If you follow me around the web, you have likely found many of my recent guest posts and interviews have revolved around repurposing and optimizing existing blog content. You put so much work into researching and writing evergreen blog posts, it’s an absolute shame if you hit Publish and move onto the next thing never to revisit that post again. It has so much life left in it. Promote the ever-living daylights out of it. Again. And again. And again in another way.
The best news of the day is the hard part is already done. A few little tweaks and that content is reaching more people in more places. It’s bringing you more traffic. It’s positioning you as more of an expert.
Video
This is one of my absolute favorite ways to repurpose content. People like to consume content in different ways. Some like to read. Some like to watch. Some like to listen. You may find you are able to reach an entirely new audience by providing your blog content through a different means.
You can create something scripted and edited to be uploaded to YouTube. Or, even better, get your followers involved. New live streaming platforms like Blab, Periscope and Facebook LIVE allow viewers to ask questions and provide feedback in real-time. There’s no better way to connect with your audience. On Facebook and Blab you can add the link to your blog post for those interested as well.
I highly recommend downloading the final video from Blab, Periscope or Facebook and repurposing it yet again on YouTube. It only takes a few seconds, so why not? Don’t forget to link back to your blog post and/or embed the video on your site.
eBook
If you have an exceptionally lengthy post, or a series of posts on the same topic, you may want to consider turning them into an eBook. This is a great opportunity for passive income as you can offer your eBook for $7 to $25 depending on the length and subject matter. A service like Gumroad or e-junkie will make the sales process and delivery painless.
Opt-in Freebie
If your eBook is a little on the shorter side, you can offer it as a free download to new email subscribers. I have also turned lengthy “101 ways to” type posts into .pdf files and offered them as opt-in bonuses at the bottom of those posts. No one is going to stay on your blog long enough to complete 101 tasks. Make it available to take with them for later just make sure you are getting their email address in exchange.
Podcast
We already talked about video, but you can also go for a strictly audio version of your popular posts as well. And if you get on Blab for your video version, they send you an audio file you can quickly turn into a podcast version as well.
Share Your Slides
If you have a tutorial post, consider turning it into slides which can then be uploaded to SlideShare. Have your colors and text match your site. Don’t try to stuff your post in its entirety into the slides. Just the headings and a few quick subheadings, then direct them back to your post URL for the rest of the information with a strong Call-to-Action slide.
Infographic
I don’t believe infographics have the pull and sharing power as they once did, but visual learning is huge right now. Infographics are perfect for the “scanners” among us. They can also work great for repurposing tutorial or list posts. Canva has a template you can use if you aren’t crazy about graphic design.
Autoresponder
Readers come and go over time. There is a good chance your readers today have never seen the great content you published 6, or 9, or 12 months ago. If you have an incredibly resourceful post, or series of posts on a similar topic, consider making them part of an autoresponder series sent to new email subscribers.
Autoresponders can work in a number of ways depending on your preferences and comfort level with your current newsletter service. You may simply want to send new subscribers a “welcome” email with a list of your greatest hits. You can send a few post recommendations with the subscriber freebie you promised or a day or two after they sign up.
You can also send the post in its entirety within the email. I have an autoresponder series like this that sends an in-depth post on several work-from-home opportunities over the course of a week to certain subscribers. This can be a great way to monetize your emails if your posts include affiliate links. P.S. I use ConvertKit as my email newsletter service. They make these autoresponders and subscriber freebies a snap.
Expand on the Topic
If your popular blog post is something that can be expanded on further, you have a lot of options. You can update the post itself to include the additional information turning it into a valuable industry resource. If it was a list post, you can break down each segment of the list into posts of their own for publishing on your own site or as guest posts linking back to the original.
Shorten It for Social Media
Your social media updates are not limited to your post title. Consider pulling out quotes or small segments of your posts as a teaser when sharing on social media. You can also create images with your quotes for sharing.
Make It a Blog Post
Maybe you are starting out with a video or podcast. Hire a transcriptionist or Rev.com to transcribe the audio or video file into text you can use for a post on your blog. I like to embed the original audio or video file in the post as well. This makes it a one-stop resource regardless of how the visitor likes to learn.
Any time you repurpose your content, make sure you are optimizing it for search with relevant keywords and a catchy headline. You also want to send it out through your social media channels. You never know who you are going to catch and when.
What are your favorite ways to repurpose blog content?
Anne says
Great advice. Of course, not everything will work for every niche or every blogger but you gave me a couple of ideas to test on a few of my blogs. Thank you!