With over a billion users to its name, YouTube is one of the biggest players in the world of digital content. The growth of video has been a key headline in digital marketing over recent years and its popularity only looks set to increase.
By creating your own video you have the potential to reach whole new audiences, for whom the notation TLDR has become a feature of everyday vocabulary.
We’ve all heard about the benefits of repurposing blog content. However, altering its format entirely can be a daunting task no matter what industry you’re in. Transforming long-form written content into engaging video is a lengthy process, yet the returns could be huge. Continue reading to discover how to turn blogs into video and why it really is worth the effort.
The fundamentals of video content
Before you begin repurposing existing content, it’s important to first consider why video is such a popular medium. As Forbes contributor and owner of Thrive Internet Marketing Matt Bowman suggests, “Today, content only succeeds if it delivers what consumers want, when and how they want it”. Video offers users exactly that, providing an easy way to consume and digest content from anywhere in the world.
There are a whole host of additional advantages to turning your blogs into video too, including:
- Greater engagement levels. Studies suggest that when landing on a web page, 80% of users will watch a video, compared to just 20% who will read an entire page of written content.
- Higher retention rates – viewers retain 95% of a message when watching it in a video, yet reading the same message in text form promises just a 10% retention rate.
- The opportunity to promote your content to new audiences, boosting brand awareness and viewership.
Choose your platform
Many people would be surprised by just how many options are out there for creating YouTube content. Breaking your blog post down into logical sections and presenting the information as a slideshow presentation is one of the easiest and most time-effective ways to repurpose your content for video without losing its core message. As so many of us are already clued up on how to create simple slideshows, it also negates the need to pay someone to create your videos externally.
LinkedIn’s Slideshare service is a great way to gain views from interested and relevant parties. With in excess of 18 million uploads under its belt, Slideshare is a fantastic option if you simply want to get your content seen by the right people. The platform also allows users to convert their videos quickly and easily to YouTube, opening your brand up to whole new audiences that your content may have otherwise struggled to reach.
Identify the key elements of your blog post
The most successful videos are short, sharp and snappy – in fact, research suggests that engagement begins to drop once a video exceeds 2 minutes in length. Depending on the purpose of your video, that’s 120 seconds to capture your audiences’ attention, put forward your message and include a clear call to action that directly encourages conversions.
For that reason, the first step is to mine your blog post for the most important information. In other words – cut the waffle.
Shorter attention spans and a never-ending wealth of content options mean that it’s more important than ever to engage your audience early on, preferably within the opening 10 seconds. Vague and long-winded introductions are particularly frowned upon when it comes to video content, so make your point straight away if you can.
Get creative
By its very nature, video content tends to take a much less linear form than its written counterparts. A key selling point of video is the visual element, so use the opportunity to update stale copy with engaging visual cues that will grab and keep the attention of your audience.
Take SEMrush’s video titled Boosting your Website Performance with SEMrush as an example. On the face of it, this content takes the form of a direct, branded how-to guide. Where the brand excel, however, is in bringing the content to life visually, combining colour and animation to create a video that has been viewed more than 750k times in a little over six months.
Make it count
The key thing to remember when repurposing any written content for video is that the same basic rules apply. An attention-grabbing title is a must, but steer clear of all-out click-bait if you want to be taken seriously as an industry professional. Above all, every piece of content you create should offer genuine value to its user.
Explainers, product demos, how-to’s and testimonials make up the four most common types of video used by brands and businesses. One common feature each of these formats share, is their focus on informing the audience. A video that has entertainment at its core might attract views for a short period of time, but it’s a commitment to sharing useful, valuable material with your audience that will help to establish you as a reliable industry source in the long-term.
From simple slideshows to videos packed with graphics and animations, the sky really is the limit when converting blog posts into content that’s ready for YouTube.
As a copywriting agency, WooContent can help with repurposing new and existing written content to benefit your business, get in touch with the team today to find out more.