to know what their peers (and competitors) think.
You’ve Repurposed Your Content: Now What?
With your content hot off the press, wait for it to cool down a bit.
Then, analyze:
- How are your open and click-through rates?
- Are your pages getting impressions and engagement?
- Is your (repurposed) content driving new conversations?
Connect your metrics to your goals. If you want to get more LinkedIn leads, likes are nice, but they need to be sending people to your website. Similarly, identify the best-performing repurposed content.
As with any marketing strategy, successful content repurposing takes time. But with a little elbow grease, your company can become the go-to expert in your industry!