How to Repost Content on Your Website, Blog & Social Media Channels

I recently emailed a small business owner who had published one of our blog posts on his blog. I contacted him because he reprinted the entire post verbatim and did not ask for our permission.

He explained that his social media team (a couple of college students) was responsible for the post. They included a link to our original blog and cited us as the “source” for the article, so he thought they had used proper citations. Since he shared content on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, how was that different from reprinting our post and giving us credit? 

Reposting content online can be tricky for small business owners. There are copyright rules and social media etiquette that you must follow if you want to do it properly. Realizing that this business owner is not alone in his confusion, let’s review how to share, borrow, quote, or repost content on your blog or website.

What is reposting content?

Reposting content is when your business shares another brand or individual’s content on your blog, website, or social media channels. The purpose is not to take credit but to add commentary that provides your audience insight, humor, or relevant information.

You can repost content on social media, like when you share a Facebook post or retweet a tweet. And you can also repost content to your website – like the YouTube embed below:

Reposting content is a great way to share information, comment on trends, and engage with an online community by interacting with someone else’s post. You can also repost your content to resurface something your followers might have missed.

What happens if you repost your own content?

When it comes to social media, every algorithm is different. But overall, reposting your own content is generally a good strategy. You’ll extend the life of your posts and potentially generate more engagement. In fact, one study found that reposting on LinkedIn generated a 15% boost in reach and engagement. 

Reposting can also help you target audiences at different times. Not everyone is online simultaneously, so reposting increases your chances of followers seeing your message. This is good for announcing limited-time deals and promotions, encouraging customers to act quickly.

When it comes to your blog and web content, reposting can help your SEO. By updating it and adding more value to each post, Google ranks you higher in search results. That’s because your content is fresh and includes relevant information.

Understanding how to repost content correctly is important because you don’t want to take credit for someone else’s idea accidentally. So, below are tips for reposting content for your business online.

How to Repost Content Online

Here are four types of content you can share and how to repost each.

1. Reposting Blogs and Articles

Want to recap or discuss a blog post you’ve found online? Perhaps you’ve found several blog posts and want to compare/contrast them in your own blog post. Feel free to do it as long as you’re not quoting lengthy passages verbatim. Always cite your sources and give a link to the original publisher you’re referencing.

If you’re wondering, “Can I post other people’s articles or content on my blog?” The only correct way to reprint an entire blog post is to contact the author and get permission. Then, note that the article is being reprinted with permission from the author. Linking to the original piece is appropriate. 

And keep in mind there’s no SEO benefit to publishing content that has been published elsewhere. Search engines are good at sussing out the original publish date, author, and location, so you won’t get any boost from republishing.

2. Social Sharing

Sharing content you find online is encouraged! If you find articles, graphics, photos, videos, or other content worth sharing, go for it. Sharing these on social media is a great way to generate engagement with your brand. 

Most social media pages will have ways to embed the link if you’re sharing a webpage. Add the URL to the post, and the social media platform will format it. Try using a quote from the piece you’re sharing or adding the first sentence to your social media caption. Just ensure you’re not copying and posting their entire work 

to your page. 

Here’s an example of a blog post that we reshared on Facebook:

3. Videos and Photos

In general, I would avoid sharing other people’s videos and photos on your website and social media pages. Unless you’re sharing a YouTube video, many videos and images are copyrighted, and some organizations will actively search for copyright infringement. Even if you attribute a source, it’s better to avoid using third-party images unless you have the owner’s direct consent.

You may not think your brand is big enough to break copyright laws. However, I know people who have dealt with copyright issues for small, personal websites. These organizations make a living enforcing copyright laws and are always looking for new opportunities to pursue. 

4. Infographics

Creators of infographics provide different guidelines for sharing their work. Some will give you code to copy and paste into your blog or website. This is so their infographic can be published on your site but still link to theirs. Others just say that sharing is encouraged and leave it up to you to figure out how.

Always give proper attribution (and a link) to the original creator/publisher. This requires a little detective work on your part. If you find an infographic in search results or on someone’s blog, chances are good that they aren’t the original creator. You need to hunt down that original source to make sure you’re not publishing a 5-year-old graphic that’s no longer relevant. 

You also need to ensure you follow the copyright holder’s instructions on how to share their work. If you can’t find the original creator, or there’s no mention of sharing the infographic, find a different infographic to use.

Now, let’s talk about how you can repost content on Instagram. 

How to Repost Content on Instagram 

There are a few different ways you can repost content on Instagram – let’s review how:

1. Reposting to Your Story: Tap on the paper airplane icon to share a post to your story. 
2. Reposting a Tagged Post: If you’re tagged in a post or story, go to your direct messages and click “Add This to Your Story.”

For copyright and accreditation reasons, I would avoid screenshotting and reposting content on Instagram. If you do come across something you like and want to repost it, ask the owner for their permission. Tag and mention them in your caption, and avoid using their content for commercial purposes. 

Can you repost other people’s content on Instagram? 

Short Answer: Yes. You can use Instagram’s built-in features to repost content to your story. 

If you want to repost to your feed, you have to get the creator’s permission. If you screenshot or record their video, they can report your post and have Instagram take it down. In some cases, you could face legal repercussions if you violate copyright laws. It’s better to err on the side of caution than put your business at risk.

Reposting Your Own Blog Content

At the beginning of this post, we mentioned briefly the importance of reposting content on your blog. This is called historical optimization, and it’s critical for SEO.

Historical optimization is the process of updating old content on your website. By refreshing the copy, adding new data, and ensuring accuracy, your content will rank higher on search engines like Google. It will also help you retain the SEO value of existing content. For example, if you have a blog post that ranks #1 for the keyword “best plumber in Santa Clara,” that doesn’t mean you’ll rank in that position forever. You must keep your content fresh to stay ahead of your competition and keep your spot at the top of search results.

Here’s what I recommend. Use a free (or paid) SEO tool like Semrush, Google Search Console, or Google Trends. Research keywords your brand currently ranks for and identify pages that rank for them. Over time, periodically check in on those pages and their keyword rankings. 

If something changes, run a Google search for that keyword. Then, compare the top results for that search against your website. Look for opportunities to improve your site or elements that the top-ranking sites have that you don’t.

Reposting Content for Your Small Business

The best content to publish on your blog, website, and social media is content you create yourself. You’ll benefit most from original content because your audience wants to hear from you. 

Becoming a content creator will take your business to the next level. This is your opportunity to show people why they should do business with you. Write for your readers, not for the search engines. Your readers will appreciate it, and search engines will, too.