“Cook once, eat five times,” is a popular motto for those who follow the meal prep trend. But clever home cooks have used this strategy for years. The Thanksgiving turkey becomes turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey salad, etc. As a creative marketer, you can make this strategy a key part of your content marketing plan.

Repackaging means taking something you’ve already produced (a blog post, a how-to tutorial, images, video) and changing the format, updating, or combining it with other content to create new value.

Choose Content Worthy of a Second Look

Not every piece of content is a good candidate for repackaging. Start with content that resonates with your audience. Did you get a strong response to the original publication? Is the content still relevant and useful? Is it still on trend? Are you still proud of it? If your answers to all these questions are yes, then the content is ripe for repackaging.

Slicing and Dicing a Great Blog Post

As an example, let’s say you published a blog post about maintaining your sewing machine. Here are some ways you can repurpose that content:

• Turn the maintenance schedule into an eye-catching infographic. We like Canva for its variety of templates and ease of use, but you can use whatever graphics tool you’re comfortable with. Post your infographic on Facebook and Pinterest with a link back to your original blog post.
• Create two or three short videos for YouTube. One video could demonstrate cleaning the bobbin compartment, another could show where to apply oil, and the third could be a walkthrough of your machine maintenance toolkit. Add text elements to your video, such as title cards and captions, to improve search engine optimization (SEO). Include links to your website and your original blog post in the notes for your videos. Add embedded links to the YouTube videos in your original post, or embed the video itself. These cross links will improve SEO for both the blog post and the videos. YouTube videos rank highly in Google search results, so always look for ways to turn your content into video.
• Create two or three photos for Instagram. One could be a beautifully composed photo of your toolkit. The second could be a split screen showing the bobbin compartment before and after cleaning. Perhaps the third could show the machine with all the working parts exposed.
• While you’re taking photos, reformat those square Instagram images into vertical images with a 2:3 aspect ratio for Pinterest. Add text overlays summing up what the photo is about. Pin these images to Pinterest with links back to your blog post.
• Expand and polish your original blog post, then submit it to a print or online sewing magazine for publication.
• Turn your original post into a printable PDF or e-book and use it as a lead generator. Offer to send the free PDF or e-book in exchange for signing up to your newsletter list.
• Talk about the importance of machine maintenance on a podcast, either your own or someone else’s. Don’t be shy! Podcasters are always looking for great content to fill an episode. Contact a popular sewing podcaster and offer yourself as a guest expert. Ask that the show notes for the podcast include links to your website and your original blog post.

That’s more than a dozen different pieces of content all arising out of the research and work you did for the original blog post and there’s likely even more ideas out there if you get creative. What about doing an Instagram Story? Or a Facebook Live?

Repackaging Patterns and Project Instructions

If your product is yarn or other craft materials, you probably create a certain number of free project patterns every season. How can you extend the value of these patterns? Obviously you’re going to post the pattern to all of your social media sites, but then what?

• Create a roundup blog post around a particular theme. Include your pattern as well as other patterns from other makers. Make a collage graphic with a text overlay for Pinterest.
• Group several patterns together into a lookbook. Your lookbook can focus on a particular yarn, a seasonal theme, or a technique. Brooklyn Tweed promotes their seasonal pattern collections with gorgeous lookbooks. Issuu is a popular, easy-to-use platform that turns your PDF into a beautiful online magazine experience.
• Compile a group of your related patterns into an ebook. Use the ebook as a lead generator. If you don’t want to give those patterns away for free, you can offer it for sale while still using it as the prize for a drawing.
• Create short YouTube videos demonstrating special stitches or techniques used in your patterns. Be sure to put a link to the video in the pattern, and a link to the pattern in the video.
• Create a Facebook Live video showing the project in use or being worn. This is particularly effective for garments, since you can show the piece on a body in motion. Demonstrate different ways to style the project.

Promoting Your Repackaged Content

Repackaging your content gives you the opportunity to bring your content, and by extension your brand, to people who may not have seen it the first time around. How can you bring your content to the attention of a new audience?

Blogger Outreach

Bloggers like bringing nuggets of high-value content to their readers. If you’ve turned a blog post into an infographic, checklist, or quick reference guide, offer the content to popular bloggers in your category. Invite them to re-publish your content (with attribution and appropriate links, of course.)

Your email could read something like this:

Hello (name):

I’ve enjoyed following your blog, and I appreciate the enthusiasm for our craft you bring to your audience.

I know you like to include useful content for your readers. We’ve recently developed a Sewing Machine Maintenance Checklist I think your readers would find valuable. Would you be interested in including this handy guide in an upcoming blog post? I’d be glad to provide you with a hi-res .JPEG of the checklist. All we ask in return is that you include a link to our original post and that you credit us for the checklist, with a link back to our home page.

If this sounds good to you, please let me know. And if you’ve got content that would be appropriate for us to share with our audience, we’d be happy to return the favor.

Best,

—

You’ll be introduced to a new audience, and the blogger will be providing useful content to their readers.

Social Media Tagging

 Your Instagram posts should include hashtags for any manufacturer whose product is shown in the photo, along with other hashtags related to your craft. Likewise, you can tag manufacturers and designers in your Facebook posts. If you’ve quoted an expert or mentioned a designer by name, send them a link to your content and invite them to share.

Remember: Cook once, eat five times. As you create new content in the future, think about the different ways that content can be packaged for maximum value.