At a time when marketing budgets are getting tighter and brands are being asked to deliver more with less, maximizing the value of every campaign is non-negotiable. Turns out, the best campaigns aren’t just designed for a single moment—they’re built to last. And repurposing isn’t just about stretching budgets—it’s about getting smarter.
With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, I thought it would be useful (and timely) to use it as a prime example of how brands can start thinking about repurposing influencer-generated content (IGC) strategically. But this isn’t just about one holiday—this approach works year-round. Whether it’s Mother’s Day, Halloween, or even niche celebrations like National Coffee Day, brands that build repurposing into their influencer strategy get way more mileage out of their content.
Why? Well, besides the fact that we’re all trying to get more utility out of every asset we create, creator-led content routinely outperforms brand-generated assets in paid campaigns. So, it makes sense to build strategies into your campaigns that will allow you to use content in more than just one activation.
The smartest brands repurpose seasonal influencer content across multiple touchpoints, extending its impact far beyond the initial campaign.
So, let’s get into it. Here are a handful of tips on how brands can build a smarter repurposing strategy—starting with Valentine’s Day as a working example.
1. Reframe Seasonal UGC for Other Occasions
Okay. It’s Valentine’s Day. You’ve got a few dozen V-Day posts that have gone live. Let’s think about ways influencer content can be repurposed for greater impact. And of course, this isn’t limited to Valentine’s Day marketing; the same approach works year-round. Brands that plan their campaigns with longevity in mind can extend content far beyond a single moment.
Here’s how you can make seasonal UGC work harder, using Valentine’s Day as our example:
🎉 Anniversaries, Promposals & Wedding Season
Valentine’s Day sets the stage for key relationship milestones—capitalize on love-themed content for proposals, prom season, and summer weddings. With National Promposal Day (March 11) just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start repurposing your most adorable UGC for high schoolers planning creative prom invites.
💞 Family & Friendship Campaigns
Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples—it’s also about celebrating friendships and familial love. Many parents, siblings, and friends exchange gifts, and with UK Mother’s Day just weeks away (followed closely by the start of the US Mother’s Day marketing season), brands can position friendship and family-oriented campaigns to seamlessly transition into the next big gifting moments.
🧘 Self-Care & Wellness
To be honest, self-care is a fundamental pillar of Valentine’s Day celebrations and Valentine’s Day marketing—not just an afterthought. With more people prioritizing self-care—and even remaining single—self-care messaging resonates strongly, positioning these holidays as opportunities for self-love, wellness, and personal indulgence. Whether that means a woman in pink gym gear going hard at the gym, a solo spa retreat, or a mindfulness day off, the narrative should be intentional and empowering.
🎯 Lesser-Known Holidays & Social Media Trends
The best marketers know that tapping into social media trends, hashtag holidays, and regional celebrations can give their campaigns extra mileage. If you’re not already planning content around these moments, you’re missing an opportunity to keep influencer content relevant year-round.
Here are a few hashtag holidays that make sense for repurposing UGC:
- #SpousesDay (January 26) – Celebrating spouses and partners
- #GalentinesDay (February 13) – A day for celebrating female friendships
- #SelfLoveDay (February 13) – Encouraging self-care and personal well-being
- #SiblingsDay (April 10) – Honoring sibling relationships
- #BestFriendsDay (June 8) – Recognizing best friends and close relationships
- #CousinsDay (July 24) – A day to appreciate cousin relationships
- #FriendshipDay (First Sunday in August) – Global celebration of friendships
- #SweetestDay (Third Saturday in October) – A regional holiday in the Great Lakes area, focused on acts of kindness and romantic gestures
- #WorldMentalHealthDay (October 10) – Advocating mental health awareness and well-being
🔑 Takeaway: Seasonal content isn’t a one-and-done deal. Repurpose high-quality influencer content for key cultural moments, milestone celebrations, and trending themes throughout the year. The goal is to maximize content longevity by aligning it with multiple relevant events and audience interests. Extra cool points if these conversations are part of the core strategy for your creator campaigns – you definitely want to plan campaigns with repurposing in mind from the start.
2. Convert High-Performing Content into Paid Ads
Your best-performing influencer content deserves a second life in your paid strategy. Social media acts as a real-time testing ground—giving brands instant feedback on what resonates. Instead of waiting for formal A/B tests, brands can iterate quickly by identifying top-performing organic content and amplifying it through paid ads, targeting similar audiences to keep the momentum going. Meanwhile, underperforming content isn’t a loss—it’s a lesson. Analyze what didn’t work and apply those insights to future campaigns.
Let’s say your Valentine’s Day campaign included influencer-generated content featuring gift recommendations, date-night ideas, or self-care themes. Identify the posts that drove the most engagement and repurpose them into targeted paid ads for upcoming gifting occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or birthdays. If a particular product recommendation converted well for Valentine’s, there’s a strong chance it will work again for a similar occasion.
🔑 Takeaway: Social media is your testing ground—identify top-performing content and amplify it through paid ads. What worked for Valentine’s Day could be a winner for Mother’s Day or birthdays with a slight tweak.
3. Build a UGC Library for Future Use
Too often, influencer-generated content gets used once and forgotten. That’s a wasted opportunity. Instead, treat UGC like a dynamic content library—one that lives beyond a single campaign. Organize content by theme and emotion, not just by campaign, so it’s easy to pull and repurpose across multiple touchpoints.
This catalog-style approach gives brands greater control over content distribution, allowing them to weave influencer assets into owned channels like email marketing, website landing pages, and even offline activations. You might be surprised at how seamlessly seasonal content can be repurposed in future campaigns—sometimes in unexpected ways.
One of my all-time favorite holiday ads was an email I received from Victoria’s Secret promoting a BOGO sale. And it was a picture of two dogs. (These two ) Because obviously.
My point is think through your creative, but don’t overthink the creative – making it super themey (promise you that’s a word). A Valentine’s Day UGC campaign featuring heartfelt gift exchanges can be repackaged for an anniversary-themed email series, wedding season promos, or even a holiday gifting guide. Context matters more than previous use when you’re deciding where and how to reuse creative assets.
🔑 Takeaway: Organize UGC by theme and emotion, not just by campaign, to keep high-performing content in rotation. A well-structured library ensures influencer assets remain valuable, reducing production demands and making repurposing seamless across activations. This ‘catalog’ approach is now a key reason brands invest in influencer campaigns—offering the flexibility that brand-generated assets often lack. With a well-stocked UGC library, brands can quickly pull relevant content for new initiatives, keeping marketing agile and cost-effective without constantly producing fresh assets.
4. Create a ‘Throwback Strategy’ for Social
Bring back top-performing seasonal content at strategic moments throughout the year. Nostalgia marketing is a powerful tool—audiences engage deeply with familiar content that reminds them of past experiences. A well-timed throwback can rekindle interest, drive conversions, and reinforce brand affinity.
Beyond engagement, throwback content also serves as a strategic bridge between seasonal campaigns. By resurfacing past influencer content, brands can seamlessly transition into new promotions while maintaining audience interest.
🔑 Takeaway: Leverage #TBT or ‘On This Day’ campaigns to revive high-performing content. Take it a step further by refreshing captions with a new CTA, updating visuals for relevancy, or adding limited-time offers to drive action while nostalgia is at its peak.
Bonus Tip: Tap into Interest Graph Content for Long-Term Use
Not all influencer content is tied to fleeting trends—interest graph-driven content tends to be more evergreen and reusable by nature. Instead of being anchored to personal networks, interest graphs connect people based on shared passions, hobbies, and topics. That means content that resonates within these communities—whether it’s fitness, gaming, niche fashion, or wellness—has a longer shelf life and higher reusability across multiple campaigns.
🔑 Takeaway: If you haven’t yet tapped into interest graph marketing, start now. Partnering with creators who thrive in niche, high-engagement spaces ensures your content remains valuable and reusable long after the initial campaign ends.
Final Thoughts: Make Your UGC Work Smarter, Not Harder
Great influencer content isn’t just for the moment—it’s an asset with long-term value. The brands that win aren’t just creating content; they’re building sustainable content ecosystems. By repurposing influencer-generated content strategically—whether through paid ads, evergreen libraries, or nostalgia-driven campaigns—brands can extend the impact of every activation.
If you’re not already thinking ahead when planning influencer campaigns, now’s the time to start. A single moment of engagement can fuel multiple touchpoints, keeping your brand relevant, visible, and primed for long-term success.
