How to find, organize and repurpose your content

When I do strategic planning work with clients, I find that often they have NO idea just how much content they’ve already created over the years. So we’re going to dig deep to find those content nuggets you can rinse and reuse and take an accounting of what you’ve already created.

Where to find your content you’ve already created (and forgotten about)

Now you’ll just need to set aside some time for the following exercise (I like to do this on plane or train rides where I’m stuck in a confined space for a few hours … I seem to get a lot more done when I can’t escape a flying tube!)

Your newsletter is a gold mine

Been writing a newsletter for years? Guess what – there’s GOLD in those newsletters. Scroll back through your archives (better yet, have a virtual assistant pull the best copy into a google doc and remove any old time-sensitive info or old offers). Once you’ve got all the content in one place you can glance over what you’ve got (and now it’s searchable!)

Pro tip: I like to add a table of contents to my google docs – this helps me easily see topics and sort what I want to keep and reuse (especially as these can get to be SUPER long documents).

Social media posts

I often treat my social media posts like “mini” blog posts. Take a few minutes and grab your best content and pop them into another google doc. Do the same with your facebook feed, instagram, twitter – anywhere you’ve been posting your thoughts and comments.

Your Zoom / Vimeo / Google Drive Cloud

We’ve all done a million video calls over the last couple of years. Who knows what gems are lurking in your cloud storage? Sometimes I’ll get on a roll during my 1:1 work and have super inspired spur-of-the-moment strategic insights. I’ll often get the transcripts from those sessions to inspire future projects. My favorite took to grab quick transcriptions is Otter.

The opt-in graveyard

We all have one. That folder on your desktop where opt-in downloads go to die. We swear we are going to read them “someday” – but really, when’s the last time you opened up that folder? Dig in there and find some gems. I often get re-inspired by looking at other people’s documents – from format and layout to workshop exercises and content ideas.

Google / Word docs

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got dozens (if not hundreds) of google docs from years of creating offers, working with clients or just dreaming about new creations.

Digital and Virtual Notebooks

If you’ve ever gotten a note from me (or tried to decipher my grocery list), you know I have the world’s worst handwriting …so when I started using Evernote instead of handwriting notes, it was a godsend. I could finally keep all of my thoughts in one place… and be able to actually read them! But over time I’ve created over 2000 notes .. so even with my specific folder organization, I’ve forgotten what nuggets I’ve got in there (everything from design ideas, to resources, to code snippets, to where I want to run that business retreat in Mexico …)

Take some time to revisit these notebooks and pull your best stuff into the aforementioned Google Docs sorted by topic and interest.

How to keep track of your content

Once you’ve found some content, it’s time to organize it so you can use it!

The easiest thing I’ve found is to do is to create a master spreadsheet that you can modify over time (Google Sheets FTW).

You’ll want to organize it how it best makes sense for you – but here’s how I do it:

• Different tabs for different types of content (like video, audio files, worksheets, opt-ins)
• A tab for quick links to resources (like bit.ly links to courses, products and downloads)
• A tab for links to different google docs
• Make sure to add a description, date, length (anything that will help you remember what the content is a few years from now)

This master spreadsheet is an absolute game-changer and will change how you operate (and can make you WAY more effective in your communications and output).

When you organize your content you can:

• find new inspiration for writings
• pull together content for new offers and products
• have assistants find your stuff easily (and keep it updated!)
• allow you to easily share content with others (say you’re on a podcast or someone asks you for a freebie download for their audience or to bundle with someone else’s offer – you can find something instantly)

Key to this document is updating it regularly – make sure you add your latest and greatest to it on a regular basis!

How to repurpose and reuse your best stuff

Ok – now that you’ve gotten an accounting of what content you’ve already created, now it’s time to rinse and reuse. Here’s a whole list of ways you can repurpose what you’ve already created.

PDFS AND WORKSHEETS

Made things like worksheet exercises for a class or as an opt-in?

• Bundle together into a product of their own
• Record the content as a video
• Add as a bonus to other products

NEWSLETTER CONTENT

• Remove time sensitive info and use content to create a PDF opt-in
• Generate blog content
• Repurpose as longer social media posts
• Bundle topics or yearly content into larger file for purchase

MEDITATIONS AND AUDIO RECORDINGS

Maybe you recorded a lecture during a class or meditation during a retreat.
Often these are timeless recordings (meaning they don’t include time-sensitive material)

• Record and repurpose as downloads on site
• Create a private podcast and sell it on your site
• Gift to members of the class or people on the retreat
• Use in bundles provided by others
• Use as giveaways when on podcasts

PODCASTS

• Get transcriptions made (rev.com can be as cheap as .35 per minute) and use as blog posts
• Upload audio to youtube with a placeholder graphic (using a service like headliner app)
• Grab a snippet using a tool like headliner app and post as promo on instagram (feed and stories)
• Use as bonus content for your next course.

Pro tip: Make sure to add a link to your newsletter list in your videos and on your channel!

FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM LIVE VIDEOS

• Get transcriptions made (rev.com)
• Save out just the audio and use as podcasts or downloads
• Upload to YouTube
• Create blog posts
• Download and repurpose into opt-in gifts
• Repackage as a new product
• Upload to YouTube
• Get transcriptions and repurpose into blog posts or ebook
• Edit and post shorter snippets on talking points

POWERPOINT / KEYNOTES

• Record as a video lecture and post to YouTube
• Repurpose into a webinar
• Save slides as a PDF and share as an opt-in or download

GROUP COACHING CALLS / Q&A SESSIONS

• Transcribe and use as FAQ resources for your courses / products
• Repurpose content into blog posts
• Use in your funnel to educate and inform potential buyers (make sure to have consent of participants if you’re sharing this publicly)

WEBINARS

• Turn your webinar into an ebook
• Convert webinar into downloadable mp3s
• Turn transcript into blog posts
• Upload webinar to YouTube channel as a new lead gen tool