How To Download & Repurpose Your Facebook Live Content

Your brand’s team went live on Facebook and now the live has ended. Instead of leaving the footage in your video library to collect dust, you can reuse it.

Think of live content like a piece of clothing in your closet. You wouldn’t even wear a shirt and throw it away, would you? That’s because you know you can style it in many different ways depending on how it looks and feels.

Live content follows the same idea. You may be thinking that your live Facebook video is no longer usable after it ends. In fact, you can use the same video to create 10 more pieces of content. The point is to redesign it to suit your goals.

With that in mind, let’s explore how to download your live videos on Facebook and extend their shelf life.

Can you download Facebook live videos?

Yes, you can download Facebook Live videos, but only on a computer. Facebook does not currently allow users to download their live videos to their phones or other mobile devices.

The first thing you can do after downloading your video is to share it on your timeline with followers who may have missed the live session. You can then use a transcription app like Descript to get a written version of the content and complement your audio and video formats. From there, you can brainstorm methods to extend the durability of the video.

The main benefit of reusing live content is saving time and money.

“Live can be a great way for businesses with limited resources to create video content. While life can be complicated, it can also be as simple as a person in front of a camera,” said Kelly Hendrickson, social media marketing manager at HubSpot. “The greatest advantage of a lifetime is its low cost and low production requirements.”

You can save a lot on production costs by reusing and creating from previous footage instead of starting from scratch.

Tips for reusing your Facebook Live content

1. Don’t force it.

Content reuse only works if it is valuable to your audience.

Hendrickson points out that when it comes to content reuse, the question is, “Is it valuable to my audience?” With live content there is a second level. You need to ask yourself now if live content is the most effective way for your audience to achieve that value.

“There’s a balance between getting the most value and creating content sustainably for your business,” she says. “If your audience can more easily take advantage of the value in a still image or short text, this is a better option.”

She adds that you need to dig into your data before deciding to use the live content to create another video.

“If the answer isn’t video, don’t force it because the algorithms won’t give you brownie points if you do your best,” says Hendrickson. “You will serve your audience what works best for them.”

While you may know where your target audience is consuming media, they may have different expectations and behaviors on each platform. Before planning this post on social networks, make sure it matches what your audience is looking for.

2. Get usage rights from talent.

Before converting, make sure your team has previously received approval for the talent shown in the live video.

“Often times, live content cannot be reused, either in the live recording or after the fact, without a contract with the talent who agrees,” said Jamee Sheehy, director of video at HubSpot. “When someone has agreed to live content and then there are 20 different cuts from Instagram to YouTube, that’s not a good thing. You have to agree on how to use it.”

The contract should contain the following information:

• The timeframe of usage – Usage rights can be between one and 12 months.
• Where the content is reused – Brands need to indicate whether the content will be used for organic social media posts, paid social campaigns, or digital marketing channels.

Once you’ve ironed out these details, it’s important to share them with your marketing team to ensure compliance across all channels.

3. Create a blog post.

One of the best ways to reuse live Facebook video is to create blog posts from the key points discussed during the live process.

For example, let’s say Bike World sells bikes and hosts a live with an influencer who is known for their outdoor adventures. Let’s say that during your life you mainly talked about bike packing tips, bike communities, and the best bike paths in the world. You can turn any topic into a blog post for your audience, including this influencer’s quotes.

You can also add video and / or audio snippets to the article to add depth to your posts.

4. Get snippets for social media.

Just because your live video was originally on Facebook doesn’t mean it has to stay there.

You can format your content to fit other platforms your audience lives on, such as: B. Instagram or TikTok. Instead of republishing the entire video, you take snippets of the best moments from the video.

“During a live, you are there for the live feel, the random fading of topics, and the moments. Find the substance of the conversation and work through it,” Sheehy said. “When you’ve made an edit of it, add graphics to fill in the story if something’s been lost in translation, or to add something that wasn’t talked about in Live.”

One thing to keep in mind when reusing content on other platforms is formatting. You want to make sure that you match the video frame to the platform so that it fits the screen accordingly. For example, the dimensions for Facebook Live videos are different from those on Instagram Reels. Therefore, you need to create a platform-specific version.

You may also need to customize the content for the platform. While a video snippet with cool graphics works fine for a quick TikTok video, that approach may not work as well on Twitter. For this platform, it might be better to write a standout quote from the video instead, as it’s a text-heavy app.

For the best results, you need to tailor the content to the platform.

5. Use the audio for a podcast.

What better way to use audio than to put it in a podcast? This is one of the most popular ways people consume information these days.

While your video may not work as a full podcast episode, you can use snippets from the video to include them in your podcast series. For example, if you’ve interviewed someone on your live video and your podcast series includes an interview segment, this can be a great way to incorporate that audio.

However, if the audio from your live format isn’t that good, or if the conversation relies heavily on visuals, then a podcast might not be suitable.

6. Upload to YouTube.

If you want your live video to be easily accessible to your audience for a long time, upload the video to YouTube.

Similar to social media, those newly introduced to your YouTube channel are free to explore your past content. You will also enjoy the feeling of just getting through live video.

Note that YouTube has strict copyright rules. If your live video contains music or other content that is not permitted under fair usage laws, you may need to edit it from within your video before uploading it.

In most cases, it is best to plan what content you will be using for other purposes before starting your live video. This will give you directions on what to cover throughout your life in order to maximize the material that you can use on other platforms.