Video is imperative in your marketing strategy now, given that people are watching it more than ever.
With social feeds flooded with this must-have content, you can't stand out if you compromise on quality. But videos that make an impact take time to create—planning, scripting, recording, editing, and everything in between.
To get the maximum return for all that work, make sure you're repurposing your quality videos (both the ones you've made and any you plan to make.) I'll show you how to create many types of content from a single video (and why you should).
First, I'll explain my definition of content repurposing.
What is content repurposing?
Content repurposing involves transforming a piece of content into different media for use on multiple platforms. It involves thinking creatively about getting your message across in different formats and locations so you can reach and connect with more people.
Content can be multi-purpose. A YouTube video doesn't have to stay just on YouTube. It can become a blog post, a podcast episode, a social media graphic, a LinkedIn post, or even a meme or GIF.
Repurposing video content frees your strategy from relying entirely on an audience of YouTube fans or video enthusiasts to discover your content. Your revamped video content can grab the attention of social media users, podcast listeners, blog readers, etc.
But don't think that content reuse is a copy-and-paste buzzword. Content repurposing, if done well, is a strategic and creative process.
Any reinvention requires time, energy, creativity and strategy. The difference is that you are not starting from scratch. You can expand or minimize points and value within the original content to create new platform-specific content.
Repurposing your content expands and strengthens your ideas and presence across multiple touch points. By varying lengths and formats for different platforms, you reach audiences:
- Where they consume content
- in the formats they prefer
- who have more than one learning style
I'll share some ideas and examples for retargeting your video content. Choose the options that make the most sense for your content marketing strategy.
# Content repurposing isn't a copy-and-paste buzzword — it's a strategic and creative process, says @Content10X via @CMIContent. Click to tweet
How to decide on formats and platforms
No one knows better than you where your audience hangs out and how they consume their content, so use that knowledge to guide your repurposing plans.
Ask yourself:
- Who is your audience? Who is consuming your content, and how can you adapt your brand's messages to their needs and expectations?
- Where do they consume the most content? Once you've identified a target audience, tailor your content strategy to their preferences. This ensures you get the most engagement, and your message is seen by the right people in their preferred format.
- What resources do you have? Do you have a budget to outsource, or does repurposing depend on what you can create?
Let your answers guide where your content should appear, and as your audience grows and diversifies, so can you.
Plan a varied content menu
Imagine your content as a menu designed to appeal to varying sizes of appetites and palate preferences. Offer a mix of content nibbles (think Tweets and Instagram Stories), appetizers (Twitter threads, Instagram photo carousels), mains (long-form articles, white papers, e-books, podcasts) and desserts (checklist, swipe files).
People may begin consuming your content in any of these courses, so be sure to include calls to action (CTAs) that let your content diners know what else is on the menu.
Imagine your #ContentMarketing as a menu. Repurpose your video content to serve varying appetite sizes and palate preferences, says @Content10X via @CMIContent. Click to tweet
Snacks and appetizers
Great content in a nutshell whets people's appetite (and curiosity) for more, and is a great way to grab the attention of people who aren't already part of your audience.
You see short videos everywhere, from TikTok to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and even Pinterest. According to HubSpot's Social Media Marketing Report 2022short video has the highest ROI compared to any other type of social media content.
It is relatively easy to use long video as short videos for social media platforms. Just consider the following factors:
- Dimensions: Adjust the dimensions of each video to the target platform. Sproutsocial.com has detailed information and is regularly updated Social media video specification guide With all the rules, sizes and measurements.
- Captions: Subtitles or subtitles allow people to understand the videos when the sound is turned off. It also creates an inclusive experience for people with hearing impairments.
- Independent added value: The hardest part of turning long videos into shorter clips is deciding what to include. Ultimately, you want independent music videos that entertain, educate and inspire.
You can also turn your long video into shorter text or image-based content for social platforms. Below are some options for serving these appetizers (the image above shows some examples).
Tweets and threads
Here are some ideas for repurposing your videos into content for Twitter (if you and your audience still use that platform).
- Split your video message into text-only tweets.
- Write a thread based on the main ideas from your video.
- Post the graphic.
- Share bite-sized clips from your main video.
- Create a GIF from your video.
Instagram or LinkedIn carousels
If your video is packed with tips, steps and instructions, display them as image carousels on LinkedIn or Instagram.
as per search engine log, Carousels have an average engagement of 1.92% compared to 1.74% for images and 1.45% for videos, simply because viewers have more content to engage with – not to mention carousels can appear multiple times in a feed.
Use the most engaging quotes and screenshots, and if you've created social graphics, adjust them for your carousels.
advice: Repurpose your Instagram carousel into a LinkedIn carousel by saving the images as a single PDF document and creating a document post on LinkedIn.
Instagram and Facebook stories
as per brake500 million people create and view Instagram Stories on their mobile devices every day, and Facebook Stories attract about the same number.
Edit long videos into short vertical videos. Use features like link stickers, polls, rating indicators, ask me anything and polls to make this content more interactive.
Instagram or Pinterest graphics
Emphasize your core points with a single or series of graphics.
An inspirational quote, a helpful tip, an engaging question, or a solution to a problem covered in your video all make up-to-date content for visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
Live video face to camera
Live broadcasts are great for interacting with your audience and building a community. While this isn't repurposing in its strictest sense, it is taking one idea from your video and making it go further.
Focus on the topic from your original live stream video, engaging with your audience on the topic.
You can go live on many platforms, including YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Additionally, your live video can be downloaded and redone.
Reddit and Quora posts
Reddit may not be at the top of your list for distributing video content. But it has a strong and passionate audience of 52 million active users and a forum for every topic. You can host an Ask-Me-Anything (r/AMA) thread about your video or post an excerpt of your reblogged post with graphics.
However, you should Do your homework before you get on Reddit, because its users do not tolerate content that is not relevant or useless to them. Avoid content that feels like an ad, always make sure your content provides value and look for unique ways to engage the community around your content.
On the question and answer site Quora, you're almost guaranteed to find questions related to your topic, no matter how obscure. More than 300 million people visit the platform every monththen this might be the perfect location to demonstrate your expertise.
Target threads related to your topic, turn your video into authoritative and engaging answers.
Before reusing video #Content on Reddit, make sure it provides value and Sharing the community in a unique way, says @Content10X via @CMIContent Click to tweet
Main dishes
Not everyone prefers video, and some prefer it only in certain situations. Repurpose your long-form video for text and audio options to engage more of your audience. Here are some options to consider:
Podcast episodes
If your video doesn't depend on visuals, the audio alone holds value. You can make it an episode of your regularly scheduled podcast.
While video typically requires a stationary audience, podcast listeners are out there. These people may not have 30 minutes to watch a video, but they will listen to a 30 minute podcast episode while commuting, grocery shopping, walking the dog, etc.
Repurposing a video for a podcast episode starts with converting it to an audio file. You may need to update elements to make it work – be more descriptive in some places or remove references to visuals in others. Also consider intros and outros and midrolls.
TechSmith, one of my company's clients, repurposes their live interview series as YouTube videos, then extracts the audio for use in the company's podcast.
Blog posts
The power of the written word remains strong, and a blog post can have the same impact and authority as a video.
You can also embed the video in a blog post so that your readers. However, it can be assumed that not everyone will watch it, so the blog post should make sense and add value on its own.
Another option is to expand the highlights of the video to create a blog post independent of the video. Go into more detail about the topic than in the video provided and add links to other content to provide maximum value to your readers.
TechSmith turned that live/YouTube video and podcast series into an article on the company blog.
Book chapters and e-books
If you have a handful of videos with a common theme, you already have the makings of a good eBook. Each video can be reused as an episode. If this process reveals gaps in your content, you can create new videos to fill them.
Online courses
as per Statista.comthe global eLearning market is expected to reach nearly $400 billion by 2026. So as a content marketer, it makes sense to repurpose your videos Online course.
Browse your archives and analytics to identify your most engaging videos. Think about what you are asked over and over again. This is the topic for your course.
Put your videos together in a concise, easy-to-use, manageable way that informs and educates. If you give your customers exactly what they need, and they leave knowing exactly what they need to know, you've done your job.
desserts
For people who want a little more after the main course, think of something to offer as the icing on the cake. Turn the tips and graphics from the video into a simple infographic, template or checklist that keeps the main points (and your brand) top of mind.
Infographics provide a great visual snapshot of content that is not only easy to consume but also highly shareable.
Don't forget to also upgrade these dessert items to relevant main courses such as blog articles, e-books, book chapters, etc.
Make the most of quality ingredients
With content repurposing, make sure you start with quality ingredients. Don't reuse lackluster videos. It's like giving out free samples of mediocre food – you won't get more people to order the whole dish.
So don't let your quality materials go to waste. Before creating new content from scratch, consider whether you already have a high-quality video that you can reuse.
And every time you create a new video, plan how to repurpose it.
Try some of the ideas I've shared, and you'll be creating a content feast before you know it.
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Cover image by Yosef Kalinovsky/Content Marketing Institute