How to Turn Blog Content into a Video Script
Content repurposing, or reusing existing content in new ways to reach a broader audience, is a great way to release quality messages with minimal cost. The old adage about not fixing that which isn’t broken comes to mind; if your content is strong, don’t convince yourself that its usefulness is past. Making a blog post into a video is cost-effective, fast, and financially smart. Let’s explore some strategies.
It Comes Down to A Few Elements
First, let’s address what SMA Marketing calls the “Key Elements of a Great Blog Turned Into a Video”. The first of these is to hit the main points. Obvious as that may sound, the real insight in this video element is about highlighting and not overwriting. Don’t try to include every word from your blog post. Focus on the core message of the post, and script your video accordingly.
The second element builds upon the first: keep it short. Most video audiences have a short window in which they decide if they’ll continue watching your video. That’s why videos with a shorter runtime have a better chance of being viewed at all. It’s also a great reason to remember to only hit the main points, since nothing stretches runtime like a lengthy, verbose script.
Finally, element three requires you to end your video with a call to action. Hopefully, your blog post already had one. Strong content marketing should provide consumers with next steps to take, and blog posts are no exception. If you didn’t include one originally, here is your chance. Point viewers to your website, ask them to subscribe to your channel or newsletter, or provide another clear action they can take to maintain engagement with your brand.
With these vital elements in mind, how should you start turning a blog post into a video? While templates exist to help you structure your blog content into a script, you can also simply rewrite it yourself.
Lean Further Into Your Visuals
Think first and foremost about the thing that’s probably lacking in your blog post: visuals. This is part of why you don’t want to include every minor point of your blog post, and why this type of writing is different from blog writing. Think of your script as providing the visual skeleton on which the main points of your video will hang. This will help you write around the images, and write the images around your points. If a visual doesn’t reinforce your message, then it doesn’t belong; neither does a point from your post that doesn’t translate well visually (unless it’s a main point—then you’re going to have to think harder about suitable visuals).
When you choose your visuals, think of them as an opportunity. This is your chance to make a visual story, even if the blog post originally included visuals. Turning your blog post into the message of a visual story is a great way to differentiate it from its original form—even visitors to your blog will enjoy the video version, which has a narrative and visual language that the post did not.
Repurposing Is Not Redundancy
Speaking of visitors to your blog, Chris London answers a common question: is it redundant to create video out of a blog post? After all, if people have already encountered your message, will they want to encounter it again? Well, maybe and maybe not, but the question is flawed. Turning a blog post into a video isn’t so much about pleasing your readers—it’s about reaching a wider audience. Not everyone reads blog posts, and others avoid video. By making video out of your blog post, you’re reaching those who might never have read it, and you won’t alienate those who did.
Give Your Words A Voice
In addition to reaching a broader audience, videos will help you “become a real person,” as Rob Powell puts it. Depending on the kind of video you make (whiteboard, traditional animation, live action, etc.) you may have more or less of your personality shine through. Generally, you’ll have a much easier time putting a personal touch on a video than a blog post.
If nothing more, video allows you to use the human voice. This will provide your viewers with a human element missing from blogs (even if it’s not your voice). In live action, you can go even further by putting yourself or your team members in front of the camera.
The Proof is in the Statistics
Finally, there’s the basic reality that marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users. Video increases conversions by 80% when used on a landing page. These are figures that blog posts just don’t have—but that’s not to say you shouldn’t host blog posts as well. It’s simply to say that you should use them to their fullest possible extent, and turn them into videos.
When you repurpose a blog post, you start video production from a great place. You already know your message, and you’ve got a lot of the language to express it. As mentioned above, enter the scripting process as an opportunity, not a task; video allows you to use visual storytelling to reinvigorate a message and bring it to new audiences.
It’s not redundant to repurpose a blog post—it’s cost-effective, and, in the long run, lucrative. Bridge the gap between media preferences. Enjoy the increased conversions and traffic that video brings, all using content you’ve already created.
Has your company repurposed blog posts into video? What kinds of challenges do you see in getting started? Does this discussion help you see the value of repurposing, or do you have a reason to avoid it? Do you have a blog post in mind you might repurpose first?