Repurposing video content is the practice of adapting an existing video into new formats. This strategy reshapes a single piece of content to fit different platforms, reach new audiences, and extract more value from your original production. By transforming a core video into multiple assets, you can create a more efficient and expansive content strategy.
Why Repurpose Video Content
Repurposing video content maximizes the return on your initial investment in video production. By reusing high-performing videos, you can foster additional growth without allocating resources to a new production. This strategy also extends the lifespan of your content, allowing it to continuously generate leads and engagement over a longer period.
This approach allows you to reach different audience segments where they are most active. A long-form video on YouTube may not reach the same audience that prefers short clips on LinkedIn or Instagram. By reformatting your content for various platforms, you can engage with new prospects who might have otherwise missed your original video, increasing your overall reach and brand visibility.
Creating multiple formats from a single video also improves accessibility and caters to diverse audience preferences. Some people prefer reading blog posts, while others might favor listening to podcasts or viewing quick graphics. Repurposing addresses these varied consumption habits, making your message more accessible. This multi-format approach also reinforces your core message through repetition, strengthening brand recognition.
Planning Your Repurposing Strategy
Before transforming your video into new assets, develop a clear plan. Start by auditing your existing video library to identify content that has already performed well. Look for videos with high engagement rates, significant views, and positive feedback, as these are strong candidates for repurposing. Evergreen content, which remains relevant over time, also presents a valuable opportunity.
Once you have selected a source video, identify the most valuable moments within it. Review the footage to pinpoint key takeaways, compelling quotes, specific data points, or clear step-by-step instructions. These segments can be isolated to provide standalone value. Looking for natural breakpoints or “hot tips” can help you segment a longer video into more digestible pieces.
The final part of planning involves determining which new formats will best serve your goals and audience. Think about the story you want to tell and which platforms are best suited to deliver that message. Understand which aspects of your video provide the most value and choose the marketing channels that best reach your target audience.
Ways to Repurpose Your Video
Create Short-Form Video Clips
One way to repurpose a longer video is by editing it into shorter, bite-sized clips for social media. Platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts are designed for brief, engaging content. You can review a webinar, interview, or tutorial and extract key moments, such as powerful statements, quick tips, or funny outtakes. These clips can capture attention quickly and serve as a gateway to your longer content.
When creating these clips, focus on segments that are impactful on their own. For example, a single compelling statistic or a standalone tip from a tutorial can be highly effective. The goal is to create content that is valuable even without the full context of the original video.
Create Blog Posts and Articles
A video can serve as a foundation for a written blog post or article. Start by generating a transcript of your video, which provides the raw material for your article. You can then edit and expand upon the text, adding more detail, context, and research to create a comprehensive written piece.
To enhance the article, embed the original video directly into the post. You can also capture screenshots of important moments or visuals from the video and include them as images within the text. This approach can improve your website’s SEO by creating more content around a specific topic.
Create Audio Content
Many types of video content, such as interviews or presentations, can be converted into audio-only formats. By stripping the audio track from the video file, you can create a podcast episode. This allows your audience to consume your content during activities where watching a video is not practical.
Another way to use audio is by creating audiograms for social media. An audiogram is a short audio snippet overlaid on a static image or a simple waveform animation. These are highly shareable and can serve as a teaser for the full-length podcast episode or original video.
Create Static Social Media Graphics
You can extract key information from your video and turn it into static graphics for social media. Pull out powerful quotes, important statistics, or key takeaways and design them into visually appealing quote cards or simple infographics. These graphics are easy to share and can quickly convey a single, powerful message from your video.
These visuals work well on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. They can break down complex ideas from your video into a more digestible format. Using consistent branding on these graphics also helps reinforce your brand identity across different platforms.
Create Email Newsletter Content
Your email newsletter is a direct line to an engaged audience, making it an ideal place to share repurposed video content. You can embed a short, compelling clip from your video directly into the email. This can capture the recipient’s attention and encourage them to click through to watch the full video.
Alternatively, you can use a compelling screenshot from the video as a static image in your newsletter. Pair this image with a strong headline and a brief description of what the video is about. Including a clear call-to-action button that links to the full video can effectively drive traffic and increase views.
Create Animated GIFs
Animated GIFs are another way to repurpose video content for articles and social media. A GIF is a short, looping video clip without sound that can capture a specific action, reaction, or process from your video. They are useful for demonstrating a quick step in a tutorial or highlighting an engaging moment.
Creating a GIF involves selecting a short segment of your video and converting it using an online tool or editing software. These animated images can make your blog posts more dynamic or add a fun, interactive element to your social media replies. Because they are small files, they load quickly and are easily shareable.
Tools for Repurposing Video Content
Several tools are available to streamline the process of repurposing video content. For creating various assets, consider the following options:
- Video Editing: Software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro offers advanced features for cutting clips. More accessible options like Descript use a text-based interface, allowing you to edit video by editing the transcript.
- Transcription: Services like Rev and Otter.ai provide automated or human-powered transcription for turning video or audio into text for blog posts.
- Graphic Design: Tools like Canva offer user-friendly templates for designing quote cards, infographics, and social media posts without needing advanced design skills.
- Audiograms and GIFs: Platforms like Headliner can turn audio clips into shareable videos for social media, while GIPHY provides a simple interface to convert video segments into looping animations.
- Social Media Scheduling: Tools such as Buffer or Hootsuite can help you plan and publish your repurposed content across various platforms efficiently.
Best Practices for Effective Repurposing
To ensure your repurposed content performs well, tailor it to the native format of each platform. For example, since many users watch videos on social media without sound, add captions to your short video clips to convey your message effectively. A graphic designed for Instagram’s square format will need to be adjusted for the vertical orientation of a Story.
Maintain brand consistency across all newly created assets to build a recognizable presence. Use the same fonts, colors, and logos on your graphics, video clips, and other materials to create a cohesive brand experience. This helps your audience immediately recognize your content, no matter where they encounter it.
Develop a simple workflow for repurposing to make the process more efficient. Create a checklist or template that outlines the steps for turning a single video into multiple assets. An established system ensures you consistently maximize the value of every video you produce.