How to Repurpose Existing Video Content for Maximum Reach

About 82% of internet traffic these days is video. So, it’s no surprise that organizations leverage video to reach customers. Video marketing is a powerful way to capture attention and drive engagement.

Yet, many businesses still underutilize their video content. 

Maybe they post it once and move on or add a few social links over time. Despite spending the time, effort, and money to produce these videos, companies are too often missing a big opportunity.

What Is Repurposed Content?

Repurposing video content is an efficient way to expand your reach without the expense of creating entirely new videos. You can connect with different audiences across multiple platforms. But here’s the best part: you can generate a more significant return on investment (ROI) from your original investment.

Differentiating Repurposing From Reposting and Cross-Posting

Repurposing is different from reposting or posting somewhere else. While reposting has value, video repurposing offers greater benefits.

Key Benefits of Repurposing Video Content 

By re-working your content, you can:

• Save time on content creation
• Broaden your audience reach
• Improve your organic search traffic

Strategies for Repurposing Video Content             

Repurposing video is a great way to keep your content fresh. Here's how to do it.

Transforming Long Videos Into Short Clips

HubSpot says that short-form videos deliver the highest ROI. Given that nearly 70% of consumers watch videos on their smartphones — typically in bite-size chunks — that makes sense.

Slicing out some nuggets from your original content and sprinkling them across platforms is effective, especially on social media platforms. For example, Instagram Reels, the platform's short-form videos, account for over half of all content shared in DMs. Video snippets can deliver messaging while also working to get viewers to click through to your longer-form content. 

Creating Blog Posts From Video Content

Another easy way to repurpose video content is to turn it into a blog post. You can either transcribe it or create a written piece of content. 

Some people prefer text over video, and written formats are also good for search engine visibility. You can weave keywords into copy, which helps you get discovered by wider audiences and more potential customers. Blogs are great, especially for business-to-business (B2B) audiences. 94% of marketers surveyed said blogs are vital to their strategy.

If you want to offer transcriptions, there are cheap online tools to convert your videos to text. You can also use ChatGPT or other AI tools to summarize key points — just make sure to check them for accuracy before you publish.

Generating Podcasts From Video Material

In the U.S. alone, more than 135 million people listen to podcasts within a 30-day period. Nearly half of the adult population is among monthly listeners. Turning your video content into audio podcasts can help you tap into this growing way to market your business.

Depending on the type of video content you’re repurposing, you may be able to strip out the audio and use it or repurpose it as a video podcast. For example, YouTube Studio makes it easy to create and share podcasts.

Developing Infographics Based on Video Themes

GIFs and infographics are easy to make and get shared often. Find a “loopable moment” from your video, such as a product demo or animation, using it to grab someone’s attention with GIFs. You can use these on social media or in emails. Emails with GIFs deliver 26% higher click-through rate.

Infographics let you turn complex videos into high-impact visuals perfect for LinkedIn. You can grab key stats, steps, or processes and use these in blog posts, newsletters, emails, or stand-alone social media posts. For B2B, posts with infographics are shared three times more often on LinkedIn.

Creating Platform-Specific Content

Creative ways to repurpose video content will increase the impact of your videos. However, to increase the odds of engagement, you need to tailor clips for the platform you’re using.

Instagram: Engaging a Visual-First Audience

Instagram is full of visually compelling content, making it ideal for repurposing video clips. Key formats include:

• Reels: Instagram prioritizes short, engaging video clips (under 90 seconds), so turning your content into Reels can drive visibility. According to Instagram, Reels boost account discoverability by 22% more than traditional posts. Use trending audio or captions to enhance relatability and engagement.
• Stories: Stories work well for updates or behind-the-scenes clips. You can also combine them with polls or stickers.
• Carousel posts: You can convert your videos into step-by-step visuals for carousel posts.

TikTok: Prioritizing Trends and Authenticity

TikTok is all about authentic content. Repurposing long-form videos into shorter clips that strike the right tone can help:

• Grab attention: Create 15- to 30-second video clips that fit popular TikTok challenges or themes. This will put your messaging into trending conversations.
• Offer educational content: If your original video includes tutorials or how-to’s, you can cut them up and turn them into short-form lessons. 

YouTube: Optimizing for Long-Form and Shorts

YouTube supports long and short-form content, so content creators can create multiple pieces of content and let them work together to reinforce key concepts and drive traffic.

• YouTube Shorts: Similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels, Shorts are vertical videos of up to 60 seconds. 
• Long-form content optimization: Turn raw footage from webinars or presentations into tutorials or educational videos. 

LinkedIn: For Thought Leadership and Professional Audiences

LinkedIn audiences favor thought leadership and educational content. You can repurpose your video content on LinkedIn by:

• Creating explainer clips: Share key takeaways in concise videos. 
• Embedding videos in articles: Combine videos with written insights for LinkedIn Pulse posts to gain a broader reach.

Facebook: Prioritizing Community Engagement

Facebook's algorithm favors content that generates interactions. Here are some tips:

• Video uploads: Upload videos directly to Facebook for better reach. Native videos see 17% higher engagement than embedding a link to your video elsewhere.
• Live videos: Repurpose pre-recorded content as live streams with added commentary or Q&A sessions. Live videos drive 3x more engagement than short-form videos.

X: Highlighting Key Moments

X users move fast, scrolling from post to post, and typically embrace short posts. You can capture attention by:

• Using GIFs: Create GIFs from your video for shareable reactions or summaries.
• Creating video threads: Break down your original videos into a series of short clips, creating a thread that unfolds your story or insights. These threads significantly improve engagement.

A Note About Captioning or Text

Many people watch videos with the sound off, but this varies significantly by platform, so you need to know your audience. Nearly 80% of LinkedIn users watch with the sound off. But, internal data at Instagram shows that 80% of video content on its platform is consumed with the sound on.

Either way, captions can highlight critical information. A study at X (formerly Twitter) showed that videos with captions or text overlays result in 28% higher view time and a 1.8X ROI. You can’t beat that.

Tools To Assist in the Repurposing Process

Several platforms simplify and enhance the repurposing process to save you time. Here are just a few:

• Video editing software: Tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or iMovie make cutting and remixing videos in different formats easy.
• Transcription: Services like Otter.ai can transcribe your video content into text.
• Social media: Platforms such as Buffer, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social help schedule repurposed video content for different social networks.
• Infographic generators: Canva or Piktochart lets you highlight key points and turn them into graphics.

While there are plenty of DIY tools, don’t underestimate the value of working with a professional video content creator to ensure you optimize your video repurposing strategy.

Setting Clear Goals for Repurposing

You need clear goals for repurposing video content. Otherwise, how do you know if your strategy is succeeding?

For example, you might have a different approach for different channels, and your goals may differ by channel, such as building brand authority or driving traffic, conversions, or engagement. So, define your goal first and then create content to achieve it before you post.

Measuring the Success of Repurposed Content               

When repurposing video content, you need to track performance. This helps you hone your strategy. Find out what works and what doesn’t and plan resources accordingly.

Here are a few standard measurements that are worth watching:

• Views and impressions
• Engagement rates
• Video completion rates
• Click-through rates
• Conversion rates

There's also some nuance to social media posts, so make sure you’re tracking the right things on each platform: 

• Instagram provides metrics like engagement rate, reach, and saves, which are value indicators. 
• TikTok’s key metrics include engagement rates, shares, and video completions.
• Likes, comments, and shares measure engagement on Facebook.
• Tracking shares and comments on LinkedIn helps you understand how well your content connects with your network.

Social platforms have easy-to-access tools for tracking engagement, and there are free or inexpensive online tools for tracking metrics across multiple platforms. Google Analytics and other tracking platforms can also help you measure success with repurposed video content on your website or other sites. Analyzing these metrics provides the insight you need to make your future video repurposing more impactful. 

Want To Know More About Repurposing Video Content?           

Charter & Co can help you optimize your videos, turning single-brand videos into multi-channel marketing opportunities. This maximizes your ROI and extends your reach at a significantly more affordable cost. 

Want to learn more? Read our master class on video marketing and contact us today.