5 Simple Steps to Breathe New Life into Old Content with SlideShare

Ready to reach a wider audience without having to create content from scratch?

Repurposing an old blog post into a SlideShare deck gives it new life and adds more value to your original content.

SlideShare decks can drive more traffic to your website and help you build your email list, too.

Here are five simple steps you can use to repurpose old content into a SlideShare deck.

Step 1: Select popular content

Once you know a blog post is popular on your own site, you can repurpose it to reach an even wider audience.

Posts that have strong visual elements also translate into compelling decks, and educational list posts easily convert into a slide format.

You can turn your latest “Top 10 Tips” post into a deck, with one tip on each slide.

Step 2: Plan your visuals

Check out the featured decks on SlideShare’s homepage for inspiration and to help you understand the types of visuals that work well on SlideShare.

As of December 2015, popular slide trends include photo backgrounds on title slides and screenshots of related social media posts.

For a detailed guide about choosing images for your slide deck, check out How to Fully Engage Your Readers’ Brains with Images.

Step 3: Repurpose your content

Outline your deck
First, break your content into an outline that will translate into slides. You can use mind-mapping software, or even index cards or sticky notes.

Listen to How to Create Videos and SlideShare Presentations that LinkedIn Loves for more on planning your SlideShare content.

Hook your viewers
Take the most important points from your blog post and put them into your slides. The deck should simplify the content to communicate your message quickly.

Motivate viewers to keep clicking through your deck by offering a mix of entertaining and informative content on each slide.

Here’s your chance to present highlights and omit any language that isn’t necessary.

Write short copy
Each slide should state one single point and make every word count. Think of your deck as a visual snack for your audience. Each slide should be a nibble.

I like the “three-second rule” from Duarte:

People should be able to comprehend your slide in three seconds.

Add calls to action
Calls to action in your deck direct readers to the next step you want them to take — read your full blog post, study your cornerstone content, sign up for your email list, etc.

You can hyperlink any object or text in a deck, but readers need to clearly see that an object is clickable:

• Design buttons that stand out
• Underline links (include arrows that point to hyperlinks, if possible)
• Use clear and active language

To make your SlideShare calls to action absolutely foolproof for viewers, type out the URL for at least one of your links, so readers can see where the hyperlink will take them.

Step 4: Publish and share your SlideShare deck

After you’ve uploaded your deck to SlideShare, post it on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, and any other sites where you have a social media presence.

Be sure to share an image of your deck. As Copyblogger’s SlideShare deck, The 3-Step Journey of a Remarkable Piece of Content, says:

Remarkable content starts with the eyes.

Since LinkedIn makes it easy to upload SlideShare decks to your profile page, decks can also become an engaging part of your LinkedIn presence.

Step 5: Embed the deck on your site

Embed the deck in your original blog post to enhance the existing content. Adding a SlideShare deck to a blog post helps illustrate the information for readers.

You may want to share the original blog post more frequently on social media or republish the content on your site.

If you created a SlideShare deck from a blog post that answers your customers’ frequently asked questions, you can also embed the deck in your website’s FAQ page to present prospects with a persuasive piece of content.

Spin your old content into SlideShare gold

SlideShare is a powerful platform that helps you expose your popular content to new prospects.

Now you’re equipped to turn one of your blog posts into a SlideShare deck and share it with your audience!

About the Author: Jessica Mehring is a copywriter, content marketing expert, and author who specializes in working with B2B companies. A Colorado-based bibliophile, in her spare time Jessica attends comic-book conventions with her husband. Download her special report on creating white papers that actually convert.

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