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Producing fresh, high-quality content daily for Instagram is extremely time and resource-intensive for brands. Yet the algorithm and users demand consistency. This leaves many accounts struggling to keep up. A solution exists in recycling existing content strategically to double its reach and value without significantly more creation efforts.
Understand the value of recycled content
Posting recycled content on Instagram typically carries negative perceptions of laziness or duplicity. But when strategically repurposed, recycled posts bring tons of value.
- Saves creation time and costs
- Allows consistent posting to algorithm
- Re-targets different audiences
- Tests content with new captions
- Gains additional feedback data
- Prolongs content lifespans
- Key metric building through re-shares
Evaluate content suitability for recycling
- Older than 3 months (fresh to new audiences)
- Gained over 500 likes originally
- Strong aesthetic or production value
- Positive sentiment feedback in comments
- Aligns to evergreen theme or topic
Content showing positive past responses for targets makes the best candidates for recycling. This predicts similar future engagement when re-shared. Pieces underperforming despite promotion may not deserve recycling. Ground efforts in your highest potential existing content. Leave weak posts behind.
Delete low-traction posts first
Before recycling previous successes, purge your Instagram feed of any posts with dismal lifetime traction. This showcases only your best content appearances to new visitors. Sort your posts by engagement levels and delete the bottom half scoring lowest in lifetime likes and comments. This neatly hides unsuccessful experiments from your profile. With only your top-tier evergreen content now displayed, recycling these proven pieces intermixed with new creations spotlights your brand’s full talents at all times.
Share recycled posts in instagram stories
Instagram feeds and Stories reach different audiences, so repurposing between them expands your content’s exposure to entirely new groups of users. By resharing important posts on Instagram as multi-slide stories, you can reach more audience members, even those with existing buy instagram followers. Enhance images with engaging gifs, stickers, links, location tags, quizzes, and effects. Add polls, questions, and calls to action specific to Stories too. Dedicate the first slide to announcing your “Flashback” or “Throwback” theme signalling recycled greatness returning for another round.
Repost at new times based on insights
Check your Instagram Insights to compare original post performance by day and hour posted. Better creation times influence more feed impressions and engagement. If your initial share hits Wednesday at 5 pm, try reposting the coming Tuesday morning instead to test a new timeframe with recycled content. Always schedule recycled posts for different days, times, and gaps between the original for the broadest reach.
Update visual elements for “Sneak Peek” teasers
Visually differentiate recycled feed posts from their originals via slight design alterations.
- Slightly shift crop area
- Modify color filters
- Add text/overlay
- Blur/hide portions
- Zoom into key subjects
- Change orientations
- Apply subtle edits
- Switch up collage arrangements
Keep the core visual intact while changing up 20-30% of the asset. Promote previews of your updated version reinventing previously successful images. This intrigues fans to inspect and engage with close inspection while recycling major graphics. Strategically repurposing what performed well already makes hitting daily posting goals and continually growing Instagram followings much more manageable long term. Let high-value content shine again and again.
