Today we are continuing on with a conversation around content planning & specifically reusing content. Last week I opened up BTS look at my business & how I am planning my content for Q2. You guys loved it & I got some great questions! So I thought for today’s post we’d talk about how to reuse content.

As online business owners it can be exhausting to create content! I don’t want to create content for content’s sake, but I want to be posting content that is strategic… something my audience is asking for. Let’s break down HOW do you create a content plan that allows you to reuse content.

Before we jump in — Did you know I have a Content Planning Bundle!? It’s full of templates, resources, and an additional masterclass all talking specifically around content planning in your biz. If you need that extra boost, check it out now!

Core Content & How to Reuse it

When diving into content planning, you want to be sure you have ONE piece of core content. It doesn’t matter if you’re a service-based or product-based business. What is your CORE CONTENT?

What is your meatiest content, chocked full of content you want your audience to know? Is it a blog post, YouTube video, podcast? We’re going to take that core content & reuse that content on a variety of platforms.

“Old school” marketing (okay, from like 2-3 years ago) would say to use the hub & spoke method. The core content is the hub of the wheel so to speak and the spokes going out are all the other platforms we’re reusing content on. We’re going to use that method, but slightly tweaked for 2022. (Adapting is our super power as small biz owners, am I right?! Marketing is our life-blood and we need to adapt to our changes and go through our marketing scheme!)

I’m going to show you two examples of how we’re going to use hub & spoke method but adapted to make 2022 algorithms on those platforms happy.

EXAMPLE 1: WEEKLY CORE CONTENT

Let’s say YouTube is your core content. This means our “spokes” are Email, IG Story, Reels, TikTok, and Blog.

Tip 1:

We need to use these platforms’ algorithms to get the content to our people. So for Instagram, for example, you used to just point back to the link to view the original content and that was great! But now: we need to play that Instagram game and share the content right there ON instagram. You want them to SEE that tip from the YouTube video via your Reels so it lives on Instagram forever, for example. You’ll want to put it into Stories so you can nurture and engage with your audience right there in Stories. So, when you’re thinking through your spokes, ask: How can I get this core content to engage with the algorithm on this platform?

Tip 2:

In my opinion, in 2022, don’t have a blog as your core content. It’s not helpful anymore. I think that your blog needs to be secondary but the core content needs to be something that’s easier for your people to consume & also easier for your people to find. They aren’t googling like they used to just to connect to blogs. I do still use a blog (obviously! hi!) and I still think there’s value in blogging, but for me, my YouTube video is my core content and then I have a blog talking about the YouTube video. I’ve found that when I do it this way, it’s really helpful for my WARM audience (they’re already familiar with me). But, in terms of searchability and new people finding me, YouTtube needs to be my core & then I also reuse that content on the blog.

How do I then take all this & then schedule that out?

Let’s look at a Calendar and do that. I use my Quarterly Calendar which includes a digital version and I open it up on GoodNotes.

So for this example, our core content is our YouTube videos and a new video goes live every single week on Thursdays.

This means that on:

• Thursday (when the video goes live): an Email goes out. I’m also going to share immediately via Instagram Stories.
• Friday: take your YouTube video & put it on your Blog. You’ll also post on Pinterest since they’re connected and add a Reel.
• Tuesday of the following week: You add another Reel.

Then you’ll fill in the rest of the week with Instagram Posts & TikToks. We could also add another Story.

If you’re counting, that means we’ve used that ONE piece of core content TEN different ways!! And then every week that month, you rinse & repeat. Now, you have a content plan using 4 pieces of content for the entire month!

EXAMPLE 2: SIMPLIFIED VERSION

Again, I’m using my Quarterly Calendar which includes a digital version and I open it up on GoodNotes.

Let’s do it again, but for those of you who aren’t putting content out every single week. I don’t want you to walk away from this post & think that the only way to reuse that content is to create content THIS consistently.

There ARE ways that you can create foundational core content every month & reuse it all month long without feeling like you have to have that new podcast or new YouTube every week. And here’s a permission slip for you… if you feel like you’re hearing that you have to do ALL the things, you don’t! BUT you can reuse content consistently even if it’s not every week on every platform.

Side note: Be sure to be creating new core content at least twice a month! Nothing less than that is what I recommend!

Scheduling out & reusing twice/month core content

Same as above, let’s say you’re going to create a YouTube video every other Thursday.

That means you’re putting out TWO pieces of core content a month and then AT LEAST one Email newsletter a month. In this monthly newsletter you can include what happened that month, point to your blog, share a story, give them a tidbit of the information, etc. So, your email is going out once a month at the end of the month.

I also want to recommend that that YouTube is going out on your Blog twice a month also.

And now we want to be sure we’re sharing on Instagram. Let’s say your overall strategy is a MWF thing for Instagram, for example & an additional one every Thursday that your video drops.

• Thursdays: share a graphic in your Stories. This doesn’t necessarily play to today’s algorithm, but it at least gets your content out there.
• Fridays: Get on Stories to show your face, talk about your content.
• The next 2 weeks before new content drops, add in multiple Instagram Posts and Reels.

When you add everything up, you’re using THIS ONE core content 13 times over those two weeks!

When I say reusing content…

I literally mean take that EXACT content and put it on those platforms. Literally copy/paste a portion of that blog you’ve written & that’s what you’re posting in your Instagram Post #1 and #2. Then what are you sharing in that video? Maybe it’s 3 tips for better branding? Take each one of those tips & make it into Reel #1, Reel #2, etc.

You’re not reinventing the wheel every time you post. You’re taking ONE piece of content & putting it out there for the rest of the time!!

And that’s it! ONE piece of content 10+ WAYS!! I hope this inspires you to get that quarterly calendar and be strategic with that content calendar SO that you can reuse that content over and over and over again to really be able to see that strategy go into play all month long!!