How to Repurpose Content for New Audiences

This phase is for brainstorming, research, and strategy. It’s where you determine the objectives of the content, including the audience you’re targeting, the key message, and how the content fits within the larger marketing plan. During this stage, you also decide on the format (blog post, video, infographic, etc.) and distribution channels.

This is the production phase, where you develop the content following the strategy you defined during the planning phase. Whether it’s a blog post, video, podcast, or social media post, this stage focuses on delivering value to the target audience through well-crafted, engaging material.

Once you’ve created the content, it’s time for distribution. This includes promoting the content across relevant channels, such as social media, email newsletters, or the company’s website. The goal is to ensure that the right audience sees the content, maximizing its reach and impact.

Optimization focuses on measuring performance and making necessary adjustments following distribution. You should monitor engagement metrics like views, shares, comments, and conversions. If needed, you can refine the content, update SEO keywords, or adjust the distribution strategy to improve performance over time.

Content that’s reached the end of its lifecycle is either retired or archived for potential repurposing. Archiving doesn’t mean the content is no longer useful; you can revamp it to extend its relevance or reach new audiences. That’s what this article is for! Read on to learn how to repurpose content.

There are several reasons why a brand might engage in content repurposing:

• Reaching new audiences: You can tailor a piece of content that resonated with one audience to attract different consumers. Repurposing allows you to diversify your reach without creating entirely new content.
• Maximizing content value: Content repurposing helps you extend the lifespan of valuable material and get more mileage out of it.
• Adapting to new platforms: Different content formats perform better on certain platforms. For example, you might condense a long blog post into social media snippets.
• Boosting SEO: Repurposed content can improve search engine visibility by targeting different keywords or improving existing SEO efforts.

Effective content repurposing requires a strategic approach. Follow these steps to repurpose your content while maintaining its quality and appeal:

1. Identify high-performing content: Start by analyzing your existing content to identify pieces that performed well. Blog posts with high traffic, videos with high engagement, or infographics with significant shares are ideal candidates for repurposing.
2. Adapt the format: Changing the format of content can make it more engaging for different audiences. A blog post can become a podcast episode, a research paper can be turned into an infographic, or a webinar can be repackaged as a series of shorter videos.
3. Tailor to different audiences: To reach new segments, tweak the tone, message, or content elements to better resonate with a particular audience. For instance, a detailed white paper written for executives can be simplified into a guide aimed at small business owners.
4. Update the content for relevance: Ensure that the repurposed content remains relevant by updating any outdated information, statistics, or trends. This makes the content more timely and credible for a new audience.
5. Implement a content repurposing workflow: Develop a systematic process to streamline content repurposing. This might include steps like reviewing content performance regularly, defining new audience segments, and creating a distribution plan tailored for repurposed content.

When repurposing content for different audiences, it’s essential to adjust key elements such as tone, depth, and platform. Here are a few ways to tailor repurposed content:

• Adjust the tone and complexity: Depending on the new audience, you may need to simplify or deepen the content. For example, content targeted at industry experts should be more in-depth, while content for beginners should be more straightforward.
• Reframe the message: Change the focus of the content to match the interests of the new audience. A blog post about sustainable business practices for large corporations could be reframed to focus on how adopting eco-friendly practices can help small businesses grow.
• Select the right platform: Different audiences engage on different platforms. A younger audience might prefer Instagram or TikTok, while professionals might respond better to LinkedIn posts or detailed articles on your website.

Start by evaluating your current content library to identify high-performing pieces or those with long-term relevance. Look for blog posts, videos, case studies, image posts, or infographics that generated significant traffic, engagement, or conversions. Evergreen content that remains useful over time is great for repurposing.

Once you’ve identified the content you want to repurpose, consider who your new audience will be. Are you trying to reach younger consumers, industry experts, or new geographical markets? Understanding the needs and preferences of different audience segments will guide you in adapting the content.

Repurposing content often involves changing its format to suit different platforms and consumption habits. Here are a few examples:

• Turn a blog post into a podcast: Adapt a popular article into an audio discussion for an audience that prefers listening over reading.
• Create infographics from data: Break down complex reports or case studies into digestible infographics for visual learners.
• Convert a webinar into a series of short videos: Chop up longer, in-depth content for quick, snackable social media posts.

Tailoring your content for different audiences requires adjustments in tone, style, and depth. For example, you could condense a two-hour-long podcast interview into an article that only includes the main points. Ensure the language, tone, and complexity match the new audience’s preferences.

If you’re repurposing content for social media or specific platforms like YouTube or Instagram, adjust the content length, visuals, and messaging to fit the platform’s unique requirements. For the web, make sure to optimize it for search engines by updating keywords and meta descriptions.

A crucial step in content creation and repurposing is proofreading and editing. If you’re adjusting the tone in a piece to appeal to a different audience but you still want to maintain consistency with your brand voice, thorough editing is essential. Professional editors can catch subtle inconsistencies and errors and point out word choices or phrases that don’t align with your intended tone.

Building consistency into your content repurposing efforts is essential. Set a timeline for repurposing high-performing content regularly. For example, a blog post that’s six months old might be ripe for conversion into a video, or a report from last year could be updated and repackaged into an infographic.

Monitor the performance of your repurposed content to see how it resonates with your new audience. Key metrics could include engagement rates, traffic, conversions, or shares. Use these insights to refine your content repurposing workflow and make informed decisions about future strategies.

Key steps include auditing existing content, defining new audience segments, choosing new formats, tailoring content, optimizing for platforms, and tracking performance.

Content should be repurposed regularly, ideally when it begins to lose traction or when new audience opportunities arise.

Tools like Canva for visual content, Hootsuite for social media distribution, and BuzzSumo for content performance tracking can streamline the process.

Most content can be repurposed, but some formats or topics may need significant adaptation to fit a new audience or platform.

Common mistakes include failing to tailor the content to the new audience, neglecting to update outdated information, and using the same content across different platforms without considering platform-specific best practices.