Quite a few people have approached me saying, “I want to work with you, but I just don’t have a big enough content archive yet.” Thankfully, I’m able to give those folks some good news. As a content strategist offering a mix of done-for-you services and done-with-you mentorship, I can meet you wherever you’re at. Once you develop a content strategy, you’ll soon find that there are myriad ways we can use your ideas and content to create engaging new pieces that speak to your audience.
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Wait, why should I care about repurposing? And shouldn’t I be sharing new content instead?
People need to see your message multiple times before it lands. It’s all about finding new ways to say the same thing over and over again without boring your audience.
Repurposing isn’t lazy; it’s strategic; you’re reinforcing your core message in different formats to appeal to different people and platforms.
Plus, it saves you from the exhausting hamster wheel of constantly creating brand-new content. Because you’re not a content creator, you’re a coach, consultant, or creative, and you have services to provide!
What if I don’t have a big archive of content? Can I still hire you for your done-for-you services?
Yes. The first month of my done-for-you content creation services is always devoted to developing a custom strategy, understanding your brand voice, and brainstorming content ideas. Whether you have existing content or are starting from scratch, I work with you to create a plan so that your content strategy and plan are clear from the beginning.
If I don’t have existing content, what is the process?
I have you fill out a questionnaire, followed by a call where I ask follow-up questions to understand your business or service on a deeper level. Once that’s done, I create a content strategy, content pillars, a content plan, and a brand voice style guide so I have clarity about how to maintain your voice.
Next, we get on a brainstorming call to develop specific content pieces you can create–pieces that fit into the categories we’ve already designated. Even starting from square one with no existing content, you have a plan for the next 2-3 months and know exactly what source content to create.
What is source content?
Source content is what I use to create new pieces of content for you. It can be a long voice note or video where you delve into your subject matter expertise. Or it can be another piece of long-form content with a lot of information so that I can create multiple new pieces of content from it.
I’ll use your source content to create short clips, captions, blogs, emails, or whatever content we have decided on for your brand.
What if I already have a ton of existing content?
Great! After I go through your questionnaire and get familiar with what you’re offering in the next 3-6 months, I’ll comb through your archives to tease out those ideas and content pieces that speak to your current goals.
Is it more expensive to work with you if I don’t have existing content?
No, I don’t charge more. It will take you a few hours a month to create source content, but I will guide you in creating content that we can use over and over again. I want my clients to be able to focus on other important parts of their business. So, I help you maximize your content creation time by using your content as a springboard for your reach into new media and messaging.
What makes good source content that can be repurposed?
Long-form content like audio podcasts, blog posts, and videos may be the easiest to work from because it has the deepest information. But you can also repurpose other content like:
1) Short-form videos
If you have a lot of short videos that speak to the same topic, you can weave them together into an Instagram carousel, or even a blog post, or a YouTube script.
2) Emails
Expand on past email topics for new emails, use them to create educational or storytelling social media posts, or weave them together into blog posts.
3) Carousels
Use each slide of a carousel as a separate point in a Reel or TikTok video. Or, reuse the points in your carousel but refresh the design with a different look. Or expand on the points in your carousel and the caption to create an email for your list.
The possibilities are endless. If you’d like some more ideas, check out my blog post: 18 ways to repurpose the great content you already own-blog edition.
Organize your content for easy retrieval
Part of making content repurposing a viable plan is having good organization practices. When I work with my clients, we create easy-to-find archives of content and notes about when everything has been published, how, and where. That means we can easily lay our hands on your content assets, and we know when we can reuse or repurpose them.
Why repurpose my content when I have so many ideas for new content?
Sometimes it feels exciting to share all your new ideas in your content. I get it. But that could confuse your audience and dilute your core message.
Have you developed specific content buckets and pillars that tell you exactly what type of content to make? If it’s not totally clear who you are, how you help your clients, and what you believe in, sharing content about your new thoughts and ideas is likely to do more harm than good.
Think about some of the accounts you follow on Instagram just for fun. Chances are, they have a specific theme, maybe even a formula that they stick to. When you look at their account, you know exactly what they do.
Here’s an example. This woman does parody skits of calling a doctor’s office, showing how frustrating the assistants can be. It’s the same scenario over and over, and people love it. Although each skit is different, they know what to expect overall.
Does your content have a theme?
Take a look at the content you’ve already shared online. Does it have consistent themes? If the answer is no, we will take a step back and designate categories, or buckets, that you will create content around.
When you work with a content specialist like me, I will help you keep your message clear and consistent. Because we’ve designated a content strategy from the beginning. And I’ll hold your hand throughout the process.
Whether you’re starting from scratch, you’ve got a huge content archive, or you’re somewhere in between, I’ll meet you wherever you’re at. Let’s talk about how we can create content that works harder for your business on a no-pressure strategy and fit call.
