4 ways to reuse your own content
Because why reinvent the wheel?
Maybe you’ve been super busy. Maybe you’ve just had a bit of writer’s block lately. Whatever the case, you need content, but you just don’t have the time or energy to create something from scratch.
Good news: You may already have a vast amount of content you can already use, with a bit of creative repurposing. Here’s how to identify those resources and turn them into something new that your audiences will love.
- Turn video into words
Have a fantastic video of your CEO speaking at a town hall or event? Transcribe it yourself, or use an automated transcription service like Otter.ai, and you’ll wind up with an outline for a thought leadership piece or an intranet post. This can also be done with customer or employee testimonials. Words are words, after all, and it’s simple enough to translate them from one format into the next — try this trick with podcasts, too.
Similarly, you can turn another written piece into a video. Hop in front of a camera and outline a past article, recap a past event or ask an employee to tell a story.
- Flip the format
The same concept can work even if we’re moving from one written form to another.
Say you have a wonderful traditional article that’s performed well for you in the past. That information is still good, and you may be able to resurface it to an entirely new audience with a few little tweaks. Try turning that classic article into a listicle (like this one!). Or an infographic. Or a LinkedIn post.
Now, do be aware: If you rely on SEO for traffic, you’ll want to make sure it isn’t an exact duplicate. Add some new information, change a few things around, re-word a few items. Google wants original content. However, if you’re mostly working on an intranet, email campaign or other medium that doesn’t need search, there’s less pressure to totally overhaul.
- Do a content roundup
Always a classic for the end-of-the-year doldrums, you can find your most popular content from the last month/year/all time and repurpose it into a greatest hits package. Pop on an intro explaining what you’re doing, add your links and a quick description of each, add a little kicker and you’re done. People like the idea that they’re getting the very best of something, that someone has gone to the work of curating for quality so they don’t have to.
- Bring back content wholesale
Even simpler than a roundup is, there are times when it’s OK to republish content back in its entirety. You’ll see this technique on PR Daily the week between Christmas and New Year’s as we bring back our most popular content of the year, one for each day. We’ll add a tag in the headline and a topper in each article making it clear that this is a “best of” article, not new content.
This can be a simple way to not overtax yourself at a time when your offices are closed (happy holidays!), while still providing information topeople who are still working and might want some quality content as they set themselves up for success in 2023.
Whichever technique you use, just remember that most content is not single use. With a bit of creativity and transparency, you can give old new life.
Allison Carter is executive editor of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.
If you have content that presents interesting data and insights, repurpose it as an infographic.
You can use the news of your corporate good deeds to create three benefits.
BENEFIT YOUR COMPANY. Every time you get media attention for how you helped protect the public as by fighting a disease people worry about, you win gratitude for your company from thousands or millions of people who see your news.
BENEFIT YOUR CAUSE. You may bring in millions for a good cause by pointing out that a less famous form of cancer like myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a threat to everyone but tax-deductible donations that could help save many lives can be sent to MDS Foundation at 4573 South Broad Street Suite 150, Yardville NJ 08620 . Put MDS and top doctors on your annual list of good causes that get corporate support.
BENEFIT YOUR CAREER. Corporate leaders love it when someone in PR
helps win massive public goodwill for the company by showing support for a good cause and for people the cause protects. And you may improve your appreciation among journalists who see what you are doing to help the public.
Sometimes you can rally extra support for a cause by focusing on not just an organization but a person. Like one of the world’s top heroes in the fight against disease is Dr. Charles Venditti at National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 31 Room 4B09, 31 Center Drive MSC 2152, 9000 Rockville Place, Bethesda MD 22089-2152.
Another great cancer fighter is Columbia University’s professor, Dr. Azra Raza at 161 Fort Washington Avenue, New York, NY 10032. In Houston, the famed University-affiliated MD Anderson Cancer Center is headed by Dr. Peter Pisters, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston 77030.
Bring into your announcements the names of your senators, governors and congressmen as by quoting them—and their press reps will gladly give you quotes—on the importance of everyone supporting the fight for public health.
The more visible you make your team as being on the side of the angels and of our national leaders, the more goodwill you’ll have and the more immune you may be from attack by activists. A Jungle Law of Public Relations: Activists and politicians are much less likely to attack the reputationally strong than the reputationally weak.
You can use the news of your corporate good deeds to create three benefits.
BENEFIT YOUR COMPANY. Every time you get media attention for how you helped protect the public as by fighting a disease people worry about, you win gratitude for your company from thousands or millions of people who see your news.
BENEFIT YOUR CAUSE. You may bring in millions for a good cause by pointing out that a less famous form of cancer like myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a threat to everyone but tax-deductible donations that could help save many lives can be sent to MDS Foundation at 4573 South Broad Street Suite 150, Yardville NJ 08620 . Put MDS and top doctors on your annual list of good causes that get corporate support.
BENEFIT YOUR CAREER. Corporate leaders love it when someone in PR
helps win massive public goodwill for the company by showing support for a good cause and for people the cause protects. And you may improve your appreciation among journalists who see what you are doing to help the public.
Sometimes you can rally extra support for a cause by spotlighting not just an organization but a person. Like one of the world’s top heroes in the fight against disease is Dr. Charles Venditti at National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 31 Room 4B09, 31 Center Drive MSC 2152, 9000 Rockville Place, Bethesda MD 22089-2152.
Another great cancer fighter is Columbia University’s professor, Dr. Azra Raza at 161 Fort Washington Avenue, New York, NY 10032. In Houston, the famed University-affiliated MD Anderson Cancer Center is headed by Dr. Peter Pisters, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston 77030.
Bring into your announcements the names of your senators, governors and congressmen as by quoting them—and their press reps will gladly give you quotes—on the importance of everyone supporting the fight for public health.
The more visible you make your team as being on the side of the angels and of our national leaders, the more goodwill you’ll have and the more immune you may be from attack by activists. A Jungle Law of Public Relations: Activists and politicians are much less likely to attack the reputationally strong than the reputationally weak.
How about a bold New Year’s resolution? Judge whether a top company should consider—as a PR New Year’s resolution—to “get by giving” a billion dollar donation for health research.
DOWN by more than $50 billion is the stock of Tesla, Meta and other companies that once were public darlings. UP is the peril to the public of proposed government regs that could cost companies even more. BUT if you pledge to Columbia, Harvard or Yale a billion dollars for health research over the next ten or 20 years–perhaps a Health Institute named for your company or CEO–look what you may achieve.
.1. You create worldwide media coverage that’s massive about a university, a company and a corporate leader trying to help people live ten years longer.
.2. You may help your company live more profitably because how many political leaders in Washington or Europe will propose regs or lawsuits that could impair your financial ability to protect the public?
.3. Most important, you may actually help hundreds of millions to live longer! Do Columbia, Harvard and Yale have doctors with the brains, ideas and dedication to do this?
Should old acquaintances be forgotten? No nor should the power of our
companies to help new public acquaintances yet to be made. I’m serious. If PR isn’t theory but is doing what works, this could happen. Happy New Year!