#008 – Platform Specific Content
You used to COPE but now have to CORE

Published on May 7, 2018

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At the CORE of it –  Create Once Repurpose Everywhere will ensure that you get maximum traction for your content across all channels and platforms. Every one of those has specific idiosyncrasies that will either boost or hamper your content. You need to adapt your content for each one.

There is no One Size Fits All

The list is long and the requirements are constantly changing across desktop and mobile platforms and apps. Like Instagram – isn’t just for pictures anymore. Youtube – has an insatiable need to generate eyeballs and time on the channel. Facebook – is making video their number one priority.

How does one make it work? At the core of every good piece of content is the ability to retell it to different audiences and platforms. A traditional example of repurposing content is how a novel gets turned into a film, comic, TV series, fan fiction and even, a video game (or board and card games for that matter).

Create Once Repurpose Everywhere

In a similar vein, you should also be finding ways of re-editing your digital and advertising content to extend to the various platforms that you want to be on. The exact same creative that works as a 90-second TVC, will generally bomb on social – but a few simple edits with additional footage and it could be a total winner on YouTube. Just don’t try to upload it to Instagram, as is. Instagram only takes 3 to 60 seconds of video. And video for Facebook? Make sure you have subtitles.

Finally, don’t forget about aspect ratios and formats – each of these platforms has a ‘pet’ format. Do your research and be prepared to do extra edits and post-production work.

Are you coping?

We all know about COPE – where you Create Once Publish Everywhere. And for the longest time, we were coping fine. However, with the proliferation of social and online media channels with channel-specific platforms, we just can’t COPE anymore.

Here’s a link to Daniel Jacobsen’s blog article (circa 2011) about COPE – he’s the guy who coined it while he was Director of Application Development for National Public Radio.

Note for later: Asher’s Hierarchy of Content: HERO; HUB; HELP – Chris has a simple three-step taxonomy for content and they should all be treated differently but can be part of the same overarching concept. And here’s an episode about the power of video content.