3 Simple Ideas On How To Repurpose Content (And Save Time!)
Let me guess— you're burnt out from creating content.
But what if I told you that you only need to spend 2 hours a day creating content?
Learning how to repurpose content has honestly changed the game for me. I no longer dread posting on social media, and I always have a strategic marketing plan in my back pocket.
Reusing content I already have is how I'm able to consistently publish new content every day on 5 different platforms.
So, ready to cut your content creation time in half? Stick around because I'm going to walk you through some ideas for repurposing content along with my personal content repurposing workflow.
Why Creating Content Is So Exhausting
In 2017, when I first started learning about content marketing, I was one of those people who thought every post should be better than the last.
It was exhausting. I was constantly comparing myself, and I overthought everything. Instead of getting all my ideas out there, I wasted my time trying to create 100% brand new content.
I can tell you from first-hand experience that if you're stuck in this same perfectionist paralysis, you're never going to live up to your potential.
What you really need to be asking yourself is how you can turn your quality content into multiple pieces for quantity?
The answer to that is learning how to repurpose content. So let me show you how it's done.
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Let's Define Repurposing
The technical definition of repurposing is “adapt for use in a different purpose.”
When you look at what content repurposing is, it just means that you’re adapting pre-existing content for a different (sometimes better) use.
Have you ever seen those Tik Tokers who repurpose furniture? They’ll take a free table off of Facebook marketplace, fix it up, and resell it for, like, $300.
Imagine doing that but with the stuff that you create online.
Content repurposing is what you need to grow your audience and turn your free content into money-making content.
Examples of Repurposing Content
I'm by no means the first person to come up with ideas for repurposing content. There are tons of examples of people doing this all over the internet.
You just might not have realized what they were doing.
Here are 2 examples of how to repurpose content:
Example #1: Two Hot Takes Podcast
One of my favorite examples of content repurposing is the podcast, Two Hot Takes.
This Reddit-reading podcast aired its first episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts on February 10, 2021.
They posted their first Tik Tok video promoting the episode on February 12, 2021.
Then, they uploaded their first YouTube video recording that same podcast episode on February 17, 2021.
The Two Hot Takes podcast has 104K Instagram followers, 248K YouTube subscribers, and 2.4 million Tik Tok followers at the time of writing this.
They did this in under a year. And, technically, they only create one big piece of content every week.
Here's what their repurposing content workflow (probably) looks like:
Step 1: They simultaneously record their podcast episode for audio and video format.
Step 2: They upload the audio onto several podcast streaming services.
Step 3: They upload the full-length version of the video podcast (usually over 60 minutes) onto YouTube.
Step 4: The full-length video is broken down into at least 5 shorter videos (10-15 minutes each) and uploaded onto YouTube.
Step 5: They repurpose the video recording into 5+ Tik Toks and Reels for each episode
By recording just 1 hour of content every week, these innovative podcasters can post every day across multiple social media platforms. In one week, they probably produce:
1 podcast
6 YouTube videos
5-10 Reels
5-10 Tik Tok videos
With their growing social media, not only are they getting passive ad revenue from YouTube, but they can negotiate higher rates for brand deals since they've diversified their audience. And did I mention that they have over 600 Patreon members?
So not only does repurposing content save you time, it makes you more money.
Two Hot Takes will never feel like they're at the mercy of a single social platform because they've made sure they are everywhere.
Example #2: Personal Branding Consultant
If you want another great example of how to repurpose content like a pro, just look at my client, Claire.
She initially hired me back when I was a freelance writer on Upwork. She went from being a well-known lifestyle influencer to one of Google's top-recommend personal brand consultants.
We achieved this by creating SEO blog posts on her area of expertise (personal branding). But we didn't stop there.
We were able to maintain a constant social media presence by taking snippets of copy from those blogs to create:
Social graphics for Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Captions for Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Scripts for her YouTube videos and podcast
Example: Look how her blog on "Limiting Beliefs" has been repurposed for IGTV, YouTube, and her podcast.
The blog copy helps maintain her brand voice and message. It also frees up time because she can copy and paste content from one channel to the next.
You may be wondering, "But won't people notice this?"
Absolutely not.
It takes 5-7 interactions before an audience will remember your brand. So you should be repeating your story, service, or message multiple times if you want people to remember your content.
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3 Time-Saving Ideas For Repurposing Content
There's constant pressure for creators and businesses to post every day while maintaining value or entertainment.
It's true that there are people out there who record weekly Youtube videos, take Instagram pictures, write blogs, and still somehow manage to post 5 Tik Toks a day.
This is overkill.
Content repurposing is turning quality content into quantity content. When you can post consistently and provide value or entertainment, that's when your brand will become a household name.
So, here are 3 simple ideas for repurposing content to save you time— and your sanity.
Repurposing Video Content
Video is by far the easiest way to start repurposing content for social media. If you have a ton of Tik Tok videos, it's time to reupload them onto other platforms.
I know Instagram has come right out and said they would suppress Reels videos with the Tik Tok watermark. But don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing Instagram's game.
Here are a few ways to get rid of the Tik Tok watermark.
And honestly, if you have hundreds of videos already, then there's a chance that at least one of them will pick up traction on Instagram Reels. Even with the watermark.
So just start by repurposing your video content! Turn those Tik Toks into:
Instagram Reels
YouTube Shorts
Facebook posts
Pinterest Pins and Idea Pins
Add them to your blogs
Add them to your emails
I call this The Short-Form Shortcut. Here's how to repurpose content using this method:
2. Repurposing Blog Content
Blogs, to me, are a goldmine of valuable content. People tend to underestimate how much writing you need to do as a business owner or content creator. There are captions, emails, video scripting, and so much more.
You can turn your old blogs into:
eBooks (paid or free)
Unlimited social media captions
Scripts for Youtube videos or podcasts
Graphics with blog statistics
Pinterest pins (Fun Fact: you can and should be creating at least different 5 pins per blog! So play around with titles, images, statistics, and fonts to draw in new eyes)
Here's how to purpose content using this Copy and Paste Method.
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3. Repurposing Content For Social Media
You have Stories, captions, hashtags, Lives, and a million other things you have to do to keep up on social media. Learning how to repurpose content has given me one less thing to worry about.
Like I said before, I used to think every single post had to be unique. But that's what long-form content is for (blogs, podcasts, or YouTube videos).
We're supposed to repurpose our social media content. That's why we call it "bite-size" or "easily digestible content." Think about it: do you remember that 10 second Tik Tok video you watched 3 months ago?
Probably not.
You already know you can repurpose video content. Here are some other hacks for repurposing content for social media:
Repost your top 3 best-performing videos, pictures, or graphics every 3 months. Seriously, nobody will notice (or care).
Create Reels/Tik Toks out of podcast or YouTube content. See the Two Hot Takes example above!
Test your Tik Tok or Reels ideas on Instagram Stories first! Make sure you download each clip and then piece it together later to create a Tik Tok-style video.
If you want to know the real secret on how to repurpose content without anyone noticing, just remember this one thing: it's okay to steal!
From yourself ;)
How To Repurpose Content: My Personal Content Repurposing Workflow
As I mentioned earlier, there's no right or wrong way to repurpose content. You can start with the bite-size content and expand on it later. I prefer the reverse, but the choice is up to you!
My content repurposing workflow is The Copy and Paste Method. I like this one because I can create one meaty piece of content and break it into smaller chunks for social media.
Here's what my content creation schedule looks like:
Week 1: Write and schedule 4 or 5 blogs on each of my content pillars (one for every week).
Week 2: Create and schedule 15 Tik Tok-style videos (3 for each blog). Each video might summarize a section of a blog or promote the topic.
Week 3: Create and schedule 12 Pinterest Pins; 3 for each blog. This only takes me a few hours, so I usually take this week to create a Tik Tok series of some kind so that I have 15+ more videos.
Week 4: Repurpose everything. First, I'll copy and paste 100 words from each blog into 4 emails and schedule them for the upcoming month. Then I'll schedule all 15-30 of my Tik Tok videos on Pinterest and Instagram Reels. Then I'll go back to my blogs and add pins or embed my Tik Tok videos into them (because Google loves pictures and videos).
I spend about 10 hours creating content every week. That's just 2 hours a day. The rest of my time is dedicated to client work, managing my team, or doing whatever I want because I have so much free time.
Knowing how to repurpose content saves you from burnout. Hiring a team with an entire repurposing strategy helps you grow your business. Let's chat about my Content Repurposing Service ;)
