I've been thinking about how much work goes into creating content compared to how much we actually get out of it.
You spend hours recording a podcast, making a YouTube video, or hosting a webinar. You publish it, share it once or twice, and then move on to the next thing.
Meanwhile, there might be 10 useful insights buried in that one video that your audience would actually find valuable.
I've been looking at video repurposing differently lately, and I think the key is to stop treating it as simply cutting long videos into shorter clips.
Here's what I mean.
1. Don't start by looking for clips. Start by looking for ideas.
When going through a long video, I’d look for moments where someone explains something really well, shares a useful lesson, or says something that makes you stop and think.
A 30-second clip that teaches someone something is worth more than a perfectly edited clip that doesn't really say anything.
2. Give every piece of content a reason to exist.
Let's say you've recorded a 45-minute podcast about content marketing.
Instead of just chopping it into random clips, you could turn the strongest ideas into:
- Short videos for Reels, Shorts, or TikTok.
- LinkedIn posts explaining the lessons in more detail.
- A carousel breaking down a useful process.
- An email sharing one takeaway with your audience.
Same original recording, but each piece serves a different purpose.
3. Don't spend more time repurposing than you spent creating the original.
This is where I think things get frustrating.
Finding timestamps, downloading footage, cutting clips, adding captions, resizing everything, and writing hooks can become a whole project on its own.
Automation and AI tools can help with a lot of that repetitive work, especially finding potential highlights and handling captions. But I'd still review the clips myself. Context matters, and not every interesting moment makes a good standalone video.
4. Keep the good stuff for later.
Not every clip needs to go live immediately.
I'd rather build a small library of good moments organized by topic than feel pressured to publish something new every single day.
When you need a post about a particular topic, you already have material to work with.
I think the bigger opportunity with repurposing isn't necessarily producing MORE content. It's getting more value out of the content you've already put time and effort into creating.
how you all handle this?
If you're repurposing video regularly, what's the most annoying part of the process for you?