Tag Archives: repurposing content

Another reason to repurpose old content

Earlier this week I was asked about one of the posts that I wrote in the Bredemarket blog. I had to confess that I hadn’t thought about the topic much recently.

After this conversation, I realized that the referenced post was written back in July.

Because I’ve written over 200 posts in the Bredemarket blog over the past year-plus, some of them kind of get merged together in my mind.

And in this particular case, my thoughts on the original topic have evolved since the summer.

So if you see a future post that revises and updates something I wrote about four months ago, now you know why.

I hope that the new post won’t be dramatically different from the old one.

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5515632

Revisiting my “have fun” goal

When thinking about content to create, there’s one idea that I’ve had. “Over the course of 2021, why don’t I make a point of revisiting my 2021 goals and seeing how I’m doing on them?” (Content repurposing and extending for the win.)

I hope to soon revisit my multiple income streams goal. But for now, this is an ideal time to revisit my “have fun” goal.

I’ve already talked about how I snuck iguanas into a proposal for a potential client.

Well, I just had the opportunity to write a proposal for a particular opportunity.

The title of the opportunity?

“Funny and Witty Creative Writer.”

The potential client needs to create some content, but fears that if the content is too dry, it won’t be digested by the people who read the content.

So the opportunity description talked about how the content needs to be funny and witty.

I certainly had fun when I wrote my proposal to this client. Iguanas made another appearance, for example. But I also pointed out that funny and witty is NOT enough.

Here’s how my proposal began.

Having read your description of the work needed, I believe that I can provide the balance that you implicitly requested – namely, a balance between conveying the necessary content, but conveying it in an interesting manner. A service provider that can only do one without the other is as useful as a two-wheeled automobile – you’re not going to get anywhere.

My proposal continued by describing the types of content that I could provide before veering into…iguanas. (I’m going to need to find another example. The poor iguana is getting tired of being used over and over again.)

My iguana content started with a story about my former coworker who despises the cliché “best of breed.” She managed technical proposals, not entrants to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

By Kjunstorm (Lori) – https://www.flickr.com/photos/kjunstorm/3346671755/, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6605832

This example served to explain why one of my 2021 goals was NOT to “eat my own dog food.” Continuing my story, I then reproduced some of the text that I’ve already reproduced in this post.

After some more of the same, I changed from a yuk-yuk tone to a more serious tone. Leaving out some of the “fun” text, this is what I said to my potential client.

So what have I done here?

I have satisfied the requirements in your description by using a conversational tone that employs storytelling.

I’ve provided you with links to my web and social media content, and given you an incentive to explore them….

I have ensured that you understand my distinction between “fun writing” and “fun writing with a purpose.” You still need to convey the content.

The examples that were provided, including the attachment, exhibit different facets of my writing style, and also exhibit the breadth of topics that I can address.

We’ll see if my conversational, iguana-infused tone will actually help me get business with this particular client, and if the client is prepared to address more serious topics, such as the overall goal of the content that the client wants me to create.

While it’s important to have fun, it’s important that the fun contributes to the overall goal. Remember when I told a group of people at work that I was going to “play” with something? Some of my coworkers understood that I wasn’t going to play for play’s sake. They understood that I was going to play and ensure that the item in question achieved the goals set by the corporation.

Have fun…with a purpose.

And remember that different clients have different needs and require different conversational tones. Perhaps I may have fun while RESEARCHING the benefits and risks of using temperature sensors as a COVID-19 response, but I may choose NOT to exhibit a “fun” tone while WRITING about these benefits and risks.

(Oh, and if the “funny and witty creative writer” potential client happens to read this particular post while reviewing my writing examples, I’ll give you a bonus iguana color: orange. Let’s talk about that…and other things.)

You go back, Jack, do it again

Creating content can sometimes be hard.

Repurposing content, however, is usually easier.

Your basic message has already been created, and the only additional effort that is required is formatting. For example, if you decide to turn a textual list post into an infographic, the primary task would be the graphic formatting. The content is already there.

Why repurpose content?

To reach audiences that you didn’t reach with your original content, and thus amplify your message. (There’s data behind this.)

Let me provide an example.

Repurposing example

While researching a potential client, I found an informational webinar that the client was promoting. Without giving anything away, let me just say that the webinar was outstanding, and that the primary speaker effectively addressed many of the questions and concerns about the client’s offering.

But all of this information was locked into a webinar. A one-hour plus webinar. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to take an hour out of my day to listen to a webinar unless the speakers or the topics are REALLY important to me.

The client realized this barrier, and has worked (and continues to work) on repurposing the main themes that the primary speaker addressed in the webinar. The content is now available in formats that don’t require you to sit and listen to something for a good chunk of your working day. You can now consume the information in much less time, and in a format that is more attuned to your needs of the moment.

Repurpose…or don’t

Now before I address the question of who can help you repurpose your existing content in textual form (you already know how THAT question will be answered), take a moment and start to think about some content that you may want to repurpose.

And perhaps you don’t want to pursue the all-out repurpose route. Perhaps you just want to reshare a link on another platform. For example, I usually reshare the links to my Bredemarket posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

But sometimes I actually go ahead and repurpose the content. Some of the informational brochures on my website are repurposed blog posts. The Facebook ad that I recently ran was a shortened version of a brochure that started as a blog post. (In retrospect, I didn’t shorten it enough.)

Let me go off on one little tangent

A few of you may have seen the title of this post, and now you have a particular song running through your head.

Well, you have the wrong song in your head.

You see, Steely Dan’s song has been covered by a number of artists, including Waylon Jennings.

Waylon Jennings promotional picture for RCA, circa 1974. By Waylon_Jennings_RCA.jpg: RCA Records derivative work: GDuwenTell me! – This file was derived from:  Waylon Jennings RCA.jpg:, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17091525

And Waylon’s version is outstanding, and is just as good as his covers of “Gold Dust Woman” and “MacArthur Park.” That growl on “ROUND and round” really gets me, along with the instrumental break.

OK, back on topic

By the way, that was an example of repurposing. If you’re not going to invest three-plus minutes of your time to click on the link and listen to the YouTube recording of the song, at least you know that the song contains a classic Waylon Jennings growl. The critical information has been imparted in your preferred medium.

But you’re not looking for someone to textually describe your songs. Well, maybe you are. But it’s much more likely that you’re looking for someone to convey critical marketing messages via text of short or medium length. Or, for that matter, long length.

If this post has inspired you to have Bredemarket help you repurpose your existing content in textual form:

By the way, while writing this post, I was inspired to pursue a repurposing project of my own, distinctly different from the repurposing that I mentioned earlier in this post. I’m not ready to announce anything yet, but stay tuned for (potentially) an announcement.