How to Repurpose Old Content for Fresh UGC Ideas

As a UGC creator working with brands, producing fresh, engaging content can be time-consuming. However, by repurposing old content, you can save time, reduce creative burnout, and provide brands with valuable, refreshed material. Instead of starting from scratch every time, repurposing allows you to leverage content that has already proven successful and transform it into something new for a brand’s current campaign.

In this guide, we’ll explore effective ways to repurpose old UGC content, helping you get the most out of your previous work while aligning with the unique needs of your brand clients.

1. Identify Brand-Relevant, High-Performing Content

Before repurposing content, it’s crucial to identify which of your past projects performed well and can be adapted to meet the brand’s goals. Focus on content that resonated with the brand’s target audience and delivered results, whether through engagement metrics, sales, or positive feedback.

Steps to identify repurposable content:

• Review past brand collaborations: Look at your previous work with similar brands. Which UGC projects received high engagement or positive feedback from the brand?
• Check analytics: If you're managing content across platforms, check metrics like views, comments, likes, and shares to identify high-performing pieces.
• Consider evergreen content: Prioritize content that remains relevant over time. For example, tutorials, product reviews, or lifestyle posts that showcase how a product fits into daily life can be easily refreshed and adapted to different campaigns.

Tip: If a specific campaign led to increased sales or brand awareness, it’s a clear indicator that the content can be repurposed effectively.

2. Adapt Content to Fit New Brand Campaigns

Once you've identified repurposable content, think about how you can adapt it to fit a new brand’s message or a new product line. The key is to refresh the material while keeping the core of what made it successful.

Ways to adapt content for new campaigns:

• Update the product or service featured: If you previously created a UGC video review for a specific product, you can adapt the structure and tone to showcase a different product within the same category for another brand. For example, if you filmed a fitness product review, reuse the format for another brand’s new fitness gear.
• Refine the narrative: Keep the structure of your content but tweak the message to align with the new brand’s objectives. For instance, if your old video emphasized ease of use, your refreshed content could focus on the new product’s unique features.
• Tailor content to new audiences: Adjust the tone, language, and style to appeal to the target audience of the new brand. A fun, light-hearted tutorial for a skincare brand could be repurposed into a more professional, benefit-driven demonstration for a wellness brand.

Tip: Collaborate with the brand to ensure your repurposed content aligns with their current marketing objectives and messaging. Tailoring your past work to meet their needs is key to producing relevant content.

3. Change the Content Format for a Fresh Approach

One of the easiest ways to repurpose content is to transform its format. By taking a piece of content you’ve already created, like a video review or a photo series, and presenting it in a new way, you can extend its lifespan and reach a different audience.

Ideas for reformatting content:

• Turn a video into a photo carousel: Extract key moments from a video and convert them into a carousel of high-quality images that highlight important product features. Brands often need multiple content types for different platforms, and repurposing a video into a photo series can save them time and resources.
• Transform text content into a video: If you previously created a written review or testimonial, turn it into a dynamic video. Use product shots or short clips that align with the review, adding visuals to bring the content to life.
• Convert long-form content into snippets: Break down long-form videos or tutorials into short, digestible clips for platforms like Instagram Stories, Reels, or TikTok. Each clip can focus on one specific feature or benefit, giving the brand multiple pieces of content from a single video.

Tip: Always match the format to the platform. For example, vertical videos work well for Instagram Reels or TikTok, while landscape or square videos may be better suited for Facebook or YouTube ads.

4. Refresh Content with New Details and Insights

Repurposing content doesn’t mean you can’t add anything new. In fact, refreshing old content with updated details or insights is a great way to keep it relevant and aligned with current trends or product developments.

How to refresh content:

• Add new product features or updates: If the brand has released a new version of the product or added features, incorporate these into your existing content. For example, if you previously created a demo video for a skincare brand, update it by highlighting new ingredients or improved packaging.
• Expand on a popular idea: Take a piece of content that worked well and dive deeper into the subject. If a tutorial received positive feedback, create a “Part 2” that offers more advanced tips or additional information.
• Incorporate seasonal or trending elements: Tailor older content to fit a current season or trend. For instance, repurpose a summer-focused product review into a winter version by highlighting how the product performs in colder weather.

Tip: Adding small updates like new statistics, product developments, or fresh testimonials can make older content feel new and relevant, increasing its appeal for brands.

5. Create a Compilation or Round-Up Post

Another great way to repurpose content is by creating a compilation or round-up post. This is especially useful when working with brands that have multiple products or services, allowing you to present a cohesive overview while leveraging content you’ve already created.

Ideas for creating compilations:

• Product comparison videos: If you've reviewed multiple products for different brands, create a comparison video that highlights the benefits of each product. This can be especially valuable for brands looking to showcase how they stack up against competitors.
• Best-of collections: Curate a collection of your most successful content around a theme. For example, if you’ve worked with multiple fitness brands, create a “Top 5 Fitness Products” video, using snippets from previous reviews.
• Seasonal round-ups: If you’ve created content that aligns with certain seasons, holidays, or trends, compile those pieces into a “seasonal round-up” for brands to use in their marketing efforts.

Tip: Compilations are an excellent way to give brands multiple pieces of content from a single project, maximizing the value of your previous work.

6. Use Your Existing Templates for New Projects

If you've developed a structure or format that works particularly well, consider turning it into a template that can be used for future content. This method allows you to streamline the creation process while ensuring a consistent approach to your UGC work.

How to use templates:

• Video templates: If you’ve created a successful product demo video, save the structure—such as the introduction, product close-ups, and key feature highlights—as a template. When working with new brands, you can swap out the product but maintain the same flow.
• Photo layouts: Create a consistent template for product photography, such as a specific arrangement or lighting setup that you can use across different brands. This ensures high-quality, on-brand photos every time.
• Content frameworks: Use a framework for reviews, tutorials, or lifestyle content that can be easily adjusted to fit different products or campaigns.

Tip: Templates save time and help maintain quality across projects, ensuring that your content remains professional and cohesive, even when you’re working with multiple brands.

Conclusion

Repurposing old content is a powerful way to save time, streamline your creative process, and continue delivering valuable UGC for brands. By transforming, refreshing, or adapting existing content, you can offer brands fresh material while minimizing effort and resources. Whether you're reformatting content, updating details, or creating compilations, repurposing allows you to make the most of your previous work and maximize its impact.

By mastering the art of repurposing, you’ll be able to deliver high-quality content that meets the evolving needs of the brands you work with—while making the most of your creative portfolio.