How Can You Creatively Repurpose Existing Content for a Different Platform?
In the ever-evolving landscape of digital content, we've gathered six creative strategies from founders, writers, and marketing strategists on repurposing content for new platforms and audiences. From transforming articles into infographics to diversifying formats for different audiences, these insights offer a fresh take on maximizing your content's reach and impact.
- Transform Articles into Infographics
- Tailor Excerpts for Platform Preferences
- Utilize AI for Social Media Posts
- AI-Assisted Content Repurposing
- Alter Content for Distinct Engagement
- Diversify Formats for Different Audiences
Transform Articles into Infographics
One creative approach I've taken to repurpose existing medical content for a different platform or audience involves transforming dense, text-heavy articles into engaging, easily digestible infographics and short videos for social media use. For instance, a detailed article about diabetes management was reimagined into a series of infographics that highlighted key tips for diet, exercise, and medication adherence, each tailored to resonate with younger audiences on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. To further adapt the content, I created short, lively videos featuring healthcare professionals discussing these tips in a conversational tone, accompanied by animations to illustrate complex concepts simply and attractively. This not only expanded the reach of the original content but also increased engagement by making the information more accessible and appealing to a demographic that prefers visual learning and quick, informative bursts of content.
Tailor Excerpts for Platform Preferences
You have to look at the platform and audience to know what kind of content they prefer to consume. Once you know that, use an excerpt of your existing long-form content that highlights what would most interest that new audience and platform. On many platforms, you'll be turning your existing content into a video.
Strongly consider using current statistics or the results of recent research or case studies. Other specifics that can attract links to your existing content include original graphics and thought-leader insights. Think about what AI might write, and be human and original instead!
Utilize AI for Social Media Posts
I use AI to turn my blog posts into multiple tweets and LinkedIn posts. I copy and paste the blog article into ChatGPT, then tell it to extract the most important points and turn them into standalone captions. I still have to edit the outputs, but it saves me time and helps me get more mileage out of every blog article.
AI-Assisted Content Repurposing
Believe it or not, AI can be helpful with this task. For instance, when I'm asked to turn a recorded customer interview into a written story, video script, webinar abstract, blog post, or social media post, I sometimes run the transcript through AI to pull out the salient points. However, AI is only a tool; it doesn't do a good enough job on its own. The creativity, messaging know-how, and writing skills have to come from a real human. But working with AI can help jump-start the creative direction and outline the content up front.
Alter Content for Distinct Engagement
Metaphorically speaking, that is. One's approach is defined by the parameters of the task. For example, I've utilized my 'narrative photography' in projects of my own (like turning a stunning canyon image into an underwater scene from the plot of my novel and putting it on the jacket cover). Photoshop and an amenable publisher can provide a lot of latitude! My point in dragging photography into this is to illustrate that 'repurposing' for one's own projects is to steal from oneself. That's okay as long as the 'repurposed theft' is distinctively altered enough to engage followers of your work who might otherwise say, 'Hey, I've already seen/read this!'
The tricky part is when 'repurposing' work for a platform that demands 'new' work product. In the example I just gave (using an image), the alteration would be enough to constitute new work product. But when it is a matter of written content exclusively... Well, THAT can require a complete reorganization of what one has written. I've found that severe editing can make it happen (especially if a journalistic style has been sought from the writer), or the addition of flowery language for a platform in need of a more narrative thrust.
I guess the best way to describe what I am saying is to find out WHO they need; do they want Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald?
Diversify Formats for Different Audiences
One of my clients, a consulting company that helps accounting and advisory firms solve their leadership, technology, talent, process, and growth challenges, does an excellent job of repurposing content. Their consultants regularly speak at industry conferences and events. I help their marketing team repurpose those presentations, turning them into blog posts, thought-leadership articles in accounting industry publications, training videos, white papers, and podcasts. They also create social media content from those blog posts, articles, videos, white papers, and podcasts. They might share the same message multiple times, but it's often reaching a different audience depending on the format, so it never feels stale or repetitive.
