Repurposing content on Instagram can be a game-changer.
It helps you reach a wider audience and ensures you get the most out of the time and effort spent on content creation.
According to a 2023 study by HubSpot, 73% of marketers repurpose content to enhance visibility and maintain consistency across social media platforms.
In this article, we’ll explore how to repurpose Instagram content across different formats—Feed posts, Stories, and Reels—to build brand consistency while engaging with different audience segments.
Why Repurposing Content on Instagram Matters
Repurposing content is about reaching more people by using different formats. Each Instagram format—Feed posts, Stories, and Reels—offers unique benefits and appeal:
- Feed Posts are ideal for high-quality, evergreen content that represents your brand.
- Stories provide a space for behind-the-scenes content, quick updates, and limited-time offers.
- Reels help showcase your creative side and are excellent for discoverability through Instagram’s Explore page.
These formats cater to different types of engagement, allowing you to deliver the same message in various ways.
Step-by-Step Guide to Repurposing Content Across Instagram Formats
1. Transform Feed Posts into Stories
Example Strategy: Share key points or visuals from your feed post to your Stories.
- Why it works: Instagram Stories have a completion rate of around 87% for videos under 15 seconds, making them a great space for quick snippets and reminders of your main content.
- How to do it: Add creative elements to capture attention, such as stickers, GIFs, and interactive features like polls or Q&As.
- User Tip: Create a “Story series” to walk your audience through the main points of a recent Feed post. Add prompts like, “Swipe up to see the full post!” or “Tap to learn more!” This creates an interactive experience and drives traffic back to your Feed.
2. Expand on Stories with a Reel
Example Strategy: Use your Story content as a basis for a Reel.
- Why it works: Reels get 22% more engagement than regular videos on Instagram, making them a perfect tool for content with high shareability and discoverability.
- How to do it: Condense the highlights of your Stories into a Reel, add music, use trending audio, or even go behind the scenes with additional commentary to give it a unique spin.
- User Tip: Try leveraging the power of trends. If a certain style of Reel or audio is trending, adapt your Story content to match that trend. This can increase visibility on the Explore page and attract new followers.
3. Turn a Reel into a Carousel Post
Example Strategy: Use visuals from your Reel to create a carousel post.
- Why it works: Carousel posts receive 1.4 times more reach and 3.1 times more engagement compared to regular Feed posts. They keep users swiping, increasing the time they spend on your content.
- How to do it: Extract key frames or screenshots from your Reel and arrange them in a carousel format with captions that provide context or tell a story.
- User Tip: Each slide should entice the user to swipe to the next. Use action-oriented words like, “Keep swiping to see how it’s done!” to maintain engagement and lead users through your message.
4. Adapt Feed Posts into Reels
Example Strategy: Recreate the essence of a successful Feed post in a short, dynamic Reel.
- Why it works: Feed posts are typically static, whereas Reels allow for more movement and sound, creating a dynamic experience.
- How to do it: Add movement by zooming in on text or visuals from the post, include animations, or speak directly to the camera.
- User Tip: Highlight the main points from the Feed post and present them in a fresh way. Use captions like, “Check out this quick summary of our latest post!” to entice viewers to watch the full Reel.
Proven Benefits of Consistent Content Repurposing
According to a 2022 Content Marketing Institute report, businesses that repurpose content across multiple platforms see:
- 60% more engagement on average.
- 50% faster growth in audience reach.
- 30% increase in brand consistency, helping audiences better recognize and connect with the brand.
Maintaining consistency through repurposed content strengthens your brand identity and builds a cohesive narrative across all of Instagram’s formats. Plus, by diversifying your content, you’ll cater to your audience’s varying preferences, helping retain existing followers and attract new ones.
Tracking and Analyzing Results
To ensure that your repurposing efforts pay off, track your metrics and analyze what works best for each format:
- Story Views & Tap-through Rate: Stories give you a clear picture of your audience’s attention span and engagement.
- Reel Engagement: Look at likes, comments, shares, and saves to determine how well your Reels perform.
- Carousel Swipe Rate: For carousel posts, track how many people swipe through to the last slide.
A/B Test Repurposing Tactics
Experiment with different styles and approaches to see what resonates most with your audience. For instance:
- Try posting a similar message on Stories and in a Reel and compare the views.
- Share a Reel first, then a Story a few days later as a reminder.
By regularly analyzing these insights, you can refine your approach and maximize your results over time.
Final Thoughts
Repurposing content across Instagram’s Feed posts, Stories, and Reels is an effective way to amplify your message, reach diverse audiences, and maintain brand consistency.
With the right strategy, you can turn a single post into multiple touchpoints, keeping your content fresh and engaging while reinforcing your brand’s message.
Ready to start repurposing your Instagram content?
Let’s take your content to the next level and make the most out of each post, Story, and Reel!