5 ways to repurpose your content

For all types of organizations, repurposing content – that is, repackaging and continuing to gain value from previously developed and published content – makes good business sense. You can’t create original content at all times, and your audience needs to hear your key messages regularly for them to be really engaged with your work. In addition, repurposing is especially useful for nonprofits, given limited resources. Creating original content can be very time consuming, not to mention expensive.

But what are the best ways to repurpose your content?

In her nonprofit communications blog, Kivi Leroux Miller shares five rules for repurposing your content.

1. Editorial calendar rule of thirds

When you develop your editorial calendar, plan for a third of the slots to contain original content, and another third to contain repurposed content.

2. Deconstruct big ideas into three smaller chunks

“As you come up with great ideas for content, as you are writing, think about how you would break that idea into at least three smaller ideas,” says Leroux Miller. Those three smaller ideas can then serve as the basis for repurposing, and it will make your repurposing work much easier when the time comes.

3. Formats: long form, short form, visual form 

Try to format your content in three key ways: long form, short form and visual form. Make short pieces longer or long pieces shorter.Create an infographic or a short video. For some content, you may find that all three options aren’t possible or feasible. In those cases, format your content in the most feasible ways and/or do different versions of one form, such as catered Facebook, Instagram and Twitter posts in the case of short form content. Click here for Leroux Miller’s tips on editing and formatting your content for repurposing.

4. Now, soon or later

“In many cases, the time periods in which we repurpose content are too short,” says Leroux Miller. When we plan on repurposing content, we often aim to do so in the current or following week. Think about how your content can be repurposed now, soon and later – this week, a month from now, a quarter from now and/or next year. What’s more, consider how you can repurpose content at the beginning, middle and end of a campaign, to really engage your stakeholders. Your editorial calendar and content strategy will be key to such plans.

5. Everything in at least three channels

“Never create anything unless you know how you are going to use it in at least three different communications channels,” says Leroux Miller. Ensuring your content is versatile in this way not only saves time and resources but also promotes a more effective and impactful content strategy.

Featured image: pavel px, Flickr Creative Commons