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Repurpose and Prosper: The Secret to Stretching Your Content

Maximize content reach by repurposing: adapt formats, update old posts, and share across platforms to grow your audience.

By
Daniel Htut

Introduction

Content repurposing involves taking existing content assets and presenting them in new forms, formats, or contexts. The goal is to "recycle" your high-quality content in order to reach new audiences, improve visibility, and maximize the return on your content investment.

With repurposed content, you don't have to start from scratch each time. You can update, expand on, repackage, or reuse content you have already created. This saves time and resources while allowing you to create more content overall.

Repurposing is a key strategy for increasing content reach. Each repurposed asset acts as another opportunity to attract readers. The more ways you can display your content, the more chances people have to find and engage with it. This leads to greater awareness, more links, increased social shares, and improved SEO.

Content repurposing allows you to connect with different segments across multiple platforms. An infographic on social media might appeal to visual learners, while a podcast covers audio learners. An updated ebook reaches new prospects. Repurposed content keeps your best assets circulating to grow your audience over time.

With a thoughtful repurposing plan, you can maximize the value of your high-quality content. This guide covers proven techniques to unlock the power of repurposing for expanding your reach and visibility.

Turn Existing Content into New Formats

One of the easiest ways to repurpose content is to take existing long-form articles, analyses, and reports and turn them into different formats. For example, turn a long research paper into a short video that highlights the key points. Or create an infographic that visualizes the data from a detailed case study.

Repurposing long-form written content into videos, podcasts, and infographics allows you to present the same information in a more engaging, shareable format. Videos and podcasts work well for complex topics that people may not have time to read about. Infographics simplify complex information into an easy-to-scan visual format.

To repurpose a long research report into a video:

  • Identify the key points and takeaways from the report. These will form the basis for the video script.
  • Write a short script that explains the research in simple, conversational language.
  • Record the script narration and pair it with relevant b-roll footage and graphics.
  • Create a short, snappy video that gets across the main ideas from the report.

For a podcast version:

  • Take the long report and highlight interesting excerpts, data, and quotes.
  • Write a conversational script that incorporates the highlights.
  • Record the script as a podcast episode, summarizing the key parts of the research.

To create an infographic:

  • Identify the main stats, facts, charts, and visualizations from the report.
  • Design an infographic that arranges these elements into a logical, visual flow.
  • Turn each key insight from the report into a callout, stat, or graph on the infographic.

Repurposing long reports in this way allows you to reach new audiences who may not read the full paper, while showcasing your expertise across multiple formats.

Reuse Content Across Multiple Channels

One of the easiest ways to repurpose content is to reuse it across your website, social media channels, email newsletters, and more. The same blog post, video, infographic, or other asset can be shared across multiple platforms to reach new audiences.

For example, after publishing a blog post on your website, you can then promote it through social media posts. Share an excerpt as a caption on Instagram or visual social platforms. Post a link on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other networks to drive traffic back to your site.

Turn the blog post into a series of tweets to share key insights on Twitter. Extract a key statistic or passage for a LinkedIn update to provide value to your professional network.

Adapt the blog into an email newsletter template to distribute to your subscriber list. Use sections of the post to create educational social media videos or short snackable graphics. Repackage portions of the content into a slide presentation to use at a speaking engagement or webinar.

Reusing content across the various platforms and distribution channels you have access to is an easy way to maximize the exposure and mileage you get from creating that initial piece of content. Just be sure to adapt and optimize it for the specific audience and use case for each channel. With a distribution-first mindset, you can develop content then spread it far and wide through multi-channel content repurposing.

Update and Refresh Old Content

Updating old evergreen content and outdated blog posts with new information, perspectives, and examples is a great way to re-engage your audience and get more mileage from your content assets.

Outdated posts that still rank well can be updated with new stats, case studies, expert opinions, research findings, and anecdotes that make the content feel fresh and relevant. Consider adding new sections to address recent industry developments.

You may also want to improve the writing, fix grammar errors, tighten up organization, and enhance visuals. Refreshing stale posts improves the user experience and may give search engines a signal to re-evaluate the content.  

Republishing updated evergreen content also presents another opportunity to promote it on social media, email newsletters, and elsewhere. Driving new traffic to improved legacy content leverages your previous promotion efforts.

Overall, a content refresh breathes new life into outdated assets. It ensures your content library remains timely and engaging without requiring you to start from scratch.

Create Spin-Off Content

One effective repurposing strategy is to create spin-off content that expands on your original piece. For example, if you wrote a comprehensive guide on a topic, you could break it into smaller, more focused guides that each cover a specific subtopic. Or you could turn a short-form blog post into a detailed ebook by expanding on the information.  

Spin-off content allows you to go more in-depth on ideas and topics that your audience has shown interest in. And creating multiple pieces of content from one core idea provides more opportunities for that content to be discovered and shared.

When planning spin-offs, look at your best performing and evergreen content. Identify sections or topics that could be expanded into standalone posts, videos, podcast episodes, or other formats. Think about natural extensions of the content that align with user intent.

For instance, if you have a post on "Intro to Copywriting," spin-off topics could include "How to Write Effective Headlines," "Crafting a Value Proposition," or "A/B Testing for Copywriters." The spin-offs allow you to leverage your existing research and expand the usefulness of the content.

Creating spin-offs is an efficient way to maximize content production. Since you don't have to start from scratch, you can develop spin-offs much quicker than new content. And because they are related to existing successful content, the spin-offs are more likely to gain traction with your audience. So expand on what's worked well before to increase the impact of your content.

Repackage Content Selections

One easy way to repurpose existing content is to break it down into smaller bites and share across social media. This allows you to showcase the most compelling elements of your long-form content to new audiences and drive traffic back to your original piece.

Pull out eye-catching statistics, inspiring quotes, how-to tips, or interesting facts from your in-depth guides and articles. These will capture attention as standalone snippets on Twitter or Facebook.

You can also create an image quote graphic featuring a memorable quote or key insight from your content. Include a link back to the full piece for readers who want to continue learning. This presents your content in a visually engaging new format.

Likewise, turn key steps or takeaways from tutorials and how-tos into checklist images to share on Pinterest and Instagram. Use infographics to break down research stats and data into easily digestible visuals.

The goal is to identify the most shareable moments within your content and give them new life across social. This exposes new audiences to your work and gives existing readers another opportunity to connect with your content. Just be sure to always link back to the original source.

Localize Content

Expanding into different countries and languages is an excellent opportunity for content repurposing. When entering a new market, you'll need to adapt and translate your content to resonate with local audiences. Rather than starting from scratch, you can reuse existing content as a base.

Evaluate your top performing content and assess if it could work for a new demographic. Some universal evergreen content may need only small tweaks. Other region-specific content will require more substantial changes.

Start by identifying any cultural references, idioms, or examples that may not translate well. Replace these with equivalent references more familiar to the target audience. Make sure to adapt units of measurement, pricing, date formats, and other locale conventions.

Consider if certain topics or examples need to be localized. For instance, a piece on credit cards would discuss different popular cards in UK vs US markets. Localize images and examples to feature relevant people, products, and places.  

Translate content directly for audiences fluent in other languages. Use accurate human translations, not just Google translate which often has errors. Transcreating content rather than direct translation allows adapting it within the local cultural context.

Leveraging existing content as a framework allows faster expansion abroad. Repurposing saves time and resources while still providing customized content tailored for new markets. Localizing content is an essential part of growth into different countries and languages.

Collaborate and Guest Post

Spread your content further by collaborating with others or taking advantage of guest posting opportunities. Look for relevant blogs, magazines, or other outlets that accept contributed articles and pitch repurposed versions of your content.

For example, take an in-depth article on your site and rework it into a short tip sheet or list post for an industry blog. Or break a longform guide into a series of shorter articles to share across multiple sites.

Partnering with influencers in your niche can also help repurpose and maximize your content. Work together on co-branded pieces, video collaborations, podcast interviews, or backlink swaps.

When guest posting or collaborating, make sure to only work with reputable, high-authority sites related to your niche. Look for sites your target audience engages with and where your repurposed content offers a good fit.

Clearly communicate guidelines on citations, links, and promoting the collaboration when establishing partnerships. Proper attribution helps build links and exposure for both parties.

With the right collaborations and contributions, you can put your own unique spin on content while leveraging the credibility and reach of others. Just be sure any repurposed content provides value for their audience and aligns with their guidelines.

Tools and Resources

Repurposing content doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming if you have the right tools. Here are some of the top platforms and resources for easily transforming your existing content into new formats:

  • Re belWriter - AI-powered writing assistant that can summarize, expand, rewrite, and edit content. Useful for creating spin-off articles from your existing content.  
  • Venngage - Graphic design platform with templates and tools for turning blog posts into visual infographics. Makes repurposing easy for visual learners.
  • Headliner - Uses AI to transform written content into audio files. Great for creating podcasts and audio versions of your blogs.
  • Medium - Publishing platform that allows reposting and sharing your content to new audiences. Can help expand your reach.
  • Feedly - RSS feed aggregator that lets you collect, organize and re-share content. Helps to curate and repackage selections of content.
  • Buffer - Social media management platform with scheduling and analytics. Allows you to easily reuse content across multiple networks.
  • Canva - Provides design templates and tools to transform content into videos, presentations, social posts, and more.
  • Google Translate - Quickly create translated versions of your content to localize and repurpose for international audiences.

Leveraging tools like these can empower you to maximize the reach of your existing content. Test out a few to find which ones streamline your unique repurposing needs.

Maximize Your Reach

Repurposing content allows you to maximize the reach and impact of your hard work. By transforming existing content into new formats and platforms, you multiply the ways your content can be discovered, consumed and shared. This makes repurposing an extremely valuable strategy for extending the longevity and ROI of your content.  

Some key benefits of repurposing content include:

  • Reaching new audiences across different platforms and formats
  • Refreshing old content and giving it new life  
  • Improving SEO by targeting new keywords with spin-off content
  • Saving time and resources compared to creating entirely new content  
  • Showcasing your expertise across multiple content types
  • Improving conversion rates by catering to different consumption preferences
  • Increasing shares and engagement as existing content finds new audiences

The ability to reuse and reimagine content makes your hard work go further. Repurposing should be a cornerstone of your content strategy if you want to maximize visibility and get the most mileage from your existing assets. Don't let old content go to waste - repurpose it and amplify your reach.

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