Looking to get more mileage out of your existing content library? You´ve come to the right place! These are techniques we´ve personally used to help our clients get the most out of their existing assets.

So what do we mean by content repurposing? This refers to the art of taking existing materials (e.g. videos, b-roll, blogs, photos, testimonials, etc.) and adapting them to a different medium or applying them in a different way. If you’ve ever seen an artist take random household materials and form them into a beautiful sculpture, then you´re starting to get the idea.

However, in the field of marketing, the approach is very purposeful. We aren´t just throwing random things together, but rather strategically planning out which existing assets are appropriate for alternative mediums or approaches.  As a simple example, take the perfect team photo. You could utilize it in multiple online locations, such as your “About Us” page, an e-newsletter, an organic social media post, etc. In this article, we dive deep into different use cases.

1. Turn YouTube videos into Blog Posts (and vice versa)

Both video and blog posts are good mediums for engaging your clientele. When you dabble in both options, you can reach multiple audience segments. Best of all, you don´t need to reinvent the wheel, but rather only reposition it slightly. With a little elbow grease, you can turn your videos into quality blog posts. If you want to avoid overwhelming audience members who may engage with both mediums, then focus on repurposing older videos (so long as the content is still relevant).

Time-Saving Tips

A  much-overlooked useful feature is that YouTube transcribes your videos to text for you. This is the first step—and a big one—to converting video content into a blog post, and YouTube has already done the heavy lifting for you!

To grab the transcript, go to the YouTube video that you want to capture. Expand the “description” and then scroll to the botom and click “show transcript.” The transcript will appear in a box on the right-hand side. Next, click the three-button menu drop-down and select “toggle timestamps.” This removes the timestamps, otherwise your transcript would be filled with numbers. With the timestamps out of the way, go ahead and highlight and copy all of the text and voilà—you have a written form of your video!

Fine-tuning the Raw Material

Sometimes YouTube will mistranslate a few words, so be on the lookout for any corrections needed while you edit the text for your blog post. You’ll typically want the written version to be more concise and formal than the video. This can be achieved through old-fashioned editing, or by plugging it into a Large Language Model (LMM). Be sure to include specific instructions to edit for brevity and prompt the LMM to align with your goals and medium. Then, it is highly recommended to review and edit the result in order to instill your organization’s unique voice.

Visual Appeal

Now that the blog article is written, all that is missing is a good visual or two. In some instances, the YouTube thumbnail itself may be a good visual choice for the blog post. In other instances, you may prefer to capture a certain moment from within the video. The standard “snipping” tool—available on most computers—can be used to capture the moment you want. If overlay text is desired, Canva (which has a free and professional version) is a good resource for eye-catching text fonts. A number of other available programs will also do the job.

You will find that the overall process of transformation from video to blog post is much quicker than starting a new blog post from scratch. Alternatively, you can also transform blog posts into videos, using the text as talking points and perhaps adding value by expanding upon certain points and using personal examples.

2. Turn Long Videos Into Shorts

Most companies have longer video content, as shorter messages often end up in alternative formats from the start. However, there is a golden opportunity to capture brief, salient points from your longer videos and repurpose them for a shorter format.

Short form video has grown in popularity in recent years. Newer offerings such as Meta Reels and YouTube Shorts serve up content to hundreds of millions of viewers. They’ve followed the trend of TikTok, a social media platform designed for short-form content from its inception.

Three minutes or less is the criteria set by YouTube to be considered a “short,” although many creators aim for a 30-60 second window.

How do I Begin?

A simple video editing tool, such as Caput, Canva, or Openshot (all with FREE and paid versions) is all that is needed to trim the snippet and be done. However, in many instances, further editing is advised. Remember that you are grabbing snippets from the middle of the video, which may lack context and proper easing into the subject matter. This may involve stitching together more than one segment, or adding text to the screen for clarification. Furthermore, you might want to add an opening and closing, or in some cases music to enhance the effect.

Do I Need to be a Professional Video Editor?

If the above sounds daunting, then you may need some help. The Pro Version of Capcut offers a solution that automatically creates shorts from long-form content. This is a huge time-saver, although it may cut some of the clips differently than you would choose. It provides multiple options, so you can select the best ones. Furthermore, you can take the auto-spliced clips and edit them more if needed. For the best, professional quality, contact our Ciniva Team to discuss what we can do to support you. Video repurposing is much more affordable than filming from scratch, so you might be surprised with how much we can take off your plate for a reasonable cost.

3. Mix n’ Match with 3rd Party Content

Has a prominent person recently weighed in on a subject you’ve previously covered? If so, that can be a golden opportunity for video repurposing! Leading with a properly sourced segement from a celebrity or notable industry figure can build intrigue. Furthermore, including the prominent person in the thumbnail can also capture people’s attention in a sea of generic images. Just be sure to clearly label the source material of any third party content that you leverage.

An Easy Stitch Together

This approach provides a simple video format. You can capture a relevant snippet of the notable person’s talk (using the techniques from item #2 above), and then address the questions raised by the individual through your own, pre-recorded content. A smooth transition is all that is missing. You could film a brief transitory segment, explaining, for example, how your own CEO has already addressed the very issues the prominent person is bringing up. Next, you would add the relevant portion of the in-house video that you are repurposing.

This mix and match approach is a creative way to reach new and broader audiences. You will also establish your credibility as an industry expert who is already addressing the opportunities or concerns that this prominent person has just brought up.

Only the Beginning

These are just three examples of the many opportunities that exist to repurpose your video content. From changing the medium altogether (such as with transforming a video into a blog) to repackaging a longer video into video segments (such as with the latter two examples), there are a plethora of ways to get more mileage out of the hard effort you’ve already put in. Rather you elect to pursue these opportunities in-house or if you are looking to outsource for a polished, professional result, don’t miss the opportunity to fully leverage the materials you already possess.

At Ciniva, we offer a free consultation. Reach out to discuss a video strategy and see if leveraging our services makes sense for your organization. Drop us a message through the “Get in Touch” form at the bottom of this page or give us a call. We would welcome the opportunity to strategize with you!