In this fast-paced digital world, content repurposing is a necessity. With so many social media platforms to look after, it can be straining to develop new content daily.

It’s a real challenge to manage different platforms simultaneously. Due to technical differences and audience variation, what is published on one channel cannot be copied and pasted precisely on the other. 

Nor can you create separate content for every platform, as you will have no time left to pursue other ventures. We all know how hard it is to generate quality content ideas. Moreover, the constant frequency with which posts must be published makes it even more challenging.

So to save time and effort, digital marketers must learn how to repurpose their content. To cope with writer’s block and dearth of ideas, it has become essential to transmit trending content on one social media account to others. Of course, you have to tweak it up a bit!

In this content repurpose 101 guide, we will teach you why and how you can recycle your content for IG and other social media platforms and increase your followers within no time.

What is Content Repurposing?

Repurposing, in layman’s terms, means to reuse. But on social media, this term is a content-generating solution that has helped many marketers. It allows them to keep their content calendars up and running with consistency.

It means moulding your previous catchy and creative content into new forms so it can be published on numerous channels. It is the digital version of working smarter and not harder.

Be it your best performing Insta post and white papers to your most viewed blog posts and trending Tweets; you can recycle them all. For example, you can take your hit Youtube video and convert it into an Instagram-friendly Reel.

Remember, repurposed content is different from cross-promotion. In repurposing, you reformat and make changes to previously published content so that it can serve well on other channels too. However, in cross-promotion, you refer to the original content by adding a link of one platform on the other to generate traffic.

Before we dive deep into ways to repurpose content, let’s first discuss why it is essential and how it can bring about several advantages for your social media.

Why is Content Repurposing Vital?

1.   Frequency is vital in social media as the new generation gets bored quickly. So to keep them engaged, fresh content needs to be brewed, and repurposing helps quicken this process.
2.   Time is literally money in this digital age, and repurposing helps save time. Instead of wasting time pondering how to create content constantly, you can focus on other goals if you recycle content instead of curating it from scratch.
3.   It reduces pressure on the marketing team, and they can execute content strategies better if their idea generators are allowed some rest. Repurposing gives them a much-needed break
4.     Repurposed content can be used on rainy days when writer block strikes. When there is absolutely nothing to write about, and your brain seems to stop cooperating, you can use old content in new forms to keep your social accounts alive.
5.     Sometimes, content that performs well on one platform can work even better on other platforms. You can make your posts viral by repurposing them with minor changes.
6.     With current information overload going on social media, sticky content is rare to come across. So it’s best to make content stick for longer by repurposing it.
7.     It’s a less costly and less risky way of enhancing SEO. Repurposed content has already been published, so you can upload it without fearing consequences. You are just adding more eyes to already optimised content, leading to more engagement and conversions
8.     Small bootstrapped businesses that cannot hire professionals to ruin their social media can find solace in repurposing. As they are already juggling many roles, revamping previous exciting content sounds easier than creating a new one altogether.
9.     It lets you expand your audience reach. Through repurposing, you are giving new followers or subscribers a chance to interact with your top-performing posts. They may not have seen the original and can be impressed with your brand’s strategy.
10. As repurposing revolves around strategic highlighting of top-notch content, it helps strengthen your social media image. Instead of posing fluff to fill the gaps, you can repost revamped content and set an intentional messaging concept. 

We have compiled the top 5 ways to help you convert your top-performing posts into different forms so they can be published on various apps.

So without further ado, let’s learn how to apply them and streamline your social media marketing with a few hacks: 

5 Ways to Repurpose Social Media Content for Instagram

1. Screenshots

This is the easiest way to up your social media game while boosting all your platforms. All you need to do is take a screenshot of your trending content and then post it on other apps to get a fresh dose of traffic. 

For example, if you think one of your tweets is very popular, you can turn it into an Instagram visual by taking its screenshot. This is a win-win for everyone, as not only do your IG followers get to enjoy your wordy memes, but you also get to promote your Twitter channel simultaneously. 

So why not capitalise on your Tweets and other image-free content by converting them into images with just one click. There is no need for fancy editing as Instagram users prefer original referrals and leave hundreds of comments, likes, and comments on them.

2. Long-Form Content into Carousels

Carousels are the most famous content form on IG. As there is no option for sharing long-form blogs or notes on Insta, you can repurpose these written content in the form of swiping carousels.

You can make carousels in two ways:

1. If you want a native carousel for Instagram that covers everything, summarise the long wordy content into 2-4 slides with images. Then, make the caption and visuals catchy enough to make your followers swipe through. Remember, the max limit is 10 slides.
2. However, if you want to drive users to the source and show a teaser on IG, then make slides of only the most exciting bits and pieces of the extended content. Add CTA’s and links in the caption and at the end to gain some easy engagement.

Carousels are often underutilised, but we believe they can help you recycle your evergreen blogs like a pro. They convert wordy articles and posts into easily digestible bits. 

3. Post to Stories and Vice Versa

Sometimes it pays to repurpose content on the same platform. If you only use one social media platform, you can still recycle content and republish them in different formats.

For example, you can take your post and share them as stories. Or you can convert Stories into IGTV videos, so on and so forth. 

The gist is that sometimes repurposing only requires taking your greatest hits and posting them in all forms, so they don’t go unnoticed. 

4. Curating posts into Insta Guides

If you have numerous cool posts that complement each other, you can repurpose them into a collective guide. This feature was introduced in 2021 and has untapped potential. 

From how-to guides to recommendation collections, you can categorise your top post and give them unlimited shelf life by transforming them into popular guides.

Guides also allow you to share other longer-form content into scrollable sequences. The best part is you can share guides by placing their URL on your feed and stories.

5. Resizing Videos 

If you have a Youtube channel or marketing videos, you can always convert them into IGTV  format or reels by resizing them. However, even though this isn’t something new, many businesses are still hesitant when applying it.

We believe if you fail to repurpose videos, you are losing a lot. They are the quickest way to get noticed. Just by resizing them, you can get a pretty quick win.

Many editing tools make trimming and resizing straightforward. So jump the bandwagon and make IGTV-friendly videos as Instagram’s algorithm loves them, and so do users.  

Next up

What are you waiting for? Get ready to level up your social media by maximising the potential of your old content. 

Just ensure that repurposed content aligns well with your overall brand outlook. Lastly, Time it well and freshen up your content according to your audience.

We hope your content repurposing goes as planned and your social media prospers beyond your imagination