You’ve created an amazing piece of content, a blog, a podcast, a white paper. It’s thorough, it answers your target audience’s common questions, it’s packed with value. And now, you want to use it on multiple channels and spread your expertise far and wide, but you’ve heard that duplicating content is a no, no.

Enter COPE! Create Once, Publish Everywhere.

This is your secret weapon for distributing your well-crafted content on different platforms without being cringe, or boring. And, without just copying and pasting the same old thing over and over.

In this article, we’ll help you build a strategy for creating awesome content once and then sharing it many times over without reinventing the wheel.

Why shouldn’t you duplicate content across channels?

Isn’t that easier?

Of course it is, and technically, you can. But as your expert marketing cheer squad, we’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t stop you; if we didn't remind you that as a small business owner, building your brand’s digital reputation means doing a great f*kn job, not taking the easy way out.

So, why not just post and repost across channels? Because all digital platforms are all different. They attract different audiences, and have nuanced, niche use-cases. Your job is to tailor and publish content accordingly. That starts with choosing the right social media channels for your business, developing a social media strategy that makes sense for your small biz, and then posting content at the right frequency. Bing. Bang. Boom.

PRO TIP: Copying and pasting social media posts from one platform to another doesn’t just make your brand look lazy (and bore your audience 🥱) it can tank your performance!

Here are some ways duplicating content without reworking it first can backfire:

Not all audiences want the same content. In order to create platform specific engagement, you need to create platform specific content. People on LinkedIn might take a survey about a professional experience, but scroll right past your request to weigh in on their favorite sandwich…
Formating can fail. On a practical level, aspect ratios, sizes, character counts, image quality, content formats, all of these vary across platforms and don’t plug and play as easily as you’d think. Don’t try to force fit it.

Algorithms are watching. Who knows how it works, but the platforms know when you’ve copy-pasted content verbatim or duplicated your published content, and they may penalize you for it by not promoting your posts or sharing it with a wider audience.

How COPE started

TLDR; COPE started with NPR in the late 2000s. They were on a ton of distinct digital platforms, producing new content for each one, every time (sound familiar?)

It was a massive time and resource suck. So, they went back to the drawing board to figure out how to be more efficient at building their brand identity online.

One of their digital leads (obviously, a genius) realized that they could upcycle content by creating a central piece, distilling the main points, tailoring the formats and information to the appropriate audiences, and posting it on the right platforms.

Voilà: COPE was born.

🚫 No more reinventing content over and over.
🚫 No more duplicate efforts.
😎 Just cool, consistent, content in the right place at the right time.

Why small businesses should COPE their content

There are three reasons to COPE:

It saves you time and money
It helps you reach and engage more people
It’s better
Let’s break it down a little more:

It’s efficient

At Big Bad, we ❤️ efficiency.

COPE is a strategic approach to minimizing effort and maximizing output. YAY.

Get your time back. Small business owners are constantly short on time. Creating high-quality content once, mixing it up a bit and then publishing on different platforms helps save time.
Protect your energy. Repurposing content does not mean not re-creating from scratch. So, you can put more effort into creating kick-@$$ content at the beginning, zhuzh it up, and send it on its way across multiple platforms, without a ton of extra thought energy.
Consistency without chaos. Using the same primary source means your message is aligned on each platform, instead of scrambled eggs with mixed messages.

It’s top quality

COPE doesn’t mean doing less, but doing better. And yes, at Big Bad we also ❤️doing better.

Go deep, not wide. Concentrate your efforts on creating one dope piece of content, rather than multiple mid ones.
Think first, post second. Get clear on your messaging (starting with user personas!) and plan thoughtfully before you blast the content everywhere.
Test the goods. Clean up the content, run it in small batches, and tweak it before distributing it across the world wide internet.
Build it to last. Good content lives on forever. Literally, it’s called evergreen content, so if you do it right from the get go, you can keep using it and reusing it over and over. It’ll stay relevant, won’t go stale, and will boost your small business SEO so you rank at the top!
Keep your brand voice. Wherever you’re showing up, make sure that your brand voice comes through and that your messages always sound like you, regardless of platform.

It’s more eyes with less effort

COPE helps you reach more people without working overtime.

Meet people where they scroll. Not all of your target audience members are hanging out on the same platform. Repurposing content means you show up for different segments of your audience, in different places, in a way that makes sense for them, without starting from zero.
Get people into your sphere (and funnel). Try cross promoting content from one channel to the other, so people get hyped about signing up for your email newsletter, reading content on your blog, and following your social media pages since they’ll all be (at least loosely) tied back to the same main concepts.

Help people find you. If your content lives in multiple places, you have a greater chance of exposure, especially thanks to search engines. More eyeballs on your content means more prospects, means more customers.
Make data-driven decisions. Since you’re putting similar content on different platforms, you’ll have lots of helpful analytics to see what’s working, and where. Then, you can track performance across channels and do more of what sticks.

How to actually use COPE as a content strategy

By now you’ve realized that COPE is the most strategic strategy for your content. (Yes, a strategic strategy. Like a battle plan).

You’ll waste less time, and win more customers, without being lazy when it comes to content creation. And, you’ll keep the overwhelm of small business marketing at bay.

So, how do you do COPE without just reposting? Let’s look at a few steps for using COPE like a pro.

Build Once, Distribute Over Time

Start with one solid piece of long form content, think blog post, guide, or video. Jam pack it with value, expertise, and useful information that your people actually want to know about. Make sure all that good stuff is in formats that can stand on their own, like statistics, quotes, tips, and key takeaways. Now, all you have to do is slice and dice.

Break that baby up into social posts, emails, or whatever platforms you're hitting. Pull out the pieces you want to share, refresh them so they align with the platform, audience and structure, and then post.

The goal is to create once, then break it down into bite-sized pieces that all point back to your core message.

2. Start with content that’s big and bad

When your main piece of content slaps, then COPE is a no brainer. So planning and building your long form piece is where you should spend most time. Put in energy upfront to make a killer video, blog, or podcast, and that will give you plenty to work with. Add visuals, make bold quotes so they stand out, and cut some clips so you’ve got a full content library ready to go.

3. Make a system for remixing it

Don't wing it…at least not every time. Set up a simple method to track which pieces of content you’ve used, which platforms you posted on, and find tools for fast reformatting. (Canva, anyone?)

Turning a blog into a reel, or a podcast into a quote graphic, should be quick and systemized, not chaotic or complicated. Templates, checklists, and repeatable workflows are your secret weapons when it comes to COPE.

COPE-ify your content calendar

Yes, COPE is about content, but it’s also a mindset shift to help you stop wasting time, and start maximizing your efforts. Start by planning, and follow through to distribution across platforms.

Here’s how to make it work without losing your mind:

Think in phases. Make time to plan, create, chop up content into pieces, and then spread it around. Like a trail of breadcrumbs that lead prospects to your purchase pages.
Batch like a boss. Record multiple videos, design in bulk, and group similar content types to make it even easier. We record multiple episodes of the Big Bad Marketing Podcast at one time, then release them over to build efficiency into our process.
Map it out. Use tags, color coding, or whatever helps you (and your team) see where content lives, what it’s for, and what’s next. Google sheets can become your bestie.

A little planning now builds a content machine later. And, if you haven’t built an annual marketing calendar yet, now is the perfect time!

Turn one idea into 10: A step-by-step guide for small business content creation

Let’s walk through a practical example of using COPE for a small business.

Say you write a blog post: “5 Designer-Inspired Outfits for Busy Working Moms.”

Solid topic, strong visuals, helpful tips.

Instead of letting that blog sit in a vacuum, here’s how you COPE it out:

Step 1: Start strong.
Create superb base content with clear photos and graphics, styling tips, maybe a quick video. Make sure it’s stocked enough to break apart later (you know, for coping.)

Step 2: Adapt for each platform.

Instagram? A carousel of outfits + styling tips.
Pinterest? Vertical pins and shoppable links.
TikTok? Outfit transitions set to trending audio.
Email? Recap + bonus tip.
LinkedIn? Talk about personal branding and style at work.

Step 3: Connect the dots.
Link everything back to your blog. Cross-promote. Get people to sign up for your email list (and into your funnel!) Guide your audience from one platform to the next.

Step 4: Learn + tweak.
Track what’s working. What drives clicks? Which kinds of posts do people comment on, share, or engage with? Review the data and use it to drive your next batch.

That’s COPE in the wild: one strong piece of content, and a dozen strategic moves.

Efficiency. Bliss.

How to cope with COPE

COPE sounds like magic…and it is.

But, to implement COPE successfully, you need to prepare for some roadblocks:

Platform quirks are real. Every app has its own rules, formats, and audience (aka vibes.) What crushes it on TikTok might flop on LinkedIn. Be ready to pivot.
Keep your message on point. Some ideas just don’t shrink well. Trying to jam a complex thought into a 15-second clip? Maybe not the move. Avoid overworking things, just map main points to the platforms they’ll serve best.
Upfront work is unavoidable. COPE takes time, patience, and some training. It’s an investment, not a shortcut. Give yourself time to get the hang of it before you throw the towel in.
Be a human, not a robot. Standardizing content is smart and efficient, but it could make you sound like a computer. Your audience can smell canned posts and AI nonsense from a mile away. Stay on brand and keep your voice even while streamlining your content creation.

How to know if COPE is working for your business

To see if your COPE strategy is paying off, wowing your customers, and helping you build a big bad business, start tracking. Tally how many people you’re reaching across platforms, where they’re engaging, and if new audiences are tuning in.

Keep an eye on how much content you’re getting out of each core piece and how efficiently you’re turning one asset into many. (That’s, ahem, like the whole point.)

And, keep your eye on engagement. Are people interacting with posts, following your content journey, or sharing with others? If so, it’s a sign that you’ve captured a valuable point and made it shareable in all the right ways.

You can measure business impact, too. Are you saving time and money? Which platforms, or content formats are leading to conversions or meaningful changes in your KPIs?

Ask questions, review data, and make better decisions.

Ready to COPE like a pro?

COPE isn't just another marketing buzzword (well, it is, but also, it’s so much more!) It's your ticket to working smarter, not harder. One killer piece of content can fuel your entire marketing machine for weeks or months (or forever if you’re good at it!) Align this with your business north star, and you’ve got a recipe for long term, sustainable success.

Yes, there's a learning curve.

And yes it’ll take some time to streamline.

But once you nail it, you'll wonder how you ever survived the content hamster wheel without it!

Track your wins, tweak what's not working, and remember, your audience wants to hear from YOU, not a content robot.

Now, stop overthinking it and start COPEing.

Cut Content Creation Time in Half: The Small Biz COPE Strategy for Consistent Marketing