A marketer’s best practice guide to repurposing video content

Discover the benefits of repurposing video content and how to do it effectively.
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Video has become one of the most highly consumed forms of content on the internet. Which is why you need this best practice guide to help you save time and money.

Currently, the average internet user spends 100 minutes per day watching video content. And close to 93% of global internet users worldwide watch videos on the internet each week. 

Short-form video content in particular has boomed in recent years, thanks to TikTok’s popularity and its influence on other social platforms. The average user spends 89 minutes per day on TikTok. Meanwhile, watching Reels makes up more than 20% of the time users spend on Instagram, and daily views on YouTube Shorts are clocking 6.5 million.

54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support. It’s widely known that most social media platforms favour video content over other formats because of the high levels of engagement they drive.

Outside the context of pleasing algorithms, there’s a clear need for brands to be creating video content to be present in front of their audience. Video content should aim to engage and entertain users, offer valuable content, and build rapport.

For many brands, it makes sense to invest in quality video content that can be repurposed across multiple platforms. But, what are the best practices when it comes to repurposing video content, and how can brands use influencers to batch-create video content?

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What does repurposing content mean?

Repurposing content refers to reusing and adapting content for different platforms.

Take for example a recorded video interview. You might start by creating 10-15 minutes worth of video content where the interviewer asks some questions. This could be a stand-alone piece of content that sits on a website, content hub, or a platform like YouTube.

From here, you could edit the video into shorter snippets which would work well for platforms like TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram Reels, or as a YouTube Shorts feature that drives traffic to the long-form asset. You could also embed the video into a web page, or transcribe the video to be published on a blog or external media platform.

While some formats will require you to shoot bespoke video content that is platform specific— e.g. using a trending TikTok or Reel audio, others can be used across most other social platforms.

A marketers best practice guide to repurposing video content

What are the benefits of repurposing video content?

Extends the life of your content

Don’t assume that your ideal target viewer will see your video the first time around. 

Rehashing and reusing content is a great way to extend the life of your existing video assets, aiding discovery and thus getting more bang for your buck.

By planning to use content across different platforms at different times, you can keep using the same content in different ways. This is ideal for brands who are on a tight budget or are pressed for time.

Gives you a second chance to go viral

Often it can take months to ideate, create, and manage video content creation. When all this effort is put in, brands naturally want to see a ROI. However, the nature of social media means that not every video you post is going to go viral.

Plenty of factors go into whether something will go viral. For example, the style of content, the platform it’s posted on, the time of day, and the audience are all variables to bear in mind. It can be a challenge many brands constantly chase after, but may not be successful at unlocking.

As a rule of thumb, creating high-quality, relevant content is the best way to attempt going viral. However on some platforms like TikTok, going viral is a numbers game. High-quality, platform-relevant content will increase the likelihood of viewers, helping your video to get picked up by the algorithm. 

Ensure you post frequently, and across different platforms to give you the best chance at social virality. When you repurpose content, you have more chances to boost your reach versus only posting once or using one platform.

Helps you reach new audiences

Every platform has a slightly different audience, and therefore when you repurpose content for different formats, you give your brand the best chance at reaching new customers.

Different ages and demographics frequent different social sites, so it’s important to consider this when repurposing content. 

Although some people may follow you on both Instagram and TikTok, it’s best to assume that your followers on both are yet to see the original video. So repurposing it across another platform is a surefire way to ensure a large portion of your audience sees it.

A marketers best practice guide to repurposing video content

Three tips for effectively repurposing video content 

Repurposing video content isn’t as straightforward as downloading the video and posting it across every platform, without making any edits or changes. To effectively repurpose your video content, use these three tips.

1. Make it relevant to the platform

Each platform has specific content guidelines, and it’s best to follow them if your goal is to go viral. This will not only appease algorithms, but will also ensure that your brand understands the nuances of each social platform and their audiences.

We suggest you:

Remove watermarks 

When you download a TikTok video, it comes complete with a watermark. If you use that content on Instagram, for example, the algorithm will penalise the post. Instead, use a tool such as SnapTik to remove the TikTok watermark and repost the video without any potential algorithm penalties.

Upload the raw video and edit in the native app

As another workaround, aim to film your video content in the camera app on your phone. Then upload the raw video or video clips onto each social platform and edit the video to suit each one, using the platform’s dedicated video editing tools.

Use the style guide of each platform 

Similarly, you want to use the style guide of each native app. This means using the TikTok text on TikTok and the Instagram text on Instagram. You should also use the right dimensions for the video so that it’s optimised for each specific platform. As a good rule of thumb, short-form video content is usually 9:16, while long-form is typically 16:9.

Use data to inform what’s working and what’s not

Almost 88% of companies use data to make content decisions. So if you’re not looking at what performs well and what doesn’t, you’re missing out. Using data from social platforms to look at metrics like engagement and impressions can give you a good indication of content that is performing well.

You might also want to look at Google Analytics data to give you insight on how much website traffic is being generated from each platform, as well as showing conversions from individual campaigns.

This data can help you decipher what’s relevant for each platform, and help you repurpose content effectively.

Use the correct video length for each platform

Instagram Reels allows you to post up to 90-second videos. TikTok allows up to 10 minutes and YouTube can be anything up to 12 hours! 

However, it’s important to figure out the optimal video length for each platform, which will vary depending on your niche and audience. In 2022, it’s thought to be around 21-31 seconds on TikTok, 3-15 seconds on Instagram Reels, and 2-12 minutes on YouTube.

A marketers best practice guide to repurposing video content

2. Plan your shoots with different platforms in mind

When you plan a content creation day, it’s wise to consider which platforms you will share this content on. This helps ensure that all bases are covered and you can come up with slightly different creative ideas for each platform. 

It’s important to remember that those between the ages of 18 and 34 are using 8 social platforms every month, which means they’re likely to see your videos across different platforms. Posting the exact same video will become tiresome, and will ultimately result in a drop in engagement.

While it’s a great idea to have a creative concept that features on each social media app, mixing up the creative and editing for each platform will ensure engagement remains high.

It’s also important to note that each platform has different orientation requirements, so you’ll need to adjust how you shoot for different channels.

A marketers best practice guide to repurposing video content

3. Use a content calendar to manage when you repost content 

When repurposing content, planning is key. It’s vital not to overdo the same videos too often. 

It’s much more effective to plan ahead up to a year in advance, ensuring your repurposed content is nicely spread out. This keeps things interesting for your audience, who won’t get bored of seeing repeated content over and over again. 

We have the perfect tool to help you plan your yearly social content. Our free content calendar helps you stay organised, keep track of international holidays and events, and ensure you’re always serving your audience the most relevant content. 

Download it for free and use it to plan successful social strategies around seasonal themes that you know will be top of mind with your audience. 

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How to build a video asset library with the help of creators

Creators can be a great asset to a brand, because they have the tools to create large batches of content for every platform in one go.

They’re content professionals with all the tools and creative ideas required. The main issue brands often face is the legal rights to intellectual property. It’s important to agree which platforms content will be published on, so that creators can be correctly compensated for their work.

Using Vamp, you can engage creators on content-only campaigns, where they create bespoke video content you can purchase the rights for usage, and repurpose across any or all of your social accounts. 

Vamp makes the whole collaboration process quick and easy, and ensures that you have the rights to post creators’ video content across each of your desired channels.

Learn more about the Vamp platform and get in touch to see what Vamp can do for your brand.

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