When you create content for your business, it can serve so many other purposes than what you created it for. But there’s a process behind repurposing content that you need to be aware of before you start copying and pasting or recording yourself reading your blog posts for your podcast.
There’s a lot to consider, including what kind of content you want to repurpose, where it will serve you best, how to get more reach out of what you’ve already created, and things to consider when using “old” content, among other things.
Listen in this week as I address each of these questions and give you some specific examples of how to repurpose your own content.
Mentioned in This Episode Podcast
Transcript:
Welcome to episode 240 of The Content Experiment Podcast, a podcast for service-driven business owners who know that content is important but there’s so much more to marketing and business growth.
Here we talk about showing up for your audience in a way that they want to hear, in a way that’s sustainable for you. This might mean publishing a weekly podcast or blog, but it also means paying attention to your email list, leveraging other people’s audiences, building relationships, and getting over the limiting mindsets that often hit when we’re reaching for the next level in our business.
I’m Abby Herman, fractional marketing officer, content strategist and podcast manager for business owners who want to make their marketing feel easier and more streamlined so they can get back to serving their clients and making those sales. I’ll show you how OR do it for you, while you do business in a way that works for you–I can help by supporting you through building and implementing a content and marketing strategy, taking care of the podcast management for you, or giving you the tools and resources to take this on yourself.
I know that creating content can feel like a full time job. (Honestly, it’s why people hire me to help!) For this podcast, it sometimes feels like a hamster wheel that I can’t get off of. There’s always something to be done for it. Yes, I do my best to batch interviews and batch recording my solo episodes (I’m recording THREE solo episodes on the same day today, if my voice holds up!). I can also batch some of the show notes and promotion.
But the reality is that I have a weekly podcast, it’s not seasonal, and there’s no logical place to take a break. I’ve thought about it, but I’m afraid I won’t start up again so I just keep the momentum going by publishing every week.
That said, it IS still possible to do some repurposing. And it’s possible for you, too. There are so many ways to take what you’re doing, what you’re already creating, and find new ways to use it.
So what IS repurposing? Essentially, it’s taking something you create: a podcast episode, a video, a blog, an email, a social media post, a presentation, and finding new ways to use it to market your business.
Why would you want to repurpose your content?
Time and resource savings: Repurposing existing content allows businesses to maximize the value of their efforts and minimize the time and resources spent on creating new content from scratch.
Increased reach and exposure: By repurposing content into different formats and across various platforms, businesses can reach a wider audience and increase their visibility. Your audience might not have caught that podcast episode but they might see it on YouTube. They might have missed a point or two on that blog, but it might resonate with them in a Reel.
Reinforcement of key messages: Repurposing content enables businesses to reinforce their core messages and key points, ensuring consistency across different channels and formats.
Which content can you use to repurpose:
Evergreen content: Identify evergreen content that remains relevant and valuable over time, such as comprehensive guides, tutorials, or in-depth analysis. This could also include your podcast episodes, blogs, YouTube videos, even things you share with your current clients.
High-performing content: Look for content that has generated high engagement, received positive feedback, or achieved significant results in terms of traffic or conversions. Do you have a particular video that has a lot of comments? What about an email that garnered a lot of responses?
What should you repurpose your content INTO?
The possibilities are really endless here. If you imagine it, your content can become it.
Written: Transform blog posts, articles, or whitepapers into e-books, social media captions, or email newsletters. You can also turn a blog into a podcast or video, social media graphics, and more.
Visual: Convert infographics, data visualizations, or slideshows into social media graphics, videos, or presentations. You can also pair an infographic with some audio, adding another layer to help your audience understand something.
Audio: Repurpose podcast episodes into audiograms, snippets for social media, or as guest appearances on other podcasts. A podcast can also become a blog or a written tutorial.
Use your imagination!
Will your blog really do well as a video? How do you adapt the content for different platforms?
Not everything will transfer well, AND when you do repurpose, you will need to make some changes. There IS still work to be done.
Adapt language and tone: Adjust the language, tone, and style of the content to align with the preferences and expectations of different platforms and target audiences.
Customizing content: Modify the content to address the specific needs, pain points, or interests of different audience segments or buyer personas.
How do you get more reach out of repurposed content?
I hear a lot of “But I’ve already talked about that” or “people will get sick of hearing about that topic.” You might get tired of it but I guarantee your audience won’t. It’s okay to talk about the same thing on multiple channels. Not every platform will resonate with everyone, so one audience member isn’t going to see the same content everywhere. So be sure to share it!
Social media platforms: Share repurposed content on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to reach a broader audience.
Website and blog: Publish repurposed content on your website or blog to drive traffic and engage your existing audience.
Email newsletters: Include repurposed content in your email newsletters to provide value to your subscribers.
Third-party publications: Repurpose content for guest posts or contributions to industry publications to expand your reach and establish thought leadership.
What are some things I need to be aware of or careful about?
Over the holidays last year, I republished three of my earliest podcast episodes. But some of what was in those episodes wasn’t actually how I talked about content anymore. So I took the podcast outlines, updated them, then re-recorded. It saved me SO much time and still offered a lot of value to listeners. So when you’re repurposing content, particularly if it’s older content make sure you’re thinking about these things:
Ensure accuracy and relevancy: Review and update repurposed content to ensure that it remains accurate, up-to-date, and aligned with current industry trends or developments.
Repackage and reposition: Consider repackaging repurposed content to give it a fresh appeal. For example, combine multiple related blog posts into an e-book or create a series of videos from a comprehensive guide.
Is your repurposed content performing?
Of course, you want to see if your work is effective, just like any other content you create.
Metrics and tools: Use analytics tools to track engagement, reach, conversions, and other relevant metrics across different platforms and channels.
Insights for optimization: Analyze the data to gain insights into the performance of repurposed content and use those insights to refine repurposing strategies and optimize future content.
So what do you think about the value of repurposing some of the content you have right now? Are you on board? I know that repurposing content allows businesses to work smarter, not harder, and make the most of their existing content assets.
If you found value in what you learned here today, be sure to share it on social media. Take a screenshot of the episode on your phone and share it over on Instagram stories. Tag me at thecontentexperiment. Or head over to LinkedIn and connect with me. Be sure to tell me you found me on the podcast when you send the connection invite! The more you share this podcast with others, the more we can get it into the hands of more business owners, just like you, who need to hear the message that they are not alone.
