The Art of Content Repurposing

Real repurposing means finding a new way to use something old. Repurposing is the process by which an object with a one-use value is transformed or redeployed as an object with an alternative-use value, according to Wikipedia.

Repurposing vs. Recycling

When it comes to the content you create, you’ve likely been told how to recycle something instead of repurposing it. When you recycle your content, you don’t transform it into having a different use. Sure, you may change the copy that goes with the description, but that’s about it. It still looks the same, it still reads the same and, therefore, it is still the same. It has not been redeployed as something new.

Creating new content every single week is time-consuming, and it’s also wasteful.

If you create new content every week and discard the old content as though it has no value, it’s kind of like buying a new jar of mayonnaise every time you have a sandwich. It doesn’t make sense because there was nothing wrong with the old mayonnaise! You are wasting what you already have in the fridge, and you wouldn’t do that, would you?

The same is true for your content.

Your content is super valuable to anyone who is looking for what you’ve created. However, the thing to keep in mind is that your buyers all have different preferences around how they consume content.

The true art of content repurposing takes those preferences into consideration and helps you transform one piece of content into something new and different:

• Written content can be repurposed into a video on the same topic.
• A video can have the audio stripped out and repurposed as a podcast.
• Written talking points could be turned into visuals and used as a webinar.
• You can combine blog posts and turn them into an ebook or digital download.
• Pull out key parts of your message and create an infographic or a nicely branded one-page document that can be shared with others.

The possibilities are endless, really.

4 Ways To Repurpose Your Content

Instead of always creating new, start asking yourself how you can do new things with the content you already have?

Here’s what I suggest you do:

1. First, identify your top 10 blog posts from the last two years. You should be able to see which ones were the most popular based on the number of views, likes and or shares.

2. Read through those posts and determine one way you can repurpose each piece of content. Build on them, and/or make them better.

3. Create a schedule for the first six months of the year, repurposing older content in a new way half of the time, and create new the other half.

4. Finally, create some additional graphics to go with all of your repurposed content. This is a great way to refresh a piece of content to gain additional visibility. Sometimes, the original image is what missed the mark, not the actual content.

Years ago when I worked in the wireless industry, I learned a term called “SWAT”. SWAT stood for “Sell What’s Available Today”. It was our belief that everything we had in our stores, regardless of how old it was, was new to someone who had never seen it before.

Your content is the same.

Start making better use of it and start seeing the value it holds. Find ways to repurpose it so you can reach a much larger audience.

Tell me in the comments below – what action step will you take?