Boost your marketing’s mileage: How to repurpose content

Sometimes content marketing feels like running on a hamster wheel—it never stops. You might spend hours (or hundreds of dollars) on a blog post, a batch of social posts, and a couple emails only to feel like you need to get started on the next round the moment they’re done. 

But that doesn’t mean you should be creating things from scratch day in and day out. To get the most mileage out of your content, you need to repurpose it. 

How to choose content to repurpose 

Your stats are the guiding light when it comes to choosing which content to repurpose. When looking for blogs to repost, try to choose ones that are already ranking well in search engine results (more information on this below). 

If you’re going to reshare a social media post—which you can totally do, by the way—consider which ones got the most views, likes, shares, or replies. They resonated once, they’ll resonate again (with new people!).

And when it comes to turning blogs into content across other platforms…we say use ‘em all!  Establish a process for turning each new blog into content across whatever platforms you’re actively involved in. Once you do it a few times, it will just get easier and quicker.

Beyond metrics, you should also consider the topic itself. Are there any solid pieces of content that could use fresh information or a new perspective? If so, chances are that’s a great piece of content to update and re-use. 

There are endless ways to repurpose your content if you get creative with it. To get you inspired, we’ve highlighted seven of our favorite ways to get more mileage out of your content. 

1) Repurpose old blog posts as new blog posts

Many of the strategies we’ll list involve turning blog posts into content for other platforms. But you should also be revamping and reposting the blogs themselves. This gives you the chance to add fresh information to them and, as we’ve mentioned, it’s a great SEO tactic. 

When looking for blogs to repost, try to choose posts that are already ranking well in search engine result pages (SERPS). Ideally, they should be in positions 4-30. This will give you the opportunity to optimize the same blog post for more keywords and to improve its position for the keywords it’s already ranking for.

If you don’t have blog posts that are already ranking well, this is your time to try and improve them so they do. This topic could be a full blog on its own, but here are a few key points to focus on:

• Google shows its users the best quality content so make your blog posts stronger than the competition
• Thoroughly answer the question at hand—that usually means you’ll need at least 2,000 words
• Check that all the information is current
• Check that your formatting is strong
• Update any out-of-date links
• Update images, ALT text, and captions as needed
• Consider embedding videos or graphics 

Once you’ve refreshed your blog, always republish it with the new date.

2) Turn blog posts into multiple social media posts

Sharing the link to your blog post on social media is a start, but you can do so much more. Try chopping your blog posts up into multiple short social media posts. 

You don’t have to capture the blog’s full breadth in every social media post. The key here is to create small chunks of digestible content that focus on a single concept or fact. You can also create “series” of several social media posts that you gradually drip out to expand on the topic.

Here are a few examples of ways to repurpose your blogs on social:

• Twitter thread – Summarize the key points from the blog in an informative thread.
• LinkedIn post – Depending on your blog’s format, with some light editing, you can simply copy and paste chunks of your blog as stand-alone posts. For example, if you made a blog that outlines “5 ways to do x,” you can easily trim that down into a list-style post on LinkedIn. 
• Instagram graphics – Capture a key point from your blog in an enticing Instagram graphic. Perhaps you highlight a specific stat, a key fact, or a quote. Your caption can then expand on the topic. 
• Instagram Reels – Get creative! Look for parts of your blog that might make a compelling video. You can create a Reel of someone on your team speaking to the camera. Or, maybe you use text overlay to capture the information super succinctly.

3) Turn blogs into newsletters

Thanks to the more intimate nature of email marketing, the people on your email list are a valuable audience. For one reason or another, they’ve chosen to welcome you into their inbox, so you want to deliver value. Enter: your repurposed blog content.

 You’ve got a few options when it comes to repurposing blogs for newsletters:

1. 1. Share the link:

      Simply write a quick intro and an enticing call to action that links to your blog(s)

   2. Chop it up into multiple emails:

      Edit your heart out to create shorter, value-packed emails based on your blog’s information

   3. Share the whole blog in the email:

      Simply copy and paste your blog as the full email. This won’t work for everyone (especially if your blogs are long), but it can work well for certain newsletters and audiences.

As always, do what’s best for your marketing strategy and your audience. And don’t be afraid to test out different tactics. 

4) Turn blogs into videos or podcasts (or vice versa)

If you have a podcast or a YouTube channel, we hope you’re stretching that genius. With some light editing, you can easily turn blogs into video or podcast scripts—or vice versa, depending on the order you create your content. 

5) Turn story-driven emails into Instagram and LinkedIn captions (or vice versa)

Story-driven emails and emails that contain a lesson with a great hook are social media posts begging to happen. They’re both intimate, entertaining, and great for casual consumption. Depending on the context, you’ll nearly be able to copy and paste it word for word, so don’t let that content go to waste.

6) Turn website copy into social media posts and emails 

This is a great way to reinforce your core brand messaging. If you have compelling website copy that describes your mission, brand story, or a certain product,  why reinvent the wheel whenever you promote it on social? 

Don’t be afraid to chop up your strongest website copy to use as social media captions, Instagram graphics, emails, and beyond. If you’ve outsourced your website copy, this is a fantastic use of your investment. 

7) Create lead magnets and e-books

Once you’ve been creating content for a while, you’ll have a treasure trove of valuable information. With a little strategizing, you can repurpose it to create in-depth digital resources. 

We recommend starting with a free digital resource to use as a lead magnet for your email list. Consider how you can package up some of your best content into a product that answers one of your ideal customers’ most pressing questions. You can then promote the resource across platforms you’re active on.

The opportunities are endless!

As you can see, there are many ways to make sure your content goes the distance. This not only expands your reach, but it reduces the pressure on you to constantly create. If you’re outsourcing any part of your content creation, it empowers you to make the most of that investment. 

Remember: Sustainable marketing is good marketing. 

Free resource: 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO BUILDING YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING PLAN

Before you start cranking out content to repurpose, make sure you’re doing it intentionally. A marketing plan is key to ensuring you say the right thing to the right people in the right place.  

The thing is, it can be daunting to create a marketing plan. It requires big picture thinking, as well as small granular-level planning. It involves left-brain analytics and right-brained creativity.

We’ve made it all a little easier for you with our 5 step guide to building your digital marketing plan.

Download it for free here.