Repurposing video
So you've spent a great deal of time, effort and possibly expense creating your videos. You are very proud and happy of your work, and have uploaded them to YouTube or social media, and that is that.
Or is it?
Could you squeeze any more brilliance out of your videos and the footage that got left on the cutting room floor?
Yes, you can! Here are 12 tips to repurpose your videos and bring them to a new audience, increase their longevity and perhaps create a whole new style!
1. Create shorter videos
Look through your old videos. Which parts are the most informative and interesting? Which parts are the most exciting and creative? Which were the best interviews? Edit the video down into smaller chunks that you can then share on social media. This will work on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram that only allow 2 minutes and 20 seconds and 60 seconds respectively.
If you wanted to get really creative, you could have a play and add different music tracks, graphics and sound and visual effects. YouTube, Pexels, the BBC and Facebook all have free resources. You could completely change the mood and pace of your video, adapting it for different audiences.
Remember, if you are creating shorter videos for social media then think of the way the videos are displayed. Resize them to fit the platform. A handy guide can be found here!
A few examples of editing tools:
Android: Inshot FilmoraGo VideoShot PC: Filmora Movie Maker PowerPoint
2. Make those shorter videos even shorter!
Snippets of video can be used in a really fun and creative way for Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook Stories, for example. Add stickers and text and have some fun! These shorter videos can also be used to promote the longer videos and to attract viewers to your website.
3. Create GIFs
So, shorter still! Again, lots of fun can be had creating GIFs from existing videos to share on social media. Many smartphones have a very simple feature to create GIFs, and you can also check out apps like giphy and imgur. I actually created a basic fun giphy tutorial video with my son.
4. Update old videos
You may have created a profile video for your business a few years ago. However, this may now be looking a bit outdated: perhaps one of your staff members in the video has moved on, you have a different logo and you now offer a few more services. Work through the video and edit out the parts that aren't relevant anymore, replace the old logo and even add a voiceover, text or graphics over existing footage to explain the new services.
5. Add captions
This is definitely worth doing for all of your videos. Create a version with captions on. Most people are browsing social media on their phones, tablets and laptops with the sound off. Moreover, platforms like Facebook now automatically have the sound off until you turn it on. You are more likely to grab people's attention if there are captions, plus it is very accessible for people who are hard of hearing. Adding a subtitle file is also great for SEO!
Facebook and YouTube have an automatic text creating tool that you can edit afterwards. You can also check out tools like Rev.com and Cliptomatic.
6. Unused footage
So you've taken lots of footage over the years, but some didn't make the final cut. Bring it to life by cutting it together in an interesting way and adding a voiceover or text to create a narrative. For example, perhaps you filmed footage of the inside of your premises. Just looking at empty rooms isn't very entertaining. Why not explain, using a voiceover, about the magic that happens in these rooms and how you are looking forward to greeting clients!
7. Turn your video into a podcast
Podcasts are now a really popular medium. Have a look through your old videos. Which ones have great interviews or great desciptive and informative voiceovers that could work as a podcast? You can strip the audio using a free tool such as Audacity and then edit it so that it makes sense as a podcast, perhaps adding a few bits of voiceover to introduce it and make it flow better.
8. Turn your video into a blog
Some people prefer to read rather than watch videos, plus blogs are also great for SEO! Create a new audience for your video content. Use YouTube's caption generator or a tool like Vont to download a text file of your video. Create a blog from it. Make it even more SEO friendly and interesting by adding snippets or GIFs from your video at points during the blog.
9. Create still images from your video
Another great idea is to find your most engaging shots, and again you can add text and stickers to publish on social media. Those inspirational quote images are widely shared! You can also have some fun creating memes, or simply share a beautiful image! Why not create slideshows and stories from still images?
10. Use an old video as a live event to engage with your audience
One idea is to use an old but still relevant video. Promote it on social media as a live event and then while it is being streamed you can engage with your audience: reply to their comments and answer their questions. You may have to use another app such as OBS to help you do this. Facebook lets you schedule a Premiere.
11. Add a Call To Action on your old videos
Another good tip is to add a Call To Action (CTA) on your exisiting videos or the new shorter videos you have created. At the end of each video add some text encouraging the viewer to visit your website, subscribe to your YouTube channel, share the video or even make a donation to a charity.
There are many tutorials on YouTube explaining how to do this, such as this one.
12. Bloopers!
We all love bloopers! Check out these bloopers from Friends! It's a peek behind the scenes and you can identify with the stars. The audience love to see real life and that we are all human – we make mistakes! Showing things going wrong was once seen as unprofessional, but times have changed and I think it helps the audience identify with us. Since COVID-19 we have seen people's real lives more, the inside of their homes on Zoom with kids and dogs interrupting important meetings, CEOs out of suits and wearing hoodies.
Share the things that went wrong. Maybe you spent several minutes trying to get one word right in your presentation. Perhaps you were trying to get footage of someone walking in a park but a dog kept running into shot. These little clips can be uplifting and amusing and brighten someone's day. Bloopers can go viral!
A few final points to think about!
So you now have a few ideas on how you can repurpose old videos and footage. It gives you the opportunity to share your business on all the different platforms and gain a new audience. Take note of the style and content of each of these platforms and make your video content reflect this. You also have to think about your audience: where are they? There is no point spending a long time creating a TikTok video for the sake of being on another platform if your audience aren't actually there.
If you do decide to post videos on different platforms, make sure you upload them directly to the site. Don't just post a link to YouTube: the platforms want to keep their audience, they don't want people clicking away. If you do this then they aren't going to favour your post.
Once the videos are there, engage with your audience. Reply to comments and ask what they enjoyed the most – start conversations.
Keep an eye on analytics – see how your videos are doing on the different platforms. Which one is getting the most engagement? What style of video is performing the best? What time of the day are you getting the most engagement? There are so many things you can learn from analytics to fine-tune your video marketing.
Most importantly, have fun, be innovative, get creative and try new things with video!
I created this video below way back in 2015 for a local BMX club. You can see how I've repurposed it throughout this article for different audiences and social media channels.
I hope you've enjoyed these tips! If you ever need a helping hand please get in touch: Karen Cann
My website, if you fancy a peek!
