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If you've been posting Instagram reels for a while, you'll notice that your reach isn't the same as it used to be when you started. Instagram seems to give disproportionate reach to new creators to get them hooked to making reels.
And once they start posting regularly, Instagram stops pushing their content as much. The answer to IG's reach management isn't to stop making reels. It is to give your reels the broadest possible reach.
To repurpose Instagram reels for other social media platforms, you should download and repost them to short-form video apps like TikTok, Youtube Shorts, and Kwai. Moreover, you can illustrate, go behind the scenes, or expand on reels to create long-form content.
In this article, you will learn different ways to repurpose IG reels alongside the best platforms where you can repost your short-form content. By the end of this post, you'll better understand the modern content landscape. So, let's get started with step-by-step instructions for IG reel repurposing.
Steps To Repurpose Instagram Reels For Other Social Media
Now that you understand how IG reels are broadly repurposed for other social media, it is time to dive into the exact steps to take for a repurposing campaign. In this section, you will find a step-by-step formula that most creators must follow to successfully repurpose their reels for other platforms, no matter their niche.
Create A Content Library
Whether you're making content for kids or adults, fashion lovers, or comedy fans doesn't matter. You have to start with a backlog of content. When repurposing reels, you have to make sure you have offline copies of all your reels. If you make videos with a third-party editor like InShot or iMovie, then the videos are probably in your camera roll.
But if you join clips together on Instagram or use the react/remix features to create content directly on the IG app, you need an online reels downloader to save your content offline. Only after downloading your content and organizing it can you start thinking about repurposing it.
Identify Reposting Opportunities
Once your videos are all in your smartphone storage, you might want to head over to TikTok or Youtube and start reposting. But it helps to map out your reposting strategy before you begin executing. You can brainstorm reposting opportunities by categorizing your content as "audio value" or "video value."
Dancers' reels are video value while singers' content has audio value. Most educators, comedians, speakers, and storytellers have audio-value content, while most makeup experts, DIY creators, visual artists, and skit makers have video-value content.
Understanding where you stand in the video-audio dichotomy helps you pick the right platform. TikTok is a video-heavy medium, while Youtube Shorts are played by an audio-inclined audience.
That's why it makes sense for dancers and makeup artists to flock to TikTok and for podcasters and comedians to bet on Youtube. We at ContentFries are of the opinion that you should post everywhere you can post. But strategically, you should start where you'll get the most mileage.
Audio-value content can be stitched up and uploaded on podcasting platforms, while visual content can go on platforms with a high screen time.
Select Modification Method
This is an optional step that can boost the chances of your content getting discovered. Many platforms encourage original content but don't have sophisticated enough algorithms to cross-reference fresh uploads with content posted on other platforms.
So the only way they can encourage fresh content is to boost pieces that are created on their platform. A video posted on TikTok from the creator's camera roll won't get as much visibility as one recorded on TikTok. So, it is advisable to edit the content that you're posting on a platform on its own app.
Here are a few ways to effortlessly modify IG reels for different platforms.
TikTok - Add title cards via TikTok to give your content the "made-on-TikTok" advantage.
Youtube Shorts - Use Youtube Shorts' audio library to set sounds for your visual content. This can help its discoverability.
Reddit - Post content to relevant subreddits with a relevant title to turn it into a Reddit post.
Snapchat Spotlight - Use Snapchat filters to modify IG reels on the Snapchat app. This keeps Snapchat from treating it as recycled content.
Triller - Triller doesn't discriminate against repurposed content, so you can upload IG reels without modifying them.
Likee - Likee doesn't lower the discoverability of content not made via Likee. You can upload reels without modifying them.
Byte - Trim your reels to 6 seconds, as that is the maximum runtime of a piece of content on Byte.
Create A Posting Schedule
Once you know how you'll modify your content and you have a library of content to post, the next step is to execute. But don't dump all your content on a platform in a single day. It can trigger the app's spam detectors.
Create a schedule that allows you to post more consistently and for a longer period. This gives you room to film new content before your backlog runs dry.
Start Posting Short-Form Content
Once you've decided on a posting schedule, you can start following it and let the algorithms work their magic. At a minimum, you should post one piece of short-form content every day.
With a library of 30 IG reels, you can buy yourself a month to shoot new content on this schedule. So, it goes without saying that while you're repurposing your existing content for new platforms, you shouldn't forget to shoot fresh content for existing platforms.
Top Platforms To Repost Your Reels
With the formula for repurposing reels covered, we can discuss the distribution platforms worth considering for a reel creator. Here are some of the best platforms to repost reels alongside their respective strong points.
TikTok
TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media apps in the world. It is what ushered in the era of short-form content with its infinite-scroll model. Its strongest point is its localized algorithm that makes it possible for new creators to become regionally recognized names.
Youtube Shorts
Youtube shorts are a product of Youtube that is meant to compete with TikTok's main content mode. You can repurpose and upload your reels to Youtube for a better time-audience fit. The shorts algorithm has more category-specific discoverability, unlike TikTok, which has broad regional visibility.
Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch has started automatically showing IG Reels to Facebook users. By making a Facebook page and uploading your reels there, you can give Facebook users a place to follow you.
Snapchat
Snapchat has a strong medium-form content consumer base. By repurposing your Instagram content for Snapchat, you can capitalize on spotlight opportunities. Plenty of content on Snapchat is old, dated, and recycled, so you can capitalize on the quality vacuum to build a loyal viewership.
Reddit has a topic-specific discovery advantage. Instead of uploading content to your profile on Reddit, you can upload it to specific subreddits (category forums) which have an in-built audience.
Different subreddits have different rules, though, so you must **make sure that your Reels follow the content-posting guidelines **of the specific subreddits on which you're uploading content.
Likee
Likee is relatively new, so it offers discoverability to incentivize content creators. At any given point, there are a few apps that are competing for market share. These platforms usually have lower competition and higher reach and are always worth jumping on. You never know which app might become the next TikTok or Instagram.
Triller
Triller works best for compilations and music-driven content. If your reels are in the dance, makeup, or any other visual niche, then repurposing them for Triller is a good move.
Byte
Byte has the same duration as Vine, the original short-form content app. If you can fit valuable content in a six-second format, then Byte might be a decent platform.
Kwai
Kwai offers equal opportunity for virality, which is why it is pretty lucrative for short-form content creators. Regardless of how many followers you have elsewhere, you should post your content to Kwai.
Lomotif
Lomotif has a broad international audience. If your reels aren't audio-value, they are not limited by language barriers. Creators with video-value content should repost it on Lomotif.
Snack Video
Snack Video positions itself as an easier-to-monetize alternative to TikTok. You can repost your reels on the app until you have enough of a following to live stream and generate money.
Podcasts
If your content has audio value, you can rip the audio and compile it into 8-to-10-minute episodes. These can be uploaded as podcasts via Podbean, PodOmatic, or Anchor.
How To Be Successful With Your Short-Form Content?
Creating short-form content is a great way to get discovered on a platform that doesn't have click-through. From the IG Reels product to TikTok's main feed, there are plenty of distribution opportunities that allow your content to appear in front of people who do not follow you.
On the surface, this might seem like a hard-to-fumble solution for short-form content creators. However, the infinite scroll model makes it easier for users to continue to the next piece of content. Most TikTok consumers move on to the next video on their feeds without following the creator.
In the world of "For You" pages, it is possible to go viral without growing your profile. To ensure that your content's visibility translates to your profile's growth, you must follow certain practices.
Make Your Content Cohesive
If you create fashion reels, art reels, and gardening reels on the same account, the visibility of any piece of content will not lead to significant profile growth. Whether a fashion enthusiast visits your profile or an art lover checks it out, the randomness of the content will drive them away. But if you post fashion reels only, then fashion lovers will have an easier time following you.
Make Your Content Binge-Worthy
Apart from being in the same niche, your content also needs to be addictive. That's the only way to turn most visitors into followers.
Create A Large Content Library
The longer a follower binges on your content after discovering it, the higher your content is prioritized in their feed. So it always helps to get onto a platform with at least 30 pieces of content.
Remind People To Follow You
When you create short-form content, you should remember the context in which it is consumed. Always assume that the viewers are checking out your videos on their discovery feeds. Remind them to check out your profile and follow you for more content.
Give People A Reason To Visit Your Profile
If you want to further encourage fresh viewers to check out your profile, you must give them a reason to. Instead of saying: "Check out my profile for more videos," you should say: "Check out the pinned video on my profile to find my secret tips for..."
By creating curiosity around your profile, you can get more eyeballs on your content library. And if your library has bingeable content, viewers will get lost in it and eventually subscribe.
More importantly, even if they don't follow your profile, their visiting and binging will signal the algorithm to serve them more of your content in the future. This buys you more chances to encourage subscriptions.
Venturing Into Long-Form Content As A Short-Form Content Creator
Danny Gonzalez, Logan Paul, and Drew Gooden are some of the top names in long-form content creation today. They all got their start on Vine, which was a short-form video-sharing platform with a 6-second duration limit.
Most internet personalities use long-form content to cultivate a loyal audience. Even in the age of the tiktokification of the internet, long-form content remains relevant because of its ability to create a community. Most creators acknowledge that short-form content has a fleeting audience.
No matter how popping your reels are, you have to start creating long-form content that your reels can act as a gateway to. Clips that lead to more clips don't lead to anything. But if you have a long-form content library and your clips can funnel more eyeballs to the longer videos, you can find yourself a community of fans that can migrate from platform to platform with you.
Joe Rogan's audience size wasn't the only factor that got him his $250,000,000 Spotify deal. It was his audience's willingness to migrate to Spotify, along with his content, that made the check worth cutting for Spotify.
Whether you plan to monetize your audience ten years down the line or simply want to push a product within a month, long-form content helps.
In the case of Rogan, he used his TV appearances (relatively short-form) to drive eyeballs to his podcast (long-form). More recently, Andrew Schultz created a library of short standup clips and funneled attention to his podcast and online comedy specials.
Gary Vee, the godfather of content repurposing, blew up a third time in his career when his clips went viral. But it was his long-form content that turned the casual scrollers into fans that would attend the VeeCon.
If your plan is to repost your reels on every social media app that allows you to upload short clips, you'll expand your platform, but you won't increase audience loyalty. Here are a few ways in which you can start producing long-form content as a reel creator.
Compile Spoken-Word Reels
If your reels have high-value audio, then compiling your content can produce a high-value long-form podcast. The Daily Stoic podcast often featured audio ripped from Ryan Holiday's TkToks. This method of long-form content creation works for educators, storytellers, and comedians.
Do Commentary Videos On Your Old Reels
If your reels are in the makeup, fashion, style, and other visual niches, then you might not get much mileage out of compiling content for audio distribution. But you can engage your audience with longer videos that dive deep into the subject matter of your most successful videos.
Explain The Process Behind Your Most Successful Reels
If your reels are in videography, photography, and art niches, then you have the added advantage of interesting BTS content. By going behind the scenes of your successful reels, you can show more of your personality and intellect.
Respond To Comments That Your Reel Gets
Almost any content creator who gets enough comments on his posts can use them as material for long videos. By answering any questions that your followers have, you can produce engaging and in-demand content.
Expand On A Topic That Your Reels Regularly Cover
You don't need to wait for fan comments to start covering your reel topics in depth. You can always start using your reels as the baseline for fresh long-form videos. You can illustrate, agree, or disagree with the points in an existing piece of content to create a new one.
Final Thoughts
You can use your reels as points of discussion to create fresh content, or you can compile them for their audio value. In most cases, repurposing IG reels for other social media entails simply reposting your content with minimal edits for "native-creation" points.
Knowing which platforms can offer the best reach for the kind of content you create is crucial when repurposing content for multiple apps.
Follow the steps covered in this post to repurpose reels for Youtube Shorts, Kwai, TikTok, and even podcasts. And if you want to add captions, visualizers, and other transformative elements to your videos, check out ContentFries, which is a handy content multiplication solution with engaging templates and a scalable workflow.