How to Repurpose Existing Content for Your Course

As an online course creator, you know the hard work and time that goes into developing quality educational content for your audience. From researching topics to scripting lessons, recording audio and video, and creating supplementary materials like worksheets and checklists – it’s a big investment. So why not maximize that investment by repurposing your content across multiple formats?

Content repurposing is the act of taking existing content (blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc.) and adapting it into new materials. This allows you to get more mileage out of your work by presenting it in different ways that cater to diverse learning preferences. Repurposing makes your content accessible to wider audiences and gives you more assets to promote your course.

The benefits of repurposing content for online courses are plentiful:

Saves time by reusing materials you’ve already created rather than starting from scratch
Increases your content’s reach by making it available across more platforms/formats
Provides variety for your learners who may prefer video, audio, text, visuals etc.
Demonstrates your expertise by showcasing your content in various contexts
Maximizes your investment by unlocking more value from each piece of content

With the global e-learning market forecasted to reach nearly $280 billion by 2026 (according to Statista), there’s a massive opportunity for course creators who can tap into repurposing. This guide will outline tactics for getting the most out of your content library.

Identifying Content to Repurpose

The first step is taking inventory of what existing content you have to work with. Go through your blog posts, videos, podcast episodes, webinar recordings, presentation decks, and any other materials you’ve created. Your analytics data can help pinpoint which pieces performed particularly well in terms of views, engagement, leads generated, etc. This is a good indicator that the content was valuable for your audience.

Some examples of content that lends itself well to repurposing:

Blog posts that answered common questions
Videos that walked through a popular process step-by-step
Podcast episodes that featured insightful interviews or debates
Webinars that did a deep dive into a key topic for your industry
Presentations from live events or conferences you participated in

Take note of your top-performing pieces across each format and channel. This will give you a content “goldmine” to start extracting different assets and materials from.

Repurposing Written Content

If you have a solid library of blog posts, ebooks, guides, or other written assets, there are many ways to transform that text into new formats for your online course:

Turn blog posts into video lessons or podcasts

Text content like blog posts or guides make great source material for video lessons or podcast episodes. You can simply record yourself presenting that written content. Or if you prefer not to be on camera, record the blog post as a voiceover with screenshare videos or static slides.

Extract quotes, tips, or stats to create slide presentations

Within your written pieces, you’ve likely included quotes from thought leaders, quick tips, stats, examples and other nuggets that pack a punch. You can extract those quotes and data points to create engaging slide deck presentations that become video lessons or downloadable visual aids.

Compile posts into downloadable guides or ebooks

If you have several blog posts that cover different aspects of the same overarching topic, you can compile them into a comprehensive guide or ebook to offer as a content upgrade or bonus resource for your course. Update them with additional insights and visual elements to make it a premium content piece.

Repurposing Audio/Video

For course creators who have existing audio and video content, there are plenty of ways to reimagine that material into new formats:

Transcribe audio/videos into text lessons

Whether it’s a podcast, recorded webinar, or video tutorial, get those audio recordings transcribed into text documents. You can then take those transcripts and edit them into structured written lessons, blog posts, downloadable guides or ebooks for your online course.

Pull excerpts to create micro-audio lessons

Identify powerful quotes, intriguing sound bites, or quick tips from your existing podcast episodes or video recordings. You can extract those micro-clips into their own standalone audio lessons that learners can quickly digest.

Extract video clips for use as teasers or examples

Let’s say you have an in-depth 60-minute video tutorial. You can clip out smaller segments to use as stand-alone examples, case studies, or as promo teaser videos to market your larger video course.

Transforming Content Formats

In addition to simply converting text to audio/video or vice versa, you can transform your content into entirely new formats:

Turn slide presentations into video lessons

If you have a slide deck from a speaking engagement or webinar, record yourself giving that same presentation. You can include the slides as visuals within your video lesson or just have the audio of you presenting each slide.

Convert written content into visuals/infographics

Take the written data, tips, examples or processes from blogs or guides and reimagine them as highly engaging visual assets like infographics, charts, images or animated videos.

Adapt webinars/talks into step-by-step tutorials

If you have recordings from webinars or in-person presentations, you can adapt the content into structured tutorial videos, blog posts, or downloadable guides. Break down your talking points into clear step-by-step explanations.

Bundling Existing Content Into New Courses

In addition to transforming content from one format to another, you can get really creative by bundling and repackaging your existing materials into entirely new courses:

Package a series of micro-courses into a larger program
If you have multiple shorter video courses or learning modules on related topics, you can compile them into a larger combined course, perhaps with additional exclusive content added in as a bonus.

Use recordings of talks/webinars as bonus modules
Did you participate in any webinars, conferences or speaking engagements related to your course topics? The recordings make for great value-added extras to include as bonus modules in your main online course.

Offer a compiled ebook or resource bundle
Much like bundling micro-courses together, you can package your related ebooks, guides, slide decks, audio clips and other premium content resources into an exclusive compilation available only for purchasing your course.

Refreshing and Updating Existing Content

Finally, you can breathe new life into old materials by refreshing and updating them:

Revisiting successful older content

Analyze your historical data to see what older blog posts, videos or guides generated great results when first published. These are prime candidates for a revival!

Adding new information, data and examples

Take those classic “greatest hits” pieces of content and update them with new data points, examples, strategies or findings from recent times. Revise it so the content feels current and relevant.

Creating supplementary materials

Enhance that updated content by creating complementary resources like worksheets, checklists, quizzes, templates or cheat sheets. These give learners additional tools to put the lessons into practice.

The key to an effective repurposing strategy is being comprehensive and strategic with your planning. Don’t just recreate your content in different formats haphazardly.

Strategic Repurposing for Comprehensive Learning

To get the most value from repurposing your content, have a clear strategy that maps out multiple complementary content types for each key topic or learning objective in your online course.

For example, let’s say you want to teach your audience how to create effective social media content strategies. Your repurposing plan may look something like this:

1) Comprehensive blog post covering the key elements of a successful social media content strategy
2) Recording that blog post into a video presentation or slideshow
3) Audio version as a podcast episode recap of the key points
4) Downloadable checklist that outlines the step-by-step process
5) Infographic highlighting statistical data around social media content performance

By recreating the core topic in multiple complementary formats – written, video, audio, visual – you’re ensuring your learners can engage with the material in whatever mode suits their preferences. You’re also reinforcing the lessons more effectively through repetition across different media.

This strategic approach allows you to thoroughly cover all the bases for maximum comprehension and knowledge retention. It transforms your online course from just a series of videos into a comprehensive, multi-format learning experience.

Your Turn: Implementing a Repurposing Plan

Hopefully this guide has highlighted the immense potential in repurposing content for your online courses. By reusing, reformatting, and repackaging your existing materials, you can create a variety of high-value assets for your audience without the overwhelming workload of starting from scratch each time.

To sum up the key advantages of repurposing:

Saves major time compared to developing net-new materials
Increases your content’s reach across more platforms/formats
Allows you to repackage existing work into new premium products
Gives learners multiple engaging ways to consume the information
Reinforces key lessons through the repetition of core concepts
Maximizes your return on invested effort into creating content

Before signing off, a few final tips to get started with a content repurposing strategy:

Audit your existing content library
Make a detailed inventory of all the blog posts, videos, podcasts, presentations, and other materials you’ve already created. Highlight which pieces got great engagement/traffic.

Research relevant tools
There are fantastic tools that can aid content repurposing, like transcription software, graphic design tools for visuals, and audio/video editing solutions.

Map out a revision schedule
Determine which successful “vintage” pieces are due for an update with new info. Prioritize those updates in your content calendar.

Experiment with formats
Don’t just stick to the obvious text-to-video or audio-to-text conversions. Get creative in transitioning your materials into fresh, innovative formats like interactive videos or immersive multimedia experiences.

Promote your repurposed content
Once created, share and market your repurposed assets through your online channels, communities, email lists and other promotional avenues.

The opportunities for content repurposing are vast – giving you near-endless ways to spin that hard work you’ve already invested into more revenue, more learners reached, and more impact created through your online courses.

Conclusion

As an online course creator, your content is the heart of your offering. You’ve poured countless hours into researching, scripting, recording, designing, and packaging informative, engaging, and valuable materials for your audience.

But once your course is published, that investment doesn’t have to stop there. By implementing a smart content repurposing strategy, you can extend the life of your work and unlock its full potential value.

Repurposing allows you to reimagine a single piece of content – whether a blog post, video, podcast episode, etc. – into multiple complementary formats like audio lessons, visual guides, downloadable resources, and more. This ensures your expertise can reach and resonate with the diverse learning preferences of your audience.

Beyond just transforming content from one format to another, you can bundle materials together into entirely new paid offerings. A series of micro-courses become a full-fledged training program. A handful of top-performing blog posts turn into a comprehensive ebook. That podcast you recorded is now an audiobook. The opportunities are limitless.

The benefits of repurposing content for your online courses are clear. The only remaining step is taking action and putting it into practice for your own business. So get repurposing!