Is it ok to repurpose content?

A great piece of content can be a powerful marketing tool, acting like a traffic magnet for an e-commerce website. The good news is that effective content can be adapted and used again across new platforms.

Brands looking to expand their PR strategy should understand the value of content repurposing. Content repurposing is essentially recycling and involves taking one piece of content and presenting it in a new format. 

This enables organisations to get the most out of their existing content while still increasing brand awareness. After putting in the work to research and create content, it is important to get the most out of every piece and get a good ROI. 

However, repurposing content isn’t as simple as it initially appears, and there are still rules brands must keep in mind to avoid being penalised by Google. 

This blog explores how brands can successfully repurpose their content without harming SEO.  

What is repurposing content? 

Repurposing content is the process of reusing all, or some, elements of existing content without having to start from scratch. This means that after all the time, resources and work that is put into content creation, brands can get the absolute most out of it.

Adding content repurposing into a strategy will maximise impact in the ever-evolving digital world, when coming up with new ideas constantly can be hard. 

To do it successfully, it is important to give the content some new life to ensure that audiences will still gain value. 

Different ways to repurpose content

There are many ways to successfully repurpose content, and it works for a lot of formats including blogs, press releases, infographics and social media posts. 

Identifying the right options, takes the pressure off developing new and unique content, while still getting a ROI. 

Real examples of repurposing include tweaking content to meet the needs of different marketing and social media channels.

Other examples include transforming a YouTube video into shorter snippets for Instagram reels or TikTok or flipping it into a podcast. Updating the hook on press releases with a newsworthy hook for reactive PR opportunities. Turning a blog into an email newsletter, or reworking an article into a LinkedIn or Facebook post. 

The possibilities are endless, and virtually anything can transform if it appeals to an audience and, above all, adds value. 

What are the benefits? 

When it comes to marketing and PR strategies, there is already a lot to think about, and it can be hard to constantly come up with new and unique content. 

If done correctly, repurposing content allows brands to get more mileage and value while saving precious time. 

Recycling content can correctly have multiple business advantages, including: 

1. Boosting SEO 

Repurposing content has the potential to boost SEO and increase brand authority as it means a site has multiple examples of content with similar targeted keywords. Posting to different social media channels will also bring in more organic traffic that will improve Google rankings.

2. Improving engagement and reach

Adapting content in multiple formats will increase engagement across different platforms, and reach new and wider audiences.  

3. Saving money

 Recycling content is a cost-effective decision for brands, as it takes up less resources and time while increasing production. 

4. Improving underperforming content 

 Brands can improve old or underperforming content by updating information, adding relevant statistics, or changing the format to make it more interesting.  

5. Building Authority

Transforming content into new formats, like webinars or infographics, establishes expertise in the industry and can establish brands as the leads in their field which creates authority and credibility. 

Repurposing no-no’s 

Content repurposing should be worked into a strategy to ease pressure and improve efficiency, but it still relies on creating high-quality content that will appeal to audiences. 

By no means is repurposing a cheat code, and it still relies on creating initial high-quality content, without making it feel repetitive to audiences. 

Unfortunately, brands looking for a quick fix need to understand that simply copying and pasting content isn’t content repurposing. 

To successfully incorporate repurposing into a brand strategy, avoid: 

1. Copy and pasting

Sites can be penalised for having the same content on multiple pages or sites which can affect rankings and traffic. This is why it’s important to make content unique if it’s been repurposed.

2. Shortcuts

In addition to re-editing, brands will need to think about other areas to bring it to life, including updating statistics, titles and design, ultimately bringing new value to the audience. It is important to take the necessary time to get it right. 

3. Reposting

Reposting and repurposing are not the same thing and should not be mixed up. If brands are only reposting, they risk sounding repetitive to audiences and losing followers on the algorithm.

4. Ignoring relevance 

 Brand audiences want to see content that resonates with them, so it is important to ensure that anything being repurposed aligns with the overall brand and messaging, so it remains relevant and valuable.

5. Disregarding data

It is important to analyse data and analytics to identify high-performing content and decide what will get the best engagement, conversions, and traffic if repurposed.

How to repurpose content with Digital PR

Effectively repurposing content using Digital PR to extend value, impact and brand visibility across platforms involves complying with multiple strategies. 

When it comes to digital PR, it is important to have a solid foundation so brands need an established bank of evergreen content which has sustained relevance and can be easily repurposed for an extended period. 

It is also important to monitor the news agenda and industry updates and efficiently respond to them with repurposed content which is relevant to the trending topic. 

The repurposed content should also be keyword-optimised before pitching, including relevant keywords and phrases to improve SEO rankings, and metrics need to be analysed to measure impact. 

Other factors that brands should consider when repurposing their content for digital PR include relationship-building with bloggers and journalists, as well as adding relevant backlinks to the brand site for SEO impact. 

If you want to find out more about how brands can boost their SEO and authority with a  content repurposing strategy, please get in touch.

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