What is Content Repurposing?

Content repurposing is a fantastic way to stretch your content marketing efforts further by using existing content in new and creative ways. When you repurpose content, you multiply your content development efforts and have the ability to reach new audiences.

A Simple Example of Content Repurposing

An example of content repurposing may involve taking a blog post and turning it into a podcast. You could also create an infographic out of a case study.

Another example of content repurposing may be where you expand upon the points of a “LinkedIn Articles” thought leadership content by creating a YouTube video series that demonstrates the concepts discussed in the original piece of written content.

In this post, we will look at some of the benefits of content repurposing, some examples of how to repurpose your content, and some tips for getting the most out of content repurposing.

What Are the Benefits of Content Repurposing?

Content repurposing offers several benefits to businesses, including:

Saves time when looking for new content ideas

By leveraging existing content, you can significantly reduce the time spent brainstorming new topics, allowing for more efficient content production.

Keeps content aligned with your brand’s content pillars

Repurposing ensures that all your content consistently supports your brand’s key messages and themes, reinforcing your brand identity across various platforms.

Opens avenues to publish content on sites with high authority

Repurposing allows you to adapt your content for platforms that have different audiences and higher domain authority, improving your reach and SEO.

May save time when creating content since the original content serves as an outline

With the core message already established, you can focus on adapting the content for different formats rather than starting from scratch.

Allows you to reach new markets that prefer different types of digital content

Different audiences consume content in different ways. Repurposing enables you to meet your audience where they are, whether they prefer reading, watching, or listening.

As the premier content marketing agency in Charlotte, NC, Charlotte Content Marketing always seeks to use our clients’ expertise and experience to engage customers in target markets.

We work with brands to engage along as many touchpoints as possible, and we encourage content repurposing as a way to stretch ideas as far as they can go.

What’s an Example of Content Repurposing?

The entire concept behind repurposing content relies on using content you’ve already created. Because you already have the basic structure created, you take what you have and transpose it for a different medium for a different audience.

Think of Repurposing Content Like Creating a Cover Version of a Song

You can think about content repurposing, like creating a cover song. When a musician writes a piece, the music exists as recorded. Let’s say the song in question is a hard rock track.

Now, a country artist can repurpose that song for an audience of country music fans by covering it while putting a country twist to it. This isn’t copying the song directly.

Instead, it’s taking the essential elements, including the lyrics and melody, and finding new ways to use these elements to extend the life of the song. The core of the content stays the same, but how it’s presented changes to reach a larger audience.

Is Content Repurposing Another Form of Republishing?

One common misconception about content repurposing is that it means republishing existing content. This is not what repurposing means, and posting duplicate content is something you should avoid.

Over the years, we’ve seen many business owners try to stretch their marketing dollars by having content written and then posting the same piece of content everywhere they can find on the web.

This is a bad idea for several reasons. Duplicate content can lead to the following:

Reduced credibility and authority in the eyes of customers

Audiences may view duplicate content as lazy or disingenuous, harming your brand's reputation.

A lack of originality on the part of leads and prospects

Original content is more engaging and builds better connections with your audience.

The potential to harm your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs)

Search engines penalize duplicate content, which can negatively impact your SEO efforts.

More work for whoever has to post duplicate content with no payoff in return

Republishing offers no real benefits and can create more work without adding value.

It might seem like republishing existing content is an easy way to get your brand in more places at once, but in our experience and the experience of most digital marketing agencies, you will do more harm than good.

We understand that it can be easy to take these things for granted in the age of AI-generated content.

Our recommendation based on over 14 years of industry experience? If you want your content to serve its purpose and bring in a healthy return on investment, you should avoid republishing and instead stick to repurposing.

Tips for Successfully Repurposing Content

Because content repurposing can be a powerful content marketing tool for business owners, you may be tempted to dive right in and start repurposing content on your own. Before you do so, we encourage you to check out our expert tips from experienced content creators:

Optimize Your Content for Each Platform

Because you’re taking content from one platform and using it on another, you need to think about the optimization best practices of each platform you use. Not every type of digital content is right for each platform, and optimization standards and requirements can be different depending on when and where you are posting your repurposed content.

Consider a Content Refresh First

Before you decide to repurpose older content, consider a content refresh instead. Refreshing existing content means auditing the content to see if new information can be added to make the content more valuable or relevant.

We’ve seen business owners who haven’t updated their content in years (yes, years!) In this case, repurposing may make sense, but we need to get the existing content updated first. After you’ve updated and refreshed existing content, then start looking at ways to repurpose it.

Look for New Angles

Whenever you repurpose content, we recommend you look for fresh angles in addition to using what you already have. Going back to what we just said about avoiding duplicate content, try to give new life to repurposed content.

The reason you want to do this is to offer something new to your audiences. Even though repurposing content already makes it new in a sense, you’re still covering ground you’ve already covered, just in a different way.

Instead, use what you have, and repurpose it for a new platform or audience, but add something unique to your new content. This doesn’t have to be anything drastic or Earth-shattering, but it should provide an incentive to check out your repurposed content, even if someone has read the original.

Always Look for New Opportunities

By keeping your eyes open for new opportunities to repurpose content, you’ll soon get used to the idea and start incorporating it out of habit. Still, it’s a good idea to look at your efforts like writing a story that’s been told before - You need a fresh angle!

When you optimize your content for different platforms, consider a content refresh first, and look for new angles, you’ll begin to expand your content marketing efforts more efficiently.

In fact, you’ll probably start planning content with the goal of repurposing in mind from the start, making it easier to transition content in the future.

Measure and Analyze Performance

To ensure your repurposing efforts are successful, track the performance of your repurposed content. Use analytics tools to measure engagement, reach, and conversion rates. Understanding what works and what doesn't will help refine your strategies for future content repurposing.

Learn More About Repurposing Content Today - Contact Charlotte Content Marketing

Contact us today to take advantage of content repurposing or learn how Charlotte Content Marketing can help your digital strategy.

Call (704) 323-6762, or use our contact form below to schedule a no-obligation chat about your brand’s needs.