How to reuse content across social media channels

Posting on multiple social media platforms will likely enable you to reach a bigger share of your audience. But there’s a question: how can you be everywhere and not completely lose focus?

You’re probably already active on multiple social media channels, rather than just one. Having logins for Twitter, Facebook and TikTok is all well and good, but if you’re posting the same link across all these channels, you shouldn’t be surprised if you’re not getting anywhere.

What should you be doing? Basically, reusing your content.

But in order to do that, you must be able to recognise what type works best for each social media channel. If you find there is some overlap, you won’t need to do much to get a better fit. Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to turn a single content idea into reusable content and reach a wider audience.

Is this a less is more approach? Yes - and no - according to Olivia De Beukelaer. As marketing director of Content Stadium, a tool that helps newsrooms to create, share and post on-brand social media content, she points out that the audience could have different expectations and needs depending on the social media channel.

See how The Washington Post changed their strategy entirely when posting on TikTok.

If you would like to dive deeper into the way news outlets could approach each channel differently, here is a great presentation from The Economist on this subject. For now, right here, we’re going to help you get started on how to reuse content:

Tip 1: Choose a format that allows you to reuse content

Social media platforms are becoming more and more content driven. It isn’t really about interacting anymore, although this is what made social media social. TikTok even started calling itself an entertainment platform rather than a social media platform. It's now really important to align your message with your audience - and pick the right format for that.

“People seem to access Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat for friends and family news”, says Olivia. “TikTok and Instagram Reels are more for general entertainment. Twitter, LinkedIn and Reddit have a big focus on discussions.”

First, identify the social media channels your audience actually uses. You may be surprised by the results. Then, take a critical look at formats. Here, you can easily see which formats work across multiple social media channels:

Tip 2: Stay consistent with your brand. Use templates

Newsrooms often have to choose between quality and quantity, and even if you want to move fast, editors have to wait on designers to create quality content for each post. “The other way to go is to post plain, unbranded and unedited photos and videos - missing out on the opportunity to grow brand recognisability and engagement through appealing graphics”, Olivia says. “That’s why we at Content Stadium believe in the use of custom-built templates to create quality branded content at speed.” 

However you do it, make sure any templates you have are super easy to use and are in line with your branding. Olivia wrote a blog about brand consistency that could inspire you. Read that here. Here are two of the examples:

Tip 3: Listen to personalised notifications and learn

Knowing which topics your audience on social media are interested in helps you push your content too. “Focus on the key channels where your audience is, rather than being on every channel”, Olivia De Beukelaer explains. “On which channel is your audience active? And how do they want to consume your content? Carry out some research to find out: send out a survey to your subscribers, commission a research agency, or simply speak to a few customers.” 

'While we'd never describe ourselves as magicians, we do think it's pretty magical that the smartocto tool is able to tell you when a story should be shared on Twitter or Facebook in order to maximise its exposure - even if you're publishing hundreds of stories a day'. This video shows some notifications that help you focus on the topics your audience is eager to consume:

Tip 4: Jump on that bandwagon, you have to be there

Sometimes, you need to try out something new. BeReal is one prime example. Although new social media apps hardly ever get off the ground, the ones that do often offer something that’s quickly emulated by its competitors, or that takes an element from the competition and refines it. Key examples are Instagram copying Snapchat and, just recently, TikTok announcing their new feature, ‘TikTok Now’ - a direct reaction to the up-and-coming BeReal.

It really pays off to delve into trending formats before they take off. Companies who started investing in TikTok ended up hitting two birds with one stone because of Instagram launching their own video feature, ‘Instagram Reels’. 

Sometimes, you should just do it. Learn from the performance and see what can be done differently and keep your audience at the centre of your approach. It’s about them, not the platform.

Pop quiz:

What format could be used on all social media platforms?

A. Text

B. Photo

C. Video

D. Link preview

Join us in our Smartoctober webinar on 24 October (02:00 PM Central European Time) to discuss this and much more besides.