Content Repurposing is a Massive Opportunity for Freelancers RIGHT NOW

Right this the second, there is a massive opportunity for potential freelancers. 

You may want to start an online business, but the idea of freelance writing tends to intimidate you. You don’t necessarily feel like you’re a great writer, but you still want to start something and are trying to figure out what. 

That’s what I want to talk about because there is an opportunity most people are not capitalizing on it. I’ve recently spoken to over half a dozen people who said, ‘I would pay somebody for this right now.’ 

So if you’re looking to start a sustainable online business that can make good money and isn’t freelance writing, here’s what you need to know.

What is Content Repurposing?

So, what exactly is this opportunity? It’s helping people create content for various online platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, blogs, webinars, and podcasts. 

But first, let’s look at the last ten years of online content. 

For most of that time, it was all about blogging. It’s how I started. And it’s how a lot of big B2B brands still communicate. 

Then from there, slowly, other forms of social media became popular. So, blogs started to fall on the back burner.

First, it was Instagram, then Snapchat, then YouTube, then TikTok, and now back to Twitter (X) and even email newsletters. 

The conventional wisdom was to pick one channel and grow on it first. So I started on this blog. And once I got into a rhythm with my writing, I switched to the LR YouTube channel.

Now YouTube is booming. But that also means I don’t have a ton of time to also make content for the blog and other social media channels. 

I have a ton of great stuff on the LR blog and YouTube, but I haven’t had the time to do anything with it to share on other channels.

I’m not alone.

Tons of creators and businesses have the same problem. They have lots of content made for one channel that they don’t have the time or know how to massage into another.

The Race to Create More Content 

With the rise of social media and the proliferation of different platforms, it can be overwhelming for creators to try and build a following and create high-quality content on all of them. We all know it’s not as easy as just sharing the same stuff everywhere.

That doesn’t work.

For creators to grow their businesses, they need to create regularly, build a following, and hit the algorithm each platform demands. And content has to be crafted to work for every channel — from blogs to TikToks to webinars.

The reality is, if they don’t have a huge team of people, they’re probably not doing it. There’s not enough time to put out three well-edited long-form YouTube videos a week, three blog posts, seven TikToks, four Instagram shorts, and YouTube shorts.

But how do they do that? 

And that’s where you come in.

Where to Find the Hidden Opportunity

There’s a business opportunity out there to be the person that helps people regularly create content across channels by repurposing what they’ve already made. 

For example, you can distill one piece of content into various mediums, such as a blog post, a series of Instagram posts, a YouTube video, and more.

But here’s the catch: you need to be an expert on each platform and know how to create high-quality content for it. 

This is where the opportunity lies for freelancers. If you can become an expert at creating content for a specific platform or set of platforms, you can offer your services to creators who don’t have the time or expertise to do it themselves.

What are some specific ways you can utilize this opportunity as a freelancer? Here are a few ideas:

• Offer content creation services for a specific platform. Take current YouTube videos and use that content to create blog posts, add captions, or write video descriptions.
• Offer editing services for written content. Make blog posts into scripts for videos. Or take webinars and white papers and turn those into blog posts and newsletters.
• Offer social media management services. Include creating and scheduling posts, engaging with followers, and analyzing metrics.
• Offer video editing services for YouTube or other video platforms. Take long-form YouTube videos and turn them into shorts, reels, or TikToks.
• Offer podcast repurposing services. Transcribe episodes and turn them into blog posts, or help podcasters write interesting show notes and emails for each episode.
• Offer to review and reoptimize. Go through a site’s old blog posts, update the links, add new content, and optimize for SEO. 

This is a huge opportunity to jump into something right now.

And the best part? While it feels like a ton of extra work for the creator, it’s not for you. All the pieces you need are there. It’s pulling out and massaging other parts and repurposing them for the right channels. 

That leaves the creator to move on to their next project, but it means they’ll have a backlog of additional content they can keep sharing with their audiences across channels. When you’re trying to grow a business, that’s invaluable. 

How to Start Repurposing Content

I know many people out there looking for this service right now. Where I would focus is finding ways to productize this service. So, you want to set up a system where it is very easy for you to replicate over and over. 

Pick one of the above (or make your own) and go all in on that particular one. If you’re good at writing, make your offer turning xyz content into written content. If you’re great at video editing, then make that your offer. 

If I were to start, I’d target:

• YouTubers
• Podcasters
• B2B brands

Now, you’re probably thinking, how do I go about offering this service?

Let’s start with an example. 

I would start with people on YouTube because they have long-form content. 

Send a cold email and offer to take their long-form YouTube videos and transcribe them (a tool like Otter.ai will make this easy).

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Then, turn that into at least one blog post they can use for their website. Ensure the content is SEO-optimized for the correct key terms to help them get traffic to their site. 

That’s the basic approach.

There are some upsells you could offer, too. For instance, say you’ll pull the best quotes or main points from the video and turn them into Tweets or LinkedIn (or Instagram) posts they can share on those platforms.

With this service, you’re giving people an arsenal of content to share across all their social platforms and websites. 

This process is not difficult. But it will take time to hone in on your offer and how to do it efficiently. This scenario is where it’s ok to charge a little less or do one or two for free to get a feel as you run through the process. 

From there, set a flat rate for what you’ll provide. And get to work. Once you have a system down, you can charge package deals and have a good hourly rate.

Using AI to Help with Content Repurposing

One of the most common ways we’re seeing people leverage AI tools is for doing this type of work.

But because the average person is still overwhelmed by the idea of AI, most won’t take the time to explore these services in depth. They’d rather hire someone who can do all the work for them.

If you’re able to master a handful of AI tools to help you with your workflow, while also adding the human touch that most companies are looking for – you can supercharge your output.

I’d start by checking out this list of AI writing tools to get a sense of some of the best options that are out there. And then if you really want to go down the rabbit hole, I’ve found Future Tools to be a really trustworthy and thorough site for finding tools to help with your specific needs.

Get Started Content Repurposing Today

So, the TL;DR is this:

Find someone creating long-form content that needs more in various places. Then, help them take that long-form content and disseminate it into other channels. 

It will help them grow their platform, brand, and business, and at the same time, your business. Plus, you’ll build up a valuable skill set and offer. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d have a lot of creators knocking on your door. 

Content repurposing is something to explore both now and in the years to come.

This post has been updated as of September 2024 to add resources for AI writing tools.

Sean Ogle

Sean Ogle is the Founder of Location Rebel where he has spent the last 12+ years teaching people how to build online businesses that give them the freedom to do more of the things they like to do in life. When he's not in the coffee shops of Portland, or the beaches of Bali, he's probably sneaking into some other high-class establishment where he most certainly doesn't belong.