A Guide to Repurposing Content

By this point, most businesses and marketers understand the importance of content—the problem often comes down to execution. According to a recent study presented by the Content Marketing Institute, the biggest content creation challenges for marketers (specifically in manufacturing) are a) creating content consistently, b) creating the right content for their audience, and c) repurposing content (or finding new ways to use content). And among those who responded to the initial survey, 57% said that one of their biggest hurdles is a lack of resources, which is one of the best use cases for when to start repurposing content.

If you’re in a similar boat but want to prioritize content creation for this new year, focus on repurposing old content.

The Benefits of Repurposing Content

Consistently creating new content takes a lot of time and effort, so much so that it can feel like an impossible feat for small businesses or solo marketers.

The primary benefit of repurposing content is that it can help save a ton of time and effort. It allows you to revisit content and make it even more valuable for your audience without allocating extra resources toward new content creation. When creating new content, you’re starting from zero, but when repurposing content, you at least have a foundation to build upon.

The other benefit many people don’t consider is preventing duplicate content. I have seen so many businesses fall into the trap of “I have to create content ALL THE TIME. There should never be a break in posting! We will post every single week until the end of time!” When you think like that, you’re only focusing on frequency. You have to post an article on this specific day every week, who cares what the topic is, something has to be posted!

This line of thinking is stressful for the people responsible for creating content and can lead to accidental duplicate content, which can be bad for SEO. So, don’t do that.

Primary Benefits:

• Saves time and money
• Results in more valuable content for the reader
• Prevents duplicate content
• Can help to improve SEO efforts

How to Start Repurposing

Step 1: Audit Old Content

When I audit content, I use a spreadsheet and a few tools to gather metrics, including Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4. I go into more detail about content audits in this blog post, but in case you don’t want to read that entire article (understandable), I’ll summarize it here:

• In terms of metrics, I look at clicks and impressions (impressions= how many times it shows up on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP), clicks=how many times someone clicked on the article from the SERP), top organic keywords, monthly views, number and quality of backlinks, leads, and user engagement.
• In terms of content quality, I look for…quite a bit. Mostly, I want to know if the content meets the expectations presented in the H1 (main heading). For example, if the H1 of a blog post is “How Do You Optimize a Google Business Profile?” I want to make sure that the content underneath that headline actually discusses optimization practices.
• During an audit, I also consider the target audience for that specific content piece. Is this something they’re interested in reading? Is the content too basic or advanced for them?
• I also look at the year it was published. Are there statistics or other information within the article that need to be updated?

Recording these metrics and general notes on content quality can be extremely helpful by 1) showing you the pieces that may need the most reworking due to low engagement, no clicks, etc., 2) identifying any top-performing ones that would need to continually be updated for relevancy (e.g., outdated statistics). And as mentioned before, the audit can help you identify content pieces that might be too similar and could be consolidated.

Step 2: Identify Which Content Pieces Need Repurposed

So, you’ve audited your content and developed a list of pieces that could be repurposed.

Now, you should reorder that list by priority. When ordering by priority, consider your business goals for the new year.

Example Goals & Repurpose Priorities:

• Generate more leads → Repurpose content (such as buyers’ guide) that targets those ready to make a purchase.
• Increase brand awareness → Repurpose content that directly discusses your brand, like case studies or customer testimonials.
• Improve overall search visibility → Repurpose informational content that targets longtail keywords (which are usually phrases, such as, ‘how much does insurance cost’).

Other example goals could be targeting a specific audience (in that case, make sure you identify and record the target audience during your audit, and that will make it easier to find those content pieces to prioritize) or highlighting a specific product or service (e.g., you own a lawn care company and you want to prioritize landscaping/hardscaping installations instead of maintenance).

Step 3: Define How It Should Be Repurposed

This next step is the hardest part—figuring out how to repurpose the content. Repurposing could involve rewriting the same content but keeping it the same content type or changing the content type entirely.

Understanding Content Formats

Before I get into some strategies, let’s refresh what some of the most common content formats are:

• Blog & Articles: Some content marketers would jab me in the gut for combining these, but they are so similar that I often find myself using these terms interchangeably. In a very technical sense, blogs are generally less formal, are primarily written in first person, and aren’t necessarily meant to educate or inform (think of the content that comes before a recipe or someone doing product reviews), while articles are more formal, informative, and written to cover a specific topic thoroughly.
• Webinar/Podcast: Visual, video format that could involve one or more parties. Usually, the purpose of a webinar is to have an in-depth discussion on a specific topic (especially if more than one person is involved) or provide tips and other professional advice. This format/type is great for people who prefer to listen/watch rather than read.
• Videos: Similar to a webinar, but not as interactive. There are multiple video types (product demo, explainer, etc.) that I don’t want to get into, but I think you understand the purpose of a video.
• Web Page: Usually hosts information about a product, service, or other offering. The information on web pages is primarily commercial or transactional.
• Infographic: A fun image that helps breaks down content by visualizing statistics and other data.
• eBook: Typically more in-depth than an article and provides more insight on a particular topic.
• Whitepaper: Usually presented in a “report” format. The content will typically present findings on the impact of a specific research-backed solution. Think of it as a long-form and more evidence-based case study.
• Social Media Post: Extremely short-form content, like a tweet (an X?) or Facebook post, where the point is to be as direct and engaging as possible.

This list isn’t comprehensive.

Repurposing Guidance

OK, with that being said, I’ll dive into some strategies or, at the very least, questions to ask yourself when deciding how to repurpose content:

1. Can you determine what the original goal of the content was supposed to be? When I mention ‘goal,’ I’m not referring to a particular metric or SEO win. I’m referring to the knowledge or information we’re trying to give to the reader. Are we informing the reader on a topic, getting them on board with a particular solution, showcasing a product, etc.?
2. Do you have evergreen content? Are there outdated statistics and other data within the content that could be updated?
3. If the content is informational, is it fully answering the question or covering the topic? What other information is missing?
4. Is the content trying to show the reader how to do something? If so, are there visuals to guide the reader along?
5. What is Google prioritizing? While you should definitely create content for humans, you should still be aware of what Google is currently prioritizing. What do you see when you search for keywords your content is targeting? Videos? PDFs? How-to guides?
6. What type of action do you want the reader to perform after consuming your content? Do you want them to subscribe to an email newsletter, buy a product, or leave a business review? Are there other actionable objectives you have, like earning 10 leads per month, gaining 100 new followers on X, or seeing a 20% increase in branded searches?

Repurposing Examples

Let me make it clear—repurposing is an all-encompassing phrase that doesn’t necessarily mean “rewrite.” While rewriting is considered a form of repurposing, you can repurpose old (and new) content in other ways.

Here are a few examples:

Creating Google Business Profile Snippets

Share a particularly enticing excerpt from one of your most recent blog posts on Google Business Profile. This helps your listing stay active and show customers what your business is up to.

Sharing on Social Media

Create a post about an older blog post that’s timely or relevant to a recent event. For example, you could have an older blog post about how to prepare for a winter storm, and you’ve already double-checked that the content is still relevant. If you know there’s a winter storm coming in the next few days, why not share this post on social media?

Updating Evergreen Content

I referred to “evergreen” content earlier, but if you’ve never heard of or seen this phrase, it’s essentially any content that can “stand the test of time,” like how an evergreen tree stays vibrant year-round. Evergreen content isn’t a 2024 end-of-year report or a blog about the best holiday sales to look forward to; it’s something that can stay relevant, even after five years. This type of content often needs updating, mostly due to outdated statistics and data. Identify which pieces are evergreen and make it a goal to “repurpose” them by updating them and sharing them every year.

Visualizing How-to Content

If you have a how-to guide that isn’t ranking well, even with high-quality, first-party images, consider turning it into a video. Sometimes, people need to watch instead of read. You could even make the video and then embed it into the article to appeal to people with different learning styles.

Creating Images

There have been so many times I’ve been creating content where I’ve thought, “Dang, I wish I was a designer. This section here would look great as an image.” I mostly think about this with statistic-heavy sections or when I’m trying to explain a concept (like how combined sewer systems work). If you’re good at design or have someone in-house who is and has the time to help you, why not recruit them to create special images to go along with your articles?

Breaking Up Super Long Content

Knowing how in-depth you should be on a particular topic is difficult. If readers drop out early rather than read your entire article, try breaking up the content into a series. A good example of this would be understanding how to use Google Analytics 4. There’s a lot to cover there, so you could split that topic up into a series like “Google Analytics 4: Generating Custom Reports” or “Google Analytics 4: Setting Up GA4 in Tag Manager.”

Turning a Complex Topic Into an In-Depth Discussion

One of my biggest gripes about the Internet, in general, is that so much misinformation is continually repeated and spread around until it becomes a factoid. If your industry has a widely debated topic that could result in misinformation, turn that into a podcast or webinar discussion. When it’s turned into a discussion-format, it becomes more apparent that there’s no “set-or-stone” answer, and the participant can do some critical thinking on their end to determine their opinion. A good example of this would be any topic involving “best strategies,” industry trends, or myths.

Step 4: Create a Plan

If you’re still here, thanks. I’ll keep this short: always make a plan.

• Make that priority list of content.
• Determine how many content pieces you could realistically repurpose in a given period. If you’re unsure, ask team members responsible for content creation to give you a guestimate.
• Create a content calendar. In it, include the piece to be repurposed (and a link to it), the estimated time it will take, who will be involved in getting this repurposed, and define what is needed to repurpose it (are certain parts being updated? what type of image needs to be created? You get the point).
• Share the plan with everyone involved in content creation, get their approval, and get started!

Tips for Companies With Minimal Resources

1. Use AI: Now, wait a second, don’t brick me to death at the mention of AI! I know it’s a hot topic right now, but it’s a good tool to use when it’s used wisely. All you need is a good prompt and a person who understands the topic. If you need to repurpose content for accuracy, interview an internal subject matter expert, and use their responses to build your prompt.
2. Focus on Evergreen: Evergreen content isn’t the only type of content that can be repurposed, but it’s a good place to start because it’s so easy to do. All that’s needed is a quick review and some research to find updated data.
3. Use Free Tools: There are tons of auditing tools on the market, and most cost money. Don’t waste your time and money on them. All you need is a spreadsheet, Google Search Console (free), Google Analytics 4 (also free, but doesn’t have as many features as Google 360), and some time to audit. While you DO need special tools to view keyword rankings and organic traffic estimates, don’t worry about it. Focus on the metrics you can now.
4. Stop Worrying About New Content: You really don’t need to create new content all the time. I’ve heard many people online mention that “everyone is content-hungry,” but I also know a lot of people who are tired of all the content options they find online. Stop worrying about quantity and start focusing on quality. Search engines will be better because of it.
5. Don’t Steal: Just because your competitors are doing it doesn’t mean it will work the same for your business. It’s also unethical and illegal.
6. Welcome Experimentation!: Nothing is ever perfect. When I write content, I don’t think “Wow, this surely is the best thing I’ve ever written.” Even though I’ve been in the content marketing world for nearly a decade, that doesn’t mean I’m a psychic and know exactly how a particular piece of content will rank or how readers will react to it. So, don’t worry yourself with questions like “SHOULD this be a long-form article or a series?” Try one option; if it doesn’t work, try the other!
7. Outsource: If you genuinely don’t have the time or staff to spend on auditing and repurposing content, but you do have some money you can budget toward outsourcing, then do that! An outside agency can help you identify which content pieces can be repurposed and how they can be repurposed, and then do it for you!

Find More Tips Today

If you’re eager to learn more about content marketing (or other digital marketing concepts), visit Momentum’s blog for more tips and resources from me and some of our other in-house experts.

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