The Periodic Table of Content: Repurposing your work

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The Periodic Table of Content | Orbit Media Studios
By Andy Crestodina orbitmedia.com
Six years ago on a rainy day, while driving through the Chicago suburbs, we had an idea. We turned that
idea into this little blog post with a little diagram. It was an instant hit. Later, we turned that idea into the
theme of our book, .Content Chemistry
The book is still popular, but the post is out of date. It’s time to dust this off and give an update. Here is a
new version of that famous little guide for repurposing, The Periodic Table of Content.
Atomize Your Content: The Periodic Table of Content
Content is made up of pieces. And pieces can be broken down into smaller pieces or combined into larger
pieces, just like the elements on the Periodic Table.
Thinking about content as particles is the key to repurposing your work. It helps you quickly create new
work, transforming old posts into high-value content with less effort.
Atomize your big pieces of content into smaller formats.
Combine smaller pieces into larger compounds
But before you turn your articles into particles, let’s look at what the content universe is made of. Once you
know what’s on the Periodic Table of Content and all the formats for content, you’ll be ready to start
smashing particles in the content accelerator.
A guide to understanding the chart:
Elements at the top of the chart are small and have a shorter half-life.
Elements at the bottom are larger, slower to create and last longer.
Elements to the left appear everywhere, on millions of sites and locations
Elements on the right are more likely to be on your site.
Here is a description of each particle and examples of how to break it down or combine it with others.
Sp (Social Post)
A tiny particle, which survives in nature for only a short time, typically a few hours. Tweets, Facebook
posts, Instagram shots and other social media posts are all variations of this element. They are known for
traveling far and in many directions, and they may be comprised of subatomic links, mentions, hashtags
and quotes.
Any content can be atomized into Social Posts. For best results, use the best quotes, statistics,
captions and visuals. Doing so can lead to small chain reactions of shares and clicks. The simplest
way to post (just using the headline) isn’t always the most effective.
Social posts can be combined into blog posts. Ask a question on social media and pull the
answers from the audience together into a blog post. Or look at you social data to see which posts
got the most traction. Use those tiny particles as seeds for bigger ideas.
Bp (Blog Post)
This is the universal building block of web content. Sometimes simply called an “Article,” the Blog Post is
the hydrogen of the website. Unlike other web content, they typically have authors, date stamps, social

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This is the universal building block of web content. Sometimes simply called an “Article,” the Blog Post is
the hydrogen of the website. Unlike other web content, they typically have authors, date stamps, social
sharing features and comments. Topics may be timely (news) or evergreen (how-to). This determines their
longevity.
Blog Posts should always be broken down into social posts. Share the best sound bites, not just
the headlines. Science has found that more visual, collaborative and emotional Blog Posts travel
farther and faster in social.
Combine several blog posts on a common topic, or expand on the most successful blog posts,
turning them into White Papers and eBooks. Once transformed into downloadable content, they can
be added to Landing Pages and attract email addresses.
Ne (Newsletter)
An outbound particle that lasts much longer than Social Posts, newsletters live for days, not hours. Content
in the email channel involves more trust and has more properties, including subject lines and open rates.
Newsletters require careful handling.
Newsletters should always link to Posts and Articles. Their energy is lower unless this bond is
created. If a Newsletter gives the full text of the article and doesn’t link to something else, there is no
click and no traffic is generated. Never put the full text into a newsletter. Always combine!
Newsletters should contain smaller particles.
Pc (Podcast)
The Podcast is pure, distilled audio and has very little visual energy. Podcasts are typically less powerful
than Video, but more powerful than text, because of their ability to convey tone. Podcasts build trust.
But Podcasts are the dark matter of content marketing. They are platform-independent, existing
everywhere and nowhere. Listeners may love the content but never visit your website. Results are hard to
measure. There is very little data for this particle.
Podcasts are relatively easy to create and publish. The simplest form may be reading and
discussing a Blog Post. The most common form is an interview show, which has powerful networking
properties.
Add show notes with links and visuals to turn any Podcast into a Blog Post. Failing to do so would
be to limit their power. Give calls to action during the show to guide visitors toward the Blog Post “For
more details on this topic… to see this diagram… visit our website…”
Pt (Presentation)
This particle comes in two parts: the live presentation and the slides. The live presentation is short-lived,
but the slides can always live on. Presentations are most powerful when charged with visual content, such
as charts, data and step-by-step instructions.
Here’s how to get the longest lasting impact from every presentation:
Link to Blog Posts on relevant slides. Link to Web Pages in calls to action on the final slide.
Upload to Slideshare and embed the presentation in relevant Blog Posts
Schedule Social Posts to go out during the live Presentation. Include images, tips and juicy
soundbites from the slides. Use the event hashtag sub-particle.
Record the live presentation as Video. For conferences, these can be packaged as a virtual pass
or gated behind an email signup.

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or gated behind an email signup.
Edit the strongest points into smaller videos and embed on relevant Blog Posts.
Re (Research)
Possibly the most powerful formats in all of content marketing, Research reports are difficult to create but
extremely effective. They make the brand the primary source for new data. That data can become useful to
the broader industry by supporting common claims, answering a question or providing unexpected insights.
New Research is news, making it one of the rare events that call for the creation of a Press
Release
Sound bites from the research become Social Posts and should be kept in heavy rotation on
social media
Extended versions of the research can be made into downloads and used as gated content.
These can be promoted on Landing Pages, where they attract email addresses from visitors.
Cs (Case Study)
Also known as a “success story,” the problem-solution-result format of Case Studies are easy to spot.
They increase trust by telling a specific, supportive story. They are especially important when sales cycles
are long, and there are many decision makers involved. Here’s how Case Studies act as a strong link in a
long chain reaction.
Link from Blog Posts to Case Studies, guiding visitors from advice to stories.
Link from Case Studies to Web Pages, guiding visitors from stories to sales pages.
Use the best sound bites (testimonials and statistics) on those Web Pages to increase
conversion rates.
Pr (Press Release)
These targeted, highly-charged particles travel quickly. They are created to attract attention from the
media, but in their natural form, they are unlikely to be read by most visitors. Press sections of websites are
typically very low traffic areas. But Press Releases are easy to repurpose.
Rewrite it for a broader audience to . Change the formattingturn the press release into a blog post
by removing more general, less useful sub-elements, such as “For immediate release.”
Share the information from the press release with specific bloggers and editors with personal
outreach. Offer to discuss the topic or collaborate on a related piece. This can lead to off-site
Interviews.
Vi (Video)
Although the content and messaging may overlap with surrounding particles, Video stands alone as the
most compelling and powerful format for content. Only in-person meetings (live Presentations) can build
more trust. Most content can be atomized into Video in any properly equipped lab.
But it has one major weakness: the messages within Videos can’t be crawled by search engines, so
compared to text formats, it has a disadvantage in organic search results. Video’s power is in conversion,
not attraction.
Embed Video in Web Pages to increase conversion rates. These videos should be high quality,
tell stories, demonstrate expertise and build trust. Use a pro player like Vimeo or Wistia.

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tell stories, demonstrate expertise and build trust. Use a pro player like Vimeo or Wistia.
Embed Video in Blog Posts to increase engagements. These videos can be lower quality, give
advice and increase engagement. Use YouTube.
Embed video in Newsletters (or at least, add the image of the video thumbnail and play button) to
increase clickthrough rates
Wb (Webinar)
The online version of the Presentation isn’t limited by the size of the room, and is almost always made
available as a Video later. Registrants know that the video will be shared later, so it’s common for as few
as 20% of registrants to attend the live webinar. Some webinars are pre-recorded. Combining a full day of
back-to-back webinars creates a compound called a Virtual Summit.
Webinars are easier to produce and easier to attend than live events, but they do require paid software.
Their benefits include attracting email addresses and accelerating list growth.
Before the webinar, create a video of the presenter with a short summary of the topic
During the webinar, trigger the spontaneous formation of Social Posts by specifying a hashtag
After the webinar, summarize the top tips of the Webinar in Blog Post, Interview and Video
Wp (Web Page)
This is the only element on the periodic table that is created to directly sell products and services. It’s the
demand generating particle. There are , and visitors to web pages havetwo kinds of visitors to websites
commercial intent.
Guide visitors to them from all other particles. This is main reason the other elements exist! Be very
cautious in linking away from web pages. It may be hard to get visitors to return.
Link to Web Pages from each Blog Post and all other on-site content.
Link from Web Pages only to credibility building particles such as Case Studies and White
Papers
Embed Videos into top visited Web Pages to build trust and increase conversion rates
Web Pages rarely get shared and can’t be repurposed into Social Posts, Newsletters or other
formats.
Ro (Round Up)
A popular format for content, the Round Up is a great way to get started on . Theycontent collaboration
feature short-form input from a group of experts on a topic. The goal is often to create a chain reaction of
Social Posts when each contributor shares the final piece.
Trigger Social Posts from contributors or by mentioning them when sharing it on social networks
or sending them each a “Click to Tweet” link.
Transform Round Ups into Research by gathering a lot of contributions, then analyzing
responses (“4 out of 5 experts report that collaboration is effective”)
Int (Interview)
The Round Up asks many experts one question. The interview asks one expert many questions. It’s the
deep dive into collaborative content. If the questions are good and the formatting is scannable, it’s often
higher value for readers.

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higher value for readers.
Select an expert interviewee whom your audience knows and is active on social media. This will maximize
both credibility and reach.
Ask questions that relate to past blog posts, then link to those posts within the text of the
interview.
Conduct an , but add a short Video to make it more compelling.email interview
Inf (Infographic)
A purely visual particle, the infographic is as easy to scan, easy to embed and easy to share. This has
made it a super popular format for marketers. It usually stands in the place of a Blog Post but has little
more than an intro paragraph.
Successful Blog Post can be transformed into an infographic and republished.
Any Infographic can be pitched as a Guest Blog Post.
If designed carefully, sections of Infographics can be turned directly into social content, adding
visual impact to Social Posts.
Note! Infographics can drive SEO benefits. Bloggers who publish your infographic on their blog will
typically link back to the original. Some SEOs publish infographics, then pitch them to bloggers as a way
to attract links and build authority. Results depend on the quality of both the content and the outreach.
Lp (Landing Pages)
The Landing Page is laser-focused on a single goal: convert visitors on their first visit. They are designed
for a specific source of traffic: a social, paid advertising or email campaign. They promote a specific
particle of gated content.
Note! Although Landing Pages don’t directly promote a product or service, the visitor who converts may
get a call from a sales associate.
Great landing pages use the same words used in the campaign that attracted the visitor, so visitors know
they’re in the right place and are less likely to bounce. They offer strong evidence and few distractions.
Language is concise. Call to action are specific.
Don’t link from landing pages to anything else!
Use larger particles from the bottom of the periodic table as the gated content behind a landing
page: Research, White Papers, Case Studies and eBooks
When using a Landing Page to promote a Webinar, be sure to emphasize the deadline and
create urgency.
Wt (White Paper)
White Papers tend to be long, formal and text heavy. They typically go deep into a single topic with a linear
flow, establishing the credibility of an expert author. They are a common format for B2B companies with
complex products or services. White Papers are prime candidates for atomization.
Break down a single White Paper into three or more Blog Posts.
Add visuals and compelling title to transform it into an eBook

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Add visuals and compelling title to transform it into an eBook
Use the new, more compelling title to pitch it as a Presentation to relevant industry events
Bk (Book)
Offline particle with a history of endurance. No particle is older except the ancient Scroll (Sc) and Slab (Sl).
Books increase the authority of the author, but few marketers create them. They are by far the largest
element on the periodic table and the most expensive to create. They require editing, design and printing.
But through a bit of chemistry, they can be created gradually over time.
Combine many Blog Posts into a Book through editing fusion. Begin by writing the table of
contents. Then gradually write Blog Posts for each section and sub-section.
Break a large book down into Blog Posts, White Papers and eBooks by adding headlines, visuals
and links. Each piece can end with a call to action to buy the complete book.
Eb (eBook)
Shorter than the Book, less formal than the White Paper, eBooks are an in-between element perfect for
repurposing. They are a balance between visuals and text. Marketing eBooks are actually very similar to
the slides of a Presentation and can be created using presentation software such as Powerpoint or
Keynote.
Turn Presentations into eBooks by adding text and compelling cover slides
Combine the top points of Blog Posts on a similar theme into a eBook. Add a call to action to
download the eBook on each of those posts.
Gate them behind an email signup on Landing Pages
Atom Smashing Examples
There are millions of examples in the universe of content. But here are a few that come to mind, good and
bad.
1. Video into Blog Post
After giving a Presentation at Content Marketing World, the event organizers asked if I would make a
Video. Sure! They used it in their content, social streams and as promotion for future events. For me, the
same video was an opportunity to publish an article that went deeper into the topics.
So we turned the Video into a Blog Post called which has details andFree SEO Advice for Beginners
diagrams that go far beyond the video. The Video is embedded at the top. Take a look!
2. Round Up into Research
Robbie Richards know a lot about SEO. Of course, there are a lot of bloggers who publish a list of tools.
But Robbie saw the opportunity to reach out to other experts and gather their insights into SEO tools.
Rather than just post it as a roundup, he created a scoreboard of the 10 top tools based on the “votes” of
the contributors.
Today, Robbie’s attracts thousands of visitors each month.Best SEO Tools article
3. Blog Posts into Book

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Andy
Crestodina
3. Blog Posts into Book
After five years of blogging, I’d written around 75 articles. They were good but as a body of work,
completely disorganized. So I wrote the outline and began shaping them into a Book. Three months later, I
had something to send the editor. Three months after that, it was shipped to a designer. In less than a year,
the first edition of was in print.Content Chemistry
Atomic Meltdown: Web Page into Press Release
A biomedical company hired a PR firm that used their home Web Page as a Press Release and submitted
it to online news wires. The explosion in duplicate content caused Google to blacklist the domain. The
company no longer ranked, even for it’s own name.
This is a real-live example of the extremely rare . Hazmat suits and aduplicate content penalty
Reconsideration Request were needed to clean up.
Final Thesis
Content marketing is exactly like high energy physics. Well, not really. But you can accelerate your
publishing. Just look at all content around you. Find ways to combine things and break things up. Be a
marketing scientist, experiment, atomize and make your marketing go boom.
Content chemistry is a science, but don’t forget the art. If your writing is boring, salesy or irrelevant, no
amount of chemistry will help.
Andy Crestodina
Andy Crestodina is the co-founder and CMO of Orbit Media. He's an international top-rated keynote
speaker and the author of . You can findContent Chemistry: An Illustrated Guide to Content Marketing
Andy on and .LinkedIn Twitter