Repurposing Content. Is It a Smart Strategy or a Lazy Shortcut?

If we think deep, all of us can admit we’ve been witness to this before. A blog post that gets separated into multiple LinkedIn updates. A webinar that becomes a PDF file. And a team saying, “We created 10 pieces of content from one idea.” So, is this really smart or do we have just taken the same old material and put new clothes on it?

I will tell you my opinion. Deliberate, intentional re-purposing is brilliant. However, re-purposing merely for convenience is lazy. The main distinction is why you are doing it.

If you are re-purposing with thoughtfulness, you are providing your audience with what they prefer in the format which suits them best.

If an audience member prefers to read a long-form blog post, that is where they will read it.

For example, some of your audience will enjoy seeing a quick Instagram slideshow, or they will understand better by viewing a short video or hearing a podcast discussion.

The reason you are taking one strong idea, in various formats, does not signify that you did not do your best work. Rather, it extends the lifespan, and potential audience, of a piece of content that has been proven to be valuable.

To put this into perspective, if a blog post has excellent performance it indicates that there was a strong response to an idea, so therefore, re-purposing that idea will help you take it even further without repeating yourself.

But here’s where it goes wrong.

Sometimes companies will simply repurpose existing work. That means posting it in new formats just to fill up their content calendar without much thought as to how it matches tone, format, or context and that sort of repurposing can be perceived by audiences as lazy.

For example, if a business simply takes a blog post, cuts it down to a paragraph, and puts that on LinkedIn it looks lazy because it’s lazy. Each social media platform has its own rhythm so all types of content should respect the rhythm of that platform.

Repurposing content requires you think about whether what you are doing is bringing value in a new way or simply recycling old information.

Properly repurposed content will require you edit, reframe, or even rethink how you are presenting the idea. Reworking your content will take almost as much creativity as coming up with something new would.

So yes, repurposing is a valid business strategy, but only if you use it as such.