5 Ways to Repurpose Your Content

An author recently asked me how she could get more mileage out of her book. After all, she put a lot into the writing and production of her book, and she’s very proud of it. Currently, she sells her book at speaking engagements and appearances. She sells it on her website. She even gives it away to organizations as an incentive for membership renewals. But beyond that, she wondered what more she could be doing to get her message out in unique ways. My answer: Repurpose your content.

Who says the content of your book has to remain in your book after it’s published? There are numerous ways to repurpose the information contained in your book. The notion of repurposing isn’t new, but with social media and other technologies, there are more ways than ever to give new life to the concepts, stories, examples, tips, and advice in your book. Here are just a few:

Blog it. Take sections of your book and turn them into blog posts. Choose excerpts that are timely and give small bits of information your blog followers can use. One easy way to do this is to create lists similar to this post: 10 ways to do something; 5 reasons you need something; 8 things to avoid when going someplace. 

Post it. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, FourSquare and numerous other social media sites offer great exposure to your target audience. But it takes time to develop fresh ideas for engaging posts that get likes and retweets. Use some of the content you’ve already developed in your book for your social media posts. Be sure to make it brief and engaging.

Speak it. If speaking engagements are part of your business development strategy, pull from your book content to create compelling speeches and instructional talks. You could take the main points in just one chapter of your book to create a keynote speech that’ll leave the audience wanting more -- in which case, they’ll want to buy your book!

Teach it. You wrote your book to teach what you know, right. Whether you’ve written an autobiography, a memoir, a self-help, or a how-to book, you’re teaching a lesson or a concept. Why not develop a course, teleseminar, or workshop based on the very content you’ve already created for your book.

Share it. Why not give it away? That’s right; give away the content in your book by creating a one-sheeter with tips, charts, tables, lists, maps, links, or other useful tools. Offer this one-sheeter as an incentive for people to sign up for your e-newsletter, as a thank-you for those who attend your seminars, or as a leave-behind when you call on potential clients.

Even after your book has been published and several copies sold, there is still life in the content. Keep your book alive by repurposing the content and offering it to your target audience in creative ways.

What are some ways you’ve repurposed your book’s content?