Content creation is a complex task that involves a lot of blood, sweat and tears to reach a successful, targeted outcome. The satisfaction of posting a freshly finished blog, eBook or custom graphic can be intoxicating, but sometimes bittersweet. We publish and promote content while it is fresh in our minds and actively relevant to the conversation in our industry. But, so often, as we move on to the next projects in the queue, the existing content, which holds so much value, can get left behind.

This is a massively missed opportunity on many levels, as each piece may have more to offer than its initial push may indicate. This is where repurposing, recycling and reusing your content over time comes in handy. Not only can you continue to find value in your existing assets, but you can use them (and their results) to guide the development of new assets and campaigns.

When it comes to repurposing content, there are near-infinite route to take for each asset type that depend on myriad factors. Say, for instance, you published a blog last quarter that got a lot of social shares and had a higher than average time on site, but didn’t generate a lot of leads or conversions. Clearly, you’ve got a piece on your hands that your audience is interested in and engaging with, but it’s missing the key to unlock conversions. To achieve that goal, you could dive deeper into the topic and turn it into an eBook or a webinar that would require people to provide their contact information, gathering the leads that were ready and waiting from the blog.

It doesn’t end with blog posts and eBooks either. Any successful piece of content can be repurposed into a different type that maps to a new goal. If you drew a map of all the different content types and connected each one to all the other assets it could be repurposed into, you’d have something akin to this:

You have multiple options when it comes to how you'll repurpose your content.(We actually repurposed a stock image of flight paths on a map from our existing library to create this custom graphic quickly.)

Having so many choices means considering a lot of different factors to determine the best path to follow when you’re ready to recycle your existing assets. So we’ve complied some of the most helpful resources from leading industry experts to guide your journey toward breathing new life into old content:

Proof of concept

If you’re on the fence about whether you should invest time and effort into repurposing your older assets, take a look at some of the unique benefits you could enjoy by doing so.

  • Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose: Reach Wider Without Creating More
    Topping our list is Brafton’s very own eBook, which takes you step by step through why you should consider repurposing your existing assets, how to decide which assets to repurpose and how to plan your repurposing strategy for different stages of the sales funnel. 
  • Does Repurposing Content Work? Here’s a Data Driven Answer
    Neil Patel takes a closer look at the SEO impact of repurposing content and whether or not search engines will treat it as duplicate content.. He highlights companies that have found success through repurposing to give you all the evidence you need to dive in today. There are even pointers to  help you find suitable assets you can revive. 
  • The Purpose of Repurposing Content
    This episode of the B2B Nation: Smarketing Edition podcast is a great way to get up to speed going into a repurposing campaign. They discuss why and when you can repurpose content as well as which ducks you need to get into a row to make your efforts successful. Plus, if you’re not a fan of podcasts, the whole thing is transcribed too.

A little bit of how-to

When you know the type of asset you want to create, you can use older assets to fuel the creation. How you find the starting point, and what to do once you have it, can be tricky.

  • How to Repurpose Social Content to Save Time & Maximize Leads
    HubSpot actually repurposed a webinar into this SlideShare deck to get more long-term value out of a live event. This presentation focuses on two benefits of repurposing: saving time and generating leads. It also provides key examples of how to accomplish both goals. 
  • Liven Up Old-Hat Content: 4 Ways to Find a New Twist
    Over at Content Marketing Institute, a fun anecdote about flight attendants creates the perfect frame of reference for how you can find a new way to send the same message. Hint: Find a way to take a stale topic and give it a fresh new angle. 
  • 5 Ways to Repurpose Content and Engage Your Audience (Again and Again)
    Choosing the new format for your old asset involves thinking about the topic, the goal and the audience. The Social Media Current outlines your options and the value they hold to help you narrow your selection. 
  • Repurposing Your Content For New Media
    If you want to try out a new media type, using something you’ve already created
    can be a great way to test the waters. You’ll be able to save time on gathering your resources, and you can choose something you know already resonates with your audience to see how it performs in a format you haven’t yet explored, like video or webinars. Marketing Land offers insights into the value different media types can bring to the table for your revised content.

Helpful tools and services

In the digital marketing universe, there are always tools and software options that lend themselves to your campaigns. When it comes to repurposing content, a large part of the process involves getting the updated and/or new content in front of your audience, and there are tools and services that can help.

  • Free Repurposing Worksheet for Top-Performing Content and Audience Intent
    Repurposing is great in theory, but actually determining what to dow ith your existing assets to turn them into something fresh can be daunting. Our free worksheet guides you through some integral questions to help you get a clearer focus of your project. Whether you have an audience question that needs answering or an asset that performed really well but is growing stale, this worksheet will help you lay the groundwork to turn your existing work into new content.
  • 23 Tools for Repurposing Content
    To make this a little bit meta, we’re including a list of resources in our list of resources. Yael Kochman, Head of Content Marketing, International at Teradata Marketing Applications, complied a catalogue of tools, services and outlets for repurposed content, including forums, multi-author blogs, webinars, press releases and podcasts. Places like Medium and SlideShare, for example, allow you to release your repurposed content to a new audience as well as get new value out of existing content that doesn’t need to be updated – double whammy!   
  • 40 Ways to Repurpose Your Blog Content (And Why You Should)
    OptIn Monster is on the same wavelength as OutBrain, but this list focuses primarily on syndication. Sharing your content to multiple sites is made easier with sites like SimpleReach and Taboola lending a hand. They can distribute your content to more readers than through posting to your site and sharing on social alone.
Samantha Gordon is the Managing Editor of Brafton.com. With a diverse background writing and editing everything from blogs and whitepapers to romance and sci-fi, Samantha strives for greatness in grammar and quality.