From Old to Gold: 15+ Ways to Prioritize Repurposing Content

Repurposing content is the perfect way to create content for a new audience without totally recreating the wheel.

In this article, we’ll explain how to repurpose content and why it will benefit you in the long run.

What You’ll Learn

• Repurposing Content: What is it?
• What Kind of Content is Repurposable?
• How to Repurpose Content: 15 Examples
• FAQs About Repurposing Content

Repurposing Content: What is it?

Repurposing content is exactly what it sounds like – it’s the process of taking content you’ve used in the past and repurposing it to give it a new life.

It’s not just a method to educate your audience, but it also streamlines content creation for your brand.

Our Expert Insights on Repurposing Content

Let’s face it. Constantly coming up with new content ideas can be exhausting!

Jamie Parker, Content Editor at Ignite Visibility, says, “Learning how to repurpose content could be one of the most valuable skills a content marketer can learn. When you know how to take the same piece of content and format it as a blog, infographic, social media post, and marketing email, you open up a ton of new doors. Not all the same people are digesting your content on every single platform you post it on. Repurposing content allows you to find new ways to share your expertise in a medium that will reach and resonate with different audiences.”

So, while it’s completely true that you should be creating quality content that benefits your audience if you want to boost your SERP ranking, build brand awareness, and create trust between you and your audience, it doesn’t mean that you have to spend all day racking your brain for new content ideas. 

Actionable Item: Find a piece of previously published content of yours that performed really well and give it a refresh. Add new stats or graphics or repurpose it from a blog to a social media post. If your audience resonated with it once, chances are they will resonate with it again!

3 Key Benefits of Repurposing Content

1. Maximizing Content Value: Get more eyes on it. You went to all that work creating content. Repurposing it helps you get the most value out of it.

 

1. Reach Diverse Audiences: Different platforms have different audiences. Repurposing content for various media types allows you to cater to these unique groups.
2. SEO Benefits: Regularly updating and repurposing content can signal to search engines like Google that your brand is committed to quality and relevance, potentially improving your search rankings.

What is Repurposable Content?

There are two types of content you should repurpose: evergreen content and popular content.

Evergreen Content

• Characteristics: Timeless and high-quality. This content remains relevant over long periods.
• Repurposing Strategy: Share it repeatedly, with occasional updates or tweaks to maintain its relevance and freshness.

Popular Posts

• Characteristics: Posts that have performed exceptionally well in recent months or years.
• Repurposing Strategy: Update them with current statistics, graphics, or perspectives to reflect recent changes or developments.

How to Repurpose Content

1. Reach Out to Other Contributors

Dedicate a few hours each week or month to contact contributors who post content relevant to your blog. 

You can also reach out to contributors on other blogs to see if they’d be interested in sharing or linking to your content. This generates backlinks, which are key for boosting your Google ranking. On average, the top Google SERP results have significantly more backlinks than those in positions #2 through #10. 

2. Local Businesses: Use Google Business Profile (GBP) Posts

For local businesses, Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly Google My Business, offers a free platform to share posts and content updates, in an attempt to get more eyes on your brand and give your content new life. 

Plus, this tactic helps gain SERP visibility for good content that GBP users may not see otherwise.

Content updates on GBP should include new or high-performing content. Google allows businesses to post about new offers, products, discounts, promotions, and upcoming events. 

Additionally, each post can include an action button, enhancing audience engagement and interaction. For repurposed content, this might involve linking to an article for more detailed information. 

This approach not only increases the reach of your content but also actively engages the local audience directly through GBP.

3. Create Images

High-quality images capture the attention of consumers browsing online. For high-performing content, create visual elements like illustrations, pictures, or infographics inspired by the original material. These visuals can summarize key points of an article and are ideal for platforms focused on visual content.

Adding visuals to existing text-only posts can rejuvenate them and increase their value. This combination of text and imagery often enhances organic SEO performance because it transforms the content into a more shareable resource. While this isn’t a universal rule, it’s a generally effective approach.

When creating images, ensure they:

• Are compatible for embedding in your original content.
• Make sense in the context of social media posts, enhancing the message and appeal of the content on various platforms.

4. Create Social Media Posts from Blogs, Newsletters, or Other Content

Reposting medium- to long-form content like blogs, newsletters, or YouTube videos on social media is an effective way to give your content an additional lifespan. 

To repurpose content for social media:

• Incorporate Existing Content: As part of your social media management strategy, use content from your blog, email newsletter, or YouTube channel.
• Repost Links: You can share links to the entire content pieces on your social media channels.
• Highlight Key Points: Alternatively, extract specific information or highlights from your content to create engaging social media posts.

5. Guest Star On a Podcast (Or Start Your Own)

The popularity of podcasts has surged dramatically, making them a prime medium for content repurposing. From 32.1 million listeners in 2013, the audience expanded to 181 million in 2023, with a significant jump of 23.9 million new listeners between 2022 and 2023 alone.

Podcasts are particularly popular among young adults. Pew Research Center data from 2023 shows that 67% of U.S. adults aged 18-29 listened to a podcast in the last year, with 48% tuning in a few times a week. This trend is growing across all age groups, including 30-49 and even the 50-64 and 65+ demographics.

Given this expansive audience:

• Guest Appearing on Podcasts: Consider guest starring on an established podcast as an expert. This exposes your content to a wider, engaged audience.
• Starting Your Podcast: Alternatively, launching a brand-specific podcast, similar to ‘Unwasted’ by Imperfect Foods, or The Ignite Visibility University Podcast, allows you to tailor content directly to your audience’s interests and needs.

6. Create Videos

Videos are becoming a highly effective content medium, captivating a wide range of audiences.

 Online video consumption has risen by 52% in the last two years, with people now watching an average of 16 hours of online video content weekly.

Providing different options for content consumption is beneficial. Consider creating videos or video series from existing blogs, newsletters, e-books, or podcast episodes.

Then, start uploading! Experiment with social media videos and start your own YouTube channel.

7. Update and Refresh Old Blogs

A Hubspot survey found that 29% of people read blogs 1-4 times a month, with 18% reading blogs daily.

This is great news for those with a substantial blog archive looking to increase organic reach. An effective, cost-efficient method is to update and refresh existing blogs, particularly beneficial for brands that have been blogging for over a year.

LinkedIn Post by John Bonini of Databox:

To refresh a blog:

• Update Content: Revise facts and statistics with the most recent data.
• Update Time References: Adjust mentions of past years to the current or upcoming year.
• SEO Optimization: Enhance both on-page and off-page SEO.
• Embed New Media: Incorporate relevant and timely videos, images, or social media posts.

After updating, reshare the blog across various digital marketing channels and acquire backlinks to rejuvenate the old content.

8. Turn Data Into Social Media Fast Facts

The data from case studies are a valuable asset for content repurposing. You can convert this data into digestible, quick facts that are ideal for social sharing.

Consider telling a story using numbers and data by creating visually appealing image slides and posting them in a carousel format on social media, accompanied by a well-crafted caption to tie the narrative together. Don’t shy away from reposting old data-driven social media posts with a fresh perspective. 

Reposting content can sometimes generate even higher engagement than the original post. However, it’s worth noting that only 42% of content marketers are currently taking advantage of reposting their own content to boost engagement, indicating a significant opportunity in this area.

9. Transform Webinars Into Quick Video Tutorials

In one study, nearly half (46.5%) of businesses said the COVID-19 pandemic brought an increase in webinar hosting. Webinars, particularly popular in the B2B sector, have thus become a rich source of content for repurposing.

Given their typically lengthy format, usually around an hour, there’s a risk of losing audience attention. To mitigate this, consider transforming webinars into quick video tutorials. These shorter, more digestible videos allow audiences to engage with the content at their convenience.

When creating these videos, it’s important to keep them concise. The ideal length may vary depending on the platform you choose to use. If the webinar content is extensive, think about creating a series of short videos to cover all the key points without overwhelming your audience.

10. Create E-Book Guides from Existing Blogs

Repurposing your pillar and cluster posts into an e-book is an effective strategy for providing comprehensive, cohesive content in one accessible package. This e-book can be offered as gated content, requiring audiences to provide their name and email address to access it. This approach not only delivers valuable content to your audience but also aids in building your first-party data collection and generating leads.

When deciding whether an e-book is suitable for your strategy, consider your audience’s reading habits. Statistics show that higher earners, particularly those with a salary of $75,000 or more, are more likely to engage in reading, including online materials. However, the decision also depends on the nature of your content and your overall value proposition.

11. Answer Quora Questions

Quora is often an undervalued tool in digital marketing. Real people ask questions, and you have the opportunity to answer.

Here’s how to use Quora effectively:

• Select a Valuable Blog Post: Choose a blog post from your content that offers substantial value. If necessary, update the blog first to ensure it’s current and relevant.
• Find Relevant Questions: Search for Quora questions that relate to the topic of your blog post.
• Provide Thoughtful Answers: Answer these questions earnestly and in detail. Your goal should be to provide real value in your response.
• Include a Blog Link: After answering, you can gently direct users to your blog post for a more comprehensive understanding of the topic. Inform the question asker and other readers that they can find more detailed information in your blog.

12. Create a Roundup Newsletter or Post

At the end of the quarter, fiscal year, calendar year, or any other time frame, gather your blogs or newsletters and find out which ones were the most popular or unique. Instead of a time frame, you can also go by category of content. Then, create a new blog or newsletter that serves as a “round-up” of these posts.

This gets clicks on your new content and old content in one fell swoop.

Look to “A roundup of Marketing Brew’s stories” from Marketing Brew as an example of repurposing content by creating a roundup post.

13. Become a Contributor on Blog Sites

Becoming a contributor on various blog platforms like Medium, is a valuable strategy in repurposing your digital content. 

Here’s How:

• Post Quality Content: Ensure that the content you post on these platforms is top-notch and reflective of your brand’s quality and message.
• Link Back to Original Content: When repurposing content for these sites, it’s important to link back to the original content. This helps in directing the audience to your primary website and provides context.
• Use Canonical Tags: To avoid issues with duplicate content, use canonical tags. Place the canonical tag in the <head> section of your page’s HTML source code. The tag specifies the preferred URL for the content, helping search engines understand the relationship between duplicate or similar pages.

14. Use Testimonials to Create Social Media Posts

Always solicit testimonials from your clients! Not only is this a good way to show you what you need to improve in your processes, but it also provides the social proof that others are looking for before they decide to hire you.

Repurpose these testimonials into social media posts as a way to highlight your work, share social proof, and boost your engagement. People love to see real examples of quality work!

15. Use Your Blog Content in Online Courses

Online courses are a hot commodity right now. In fact, 49% of students around the world have completed some sort of online course or training. That’s probably why the course creation industry has seen a 900% growth rate since 2000.

Jump into the online learning industry yourself. This will give you control over who gets access to your content and what happens to it, but it’s also a pretty lucrative business, with some experts believing it will be a $370+ billion industry by 2026.

16. Repurpose Your Content for Reddit

Reddit isn’t typically known as a marketer’s playground, but the truth is, it’s a great place to grow your business.

Repurposing content for Reddit audiences requires you to be super authentic and only post content that is helpful, valuable, and beneficial to your audience, not just to your brand.

So, jump into Reddit and explore to find some subreddits that might be open to hearing from you. Be sure to post a tl;dr version before your long-form content, and also remove any links besides one link back to the original post at the very end of your Reddit post.

17. Try Out a Slideshare Deck

Industry conferences can be a fantastic place to network, meet new people, and find exposure for your brand. However, creating content for them can also be time-consuming and draining.

Instead of recreating the wheel, repurpose content into slides and dump all of your newly created slides into a SlideShare deck. This will get all of your content into one cohesive place to share with your new conference friends.

18. Repurpose Old Social Media Posts

One thing that a lot of marketers forget is that just because they’ve seen this content before, it doesn’t mean your audience has!

Don’t be afraid to repurpose some of your old social media content that has done really well. Chances are, most people aren’t scrolling back through years of posts, so keep some older posts in your back pocket, especially to fill your social media feed during industry downtimes. Use popular educational posts or even more simple “Meet the Team” or “What We Do” type posts for this exercise.

FAQs About Repurposing Content

1. What does repurposing content mean?

Repurposing content means changing existing content to fit an updated time, audience, or purpose. You’re not simply reposting content in its original form. Rather, you’re doctoring the content to deliver value as needed.

2. What are some examples of repurposing content?

Alexandra Fasulo is a millionaire freelancer who repurposes content by creating Instagram Reels out of existing blogs, e-books, or podcasts.

Ignite Visibility creates weekly Ignite Friday videos that provide a digital marketing news roundup for the week. Then, Ignite creates blog posts for additional content.

The San Francisco Chronicle and other news organizations create Twitter threads explaining the gist of news articles.

3. Does repurposing content help with SEO?

If your brand offers multiple content pieces around a target keyword, you’re more likely to rank for that keyword. Additionally, you can increase your backlink profile organically and by developing a cross-content linking strategy that you control.

4. Can you repurpose content across channels?

You don’t have to stick within the same platform to repurpose content. Blogs can become videos and social media posts. Internal studies can become public-facing data. The list goes on, but the point is that you can get creative by repurposing content across channels.

5. Can you repurpose content on the same social media platform?

As long as you change the content, you can repurpose it within the same platform. For example, you may take an older Instagram post and repurpose it for a new, updated post that reflects the day.

Learn How to Repurpose Content with Ignite Visibility

Whether you’re looking to repurpose content to expand your reach, make the most of your social media presence, or find new readers for your blog, Ignite Visibility can make it happen. 

Join the thousands of happy clients who have turned to our experts in their time of need. Whether you specialize in home repairs or the financial field, we know how to get you noticed in your industry.

Ignite Visibility can help you:

• Build a cohesive content marketing strategy
• Deliver high-quality content for blogs, email marketing, and more
• Grow your social media presence
• Increase your sales growth
• And more!

Are you ready to learn how to repurpose content and start seeing better results with less stress? Reach out to Ignite Visibility to get started today!