Repurposing existing content is one of the ways in which you can keep up with your social media calendar without working too hard seeking new topics to approach. There are several ways in which you can repurpose content, such as:
- Adding an update to an article when there are new developments;
- Rewriting an article with a new approach;
- Using the content of an article in a slide presentation or a video.
Today we will show you how to repurpose content according to the third method: turning articles or blog posts into videos. There are several benefits to this type of repurposing. One is that videos can be uploaded on YouTube and then shared on Facebook™ and Twitter, so that you can reach a larger audience. The other is that video content is easier to understand and remembered for a longer time than written text.
Making a video out of a blog post is not difficult at all. You do not have to be experienced at filmmaking or video editing. Everything is done with various apps and software which you probably have already installed on your computer.
Without further introduction, let us teach you how to create videos from blog posts:
- Arrange Your Article as a Storyboard
Storyboards represent the detailed descriptions of the main scenes in a film. The good thing is that you already have this description: the article itself. What you need to do is identify how to split the article in sections which represent a single idea.
If your article is neatly organised paragraph by paragraph, your work will be extremely easy. So, here is an extra benefit for formatting and arranging your blog posts carefully and in an easy to read manner.
- Import Your Text in Slides
Here, you have two options: you can use either Google Slides, or Microsoft Powerpoint in your Microsoft Office suite. Google Slides saves you the trouble of uploading the final work, because you perform the entire work online.
Ideally, each slide should contain a single idea. This will help your viewers maintain focus and remember all the salient points in your video.
- Add Graphics and Photos
The secret to a successful video made of slides is making it look like a film, not merely a series of lines of text scrolling one after another. To achieve this result, add interesting graphics that enhance the text and photos that complement the written information.
You can find free images on various online resources such as Pixabay, Pexels or Creative Commons. You can also perform a Google Images search and apply the filter “Labeled for reuse” under the Usage Rights tool.
- Add Music or Voice Over
If you feel you need to add a few spoken explanations to the slides, do it in a manner that does not force your viewers to split their attention between the text on screen and your voice. Since this is a difficult task, the simpler solution is to add background music.
Attention! Do not simply choose music you like, but make sure that it is free to use for such purposes. Also, the music should create the right atmosphere and help make the transition from slide to slide. Loud or very rhythmic music will distract your audience from your content.
- Convert the Slides into a Video
Depending on your option to prepare the slides, you should use:
- A software tools for recording your screen for slides prepared on your computer, such as Camtasia, or
- An app which transforms Google Slide documents into video files, such as Online Convert.
And you’ve done it! Your blog post is now a video and you can share it again, in a different format, on social media. This tactic will prove very helpful on those days when you lack inspiration but you need to stay on track with your social media calendar.