Into the Multiverse: How to Repurpose Content

You published and shared some new content, and now you’re seeing great engagement and conversion rates exceeding your expectations.

Congratulations! The work you put into your content strategy to develop valuable assets is paying off. This great performance means you’ve hit on a topic that’s relevant and important. It’s time to take that value and use it to reach an even broader audience.

Think about it like the record-breaking multiverse entertainment franchises that dominated movies, TV, video games and more in recent years. Marvel Studios found a hit with Iron Man in 2008. (Yes, it was really that long ago.) And for over 15 years, it’s moved through its superhero storylines with amazing success – by finding new ways to draw audiences in.

How do you repurpose content effectively? It requires more thought than a simple copy and paste, but when done well, assets that build on a successful topic help you connect with your audience and bring in qualified leads.

The Origin Story of That Great Content

Start by compiling a list of your blockbusters and preparing a content audit. Whether you’ve got one high-performing asset or several, consider what makes this content so appealing. Did you: 

• Target a valuable keyword?
• Incorporate current information your prospects can’t find elsewhere?
• Promote it on the right channel and to the right audience?

Next, think about how to retell that same story in different formats to reach different personas. Don’t just spread out to every possibility – determine the best channels or formats.

Say you’ve been targeting an older or more established persona who responds well to longer-format assets like e-books or webinars. Younger prospects, or those newer to their industry, may seek content with a shorter time commitment or more dynamic presentation format.

So, you might consider repurposing that high-performing content along these lines:

E-book → podcast → blog posts → short videos → infographic

Remember, don’t tell a whole new story when you repurpose. Focus on tailoring the content for the new format. Make sure the podcast is conversational, separate out key concepts for each blog post or video and let the design do the heavy lifting for that infographic.

Where the Magic Happens: Find the Right Tools

Identify tools that can help simplify the process. Here are a few standouts that are easy and intuitive to use, especially if you’re used to creating static content like e-books or blog posts:

• Canva: Graphic design with templates for social media posts, infographics and more
• Vidyard: Video hosting platform with CTA options, SEO features and split testing
• Audacity: Simple all-in-one podcasting tool

More to Explore: Prequels, Sequels and Spinoffs

You can have too much of a good thing. Just ask Marvel studios about its last several would-be blockbusters. 

Whether you’re still seeing great engagement or not, take note of what specific pains or needs your content addressed so well. Draw on that to guide your strategy and keep, win back or grow your audience.

You can think about this in terms of franchise movies or TV shows that focus on different characters from a larger cast. Take the Disney+ show WandaVision, featuring two minor characters from the Marvel Universe.

Devoted Marvel fans watched and enjoyed the show, but it also drew critical attention and recommendations from people who didn’t catch each new Avengers blockbuster opening weekend.

Find that throughline – we like to call it your Big Story – and incorporate it into what’s next on your content calendar. That provides continuity for existing customers or people later in their buyer journey, and new ways to encounter and engage for the audience you still want to reach.

It’s all part of building a full marketing strategy and knowing your personas’ pains. But it’s easier to avoid a hit-or-miss approach when you think about how each piece of content is (or should be) connected.