Why you need to SERIOUSLY think about your repurposing strategy
What do Elton John and content marketing have in common? Well, let us explain…
You might have seen that Elton John is back. He has partnered up with amazing singers to bring his old songs back to life. Guess what? It is working for him.
This can give us a MAJOR lesson in content marketing!
So, what can this tell us? That our old content should NEVER be wasted or forgotten! Repurposing is the way to go, so that is the focus of this blog. It’s time to create your repurposing strategy for your business and never look back!
What did Elton John do?
Elton John has been a musical icon for years, he’s had hit after hit and has millions of fans around the world. Now you might be thinking what the heck does he have to do with content marketing?
Well, a couple of weeks ago I came across a TikTok while scrolling, and a man was discussing Elton John.
In this TikTok he said that Elton John is a very smart man; recently he has been taking his older songs and putting a spin on them, collaborating with modern artists like Dua Lipa and revamping his sound. As a result of this, he and his songs have again become popular and have blown up on social media!
In this situation, we can take a very valuable lesson from Elton John. Repurposing doesn't equal little effort or laziness, it is simply taking ideas and content you spent time and energy creating and using it for something else so more people see it.
If Elton John can repurpose his songs, you can repurpose your content. This is exactly what you can do with your content for your business!
What is content repurposing?
So let’s quickly jump back to basics… what even is repurposing?
As we mention in one of our other blogs all about repurposing (which you can check out here), by dictionary definition, repurposing is “to find a new use for an idea”, and for content marketing, it is pretty much the same principle.
With your content, repurposing is taking topics, ideas, concepts, or any written/visual/verbal content and finding a new use for it. You can either repurpose directly by copying and pasting and then editing to make it relevant, or you can repurpose ideas for you and your target audience to revisit - both work well you just have to find the one that works for you individually.
For example, if you record a podcast, you can use the themes discussed in this for your social captions or blog, or if you have a blog you want to reuse, you can take that, reword it and use it as a section in a different blog. Even if you’ve covered a topic previously and want to reuse it, you can simply update it and make it more relevant, then revisit that with your target audience. The possibilities go on and on!
There is, however, one important thing to remember with repurposing: it is NOT lazy creation it’s smart and efficient. Repurposing embodies the concept of working smarter, not harder, and does NOT mean you aren’t trying.
Brand awareness is not only helpful in saving time, but it can also help you reach a wider audience, build brand awareness, and helps you be known for what you teach, PLUS it allows you to spend your energy on aspects of your business that you love.
How can you start repurposing?
To get you inspired, we have some ways you can start repurposing for your own business. While there are SO many ways you can do this depending on what works for your business, here are some to get you started:
1. Turn a podcast into a blog post: We do this at Content Queen and we love it! You can even use a transcription app or website (we like Otter.ai) to turn the audio into written words.
2. Turn a video into a blog post or social media post: Take key points from your video and transcribe this as well, you can then use them for captions, emails, and whatever else you need.
3. Turn a live video into content for your IGTV channel: go live on Instagram with a guest or by yourself and then record and use this elsewhere. You can use snippets to tease upcoming posts or promote your business
4. Use key pieces of information from your podcasts or blogs and turn them into your social media posts: this helps you to share information without feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information you provide!
This is just a starting point, you really need to try out different things and see what works for you, there are so many ways you can repurpose. Next time you create, just think about how you can use that piece of content on your other platforms.
Tips for repurposing
Now you know what repurposing is and have the inspo you need on ways you can start doing it for your own business, here is some extra advice to take on and remember when you begin!
Firstly, make sure you understand the goal of each platform for you and your business. Think about what are you trying to achieve from this platform and how you can repurpose it to reach this particular goal.
For example, at Content Queen, the way we repurpose makes sure that our goals are aligned and at the forefront of our actions. If you’re interested in how we repurpose, we follow this structure:
We always begin with our podcast and the main topic of that. Mariah spends over 2 hours a week creating the podcast so, of course, we want to use that in more ways than 1!
This podcast then trickles down to our blog for SEO, we use the show notes taken from the podcast and delve deeper into the topic for people to read.
After the blog comes the social stuff - mostly emails and captions. From Tuesday to the weekend we use the theme of the bigger pieces of content and share tips and insights around this!
All of these pieces of content come from one podcast, how cool is that?
And lastly, think about which channels work best to repurpose with each other, this will help the flow and inspiration of your content as well. Here are some channels you can repurpose: TikToks to Pinterest, blogs and podcasts to Pinterest, podcasts to blog and social media, YouTube and TikTok to Instagram. You can also repurpose things like masterclasses or keynote speaking, freebies or white pages, and, of course, content in old posts.
Tools for repurposing
There are so many applications out there that can help you repurpose even more efficiently, it can be kind of tricky to try them all and see which ones best suit you. So, instead of you going out and trying to find the best ones, spending your money, and finally narrowing down the right ones for you, here are our recommendations on which ones we think you should try!
Scheduling tools like Plann and Hootsuite: These are here to help you schedule one piece of content across multiple channels
Otter.ai: Transcribe your podcast into written words which you can then use for blogs, captions, etc
Zoom: record your podcast interview and then download it into video or voice recording and use it wherever you need
A content planner like Airtable: You can fill this with content, and sort it into days, themes, channels, and whatever else you need. This tool is awesome because then all of your content is in one place, so if you need to repurpose something, you don't need to scroll through social media or documents to find it.
These are just some of the applications there are that you can utilise to help you repurpose, but like we said before it’s really up to you and what works for your business. Try them out and see how you go!
Frequently asked questions about repurposing
Should I use short-form content to direct to long-form content?
Ideally, your business should have one long-form content stream, whether that is a blog or podcast, to pull content from. The short-form content from this can then help direct your audience back to your long-form content where there is a call to action to do more.
Should I share from my paid offerings?
Even though your paid offerings are there to be bought, don’t be afraid to pull core concepts, ideas, or even little snippets from this to repurpose and use for promotion. Behind-the-scenes looks and sneak peek work really well for promo.
How do I know what to post and repurpose?
Look at the analytics, clicks to the website, and calls to action and see what people are interacting with. Taking inspiration from what is already popular in your content is a great place to start repurposing as it can allow that particular content to reach a larger audience.
Does Instagram not like it when you repurpose??
This can be true but to combat that simply save before reposting. For example, instead of posting directly from TikTok to IG, just save it first and then post, certain content channels and their algorithms like this much better.
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Final thoughts
If you’re ready to try something new in your business, give repurposing a go! Not only will it save you time and energy, but it will allow you to be known for the thing you want to be known for! Stop spending time doing the things you don't want to do in your business and instead, spend time on the stuff you LOVE. If you find that it’s time to build a content marketing strategy that works for you, your business, and your content, repurposing is the way to go.
This can all be your reality with The Content Queen repurposing guide, which is held within the DIY Content Marketing Club! If you want guidance, tips, and templates on all things content and business related, look no further and click the big button below!