Content repurposing: get more out of your content

Content repurposing offers numerous benefits. Below we list the 3 most important ones. 

You reach more people with your content 

Content repurposing helps you extend your content’s reach. By putting your content in a different format and sharing it on new channels, you create new touch points for (new) people to discover your content. 

You lower the workload for yourself and your team 

A second benefit of content repurposing is that it reduces the pressure on yourself and your team. 

Thinking about new content day in and day out - and creating that content - is virtually impossible. Therefore, it is very welcome if you don't have to keep breaking your head over fresh ideas. 

Approach your content from a different angle. That way, you'll discover opportunities to breathe new life into existing pieces and increase or extend their value. 

Because you don't have to start from scratch, you’ll work more efficiently and it’ll take less time and effort to create content. 

You rank better on Google 

A third benefit of content repurposing is that it gives you new opportunities to rank in Google. 

By putting content in a different format, you can share it on channels you don't use yet. For example, if you create a video based on a blog post, you can share the video on YouTube, among other channels. And since YouTube is part of the Google search network, you will acquire a new ranking in Google with the video. 

If you also optimise your YouTube video for SEO - for example, by adding a description, transcription, captions and metadata - you can further enhance this new ranking in Google.

There are different ways to repurpose content. But the process always comes down to the same three pillars. 

• Combine: what content can you put together to create new insights and/or add value to what you have? 

• Add: where or how can you add to the content to delve deeper into the topic? 

• Adjust: what info in the content needs to be rewritten (if any)? 
   

Allow us to explain the pillars with an example. 

Combining blog posts into a white paper 

Suppose you have several blog posts on a particular topic that do well. It could be interesting to bundle those posts into a new content piece, such as a white paper. 

This is how you go about it: 

• Combine: compare the blog posts to see what content you already have and how you can pull this information together. Consider what subtopics you can distinguish in the blog posts and how you can link them together. 

By compiling all the information, you immediately get an idea of the remaining gaps. What information or subtopics are still missing to complete your white paper? 

If you have a good idea of the content that is already there and the content you still need, create a structure for the white paper right away. What is a logical order or format for the content? How do you make sure the information fits together?  

• Add and adjust: when the subtopics and the structure of the whitepaper are fixed, start filling in the gaps and reworking the content. The order in which you do this depends on your own preference and way of working. 

For example, you can start writing right away and make necessary additions as you go along during the writing process. Another way is to fill all the gaps or gather new information first and then start writing. 

if your white paper is on point in terms of content and structure, make sure it's presented in a nice format. 

Making your white paper visually appealing enhances the reading experience. Appropriate visual elements amplify and clarify your content and make information more digestible than dry, text-filled pages. 

Is your repurposed content ready to see the light of day? Then share it on your website and other (appropriate) channels you use. In the case of a white paper, you can work out a new landing page and provide a download form to generate leads. 

As soon as your repurposed content is live, don't forget to promote it. For example, share social media posts that link to your content and add calls-to-action to the pages with the original content that your repurposed content is based on (for example, new CTAs in the blog posts your white paper consists of). 

By repurposing content, you have to worry less about constantly creating new content. Instead, you share and promote the repurposed content to get the most out of it. And that's how the ball gets rolling. 

Because content repurposing also creates new opportunities. That new white paper you created based on a few blog posts? You can later rework that into a video series, a presentation, a podcast ... and so on. 

And that is the purpose of content repurposing: to continually facilitate and improve your marketing efforts.