Why you need to be reusing your old content

SHAKING THE TREE #119

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

But, you can’t use old content, can you?

Of course you can! Take this article for example. It originally appeared in July of 2023.

And yet, here it is again albeit in a slightly modified form.

Want to spend less time creating and more time distributing?

Reuse old content.

Want to reach more people across a range of platforms?

Reuse old content.

Want to save time and effort?

Reuse old content.

Worried about self-plagiarism?

Don’t be.

Simply include a statement telling readers or viewers that this piece of content previously appeared on XYZ site and you’re good. Heck, include a link as well if it makes you feel better!

Want to know a secret? The only person who cares about self plagiarism is you.

Got a blog post or article?

Chop it up into bite-sized chunks, add a few graphics, and it becomes a LinkedIn slide deck.

Or a Twitter thread.

Or an image-based video.

Got a talking head video?

Transcribe the audio and turn it into an article.

Or into a handful of Facebook posts.

Or into a series of Instagram images.

See, here’s the thing: repurposing is about repackaging existing content it into a new format for a new platform.

This saves you time and effort while allowing you to use your original content in a variety of ways.

By transforming one kind of content into other forms (videos, infographics, podcasts, and social media posts), it can be shared and appeal to different types of viewers, readers, and listeners.

Repurposing content can also help improve SEO.

By creating multiple pieces of content from one original piece, you increase the number of keywords associated with the topic.

Better rankings equate to more traffic.

More traffic equals more eyeballs.

And all through just a little bit of extra work.

Take a blog post on whatever and turn it into a video tutorial, an infographic, and a podcast, a series of Instagram posts, all of which can be optimized for different keywords, and you’ve just maximized your initial efforts.

Creating new content from scratch takes time and work.

Repurposing content allows for the same message to be conveyed in fresh and creative ways without having to start from scratch, all of which frees you to work on other tasks such as research, creation, planning, distribution, and promotion.

And repurposing content helps reinforce your message while solidifying your brand.

By creating multiple pieces of content on the same topic, you reinforce the message and make it more memorable.

Think this is cheating? It’s not. It’s working smart and maximizing your efforts.

Here are 7 ways approaches to try out:

1. Turn blog posts into social media posts: Take key points from a blog post and create social media posts that highlight those points. This can help to promote the blog post and reach a wider audience.

2. Create infographics from data-driven blog posts: If you have a blog post that includes a lot of data or statistics, consider turning it into an infographic. Infographics are visually appealing and can be shared on social media to attract more viewers.

3. Turn blog posts into videos: Create videos that summarize the key points of a blog post. This can help to reach viewers who prefer to consume content through video.

4. Create podcasts from blog posts: Turn blog posts into podcast episodes by reading them out loud and adding commentary. This can help to reach listeners who prefer to consume content through audio.

5. Turn webinars into blog posts: If you have a recorded webinar, consider turning it into a blog post. You can summarize the key points and include screenshots or other visuals to make it more engaging.

6. Create e-books from blog posts: If you have a series of related blog posts, consider turning them into an e-book. This can be a valuable resource for readers and can help to attract new subscribers.

7. Turn blog posts into email newsletters: Use the content from blog posts to create email newsletters. This can help to keep subscribers engaged and informed about new content on the website.

Summing up: Repurposing previously published content is an effective strategy for content creators to increase their reach and engagement.

It helps to reach a wider audience, improve SEO, save time and effort, and reinforce the message.

By transforming content into different formats and platforms, you appeal to different types of viewers and drive more traffic to your offers and subscription pages. It’s a smart strategy.

Try it. You never know: it might change the way you do business.

As always, thanks for reading.

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P.S. Next time on Shaking the Tree … Why “fake it ‘til you make it” is bad advice.