If you produce a large quantity of digital content, developing fresh material can present a challenge. Repurposing is a way for you to develop content from the works you have already published. This method allows you to expand the reach of your digital assets. Using repurposing strategy with your evergreen topics is the best way to get the most value out of your digital assets. However, there are techniques that you should, and should not, practice. Here are a few I’ve used in the past and continue to use today with great success.
The Repurposing Concept
When a publisher repurposes content, they use existing material in a new format. This technique is excellent for digital publishers who produce large content volumes or are struggling to create new material. Recycling previous content is a great way to deliver a consistent message to your audience, while continuing to build your readership. Repurposing helps to ease the effort required to produce new content. Any relevant content you have produced in the past is a candidate for this cost-effective technique. Because many readers consume content on mobile devices, you can repurpose larger online articles into smaller chunks. This will allow you to build multiple digital assets from one piece, further reducing the effort required to develop new content. To repurpose content, you can change a blog post to a podcast; break a podcast up into Facebook posts; or use article statistics for an infographic. The ways you can repurpose content are only limited by your imagination.
Reasons for Developing Repurposed Content
Repurposing is a powerful strategy for several reasons. Different people prefer different content formats. Therefore, you can use repurposing to reach a new audience with the same information. Repurposing can also allow you to touch on a favorite topic of interest that you have not written about for some time. This technique also allows you to present your information to an audience who may have missed out on an earlier post. Finally, repurposing maximizes the effort you put into developing content; with repurposing, the intense research — or insight — you used to create a piece can pay off multiple times.
Keep It Evergreen
When repurposing content, it is important to make sure the content is evergreen. Evergreen content is information that is relevant and will stay relevant in the future. As a rule of thumb, ask yourself if your information will benefit your readers ten years, or even 20 years, from now. The idea behind evergreen content is that it will still draw traffic, and in turn conversions, long after publication. Writing about events that have taken place already is always a safe choice for evergreen content, because those facts will never change; however, you must gauge whether this information will offer a valuable lesson to your readers for years to come. Creating evergreen content, which you can repurpose, will create enhanced value for all digital assets that your organization develops.
Things to Avoid When Creating Repurposed Content
There are practices you should refrain from when repurposing content. Do not repurpose outdated content. The time you save will cost you dearly in subscribers. Acknowledge that you are revisiting an old topic, possibly even creating a backlink to the original piece. Never republish an old piece without rewriting it from a fresh, new angle. Plagiarizing your own work is a definite publishing faux pas that your readership will pick up on immediately. Use repurposing wisely. It should complement the new content you develop not become your only content development strategy.
Effective Repurposing Techniques
There are some standard practices you should follow when repurposing content. Share your older evergreen content, and tailor your content for your current audience. Consider the platform and format you are going to use to publish your content. Also, repurpose your content in different ways. It is easy to get stuck converting one form of content in the same way repeatedly. This is a recipe for causing your most loyal followers to lose interest in your content and your organization.
Repurposing helps ease the workload it takes to create content. Instead of coming up with an entirely new concept, you can look at a previous topic from a new angle. Repurposing is a great way to revisit important topics that warrant a refresher for your audience or a review from a new perspective. Evergreen content that you have repurposed is a powerful combination that will produce desired results for an extended time period.
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