I timed myself last Tuesday. One 1,800-word blog post transformed into 15 different content pieces in 47 minutes. Not theoretical 47 minutes where everything works perfectly and you never have to regenerate anything. Actual 47 minutes with two coffee refills and one Slack interruption.
The math is stupid-simple: creating 15 original pieces of content would take most teams 15-20 hours minimum. Repurposing with AI tools? Under an hour. And here's the part that surprised me—the repurposed content often performs better because you're forced to distill ideas down to their essence.
Let me show you the exact system.
The Foundation: Start With Something Worth Repurposing
Not every blog post deserves to become 15 things. Some posts should just be posts.
Look for content that has:
- Multiple distinct points or frameworks (not just one idea stretched thin)
- Data or examples that stand alone
- Sections that naturally answer different questions
- Concepts that translate across formats
That 1,800-word post I mentioned? It covered a content strategy framework with five specific components. Each component could become its own piece. The overall framework could be visualized. The case study buried in paragraph seven could be extracted and expanded.
If your blog post is basically "here's one tip explained twelve different ways," repurposing won't save you. You'll just have twelve pieces of redundant content.
The 15-Asset Breakdown (And Why These Specific Formats)
Here's what I create from every solid blog post:
Social Media (6 assets)
- 1 LinkedIn article (condensed version)
- 1 Twitter/X thread (6-8 tweets)
- 3 standalone LinkedIn posts (different angles)
- 1 Instagram carousel (8-10 slides)
Visual Content (4 assets)
- 1 infographic (framework or process)
- 1 quote graphic set (3-5 pullable quotes)
- 1 data visualization (if you have numbers)
- 1 presentation deck (SlideShare/LinkedIn)
Expanded Formats (3 assets)
- 1 email newsletter version
- 1 video script (5-7 minutes)
- 1 podcast outline with talking points
Micro-Content (2 assets)
- 1 set of social media captions (ready to deploy)
- 1 FAQ document (questions the post answers)
That's 15. Some take 90 seconds. Some take five minutes. None require starting from scratch.
The Tool Stack That Actually Works
I've tested probably 30 different AI tools for content repurposing. Most are solving problems nobody has. (Yes, I definitely need my blog post automatically converted into interpretive dance notation. Very helpful.)
Here's what I actually use:
ChatGPT or Claude (the foundation)
I know, boring answer. But these do 80% of the work. I have specific prompts for each content type that I'll share in a minute. Cost: $20/month for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro.
Canva with AI features (visual content)
The Magic Write and Text-to-Image features handle the heavy lifting for infographics and carousel posts. Templates prevent you from making something that looks like a ransom note. Cost: $13/month for Pro.
Descript (video/audio content)
If you're creating video scripts, Descript's AI can help adapt written content for speaking. It catches things that read well but sound awkward. Cost: $24/month for Creator plan.
Taplio or Shield (LinkedIn-specific)
These format and optimize LinkedIn content specifically. Not essential, but they save time on the platform's quirks. Cost: $39-49/month.
Total monthly cost: $96-106. That's less than two hours of a content manager's time.
The 47-Minute Workflow (Actual Time Breakdown)
I'm giving you the real numbers because those "create content in 5 minutes!" promises are exhausting. This takes 47 minutes because that's how long it actually takes.
Minutes 0-5: Setup and extraction
- Copy your blog post into a doc
- Identify the 3-5 main points
- Note any data, quotes, or examples worth highlighting
- List which formats make sense (not everything needs everything)
Minutes 5-15: Social media content (6 assets)
- LinkedIn article: Feed your post into Claude, prompt: "Condense this to 800 words for LinkedIn, maintain key points and data, make it more conversational." (3 minutes)
- Twitter thread: "Convert this into a 7-tweet thread, each tweet under 280 characters, maintain narrative flow." (2 minutes)
- LinkedIn posts: "Extract three different angles from this content, each as a standalone LinkedIn post, 150-200 words." (3 minutes)
- Instagram carousel: Use Canva template, pull key points, add visuals. (7 minutes)
Minutes 15-30: Visual content (4 assets)
- Infographic: Canva template + main framework from post. (8 minutes)
- Quote graphics: Pull 4-5 compelling quotes, drop into Canva template. (3 minutes)
- Data visualization: If you have stats, use Canva's chart features. (4 minutes)
- Presentation deck: Repurpose infographic content into 10-12 slides. (5 minutes)
Minutes 30-42: Expanded formats (3 assets)
- Email version: "Rewrite this for email, add a compelling subject line, make it more personal and direct." (4 minutes)
- Video script: "Convert this into a 6-minute video script with clear sections, verbal transitions, and speaking cues." (4 minutes)
- Podcast outline: "Create a podcast discussion outline with 5 main talking points, questions to explore, and examples to mention." (4 minutes)
Minutes 42-47: Micro-content (2 assets)
- Social captions: "Generate 10 social media captions promoting this content, varied angles and lengths." (3 minutes)
- FAQ document: "Extract 8-10 questions this post answers, with concise answers." (2 minutes)
That's the whole thing. No magic, just systematic execution.
The Prompts That Make This Work
Generic prompts get generic results. Shocking, I know.
Here are the specific prompts I use. Steal them:
For LinkedIn condensing:
"Take this blog post and create an 800-word LinkedIn article. Keep all data points and specific examples. Make the tone more conversational and direct. Start with a hook that works for LinkedIn's feed. End with a question to drive comments. Maintain the core argument but cut any fluff."
For Twitter threads:
"Convert this into a Twitter thread of 6-8 tweets. First tweet must hook attention with a surprising stat or contrarian point. Each tweet must work standalone but flow as a narrative. Include the main data points. Final tweet should create curiosity to read the full post. Each tweet under 280 characters."
For video scripts:
"Adapt this written content into a 6-minute video script. Add verbal transitions and speaking cues. Flag where visuals should appear. Convert written examples into stories I can tell naturally. Mark good places to pause for emphasis. Make it sound like natural speech, not written prose."
The pattern: be specific about format requirements, length, tone, and structure. Tell the AI what to keep and what to cut.
What AI Gets Wrong (And How to Fix It Fast)
AI repurposing isn't perfect. Here's what I always have to adjust:
Tone drift: AI often makes content either too formal or too casual. I spend 2-3 minutes per piece adjusting voice to match my actual style. Read it aloud—if you wouldn't say it, change it.
Generic transitions: AI loves "Moreover" and "Furthermore." I do a find-and-replace for these and use actual human transitions. Or just start sentences with "And" and "But" like a normal person.
Losing specificity: AI sometimes replaces concrete examples with generic ones. Always check that your specific company names, numbers, and details survived the transformation.
Format blindness: AI doesn't always understand platform constraints. Double-check character counts, image dimensions, and platform-specific features.
Budget 5-10 minutes for these fixes across all 15 assets. Still faster than creating from scratch.
The Distribution Calendar Nobody Talks About
Creating 15 assets in under an hour is impressive. Dumping all 15 online simultaneously is stupid.
Here's my distribution timeline:
Week 1:
- Day 1: Publish original blog post
- Day 2: LinkedIn article goes live
- Day 3: Twitter thread
- Day 4: First standalone LinkedIn post
- Day 5: Instagram carousel
Week 2:
- Day 8: Email newsletter version
- Day 10: Second LinkedIn post
- Day 12: Quote graphics (spread across week)
Week 3:
- Day 15: Infographic
- Day 17: Third LinkedIn post
- Day 19: Presentation deck to SlideShare
Week 4:
- Day 22: Video (if you record it)
- Day 24: Data visualization
- Day 26: Podcast episode (if applicable)
One blog post becomes a month of content. The assets reference each other, building momentum rather than competing for attention.
When Repurposing Doesn't Work
Let's be honest about limitations.
Time-sensitive content: If your post is about a current event or trending topic, you don't have a month to distribute. Adjust the calendar or skip some formats.
Highly technical content: Some specialized B2B content doesn't translate well to Instagram carousels. That's fine. Pick the 8 formats that make sense instead of forcing all 15.
Audience mismatch: If your audiences on different platforms want completely different things, repurposing might not work. A blog post about enterprise software architecture probably won't crush it on Instagram no matter how pretty you make it.
Shallow content: If your original post doesn't have much depth, repurposing just creates 15 shallow pieces. The solution isn't better repurposing—it's better original content.
Repurposing amplifies what you have. It doesn't fix weak foundations.
The Metrics That Actually Matter
I track three things:
Time ROI: Hours saved vs. hours spent. If repurposing takes longer than creating fresh content, something's broken in your process.
Engagement per format: Which repurposed formats perform best? I've found LinkedIn posts often outperform the original blog in reach. Twitter threads drive more blog traffic than any other source. Instagram carousels... exist. (Your mileage will vary.)
Content lifespan: One blog post distributed across a month has 4x the visibility window of posting once and moving on. Measure total impressions across all formats, not just individual piece performance.
I don't track "number of assets created" because that's a vanity metric. Fifteen pieces of content nobody sees isn't an achievement.
Making This a Repeatable System
The first time you do this, it'll take 90 minutes, not 47. You're learning the tools, refining prompts, figuring out what works.
By the fifth blog post, you'll have:
- Saved prompts you can reuse
- Canva templates already set up
- A distribution calendar template
- A sense of which formats work for your audience
That's when this becomes genuinely efficient. I now repurpose content almost on autopilot. The system runs itself.
Document your process as you go. I have a Notion doc with all my prompts, a Canva folder with templates, and a Trello board for distribution scheduling. Sounds organized because it is—this only works if it's systematic.
The Real Advantage Nobody Mentions
Here's what surprised me most about systematic repurposing: it makes you a better writer.
When you know a blog post will become 15 assets, you write differently. You include more distinct points. You add data that can be visualized. You create frameworks that translate across formats. You think in multi-channel from the start.
My blog posts got better because I started writing with repurposing in mind. Clearer structure, more examples, stronger hooks. The repurposing system improved the original content.
That's the real ROI.
Start With One Post This Week
Don't try to repurpose your entire content library. Pick one solid blog post—something with multiple points, good examples, maybe some data.
Set a timer. Follow this system. See what you create in under an hour.
You won't get all 15 assets perfect on your first try. That's fine. You'll still have more content than you started with, and you'll understand the process.
Then do it again next week. And the week after.
Three months from now, you'll have a content engine that runs faster than anything you could build manually. All from blog posts you were writing anyway.
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