How to Repurpose Content with Our C&L Framework [+ Automation Tips]

Content repurposing is an amazing way to get the most out of your content investment. But it’s often overlooked. In this post, we’ll share everything you need to know to reap the benefits of repurposing your content. 

We’ll cover:

• What is content repurposing
• Why you should repurpose your content
• Our C&L (Cost and Lifespan) content repurposing framework
• Our list of the best content repurposing tools
• Frequently asked questions about content repurposing

Additionally, we’ll share our master list of 140 content repurposing ideas. 

Ready? Let’s dive in! 

What Is Content Repurposing?

Content repurposing consists of transforming a piece of content into other formats, in order to:

• Promote the original material
• Maintain an active and valuable presence across digital channels

For instance, a team that takes some key takeaways from a blog post and turns them into a LinkedIn carousel is repurposing their content.

Additionally, some content marketing experts use the term “content repurposing” to refer to updating old material in order to prevent content rot. We’ll dive into content rot when discussing our repurposing framework. 

Why You Should Repurpose Your Content

Now you know what content repurposing is and what it’s for. But, what are the benefits of repurposing content?

Teams that repurpose their content:

1. Enjoy smoother content production processes
2. Find it easier to run a multi-channel social media presence
3. Find it easier to build topical authority 
4. See higher content ROI

With these stats in mind, it’s no wonder that 94% of marketers practice some form of repurposing. But, how can you join them?

How to Create a Content Repurposing Workflow

There isn’t a surefire, universally applicable content repurposing strategy. It all depends on:

• Your existing content
• Your resources 
• Your marketing priorities & goals
• Your platforms of choice

For instance, a B2C company with a rich and valuable blog, extensive content marketing resources, and the goal of building brand awareness on Instagram will need a different strategy than a B2B startup with limited resources and content with a poor market fit.

When creating a content repurposing workflow, we recommend you:

1. Set priorities
2. Choose target channels
3. Set clear expectations
4. Break down the process into manageable steps
5. Establish ownership over the strategy & its specific processes
6. Document the process
7. Keep an open mind and be willing to optimize and iterate

Can You Automate Content Repurposing?

It’s possible to automate your content repurposing. However, we recommend you don’t leave the entire process to an AI. 

Instead, combine time-saving prompts with human QA. 

For instance, you can set up an automated workflow so GPT-3 summarizes content into a Twitter thread every time you publish a new blog post. But instead of directly publishing the content on Twitter, you can save it as a new thread on Typefully. That way, it’ll be ready for human review. And the reviewer will be able to publish it with a click.

If you’re covering too much territory for manual review, you could also fully automate the process. However, the quality of the output will significantly depend on the source material and the prompt you write. 

For example, let’s analyze an automation that summarizes content using GPT-3 and posts on LinkedIn every time you create a new post on Webflow. Here’s a simple Make workflow that gets it done with no code:

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And here’s how to structure an efficient prompt for this workflow:

“Act as a [job role]. Summarize this text in under 300 words in the style of a LinkedIn text post with a clear call to action: [blog post content]”.

Easy, right? 

There are two parts of this prompt that are especially relevant. Having these components in a prompt is usually the difference between a usable output and a low quality output. These components are:

• “Act as a [job role]”
• “In the style of [format/author]”

We just saw how you can use GPT-3 and automated workflows to simplify your content repurposing - but this only applies to written content.

When recommending content repurposing tools, we’ll dive into other platforms you can use to repurpose your material into images and videos effortlessly.

Our C&L Content Repurposing Framework

In mid-2022, we consulted for a Buenos Aires new media company. One of their challenges involved keeping an active social media calendar. Among other changes, we introduced a content repurposing framework that helped them make sense of how, and where to distribute their material.

That’s how our “C&L” Content Repurposing Framework was born. 

Expensive Content vs. Cheap Content

C&L stands for the two dimensions of the content we’re analyzing: Cost and lifespan. In short, there’s expensive content (a blog post or a YouTube video). And there’s cheap content (a tweet, an Instagram post). What makes one type of content cheap and the other type expensive? Simple: How much time and resources it takes to produce it.

You’ll want to research & ideate your expensive content and keep your cheap content as cheap as possible, without jeopardizing relevance or brand perception.

Your expensive content will have a long lifespan. Your cheap content will have a short lifespan. Cost and lifespan are usually correlated - unless we’re talking about TikTok. TikTok’s algorithm famously facilitates the discovery of “old” content. 

We recommend checking out this video by VEED to get a clearer sense of how the TikTok algorithm works:

In short, by following our C&L framework, you will distribute your content investment, so most of your resources go to long-form content with long lifespans. By using long-form content as your “mother content”, you stay consistent and build topical authority across social media channels. 

There’s another concept that’s tangentially relevant to our framework, and definitely worth discussing: content ROT.

What Is Content Rot?

The “Rot” in “Content ROT” is actually an acronym. It stands for:

• R: Redundant
• O: Obsolete
• T: Trivial

Let’s dive a little deeper.

Content Redundancy

A piece of content can become redundant when newer material meets its goals better than it does. 

For instance, let's say you wrote an article explaining how new Google Sheets features made it easier for accountants to automate certain processes.  But later on, you write another piece that serves as a master guide for accountants who want to automate processes with Google Sheets. 

You may find that the earlier piece is targeting the same keyword as the newer one, but provides less value and generates very little or no traffic. In that case, you'd be dealing with content redundancy. You could tackle it by turning your old post into a section of the newer, more comprehensive one.

Content Obsolescence

A great example of content obsolescence would be an article explaining how to comply with laws that have been overturned. This article could remain for archivists and those researching the story of law.  But it serves no practical purpose. Another more severe example of content obsolescence would be an article announcing that a brand will be present at a trade show that happened 2 years ago.

While content that became redundant can be repurposed into new sections for more successful pieces, obsolete content can be harder to revamp.

In the case of the trade show article, there's little to do beyond adding media content and testimonials from that experience. On the other hand, the article about the overruled law could be transformed into a pillar post about the law’s story, nuances, and repercussions.  

Content Triviality

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It can be hard to define “trivial content”. For the purpose of simplicity, we’ll define it as content that doesn't meet business goals. In short, content with a poor market fit.  

For instance, Let's say your startup develops a tool for runners, and you have URLs that just list famous runners from different nationalities. This content is probably not helping your target audience achieve any goal related to your product. You're writing “too far away”  from your product, and targeting keywords that do not correlate with a customer need.

That content is trivial. So, it's not solving problems or helping your brand to build authority.

In most cases, trivial content simply has to be deleted. There's no way to repurpose it and give it a new life. It does nothing for your brand or for your audience. 

Is there an exception? Yes, a piece of content may appear trivial but drive some ROI. For instance, let's say your lists of famous runners rank high for the intent keywords. So, they're found by tons of people and that volume allows you to get to some potential customers.  In that case, you may not want to remove your trivial content. Instead, you want it to serve as a gateway for your more valuable material.

In short, there are some general best practices and guidelines for dealing with content ROT. But you’ll have to analyze your content inventory and decide on a solution that works for you. 

One thing’s for certain, a culture of content repurposing is key for preventing and dealing with ROT.  Aside from producing content, teams should treat pieces as assets that should be leveraged and maximized through time. That’s what content repurposing is all about. 

The Best Content Repurposing Tools

In this section, we’ll share our favorite content repurposing tools. 

If you’re reviewing your content stack, we recommend you check out:

• ContentDrips, an intuitive content repurposing tool for teams and personal brands. It’s especially great for carousel posts.
• Placid, an AI-powered tool for creating graphics automatically. Amazing for keeping an active social presence at scale.
• GPT-3, our go-to AI solution. Cost-effective, efficient, and extendable. 
• Reel.so, easy podcast repurposing for busy teams and creators.
• VEED, an extremely intuitive, browser-based video editor. 

Get More Out of Your Content

In this post, we shared everything you have to know to start repurposing your content. Consistent content repurposing efforts can help you maximize your content ROI without significantly increasing your budget.

Looking to get more out of your content marketing efforts? Schedule a free discovery session. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of content repurposing?

Repurposing content can offer a number of benefits for content creators and marketers. It can save time and resources, allow for greater reach and engagement, and help to maximize the value of existing content. It can also help to drive traffic and leads, increase brand awareness, and provide a fresh perspective on content topics.

How can I ensure my content is optimized for repurposing?

Before you begin transforming your content into other formats, make sure it’s updated and relevant. If it isn’t, your first instance of repurposing should involve revamping the material and resharing it across social channels.

How can I repurpose content across different channels?

Repackage your content’s main ideas, takeaways & valuable points into formats that match each platform. 

How do I choose the right content to repurpose?

When choosing content to repurpose, it’s important to focus on topics that have already been successful, as well as content that can be adapted into different formats. It can also be helpful to look for content that is related to current trends and topics, or content that is timeless. Prioritize content with a great content-market fit, that targets your ideal customer profile. 

What types of content can be repurposed?

Content that can be repurposed includes blog posts, videos, images, podcasts, webinars, and presentations. We recommend you invest most of your time in creating high-value, timeliness content, and use it as your source material. 

How often should I repurpose my content?

It’s important to adopt a repurposing culture, in order to prevent content ROT. So, it’s wise to update your material quite often. However, how often you should repurpose content will depend on the content itself, your goals, your social strategy, and the platforms you’re targeting. 

What tools can I use to repurpose content?

There are a number of tools available to help with repurposing content, we recommend checking out Placid, ContentDrips, OpenAI, VEED & Reel.so.

How can I measure the success of my repurposed content?

Measuring the success of repurposed content can help to inform decisions about what content to repurpose in the future. It can be measured in terms of engagement, reach, and conversions.

How can I ensure my repurposed content is original?

To ensure repurposed content is original, it’s important to make sure that it is adapted in a unique way and avoids plagiarism.

What strategies can I use to repurpose content?

Strategies for repurposing content include breaking down content into smaller pieces, adapting the content into the go-to format of the platform (for instance, a Twitter thread or Instagram reel), and adding a unique, platform-specific CTA that encourages UGC. It’s also important to keep content fresh and enrich it with visuals.