{"id":3528,"date":"2017-11-22T16:22:22","date_gmt":"2017-11-22T16:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/?p=3528"},"modified":"2022-05-11T10:17:10","modified_gmt":"2022-05-11T10:17:10","slug":"hidden-pitfalls-repurposing-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/2017\/11\/22\/hidden-pitfalls-repurposing-content\/","title":{"rendered":"The hidden pitfalls of repurposing content"},"content":{"rendered":"

You can find plenty of articles about repurposing content \u2013 why to do it, how to do it. But few tell you the pitfalls. And there are more than you might imagine.<\/p>\n

The concept of repurposing old content is simple and seemingly compelling. When we are asked to perform content audits at the beginning of content programmes (here\u2019s what you need to know about content audits<\/a>) \u2018repurposing\u2019 is always a choice of what to do with each historical item of content (along with \u2018kill\u2019 and \u2018reuse\u2019 as is).<\/p>\n

There are two thoughts that go through lots of clients\u2019 minds when they hear about repurposing. The first is that it will be easy. The second is that it will be cost-effective, in part because it\u2019s easy.<\/p>\n

That means there is increasingly a tendency to lean towards repurposing content above other options \u2013 including creating fresh content from scratch.<\/p>\n

But this can be a mistake.<\/p>\n

Repurposing\u2019s pitfalls<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Repurposing, by its nature, means working with something that already exists. But an existing item of content \u2013 and by item we mean anything from a social post, to a white paper, to a video and more \u2013 can be a month old or a decade old. I\u2019d guess it\u2019s typically in the 1-3 years old bracket. So some items need a lot more updating, just because there has been more change in the world since they were created.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the question of consistency, which also relates to the authorship of those existing items of content. There has to be a call whether to keep a piece consistent with its original style or update that too, especially if an organisation\u2019s style guidelines have changed. (Don\u2019t know about style guides<\/a>? You really should.)<\/p>\n

This can be easier if the writer or other creative originally involved is still around. They might not be, especially if the work was done by an outside agency.<\/p>\n

And on that matter, who gets the byline \u2013 literally the acknowledgement of who created a piece \u2013 when it\u2019s partly one person from two years ago and partly a more recent edit? That\u2019s not a common problem but we have seen it become one when the byline is between two senior peers at the same company.<\/p>\n

Vertical, local<\/strong><\/h3>\n

And all of this is to say nothing of two of the main reasons why an item of content is often repurposed. \u2018Bringing it up to date\u2019 is a less likely reason than \u2018verticalising\u2019 for a particular industry audience or localising for a specific geographical market \u2013 say Europe or Germany. In the case of the latter reason, localisation might also involve translation and changing content substance and style to match local conventions.<\/p>\n

Verticalising content has especially grown in popularity over the past year or so. It\u2019s also not the hardest thing to do. We\u2019re fans. But the secret is to be sure-footed about which parts of an existing asset should stay exactly as they are.<\/p>\n

And the key is in execution beyond repurposing, too. The recipient who works in healthcare of a white paper or email or other item should probably not see the generic version of the asset, and certainly should never see a version that is 20 per cent different aimed at their equivalents in banking or retail or manufacturing.<\/p>\n

Oh\u2026 SEO<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another dimension is when someone then tries to optimise old content for today\u2019s search best practice. Search engine optimisation (SEO) and a whole mini industry of SEO consultants can be valuable. But going back to old content to optimise for today is a decision to be made \u2013 preferably at the start of any project, not at the eleventh hour.<\/p>\n

Also understand that today\u2019s SEO best practice is tomorrow\u2019s \u2018avoid-at-all-costs\u2019. Hands up anyone else who has shared an old infographic only to be contacted by its creators and asked to take it down or alter how it sits on a page because now Google is punishing them.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is that repurposing can be valuable. But don\u2019t always assume it\u2019s the best way to go.<\/p>\n

For all the reasons stated above, it can be complicated, time-consuming and costly. A great existing asset is often best served by creating a brand-new follow-up. That\u2019s not always the case. But one secret content creators rarely tell you is that starting afresh can be one of the easiest processes of all, and cost about the same amount. Take their advice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You can find plenty of articles about repurposing content \u2013 why to do it, how to do it. But few tell you the pitfalls. And there are more than you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8983,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[91,18,33],"tags":[41,433,895,362,841,896],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3528"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3528"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collectivecontent.agency\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=3528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}