13 Apr 2021

Repurposing Content: The Secret Weapon of the Pros

APRIL 13, 2021

As a content creator, the push to create new content is continuous. But the most significant trend is content creators who forget that their creation doesn't have to be 100% original to be valuable, liked, and shared.

If you're a podcaster, blogger, YouTuber, or someone who goes live frequently, you feel the pressure to create consistent content and show up regularly.

Content creators rarely take what's been done and repurpose it for other channels and in new formats.

It's the rare few who fully utilize repurposing to create omnichannel, omni-format content, to create true omnipresence.

Omni-content creates omnipresence

To be clear, when I say omni-content, I mean taking our blog posts and re-imagining them as new content types in new channels: short videos, infographics, audiograms, Stories, and more.

And maybe reading that exhausts you as your brain races to imagine how you'd create all of these things because you barely have time for what you're already creating. I get it.

Fortunately, there are tools available that will do much of this for you, literally at the click of a button.

Imagine taking an Instagram Live video and turning it into 3 different blog posts, multiple pull quotes for graphics, and social story videos or Reels. It can be done with a lot less energy than you might think.

You don't have to spread yourself across multiple platforms or new content types right away, just pick one and focus to see what comes of it.

Measure regularly for faster growth

Even if you've never done it before. Start tracking your numbers. What gets measured grows. Keep your eyes on it even once a week and watch what happens.

All the new content types can be spread across multiple different content channels. If you've never tried posting your content to a totally new channel, you might be surprised by the positive traction you'll get.

Repurposing takes maybe 20% of the effort, or even less, if you have a virtual assistant or staff to help spin existing content into new content types.

We can take our podcasts and make them into multiple blog posts pulling out the specific talking points. Focus on the comments within a social share or feedback from your audience about their best takeaways from the episode. Zoom in on that to turn it into something else.

You might be wondering why we'd want to do this, apart from saving time.

You invest 30 minutes to an hour just recording a podcast or being a guest, going live, and many hours recording a video for youTube. If you think of it like upcycling, you begin to see all content as a gold mine for something new, different, and possibly superior to the original—more creative, an extension of the first thing but completely different.

Take a trampoline. I love trampolines and always will––they bring out the kid in and I wind up giggling uncontrollably while I jump.

But in this example from Musely.com, you can see an ordinary trampoline turned into a chic hanging canopy seat. I'd have to say the upcycled version calls to me. It's beautiful, romantic, and fun. I'd probably spend a lot more time enjoying it than I would the simple trampoline.

When you look at the content you created, please don't let it sit on your hard drive as-is or publish it once and call it a day.

Rember this trampoline visual. Begin to imagine what you can do to expand on, morph, or dig deeper into what you started.

It's just a start.

That giant piece of clay you slapped on the wheel. You can re-imagine it and turn it into something else. Some ideas you haven't tried yet could deliver unexpected results.

A fun quiz to build your list.

A handy branded infographic to show people what you know and build your authority as an expert.

A series of images for an Insta carousel post. And that get's re-used as a Story or creatively shared to Reels.

An interview that was such a hit you decide to create a room on Clubhouse and invite your followers or a guest to dig deep and ask questions.

Your options are limitless.

When you start to do this, you're building consistency and demonstrating your knowledge and expertise across platforms and numerous ways. You can automate these shares and drive all that extra traffic to the one place you feel most comfortable engaging and following up with your people. And if that's not your thing, enjoy the new traffic and delegate the interaction to a trusted VA or intern.

Stephani Roberts
Author/Podcast Host

I'm a personal branding strategist who specializes in helping women tap into their true potential. I help them identify and showcase the skills, talents, gifts they have to offer so that they can leverage these core qualities with confidence for greater success in both work and life (and be more fulfilled).

I give you back your voice by drawing out what's already inside of you- then we create an actionable plan together step-by-step.