A lot of the YouTube content I publish is derived from blog posts. In fact, I started the YouTube channel to accentuate the content on the blog by embedding a video version of the post. And so far, it has served me quite well.
I am a proponent of having a blog and a YouTube channel simultaneously. It’s a great way of connecting with twice the audience while improving your chances of making more than double the money.
Of course, it also requires twice the workload. However, as you can see in the Blog vs Vlog series, they both have pros that easily outweigh all of the cons.
It just requires a lot of time and effort.
Using Blog Content for YouTube Ideas
If you’ve had a blog for a significant amount of time, it can provide quite a few content ideas for YouTube. The thing to keep in mind is that not all of your blog readers are going to be YouTube viewers, and vice-versa.
They both have a unique audience even though it’s the same content. People simply prefer to read or watch. Yes, you’ll have a few that will do both, but the vast majority of people will stick with their primary method of consuming content.
With that being said, you can repurpose a lot of blog content for YouTube videos. Coincidentally, the YouTube channel can also provide ideas for the blog.
They are virtually interchangeable.
Start with High-Impact Blog Posts
Blog posts that have a high level of visits and engagement are a great place to start. The idea is that if they did well on your blog, the content might prove beneficial as YouTube videos.
However, you also need to keep in mind that not everything is going to land as well as a video.
I’ve had several experiences where popular blog posts that consistently sat in the top 10 visited each month did exceptionally poorly in comparison on YouTube. Some had roughly the same impact, but don’t be surprised if something under or overperforms.
Regardless, the blog posts that are the most popular can easily get the engine started for your YouTube channel.
Using Headings as Talking Points
Depending on the type of blog you manage, you should have sections separated by headings. This keeps the subtopics of your article organized and easier to skim through. Use those headings to launch talking points in the video.
In this case, the blog is acting as a pseudo script for the video. It’s already laid out in front of you, all you need to do is revisit the article after hitting the record button.
I am almost positive you’ll think of other points to talk about in a video as opposed to the blog post. I come up with new material all the time. That’s when you keep track of those points to update the blog post, which I’ll talk about in a moment.
The headings of a blog post will act as the backbone for YouTube video content. Create a bullet list of these headings to guide you while recording.
Don’t Read the Content Verbatim?*
So, there are a few different fundamental ideas about using the blog itself as a script for the video. For one thing, some experts advise against it as video content needs to be more personal and conversational. Yet, conversational is how Google wants blog posts for better search rankings.
You also want to create a video with more visual elements than the blog post. But blog posts that use several images tend to get more views and shares on social media.
And lastly, some attest to the overall attention span of video viewers versus blog readers. As such, the blog post should be condensed to a shortened burst of information.
In my experience, I haven’t found much of an actual difference between reading a blog verbatim or re-writing a new script for the topic. However, I’ve never really read a blog post verbatim. I often write a similar but different script for videos.
At the end of the day, it all depends on the YouTube creator and whether he or she wants to read from a blog post for the dialogue in the video.
Using the Same Screenshots
Depending on the screenshots and images you add to your blog post, you could easily use them in your YouTube video content. They might need a bit of tweaking for the video resolution, but it’s relatively easy.
I’ve used screenshots directly from the blog in a lot of my videos to help visualize the point I’m making. And a lot of those videos are in the top 20 for views on my channel.
Would it be better to take new screenshots for the videos? Not necessarily. Sometimes I will get new images depending on the context of the topic. But for the most part, you can easily use your blog’s screenshots to accentuate the video content.
Nearly all of the pros and cons videos on the YouTube channel are using the actual lists screenshotted directly from the blog.
It saves you time from having to find new images. Everything you’ll need for your video is already published as a blog post.
Incorporating Keywords for SEO
Keywords and phrases are what Google and YouTube use to determine the topic of the content. Making sure they’re properly used within the post or video will easily boost visibility.
For instance, a lot of my videos appear in a Google search for specific topics. And sometimes, I’ve seen content from both this blog and the YouTube channel on the same results page. That has a lot to do with how the content is written and making sure I’m covering the keyword to meet the demands of a searcher.
There is quite a bit to writing for SEO, but the bottom line is that Google will use the transcript of your video to determine if it is shown as a search result outside of YouTube.
This is probably where using the blog as a complete script for YouTube content would be most beneficial. That is as long as you keep SEO in mind when writing your article.
Update the Blog with New Ideas
If you think of something new to add to the video, make sure you go back and add it to the blog post. Not only will it better match the video version of the topic, but you’re also providing Google and potential visitors with more information than the original.
I talk about updating older content all the time, and it’s still as vital today as it was 10 years ago. It’s a way to keep the blog fresh, current, and actively maintained. Google hates blogs that go radio silent for extended periods of time.
Meaning, you’ll lose positions in search and will see your traffic get decimated quite quickly.
In any case, don’t be afraid to update the blog post with a new point you added to the video. It’s better all around for humans and search engine bots.
Embedding Videos Gets Views and Watch Time
The nice thing about managing both a blog and a YouTube channel is the content is cross-promotional.
Because I add a few links to video descriptions to the blog that are relevant to the channel, I get a few visits from YouTube. Then, embedding the videos on the blog posts themselves means the content also generates views and watch time for the YouTube channel.
Of course, I had to tweak the blog’s firewall to allow YouTube’s javascript to run for tracking. Nonetheless, this blog is a good of external views and watch time. This helped me generate enough interest and engagement to finally monetize the YouTube channel with AdSense.
Though, Google does account for the majority of external traffic.
At least ChatGPT is still giving me views and watch time. I’d rather the AI platform leave me alone, but it is what it is nowadays.
It’s relatively easy to embed a video, especially if you’re using WordPress to power your blog. Simply share the video, copy the embed code, and place the code into an HTML block of a blog post.
Anyway, using your blog as a script and then embedding the video on your site helps accentuate both of those platforms.
The Blog and YouTube Channel Are Symbiotic
In the case of WriterSanctuary, the blog and YouTube channel have a symbiotic relationship with content. Both influence what I create on the other, and it’s been working out relatively well.
This especially includes the reviews and tutorials.
The only issue I have with managing the blog and YouTube channel simultaneously is time. It’s often hard for me to squirrel away enough so that both platforms get some equal attention.
Bear in mind that video content is king. In 2024, video content made up 82.5% of Internet traffic across the globe. But that doesn’t mean that blogging is no longer valid.
According to research, about 77% of people online read blogs as of 2024.
As you can see, it’s worthwhile to put effort into managing both a blog and a YouTube channel while sharing similar content. Don’t view them as independent brands but more of an extension of one another.
What’s Your Favorite Method for Content Ideas?
There are a lot of ways you can get decent content ideas for both the blog and the YouTube channel. I often use one to plan out the other, but you also have things like answering questions on social media, following trends, the blog-to-book strategy, and more.
Then, you also have tools like vidIQ for video ideas. The funny part is that using vidIQ for the YouTube channel has helped me write up decent-performing blog posts.
The best method for getting content ideas is the one that works best for you. Try a few and see which one has the greatest impact on your audience.
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