A great idea is worth sharing, and a great piece of content that communicates that idea well can pull someone into your world and create a fan for life. 

But sometimes even good ideas fall flat if not seen by the right person, at the right time, in the right place. 

That’s why I always use my content more than once—I repurpose it. 

If you are not repurposing content across multiple platforms, you are missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with others and, ultimately, build your audience. 

Here’s how I do it: 

It starts with one…

There are four primary types of content that people consume online: audio, video, text, and images. 

I do my best to post a combination of all four, but not every idea is conveyed equally across all media, which is why it’s important to me to communicate that same message on as many platforms as I can. 

And the best way I’ve found to do that is to start with one.

My content generally starts as text. I am constantly taking notes and writing down ideas in the Notes app on my phone, and since I always have my phone on me, this little system works great. 

If an idea pops into my head out of nowhere, I write it down. If someone has an insightful comment on a video, I write it down. Does someone have a question in reply to one of my emails? That’s right, I write it down.

Because I keep an ongoing record of content ideas, I’m never in short supply of something to post about. 

Once I have a list of potential ideas, it’s time to start sharing. 

Post, then post some more

Every post is a hook in the water, and every platform is a pond.

Once I’ve decided I want to share an idea online (and because text is my initial weapon of choice), I will usually go to Twitter to share that thought with my audience there, and based on the response, I will decide whether or not to pursue it further. 

If a tweet gets any sort of decent engagement, I know I’ve got a concept worth exploring. 

Let the repurposing begin. 

A simple tweet is a great foundation for repurposing my content—it’s short, to the point, and easy to adjust for other platforms. 

Sharing that idea in photo form? Easy. Screenshot the tweet. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I do this a lot. 

I also have the option of sharing an actual photo with the text of that tweet as the caption. I’ve been known to do both.

Next, video. Sharing a ~280-character idea as a Reel or TikTok is an easy move. Because the concept has already been distilled down to a concise version, it’s primed for short-form video. I’ll often share the text either as dialogue spoken directly to the camera or as a caption over the video. 

Again, both can be done with the same idea. 

And it’s not just short-form. If an idea has traction across channels, I’ll consider it for a long-form video on YouTube as well. From there, sharing it in audio format is as simple as pulling the audio and uploading it to my podcast. 

And to think it all started with a simple note on my phone. 🤔

So, what’s the point?

There are two reasons I repurpose my content: 

1) I don’t know what medium or what platform is going to see that idea resonate with my audience the most, and

2) It just makes my life a whole lot easier. 

By reusing the same idea on multiple platforms, I only have to come up with one thing instead of 10, 15, or 20. 

Do you know how much time that saves? (Narrator: it saves a lot of time)

By vetting an idea on platform after platform, I am able to rely on my audience for real-time feedback about what’s helpful and what’s not, thereby improving my content and the value I am able to deliver. 

Only sharing an idea one time is doing that idea (and your audience) a disservice. 

Give your ideas room to flourish, and give your audience the opportunity to vote for what they like with their attention. 

Repurpose your content.