My mother taught me a neat trick once I went to varsity: Take the leftover veggies from dinner, chop some advantageous onion, add some scorching sauce, and use it as your sandwich unfold.
I used the hack on a regular basis — generally 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 are taking yesterday’s present content material and use it to whip up new content material for as we speak. Identical to my sandwich did for me, it’ll prevent hours you’ll’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 world, content material repurposing:
- Helps you broaden your content material’s attain (since you share it a number of instances in multiple 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 consider a brand new concept)
- Boosts your web optimization efforts (pleasant for search engines like google and yahoo since you’re creating a number of content material items focusing on related key phrases)
However what most of us wrestle with is training repurposing content material recurrently. It doesn’t grow to be part of workflows so simply, and it’s usually harder than it seems to be.
On this article, I’ll first reply a few 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 sorts 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 present content material.
Cross-posting is if you share a chunk of content material as-is on one other social media platform. For instance, you possibly can publish 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 recurrently together with her TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Reposting content material is if you republish a chunk 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 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 maintaining the crux of a chunk’s concept and adapting it for different social media channels. For instance, you distill high-performing outdated weblog posts into Instagram carousel posts.
At Buffer, we recurrently repurpose content material — and considered one of our core methods is popping our blogs into social media posts. For instance, we turned this weblog publish 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 completely different content material varieties
In your social media advertising 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 method 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 publish the identical piece of content material in numerous 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 fascinated by content material repurposing instantly. Repackage these outdated items (start with the favored posts) to get extra worth out of them.
⚠️ Word: Solely repurpose the posts that are presently 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 usually)?
Then, attempt to embed content material repurposing into your workflow. For example, you may make it a activity 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 it’s important to be lively on each channel potential. In case your technique presently consists of 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 moderately 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 instantly. Most channels and platforms offers you a bonus when you publish 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 making an attempt 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 kind of content material.
Learn extra: 8 Social Media Content material Concepts to Incorporate into Your Technique
⚠️ Word: Once you’re hitting the bottom operating 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 elsewhere, they’ll come throughout as repetitive to your viewers.
2a: Must you repurpose solely outdated content material?
When you have an up-to-date content material backlog, don’t restrict your self by repurposing solely outdated content material. Make content material repurposing part of your workflow for brand spanking new posts too.
This manner, outdated posts will proceed getting repurposed, and you’ll not accumulate more moderen posts in your “must be repurposed” pile. Sprinkle the outdated repurposed and the brand new repurposed strategically throughout your content material calendar.
2b: Must you repurpose solely evergreen content material?
Sure and no.
You may’t repurpose time-sensitive outdated items.
For instance, when you’re launching a brand new product line, repurpose it throughout all platforms as quickly as potential. It is information that’ll get outdated quick. If it’s already been greater than a month for the reason that launch, you possibly can’t repurpose a “new” launch publish.
(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 may repurpose irrelevant outdated content material after refreshing it.
For instance, when you’re making an attempt to repurpose a publish on a work-related matter pre-pandemic, that you must 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 as we speak.
3: How do you prioritize which content material it’s best to repurpose?
In a perfect world, we’d repurpose our outdated and new posts concurrently at scale — with out burning out. Both we’d have the psychological capability and time, or we’d have the crew to perform one thing of this scale.
However in actuality, it’s difficult to find out what must be your major focus. Must you focus on repurposing your outdated content material backlog quick? Or must you put the highlight on repurposing newly printed content material first?
There’s nobody appropriate reply. What it’s best to prioritize depends upon your objectives with content material repurposing.
For instance, in case your aim with content material repurposing is to pump new life into items which might be dropping visitors, your precedence must be repurposing your outdated posts. However when you purpose to construct model consciousness and broaden your attain, your focus must be repurposing posts that went stay extra just lately.
4: How do you make content material repurposing a seamless a part of your workflow?
The simplest strategy 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 fascinated by repurposing alternatives from the second I am reviewing a content material transient. It is a strategic a part of content material creation, with an eye fixed 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 latest publish on AI for web optimization serves as a stellar instance of digital asset spin-offs; it has been repurposed into an interesting 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. Once you’re crafting weblog content material, hold your Instagram channel prime 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 publish?
- What’s the info in your weblog that may make for an interesting 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 publish?
You may hold a aim to create at the very least 5 mini posts out of each lengthy publish — whether or not video or written. Holding repurposing on the heart of content material creation ensures you don’t need to spend many hours repackaging posts to be pleasant for one more channel or platform.
On the finish, scan your recent publish once more. Problem your self to search out much more methods to repurpose it for different social or content material advertising channels you utilize.
5: Must you repurpose your content material for each channel?
No.
Repurpose your newly-created or outdated content material just for the channels you’re already lively on or the channels you’re making an attempt to construct a group on. Content material repurposing is a low-lift approach of boosting your on-line presence. However that doesn’t translate to being lively and current all over the place.
Justin Simon, Content material Distribution Advisor for B2B SaaS and Creator of Content material Repurposing Roadmap, agrees:
“The 2 greatest errors are assuming that you must repurpose content material into dozens of codecs after which share it on each platform potential. 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 meaning creating solely two sorts of content material and distributing on just a few key channels. Executing fewer issues persistently will drive far more development than when you attempt to do all of the issues directly and get burned out.”
Don’t grow to be 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 prospects like to listen to from you on this platform?
- Do you and your crew have the bandwidth to create a mixture of native and repurposed posts for this new channel?
Solely introduce a brand new platform into the combination 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 reviews, whitepapers, and case research. These are nice for repurposing as a result of they’ve a ton of insights that you would be able to 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 book into blogs of their very own. Or you may repurpose snippets out of your analysis report right into a weblog.
The corporate Influencer Advertising and marketing Hub does this recurrently. 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 every 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 recurrently at Buffer by making a publish 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 publish for LinkedIn.
💡 Discover how we additionally tailored the publish 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 recurrently 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 individuals to learn the entire piece with a call-to-action. This ensures you really increase the 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’ve got a presence on a visible social media channel like Instagram or Pinterest.
For example, we just lately transformed our weblog publish about AI prompts into an Instagram Carousel publish for Instagram.
4: Convert your long-form content material’s insights right into a YouTube video or an Instagram Reside broadcast
You may current your long-form content material as a video on YouTube and Instagram, too. For instance, HypeAuditor collaborated with an influencer advertising knowledgeable — Gordon Glenister — for a YouTube stay webinar on their 2023 State of Influencer Advertising and marketing 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 authentic long-form written piece.
5: Convert snappy takeaways out of your long-form content material into Instagram Reels or TikTok movies
You may 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: It’s also possible to use static photographs 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 numerous codecs simply.
1: Convert your lengthy movies into short-form movies
The simplest strategy 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. Reduce your lengthy video into numerous fascinating snippets and share it throughout completely different platforms for an added engagement increase.
Creator Cleo Abrams does this recurrently. Have 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 suppose you possibly can’t do that when you aren’t lively on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. LinkedIn and X additionally love video content material. Modash, for instance, recurrently 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 wished to advertise the newest podcast he was on. However he didn’t simply kind a promotional publish 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 publish 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
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 web optimization 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 means that you can present your viewers with their most popular 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 modifying periods with content material advertising 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 will 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 photographs from the video into shareable photographs for social media
This repurposing technique gained’t work for each video, however it’s going to work for movies the place you utilize a whole lot of static photographs. 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 in regards to the change — highlighting the assorted designs they’ve had up to now. Then, they repurposed the video into an Instagram Carousel publish containing the identical photographs used within the video.
In case your movies additionally comprise a presentation or static photographs, use these as visible belongings to publish on different social media channels. You repurpose your authentic publish and put it up for sale, 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 every part from a LinkedIn publish to a TikTok video.
1: Convert threads and long-form posts on X right into a LinkedIn publish (or vice-versa)
X (previously Twitter) and LinkedIn are sister social media platforms. Everytime you write a LinkedIn publish or a long-form publish 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. Have a look at how she repurposed her LinkedIn publish 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)
If you happen to can jazz up your threads on X a bit into cool graphics, you’ve acquired your self an Instagram carousel (or in-feed) publish.
It’s tremendous simple to do with Buffer’s Remix app. All it’s important to do is enter the hyperlink of your thread or publish on X, choose the dimensions & fashion you need, customise it together with your model colours — and also you’re completed! We use the Remix app on a regular basis to share our posts on X as in-feed Instagram posts.
Take into account our publish 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 doubtless publish numerous sorts of posts across the subtopics inside your social media area of interest. If you happen to’re lively 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 usually. 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 e-newsletter content material
Most subscribers anticipate your e-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 subject 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, similar 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 printed a e-newsletter about essentially the most defensible content material technique, which he later repurposed right into a LinkedIn publish.
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 photographs for Instagram and Pinterest
Repurposing e-newsletter 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 technique. They publish a day by day e-newsletter 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 e-newsletter subject mentioning Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, which Splainer repurposed into an Instagram Carousel publish.
If you happen to selected this route, transcend posting screenshots of your e-newsletter. Add some life into the photographs 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 also experiment with repurposing them into short-form movies.
For instance, The Know publishes a day by day e-newsletter sharing solely excellent news with their subscribers. They repurpose this content material day by 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 phase of their day by day information into an Instagram Reel.
It’s not as in-depth, nevertheless it does an ideal job of maintaining their Instagram attain and selling their e-newsletter.
Be eco-friendly together with your content material
Repurposing is all about content material recycling. You don’t burn your self out by always making an attempt to give you new concepts, and you get the utmost out of every piece of content material you resolve to publish. It’s a win-win situation.
Intention to repurpose at the very least 5 social media posts from each long-form piece of content material. And also you don’t need to “keep in mind” to repurpose. Make it part of your content material creation workflow, repurpose, schedule utilizing Buffer, and also you’re completed!
