Blogs, websites, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, newsletters…the list goes on. It can be exhausting just thinking about all your content channels, much less trying to create content to feed these beasts. But there are some simple tricks to make your content work for you.

I promise, this won’t be painful. By spending a few minutes reading this article, you will not only learn how to reuse and recycle content, but also take back valuable hours in your work week.

1. Mothership

The first step is thinking about what is the MAIN piece of content you want to generate. Think of this piece as the mothership, with all the other pieces launching off from there.

For me, I start with a blog post. Just like the one you’re reading. I think of a riveting and fascinating topic that will disrupt and get people to take notice (well at least I try). This topic should be of relevance to your primary audience, but also have enough nuggets to lure in people who don’t normally hold onto your every word.

For you, this main piece of content could be a press release, event announcement, new copy on your website, newsletter or more.

2. SEO

Once you’ve written the copy, make sure it’s on your website. ALWAYS. This will help increase your SEO (search engine optimization). Why? It tells search engines your website is being updated regularly, which can help push you up in the rankings. Google likes websites that are current vs. those that are left to collect dust, getting lost in a time warp.

3. Make a Plan

Now take a closer look at the content you’ve created, and think of the best ways to share this content. Just putting it on your website isn’t enough.

Start by making a list of all the ways you normally share information.

  • Emails
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIN
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Newsletter
  • Video
  • Blog
  • And more…

Working from this list, circle any of the channels you can use to share your main content piece. Hint: You should be able to circle all of them.

4. No Cookie Cutters Allowed

Next, look for ways to share this content in a relevant way on each channel. Going back to my blog post, here’s my strategy for making my content work for me.

Day one – I post the blog on my website. Then I make UNIQUE posts with a link to the blog on Twitter and Facebook. I also submit the blog as an article on Medium and LinkedIN.

Days two-to-seven- I post articles, videos, quotes or comments on my social media accounts related to the blog topic. It’s basically the theme of the week for my social media posts. I make sure each post is unique and relevant.

Day three – I use Facebook Live to talk further about my blog post (adding to what I’ve written and reminding people of the post).

Day four – I send an email to my distribution list. It can be a short summary of the blog post or my thoughts on the topic with a link to my post. I make sure it’s personal and short.

Before you roll your eyes (yes I see you) and think, this is too much work, it’s not. Really. It takes me under 10 minutes each day. Why? Because I have a theme I’m working from. And that is so much better than scratching your head thinking about content development.

5. Reuse and Recycle

Now here’s the best part. You can reuse previous content.

If you write a blog, go back and look at some previous posts. Are any still relevant? If so you can repost these (making sure a few weeks or months have passed). You can also update the content, putting a new perspective or relating it to current events.

Same with your website. Maybe content you previously created relates to something in the news today.

You don’t always need to reinvent the wheel. Not everyone has read your old content. And if you weren’t creating a strategy to make your content work for you, its reach was likely limited. So find a way to give it a new life.

Get Started

For the next month, I encourage you to follow these 5 simple steps on how to make your content work for you. Has this made content development easier for you? Has your social media and website traffic gone up (making sure you are looking closely at your analytics)? What content got the most traction? Is there away to expand on this in future weeks?

I’d love to hear how this is working for you. Comment below.

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