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How To Grow Instagram By Reposting Old Content

In the past year, I made no new content and still got over 75k followers on IG & TikTok... JUST by re-posting OLD content. ONE SINGLE post actually got me over 10k followers. I'll explain the detail on how I did it.

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This past year, I barely created any NEW content.

Most of my Instagram posts are things I created 2 years ago and all my video content comes from my Zoom recordings.

I never imagined that all those hours I spent back then making amazing content will continue to bring me new followers if I keep reposting them.

To give you an idea, I reposted this same post 4 times (only changing the covers slightly), and overall it brought me over 10k followers on Instagram:

In the past year, I’ve gained over 75k followers on Instagram and TikTok just by reposting old content or repurposing my Zoom recordings.

Today, I’ll to show you some tips and tricks I learned.

Before you read further, answer this question first:

Do you currently have, or plan to create, at least 30 pieces of (good) content?

If not, you probably shouldn’t waste time reading the rest of the email. Just keeping it real… 🤷‍♂️

Hidden benefits of reposting

Well, there’s the obvious reason of getting new followers without having to keep creating new content.

But wait… there’s more!

If you’re saying to yourself “I’m not really a social media person”, here’s what you’re missing out:

  1. Your customers are recommending you to their friends. And the first thing they’re gonna want to see a sample of your content. They want to see what you’re all about before they commit to following you or subscribing to your email.
  2. Social media is a networking tool. I’ve met many prominent players in my industry through DM’s and I was able to collab with them ONLY because they were impressed by my content.

Newsflash: nobody is scrolling on your feed SEARCHING for your best content. They’re just quickly scanning.

And if all they see are your offers and some photos of you on the beach, most likely they’ll leave and never come back.

That’s why your best content should be on top of your feed.

By showing some quality content, you can impress them, get them to follow you so you can start building a relationship with them.

I know it’s exhausting to keep coming up with great content ideas.

This is EXACTLY why you should be reposting your best content over and over. Every time someone lands on your page they’ll be greeted with some of your best posts.

This is how you show them you know what you’re doing.

Don’t worry, you won’t piss off your followers

When I first started re-posting, I was scared of “bothering” my followers. I thought they were gonna say “You posted this already! Unfollowing! 😡”

Not a single person did.

But I did get a few comments saying “you’ve posted this before, but I really needed to hear it again, so thank you.” or “I know you’ve said this before, but I finally get it now.”

99% of your followers would’ve never seen the original post OR won’t remember it at all. Trust me, ain’t nobody paying attention to your content as much as you.

The other 1% of people who DO remember are your true fans. There’s no danger of them unfollowing you. 😅

How often should you repost?

If your followers haven’t seen a post in 3 months, it’s safe to assume they forgot it already. I’ve seen people who reposted after a week and almost no one noticed. I personally re-post every 6 months.

Having said that, I’d recommend waiting between 3 months and 6 months. This way you can repost the same piece of content 2 to 4 times per year.

The frequency of your repost will really depend on the number of posts you have and how often you want to repost. For example, if you have 100 pieces of good content, you can repost everyday for 3 months or every other day for 6 months. If you have 30, you can repost every 3 days or so for 3 months or once a week for 6 months.

See also  Guide To Planning Your Website For Conversions

Remember that social media platforms DO NOT show your content to MOST of your followers. Not to mention you have new followers that haven’t seen your content from 3 months ago. So it’s safe to assume that when you repost, more than half of your followers have never seen it.

Check the numbers first

I’m not a big “analytics” guy (I know, I’m a bad marketer 😂), so don’t worry, this isn’t as serious as it sounds.

Go to your platform’s analytics page and view your data by “content”. This is where they show you the analytics for each post.

You can find them here:

The number we’re looking for is the “views” (or reach). Whatever content that got the most views is probably because that platform’s algorithm likes that piece of content.

Make sure you compare the numbers separately for each post types (i.e. Reels vs Photos).

Now group your best content into 3 categories:

  1. Banger posts: posts that either went viral or have significantly higher views than the average posts (at least 3x)
  2. Above average posts: posts that is slightly higher than the average posts (around 2 or 3 times more)
  3. Average posts: most of your posts will fall in this category
  4. Below average posts: posts that underperformed compared to the average posts (around half or less)
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caption for image

Create an inventory of your posts

Once you’ve identified which posts fall into which category, find the best 30 to 100 pieces of content.

These are going in your “inventory” of re-usable content.

During this process, you’ll want to exclude posts that are just flat out bad or not relevant to your business.

I’ll be honest with you, I just kinda wing this part. Every week, I go back 6 months in the analytics and pick the posts I’m going to post that week. But I don’t recommend doing that.

Once you have this inventory of content, start scheduling them: (you can use a scheduler, or just keep track of them in a spreadsheet and post them manually)

  1. Space out your banger posts as much as you can. For example, if you have 3 banger posts and you’re reposting every 3 months, you’ll want to post your banger posts once a month.
  2. Follow your banger posts with above average posts. The algorithm works on momentum. Every time you have a post that performs well, your next few posts will be shown to more people than usual. This will make sure you milk the momentum from your banger posts. Also when your audience sees 2 to 3 great posts in a row from you, they’ll see you as more of an expert.
  3. Fill in the rest of your schedule with a mix of your average posts and below average posts.

Tweak the posts slightly

You don’t HAVE to do this, but you’re probably gonna want to.

If you don’t have the original (editable) files of your content, you probably can’t do this part, so you can skip it.

If you DO have the original files, go back and review them. You’ll probably realize how awful they are compared to what you can do now. That’s because you’ve gotten better at making content.

See also  The Practical Guide To Selling Using Your Story

I usually spend about 10 minutes touching up the copy.

Most of the time it’s just a matter of changing the hook

Here’s an example of how I just edited the hook (first slide) and it went from an average post to a banger post.

DO NOT DISMISS your below average posts!

Sometimes, some of your worst content might become your best.

For example, when I reposted the following post, I realized that the original post was way too confusing. I was able to simplify the message and make it go viral:

Here’s another example that shows how much I improved my writing:

Bonus Tip

If you write long captions in your Instagram or TikTok, repurpose them on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. They perform well.

Take a look at the caption I wrote on  this Instagram post . I edited it and reposted on  Twitter , and people loved it!

Reposting Videos

You can also repost old videos or post the same video across multiple platform. Here’s a video I originally posted on TikTok and reposted on Instagram & YouTube:

Here are a few tips on how to repost cross platform.

Step 1: Remove watermark

If you want to repost a short form video from one platform to another, you’ll want to remove the watermark using one of these tools:

Step 2: Remove EXIF metadata

There are hidden metadata in your video file that other platforms might recognize as a repost. Algorithms don’t like that, so remove these data by using  this website .

Now you’re free to upload the video on any platform you want!

Video content for lazy people

If you don’t have any video content, the easiest way to make them is by creating long form content. You can do this by recording all your Zoom recordings (with your employees, clients, vendors, etc.)

This is a lot easier than recording by looking at the green dot on your camera. It’s less awkward because when you’re actually talking to a person, you’ll talk more naturally and you’ll actually say smarter things.

I personally record every Zoom meeting I’m on. I don’t ask for permission because I’m only using the parts where I’m speaking.

How to repurpose your videos for short form

Once you have your long form videos (Zoom recordings), you can take 30 to 60 second clips from them. Here are 3 ways you can do it:

  1. Edit it yourself: If you don’t already know how to use an editing software,  descript.com  is gonna be the easiest way to go.
  2. Hire a video editor: Expect to spend between $1,000 to $5,000 per month depending on the number of videos you put out. If you’re looking for an editor, reply to this email and I can help you.
  3. Have AI edit it for you: go to  getmunch.com  and upload your long form video there. This app will find the best parts of your video and edit it with subtitles and everything. It also gives you the caption + hashtags. I recommend this option if you don’t have time and can’t afford to hire an editor.

Once you have your edited clips, upload them on all the platforms.

See also  What Makes A Content Good Vs Great?

I usually post the same video on all platforms: YouTube, Instagram Reels, TikTok, Facebook Reels, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Note: I recommend consistently posting short form videos for at least 3 months because it takes time for the algorithm to start pushing out your content. Also when you post on YouTube, use hashtag #shorts and #youtubeshorts.

Start a video podcast! (hear me out)

Another way to create long form content (so you can repurpose it for short form videos) is by having your own podcast.

Before you start whining about how you don’t have time…

It’s a lot easier than you think. It’ll only take about 2 or 3 hours per week.

Here are some hidden benefits of having a podcast (even if you have zero downloads):

  1. You’ll get more content ideas: I get my best ideas when I’m in a conversation. When I’m talking about a subject that I haven’t fully thought through, the pressure of live conversation puts my brain into overdrive. Things start to click and I start having eureka moments.
  2. You meet interesting people: It’s a lot easier than you think to invite influencers to your podcast (maybe because it’s still a new platform). Reach out to 100 of your favorite people and you’ll be surprised at how many of them will say yes to being a guest on your podcast.
  3. You get free short form content: Even if nobody listens to your podcast, you can still repurpose it for short form content (as I mentioned above).

Start messy and improve little by little

Don’t overthink it by trying to create a professional cover, intro/outro, or a theme song. Use a simple template from  Canva . Don’t invest in expensive equipments just yet. Zoom recording with your webcam + earbuds is good enough. (Take a look at  my first video  on Instagram). Don’t edit the videos just upload the video as is. You can improve it over time.

First, use one of these softwares to record

Then just upload it using one of these platform

I also recommend uploading your entire episode on YouTube for more visibility.

Lock it in your calendar

99% of podcasts you see out there don’t ever make it past episode 10. This almost happened to me also, but I was able to stay consistent because I locked it in my calendar.

Every Wednesday at noon, when I’m busy I want to reschedule the podcast recording, but since it’s in my calendar and have a guest booked, I can’t back out (and afterward, I’m always glad I did it)

Have a few episodes in the bag before you start

Shit happens. You might have an emergency or your guest might not show up. By having a few episodes batched will help you stay consistent during these times. Record at least 4 episodes before you publish the first one.

Want a detailed masterclass on how to start a podcast?

 Night Owl Nation members  have access to all of the masterclasses I’ve done in many different topics, like:

  • Podcasting
  • Video editing
  • Design
  • Copywriting
  • Email marketing
  • Content strategy
  • And a lot more (total over 100 videos)

So if you want to watch these, I highly recommend you join. It’s $5/mo for christ’s sake. (some of you spend more than that on coffee)

Next week’s Best F*cking Email:

If you like some of the stories I posted on social media, you’ll want to check out next week’s email. I’m gonna go over how we write stories and practice storytelling at  Night Owl Nation .

The Most Valuable F*cking Emails

Guaranteed to make you say:
I never thought of it that way!

Enter your name and email to get'em:

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