Let’s face it – original ideas are difficult to generate, especially if you’re trying to maintain a sensible online presence across multiple digital channels. Repurposing content that works well is an effective approach to make the most of great concepts.
Video repurposing, however, comes with its specifics.
As media channels, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have imposed certain rules and their audiences expect to see videos in line with those directives. The formats and types of content that work really well on YouTube aren’t going to deliver the same amazing results on a channel like TikTok that has a completely different audience.
Is it possible to make your YouTube videos work across other social media? The short answer is yes, as long as you do some much-needed modifications.
Why Should You Consider Video Repurposing?
Whether you’re doing video for promotion or you’re a content creator who makes a living this way, being strategic about publishing is the only way to get results.
Today, you can’t just be present on one channel and call it a day.
People consume digital content in various formats and through an array of platforms. If you haven’t added all popular social channels to your portfolio, you’re missing a huge opportunity to connect with the right crowd.
Videos published on different channels can be used to maximize your reach and do effective cross-promotion. Also, each social network is known for its specific audience. TikTok, for example, is known as a channel that attracts young people – one in four users is under the age of 25. Millennials and Gen Z internet users are more drawn to channels like YouTube.
Having some concept about the crowd you want to target and knowing where they are present online will work in your favor. But being present across channels gives you the opportunity to discover new audiences and connect with demographics that you would have potentially ignored otherwise. The benefits of such reach aren’t to be underestimated.
Deciding Where to Repurpose Your Video Content
Now that you know that video can work across platforms, it’s time to decide which channels are going to be best for the type of content you intend to share.
While maximizing your reach is amazing, you don’t need to be on every platform to make your content strategy deliver.
You need to ask yourself two main questions when deciding how to repurpose your content: what types of videos do you create most often, and what audience you want to attract with them.
Being present and adding value to your content on a couple of platforms is the best approach. Having sound, well-developed profiles on two or three social channels is an excellent beginning. Eventually, and as you establish your following there, you can start experimenting with alternative networks.
Each social platform has its benefits that you need to explore when making up your mind about where to repurpose your videos:
- YouTube: The one truly and entirely video platform is an excellent place to start if you do longer videos that you’d like to monetize. The recent addition of YouTube Shorts provides excellent marketing opportunities that you can employ to promote your longer content. While Shorts can’t be monetized, they’re the perfect option for teaser creation.
- Instagram: Gives you a lot of versatility. You can feature both shorts and longer reels. Photos, stories, and other formats create interesting promotional opportunities you can experiment with to get the message across. When it comes to demographics, the vast majority of Instagram users fall in the 18 to 34 age range.
- TikTok: The short-form content this channel is known for has literally revolutionized video content creation. Duets, stitches, and trending challenges can be used to boost engagement, reach a new audience, and create a community that is involved in setting up the tone and the style of the respective channel.
A Simple Video Repurposing Guide
Let’s get to the essence of this guide, namely, the best way to repurpose the video content you’ve created for YouTube.
As a general rule of thumb, YouTube videos are longer and more complex that the clips typically published on Instagram and YouTube. That’s one of the most important things you’ll need to deal with when creating clips for platforms that have their distinctive specifics.
The following step-by-step guide will highlight a process you can employ to adapt your YouTube videos and boost their attractiveness on channels like Instagram and TikTok.
Be Strategic about Video Selection
This is especially important for creators who already have lots of videos on their YouTube channel.
The first step is always based on research and planning.
Go through your YouTube stats to determine which videos have performed best over time.
Is there something common, a trend you can establish? What makes those videos standout pieces of work that an audience wants to engage with?
While your best YouTube clips may not necessarily perform in the exact same way on other channels, they are the most promising ones you should start with.
Think about Trimming and Adapting
An Instagram reel can reach up to three minutes in duration. TikTok allows creators to upload longer content, but typically, it’s not the one that performs best. TikTok users are looking for short, entertaining videos that follow the format specifics of the channel.
If you have longer YouTube videos, you’ll need to get those trimmed. That’s one of the first editing elements you’ll have to incorporate in your video repurposing efforts.
You can grab a section of a video that’s the most impactful or meaningful. This is the simplest type of trimming you can do to modify a YouTube clip and boost its suitability for use on another channel.
An alternative approach would be to grab several meaningful moments scattered throughout a longer video and condense them to give a channel’s audience the essence of your content.
Ensure Format Compatibility
While YouTube videos are horizontal (YouTube shorts are the only exception), channels like Instagram and TikTok prioritize vertical video. The same applies to Facebook reels if you decide to add that opportunity to the mix.
Various tools can be used to resize and optimize your content. The one thing to keep in mind, however, is that converting a horizontal video into a vertical one can eliminate some of the details and composition elements that contribute to the visual balance.
Unless you’re an expert and you have a very clear vision here, partnering with someone who does post-production may be a safer bet to get a good outcome.
Video Repurposing Tools
To make the changes needed for effective video repurposing, you’ll have to identify tools and software products that will help you modify quickly.
Video editing software like Adobe Premiere or CapCut will give you the functionalities needed to trim, change formats, add covers, texts, and special effects for the purpose of customizing clips.
Content creators are also reporting good results through the use of AI-powered tools like Lumen5 (which can even be used to turn text-based content into social media videos), Pictory AI, Automata, and Vidyo.ai.
If you intend to use AI, be careful not to become overly dependent.
AI content still has that generic feel to it. Some social channels have even attempted to limit the spread of low-quality AI video because it’s not considered valuable content.
You still need a good idea and some human involvement in the post-production. For best results, focus on automating repetitive and tedious tasks with AI. The more creative aspects of post-production should still be handled by a person who has a vision and a good concept.
Get Some Professional Help
Many content creators do post-production and video editing on their own. In time, they become better at it, producing artistic results that impress and engage audiences.
If you don’t have such skills, you lack the time, or you simply want to optimize your content production, partnering with a video editing expert will make the most sense.
Polished videos are the ones that get noticed. Post-production professionals also know how to incorporate those finishing touches meant to optimize a piece of content for a particular channel. It’s even possible to hand out the raw footage and have multiple videos created from it, each one carrying distinctive vibes and appealing to a specific target audience.
Wutini offers the most comprehensive unlimited video editing service content creators can benefit from. Subscription-based, our post-production solution can be tailored to meet your specific needs and give you on-demand post-production that will expand your content creation career.
If you have questions about post-production or you’d like to learn more about us, contact the Wutini team now.
