How repurposing content can save you time as a female founder
Content creation takes time and as a business owner you are juggling all the things all the time. So it only makes sense to get the most of the content you are creating. Right? In a world where content is consumed so rapidly, your message is likely only reaching a small percentage of your potential audience and so you really can’t tell the same thing too much. This is where repurposing comes in. So read on to find out how and why repurposing content can save you time to drive your business, and also Your AJency’s top tips for repurposing content.
In the last 2 weeks I have had a very important reminder that I thought was worth sharing with you all. Firstly, I need to ask whether you know that I moved from Chicago to the UK this summer? I am guessing at least 50% of you might say no. The point about me moving is irrelevant - why it does matter though is that despite writing a blog, sharing multiple reels and a ton of stories to take you on the journey, I have still had at least 5 people who I follow pretty closely tell me that they didn’t realise I have moved permanently in the last week alone. They told me that they knew I was in the UK but thought I was just visiting. It reminded me that whilst it is BIG news in this scenario to me, it isn’t necessarily for others. Followers are being bombarded with posts and content constantly so any content posted has to stand out and be relatable and relevant to your audience. All of this served as a great reminder that the bulk of content is only seen by a small percentage of your following.
So you have to keep telling people.
I know that the example I gave doesn’t have a big impact on my business as most of what I do is virtual and I will be back when needed for clients. However, if you are wanting to sell and share what you do, you need to keep telling people for it to reach enough people to have an impact. As you and your business grows, you will also be picking up new followers and they need to know who you are and what you do so that they can be brought along on your brand journey with you. Remember that telling your business story and not just ‘selling’ is one of the best ways to market yourself. You can read more about storytelling marketing and other expert advice here.
So how can you continue to tell the same thing without just repeating yourself? That’s where repurposing comes in.
Repurposing content is effectively taking a piece of content that you have already created, be that on social media, blog, website or other, and then updating and reusing it. As they say, “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?”
There is absolutely nothing wrong with repurposing content. It could be using your blog to create social media posts/ videos or doing new introduction videos with new outfits etc on your journey and story that relates to your target audience. I recently picked up a tip from Lindsay Pinchuk that she actually shares her story and intro every single month. As her community is growing constantly, it is one of her most relatable pieces in content and is relatively simple for her to create.
If you’re checking your insights to see what’s doing well and if you know a piece of content has performed really well already (and remember that not everyone has seen it), you know that when you share something similar again it is likely to do well. Plus, not having to come up with brand new ideas every single time you want to share something will save you time.
So here are the Your AJency top tips for repurposing content.
1. While you can post the same content on multiple platforms, you should customize it for each platform you’re repurposing content for. If it has done well on one platform, it is likely to do well on another as long as you keep relevant to the platform audience and optimize the size of the post! That’s vital. For example – LinkedIn tends to favour longer format content whereas Instagram prefers more aesthetic content (think photos and videos).
2. Don’t forget all of these social platforms are looking for original content. So a new version of the original content is needed instead of an exact duplicate. This could be as simple as posting to a story with an engagement poll initially. Take old high-performing blog posts and add new information, then announce the updates in your social media posts when you share them.
3. Turn static posts into a video – get in front of the camera and summarize the key messages and post as a reel with trending audio and the right hashtags to boost the reach. We have been looking at our blog and how it is often packed with lots of content and so how could we bring them to life with a reel! Watch this space. We'’ll be trying this soon on Instagram!
4. Timings – review your optimum posting times on your insights and maybe even try posting the original content as was just with a new cover at a very different time of the day. This works well for content like carousels
5. Long form content can be the most useful for this but not just social content - do you send emails or newsletters? Do you have a podcast or a blog? Don’t just share the link and hope for the best. Create some stunning short form graphics to promote the key messages
In summary, repurposing your best social media content ensures that more people will see and interact with it. This should result in an increase in engagement when the right content is chosen, which the algorithm will love. Remember that with a little creativity and some time spent looking through your analytics, you can start repurposing content with great success and drive growth in your community and your business.