#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Create & Upcycle Great Content for More Personalized Exposure with Brian Fanzo
Did you miss #ContentWritingChat this week? Get caught up with our recap and learn all about how to upcycle your online content!
#ContentWritingChat September 6 2016 Recap: How to Create & Up Cycle Great Content for More Personalized Exposure
Join us for #ContentWritingChat on September 6th at 10 AM CDT with @iSocialFanz! pic.twitter.com/GJHJND38Ot
— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) August 30, 2016
Our guest host for this week’s chat was Brian Fanzo. Brian is a Change Evangelist. He’s also the host of #Cloudtalk and the #SMACtalk podcast.
Q1: What does it mean to “upcycle” your content?
To kick things off, we asked our chat participants what upcycling content means to them. Here’s what they had to say:
A1. Great Content is King! Upcylcing means taking that great content & shaping it & customizing it for other formats! #ContentWritingChat
— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) September 6, 2016
Example:
Great Blog:
– Take data in blog create infographic
– Create slideshare from facts
Etc#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/kPMaXdMJ0q— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) September 6, 2016
Brian knows content is king! He said upcycling means taking great content, shaping it, and customizing it for other formats. Some examples he shared with us include turning a blog post into an infographic or a SlideShare.
A1 One piece of content gets molded and recreated for various other platforms. SO many traction opps! #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) September 6, 2016
Our CEO, Julia, said that upcycling content is when you mold and recreate your content for other platforms.
A1 Repurpose it, update it, make it fresh for new readers @writingchat #ContentWritingChat
— GraphComment (@graphcomment) September 6, 2016
You can repurpose your content by updating it and making it “fresh” for new readers. It’s a great way to expand your content.
A1. Upcycling means repurposing content, finding new ways to use old content for different formats & audiences #ContentWritingChat
— Matt Henderson (@eartharules) September 6, 2016
Matt said that upcycling helps you find new ways to use your old content for difference formats and audiences.
A1 In simple words, Re-purposing of your best or ever green #Content in more consumable form #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/GmJ0OR41Mp
— Varun Kumar (@varunkr842) September 6, 2016
As Varun said, you can repurpose your best or evergreen content. Evergreen content is great for upcycling because it will always be relevant to your audience.
A1: Upcycling is reusing & revamping your material for a different purpose or to relate to a specific niche audience #ContentWritingChat
— Zola Creative (@ZolaCreative) September 6, 2016
You can use your revamped content for a different purpose or to relate to a specific niche audience.
A1. Upcycling can include converting a piece of successful content to a new format – infographics, videos, etc. #contentwritingchat
— pamelahughes (@pamelahughes) September 6, 2016
As Pamela said, you can turn one piece of successful content into an entirely different format, such as infographics or video.
Q2: What’s the difference between upcycling vs. recycling content?
So, what exactly is the difference between upcycling content and recycling it? Here’s what you need to know:
A2. Upcycling is customizing & personalizing great content so that it fits & works on each network your audience is on!#ContentWritingChat
— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) September 6, 2016
Brian said upcycling is customizing and personalizing great content so it fits and works on each network your audience is on.
A2: Upcycling content: you’re improving the value of the content in some way. Ex: Make video version of top blog post! #ContentWritingChat
— Tara M. Clapper (@irishtara) September 6, 2016
Tara said upcycling content is when you improve the value of the original content in some way. You aren’t simply reposting it, but making it better.
A2: Upcycling aims to optimize performance with improvements, versus simply restructuring content for a different medium #contentwritingchat
— Edanry Rivera (@Edanry) September 6, 2016
Edanry knows the purpose behind upcycling is to make improvements to the original content so you can optimize its performance.
@writingchat A2: recycling would be using it the exact same way, whereas upcycling makes it into something new. #ContentWritingChat
— Tracy Willis (@tracywillis_) September 6, 2016
Tracy is spot-on with her answer. If you were to recycle content, you would simply be sharing it without making any improvements. When upcycling content, you aim to make it new again.
A2. Upcycling is an improvement on the original material. Recycling keeps it the same, i.e. warming up leftovers. #ContentWritingChat
— Matt Henderson (@eartharules) September 6, 2016
We like Matt’s comparison regarding warming up leftovers when it comes to recycling content.
A2 Recycling could turn into spam. Upcycling is the way to do it – you’re recreating/tailoring for platform/audience #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) September 6, 2016
When recycling your content, you want to be careful it doesn’t come off as spammy. Instead, go for upcycling and recreate your content. Then, you can tailor it for the platform you’re sharing it on and to your audience.
Q3: How can you expand your content reach by upcycling what you create?
Do you want to expand your reach via upcycling content? Here’s how to do it:
Up-cylcing great content allows us to focus on creating more great content not for content sake! #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/gYntn7yEu9
— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) September 6, 2016
As Brian said, when you upcycle great content, you can focus on creating even more amazing content for your audience.
A3: If you take content that was purely text and incorporate it into a visual, it might have more of a reach on social. #contentwritingchat
— MioDatos (@MioDatos) September 6, 2016
One great idea is to take your written content, incorporate it into a visual, and then sharing it on social media. It’s a great way to reach a new audience and to grab their attention with an eye-catching image.
A3: You must research to see what is required by your readers. You don’t want to create something that never gets read #contentwritingchat
— Andy Drinkwater (@iqseo) September 6, 2016
Always consider what your audience is most interested in when upcycling. You want to create something that will resonate with them.
a3 Push it out to All the social channels where your target audience plays. #contentwritingchat https://t.co/MZh7rhcggv
— Debi Norton (@BRAVOMedia1) September 6, 2016
Debi’s advice is to share your upcycled content on social media so you can reach the audience you’re targeting.
A3: Upcycling can reach more audiences by spreading a topic over multiple channels: text, video, infographic, etc. #contentwritingchat
— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) September 6, 2016
Spread the word about your refreshed content! Make sure you’re sharing it across multiple channels.
A3 Upcycling to different platforms and mediums reaches new audiences–and their audiences if it’s sharable content. #contentwritingchat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) September 6, 2016
When sharing your content on different platforms and mediums, you can reach a much larger audience.
Q4: Discuss how to upcycle blogs.
How can you repurpose that amazing, evergreen blog post you wrote a while back? Check out these great ideas that were shared during Tuesday’s chat:
A4. My topic at #PBevent this week in Australia but easy way is #Periscope summarizing ur blog! #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/UWjWInqXvo
— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) September 6, 2016
Brian is pretty awesome on Periscope, so it’s no surprise that he repurposes blog content by sharing it in the form of a live broadcast.
A4 My fave: upcycling blogs into infographics! Here’s one we did @ExpWriters >> https://t.co/arVbB9UepB #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) September 6, 2016
We love infographics here at Express Writers! Julia loves to turn some of the blog posts here into shareable infographics.
A4: Create your blog into a vlog… videos are a better way to show your personality to your audience #ContentWritingChat
— Zola Creative (@ZolaCreative) September 6, 2016
Videos are incredibly powerful because they provide a great way for your audience to connect with you. Turning your blog posts into video content is the perfect way to upcycle!
A4: Blogs can easily be grouped into e-book guides, video concepts or graphic slides. Take the best, make it better. #contentwritingchat
— Kristin Huntley (@seekristintweet) September 6, 2016
As Kristin said, you should take the best blog posts and make them better. You can turn your posts into eBooks, video content, or even graphic slides.
A4: Combine a series of similar posts into an e-book/download, or turn a great post into podcast#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/zQ7YL9D2gT
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) September 6, 2016
Sarah suggested combining a series of similar posts into an eBook or other download. You could even turn it into a podcast episode.
A4. I love @iSocialFanz‘s recommendation to upcycle successful blogs w/a video – whether that’s YouTube or Periscope. #contentwritingchat
— pamelahughes (@pamelahughes) September 6, 2016
We do too, Pamela!
Q5: Discuss other forms of content great for upcycling.
What are some other content types that work well when upcycling? Check out these suggestions from the chat:
A5. Format should be dictated by the community u want to reach! Give it to them how they want! #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/v1b2WozMYK
— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) September 6, 2016
Brian knows it’s important to understand your audience. The content format you choose should be dictated by the community you want to reach. Provide them with what they want to see.
A5. Use @GoogleAnalytics to find yr best blog posts>Divide them into a 3-5 part series>BAM! Email autoresponder series #contentwritingchat
— Kristen Dunleavy (@KristenWritesIt) September 6, 2016
Kristen suggests using Google Analytics to figure out which posts are your most popular. She said you could turn those posts into an awesome email autoresponder.
A5a Video! Evergreen on YouTube, then clips for your IG/FB/etc. I did this when my book launched, LOTS of traction #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) September 6, 2016
Julia knows video is where it’s at!
A5 Turn your BEST blogs into podcasts! #ContentWritingChat
— Josh McCoy (@JoshuaMMcCoy) September 6, 2016
Josh also likes the idea of turning your best blog posts into podcast episodes.
Q6: What role should upcycling play in your content marketing strategy?
Take a look at what some of the participants in Tuesday’s chat had to say:
@writingchat A6: a large one, it is the best way to continue to come up with relevant content & learn what doesn’t work. #ContentWritingChat
— Tracy Willis (@tracywillis_) September 6, 2016
Tracy said it’s the best way to come up with relevant content and to learn what’s working and what isn’t.
A6. Upcycling should play integral role. Alway think of how content can be repurposed to reach largest ideal audience. #ContentWritingChat
— Matt Henderson (@eartharules) September 6, 2016
Matt said you should always think about how content can be repurposed to reach the largest ideal audience.
A6: Content upcycling should help you naturally expand in the topics you like. Popularity, community, conversations. #contentwritingchat
— Tara M. Clapper (@irishtara) September 6, 2016
Tara said content upcycling should help you naturally expand in the topics you like.
A6. Open new channels of communication and interaction for my target and customers #ContentWritingChat
— Amalia G- Yointic (@amalein) September 6, 2016
Amalia feels it opens new channels of communication and interaction between her and her audience.
A6: Position yourself as an expert. Increase reach & visibility thus prospects thus sales #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/eZDLrlAqdZ
— Amel Mehenaoui (@amelm) September 6, 2016
Amel said it can help you position yourself as an expert, increase reach, and increase visibility.
A6. You aren’t doing your content justice if you aren’t upcycling! It should be part of your content strategy. #contentwritingchat
— Kristen Dunleavy (@KristenWritesIt) September 6, 2016
Kristen said you aren’t doing your content justice if you aren’t upcycling!
A6 Upcycling is a key ingredient of any good #contentmarketing recipe. It’s not about leftovers, it’s about a fresh meal #contentwritingchat
— Bill Skowronski (@BillSkowronski) September 6, 2016
Well said, Bill!
Q7: How can you use your analytics to track the success of upcycling content?
Here are some tips for using your analytics in your content upcycling strategy:
A7 I use analytics tools to understand what my audience likes & doesn’t like!@BuzzSumo @TwitterData @RivalIQ
My favs#ContentWritingChat— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) September 6, 2016
Brian knows it’s important to use analytics as a way to see what your audience likes and doesn’t like. He also shared some great tools everyone should check out.
A7: Like anything else you track: set goals & monitor performance. Know what’s working & not…#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/RrefyIFsbx
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) September 6, 2016
As Sarah said, you need to set goals and monitor your performance.
A7. Upcycle the content that is already performing well, then pay attention to the feedback & engagement you get from it #contentwritingchat
— Kristen Dunleavy (@KristenWritesIt) September 6, 2016
Kristen’s advice is to upcycle the content that’s already doing well, then pay attention to the feedback and engagement you receive.
A7: You can see how many views your content has gotten and how many times it’s been shared! #contentwritingchat
— MioDatos (@MioDatos) September 6, 2016
See how many views your repurposed content has gotten and how many times it’s been shared on social media.
A7 @writingchat The latest analytic measure is engagement comments feedback conversations this measures Success? #ContentWritingChat
— BrainBlender (@BrainBlenderTec) September 6, 2016
It’s also important to measure engagement. Are people leaving comments? What kind of feedback are they providing?
A7 I use @buzzsumo to discover authenticity of real shares. I’ll upcycle the “hot” content for various platforms #ContentWritingChat
— Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) September 6, 2016
Julia likes to use BuzzSumo to track social media sharing.
Q8: Q&A for Brian Fanzo!
Here are a couple of the questions Brian was asked during the chat:
@writingchat @iSocialFanz What was your BEST success story upcycling? #contentwritingchat
— Debi Norton (@BRAVOMedia1) September 6, 2016
Took a great blog & did a Q&A on it via #Periscope & took the 10 best ?’s created 10 more blogs!#ContentWritingChat https://t.co/CJhTd6B1Zj
— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) September 6, 2016
Brian’s top success story when it comes to upcycling was repurposing a blog post with a Periscope broadcast.
A8: @iSocialFanz – Want to upcycle to video, but compared to my blogs, my vids are poorly produced. Where to start? #contentwritingchat
— Tara M. Clapper (@irishtara) September 6, 2016
With Live video the goal isn’t perfection but conversation.. Focus on that more than production! #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/CZ8RW5xnC2
— Brian Fanzo (@iSocialFanz) September 6, 2016
When it comes to live video, you don’t have to be focused on perfection. Brian said you should pay more attention to the conversation.
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM CDT for great chats centered around content writing and marketing. Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated on our new topics and guests!
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