MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION
About 82% of internet traffic these days is video. So, it’s no surprise that organizations are leveraging video to reach their customers. Video marketing is a powerful way to capture attention and drive engagement.
Yet, many businesses underutilize their video.
Maybe they post it once and move on, or add a few social links over time. Despite spending the time and effort (and money) to produce these videos, companies are too often missing a big opportunity.
What Is Repurposed Content?
Repurposing video content is an efficient way to expand your reach without the expense of creating entirely new videos. You can connect with different audiences and expand your reach across different platforms. But here’s the best part: you can generate a bigger ROI from your original investment.
Differentiating Repurposing From Reposting and Cross-Posting
Repurposing is different than reposting or posting somewhere else. While there is value in doing that, you can bigger benefits with video repurposing.
Key Benefits of Repurposing Video Content
By re-working your content, you can:
- Save time on content creation
- Broaden your audience reach
- Improve your organic search traffic
Strategies for Repurposing Video Content
Repurposing video is a great way to keep your content fresh. Here are a few ways to do that.
Transforming Long Videos Into Short Clips
HubSpot says that short-form videos deliver the highest ROI compared to other forms. When you consider that nearly 70% of consumers watch videos on their smartphones, typically in bite-size chunks, that makes sense.
Slicing out some nuggets from your original content and sprinkling them across platforms is effective, especially on social media platforms. For example, on Instagram, short-form videos on Reels account for more than half of all content that gets shared in DMs. Video snippets can deliver messaging while also working to get viewers to click through to your longer-form content.
Creating Blog Posts From Video Content
Another easy way to repurpose video content is to turn it into a blog post. You can either transcribe it or create a written piece of content.
Some people prefer text over video and written formats are also good for search engine visibility. You can weave keywords into copy, which helps you get found by wider audiences and more potential customers. Blogs are great, especially for B2B audiences. 94% of marketers surveyed said blogs are a key part of their strategy.
If you want to do transcriptions, there are cheap online tools to convert your videos to text. You can also use ChatGPT or other AI tools to summarize key points — just make sure to check them for accuracy before you publish.
Generating Podcasts From Video Material
In the U.S. alone, more than 135 million people listen to podcasts within a 30-day period. Nearly half of the adult population is among monthly listeners. Turning your video content into audio podcasts can help you tap into this growing way to market your business.
Depending on the type of video content you’re repurposing, you may be able to just strip out the audio and use it or repurpose it as video podcasts. For example, YouTube Studio makes it easy to create and share podcasts.
Developing Infographics Based on Video Themes
GIFs and infographics are easy to make and get sharted a lot. Find a “loopable moment” from your video, such as a product demo or animation to grab someone’s attention with GIFs. You can use these in social media or within emails. Emails with GIFs deliver 26% higher click-through rate.
Infographics let you turn complex videos into high-impact visuals that are perfect for LinkedIn. Grab key stats, steps, or processes and use these in blog posts, newsletters, emails, or as stand-alone social media posts.
FYI, for B2B, posts with infographics are shared three times more often on LinkedIn.
Creating Platform-Specific Content
Creative ways to repurpose video content will stretch the impact of your videos. However, you need to tailor clips for the platform you’re using to increase your odds of engagement.
Instagram: Engaging a Visual-First Audience
Instagram is full of visually compelling content, making it perfect for repurposing video clips. Key formats include:
- Reels: With Instagram prioritizing short, engaging video clips (under 90 seconds,) turning your content into Reels can drive visibility. According to Instagram, Reels boosts account discoverability by 22% more than traditional posts. Use trending audio or captions to enhance relatability and engagement.
- Stories: Stories work well for updates or behind-the-scenes clips. You can also combine them with polls or stickers to add a new wrinkle.
- Carousel Posts: You can also convert your videos into step-by-step visuals for carousel posts.
TikTok: Prioritizing Trends and Authenticity
TikTok is all about authentic content. Repurposing long-form videos into shorter clips that strike the right tone can help:
- Grab attention: Create 15-30 second video clips that fit popular challenges or themes that are circulating on TikTok, putting your messaging into trending conversations.
- Educational content: If your original video includes tutorials or how-to’s, you can cut them up and turn them short-form lessons.
YouTube: Optimizing for Long-Form and Shorts
YouTube supports long and short-form content, which means content creators can create multiple pieces of content and let them work together to reinforce key concepts and drive traffic.
- YouTube Shorts: Similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels, Shorts are vertical videos of up to 60 seconds.
- Long-form content optimization: Turn raw footage from webinars or presentations into tutorials or educational videos.
LinkedIn: For Thought Leadership and Professional Audiences
LinkedIn audiences favor thought leadership and educational content. You can repurpose your video content on LinkedIn by:
- Creating explainer clips: Share key takeaways in concise videos.
- Embedding videos in articles: Combine videos with written insights for LinkedIn Pulse posts to gain a broader reach.
Facebook: Prioritizing Community Engagement
Facebook’s algorithm favors content that generates interactions. A few tips here:
- Video uploads: Upload videos directly to Facebook for better reach. Native videos see 10x more reach compared to embedding a link to your video somewhere else.
- Live videos: Repurpose pre-recorded content as live streams with added commentary or Q&A sessions. Live videos drive 3x more engagement than short-form videos.
X: Highlighting Key Moments
X users move fast, scrolling from post to post, and typically embrace short posts. You can capture attention by:
- Using GIFs: Creating GIFs from your video for shareable reactions or summaries.
- Creating video threads: Breaking down your original videos into a series of short clips, creating a thread that unfolds your story or insights. These threads significantly improve engagement.
A Note About Captioning or Text
A lot of people watch videos with the sound off — but it varies greatly by platform, so you need to know your audience. Nearly 80% of LinkedIn users watch with the sound off. But, internal data at Instagram shows that 80% of video content in social media posts on its platform is consumed with the sound on.
Either way, captions can highlight critical information. A study at X (formerly Twitter) showed that videos with captions or text overlays result in 28% higher view time and a 1.8X return on investment. Can’t beat that.
Tools to Assist in the Repurposing Process
Several platforms simplify and enhance the repurposing process to save you time. Here are just a few:
- Video editing software: Tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or iMovie make it easy to cut and remix videos in different formats.
- Transcription: Services like Otter.ai can transcribe your video content into text.
- Social media: Platforms such as Buffer, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social help schedule repurposed video content for different social networks.
- Infographic Generators: Canva or Piktochart lets you highlight key points and turn them into graphics.
While there are plenty of DIY tools out there, don’t underestimate the value of working with a professional video content creator to ensure you optimize your video repurposing strategy.
Setting Clear Goals for Repurposing
You need clear goals in place when repurposing video content. Otherwise, how would you know if your strategy is a success?
For example, you might have a different approach for different channels and whether your goal is building brand authority or driving traffic, conversions, or engagement. So, define your goal first and then create content to achieve it before you post.
Measuring the Success of Repurposed Content
When you’re repurposing your video content, you need to track performance. This helps you dial in your strategy. Find out what works and what doesn’t and plan resources accordingly.
Here are a few standard measurements that are worth watching like:
- Views and impressions
- Engagement rates
- Video completion rates
- Click-through rates
- Conversion rates
There are also some nuances to social media posts, so make sure you’re tracking the right things on each platform:
- Instagram provides metrics like engagement rate, reach, and saves — which are an indicator of value.
- TikTok’s key metrics include engagement rates, shares, and video completions.
- Engagement on Facebook is measured by likes, comments, and shares.
- Tracking shares and comments on LinkedIn helps you understand how well your content connects with your network.
Social platforms have easy-to-access tools for tracking engagement and there are also free or inexpensive online tools for tracking metrics across multiple platforms. Google Analytics and other tracking platforms can also help you measure success with your repurposed video content on your website or other sites.
Analyzing these metrics provides the insight you need to make your future video repurposing more impactful.