So you want to repurpose your YouTube Shorts into blog posts?
You’ve created these bite-sized vertical videos…
And now you’re staring at them thinking, “There’s so much value here that could live beyond YouTube.”
Yet something’s stopping you from transforming these quick hits into long-form content.
Maybe it’s the format shift that feels daunting – going from a 60-second visual format to a text-based medium. Or perhaps you’re wondering if your short-form content even has enough substance to expand into a full blog post.
Here’s the truth: those YouTube Shorts are gold mines of content just waiting to be reshaped for a different audience.
Let’s see how:
Why You Should Repurpose YouTube Shorts into Blog Posts
Blog posts have incredible staying power.
While YouTube Shorts might get buried in the algorithm after a few days, a well-optimized blog post can continue generating traffic for years.
Search engines & Large Language Models (like ChatGPT) love blog content – it’s indexable, searchable, and can rank for keywords that your Shorts simply can’t target effectively.
This means new audiences discovering your content through Google, Perplexity, or ChatGPT searches searches rather than just YouTube’s recommendation system.
The importance of repurposing content goes beyond just maximizing your content’s lifespan. Different people consume content in different ways. Some prefer quick videos, while others want to dive deep into written explanations.
Back in 2020, I created several YouTube videos about note-taking that performed decently. On a whim, I decided to repurpose those concepts into written articles on Medium.
What happened next surprised me – those repurposed pieces led to launching a profitable 5-figure course and adding 3,000 email subscribers to my list in just 12 weeks.
The reason?
Content resonates differently across platforms due to audience preferences, algorithm dynamics, and consumption patterns.
The same idea that gets moderate engagement as a YouTube Short might become wildly successful as a blog post because readers have different expectations and needs than viewers.
The Main Differences Between YouTube Shorts and Blog Posts
Understanding the fundamental differences between these formats is crucial for effective repurposing:
YouTube Shorts are:
- Visual-first with audio support
- Extremely brief (60 seconds or less)
- Highly dependent on hook and pacing
- Designed for passive, entertainment-oriented consumption
- Algorithm-driven discovery
Blog posts are:
- Text-based with supporting visuals
- Comprehensive (800-2000+ words)
- Structured with headings, subheadings, and logical flow
- Designed for active, information-seeking readers
- Largely discovered through search
The biggest shift when repurposing is understanding that blog readers typically want more depth, background information, examples, and actionable steps than what fits in a 60-second video.
What Makes a Good Blog Post
For your repurposed content to succeed, it needs to follow blog best practices:
A strong blog post includes a compelling headline, a hook-filled introduction, clearly structured sections, and valuable takeaways.
Unlike Shorts which thrive on personality and quick hits, blog posts need logical progression and comprehensive coverage.
Great blog posts also feature:
- Descriptive headers and subheaders for scanability
- Concise paragraphs (2-3 sentences is ideal)
- Visuals that enhance understanding
- Internal and external links to relevant resources
- A clear call-to-action at the end
For example, if your YouTube Short gives three quick tips on productivity, your blog post would expand each tip with explanations, examples, research backing, and potential pitfalls to avoid.
Build Your Swipe File Of Winning Blog Content
The best way to create successful blog content is to study what’s already working. Each platform has its own unwritten rules that determine success.
Find 10-15 blog posts in your niche that rank well or get significant engagement, and analyze them closely. Look for patterns in:
- Title structures
- Introduction techniques
- Content organization
- Use of visuals and formatting
- Call-to-action approaches
Pro tip: Look for newer bloggers who’ve gained traction quickly rather than just established names. Established creators can often succeed despite breaking “rules” because of their existing audience, whereas new successful bloggers must truly understand the current platform dynamics.
Download my free templates of winning blog post structures here.
Simple Workflow to Turn YouTube Shorts into Blog Posts
Okay, so now that you have these laid out…
You could either do this manually like a monkey.
Hire a VA that you need to train for weeks on Fiverr…
Or (my favorite way):
You could use AI and automation tools to make this process as smooth as butter.
Here’s an example:
As soon as you publish a YouTube Short, automated tools can help transcribe, expand, and format the content into a blog post draft that you can then refine.
You can start creating automations that utilize specific prompts to save your time.
Tools like n8n, Make, or Zapier can power these workflows. Here’s a simple setup that’s working right now:
1. Connect YouTube to your automation tool using webhooks or RSS feeds
2. When a new Short is published, trigger the workflow
3. Extract the video transcript using YouTube’s API
4. Send the transcript to an AI service like OpenAI with a prompt like:
“Transform this YouTube Short transcript into a 1000-word blog post. Expand on the main points, add relevant examples, include an engaging introduction and conclusion. Format with H2 and H3 headers for readability.”
5. Have the draft sent to your email or directly to your blog CMS as a draft
This simple automation can turn a 60-second video into a comprehensive blog post draft in minutes, ready for your final human touches.
Stop letting valuable content die on YouTube. Your knowledge deserves to reach more people across different platforms. Start repurposing today and watch your audience grow exponentially.
For more tips on how to repurpose your content and grow your audience with less work, sign up for my free emails below: