Repurpose content to create a Vertical Video section on your website

Publishers that don’t show Vertical Video content are missing out on monetizing their mobile users who love scrolling through content like Reels and Shorts. Over 40% of the time end users spend on Instagram is now spent watching Reels and YouTube Shorts. Short-form vertical content accounts for an average of 15 billion views every day. This shows that scrolling is a highly engaging pursuit, and therefore placing a Vertical Video ad every few videos is a great way to monetize this content.

If you are a Publisher who would like to start a Reels/Shorts section on your site but do not have any available content, we show you how to repurpose horizontal (16:9) long-form content into effective 10–15 second vertical (9:16) stories.

Best practices for repurposing horizontal content

Let’s take a look at some of the best practices for repurposing your website’s horizontal content to creative short-form interactive vertical video content and increase your website’s engagement.

1. We recommend starting from raw footage

If you can, and have access to the raw, unedited footage, that’s way easier to crop to vertical. Because it gives you full freedom to edit what you want and avoid any text overlays and sounds added to the edited video. However, this may not be possible, so look for key points in the edited horizontal video where you can take that section and crop it to 9:16.

2. Keep it short 

You do not need to edit an entire 20-minute video; just take the best bits and create a 30-second video. You could even break it down into different parts, giving you several new pieces of Vertical content from 1 horizontal video.

3. Reframe around the subject

When cropping 16:9 to 9:16, you lose roughly two-thirds of the horizontal frame. Keep the main subject or action centred in the vertical crop, and adjust the crop position from scene to scene if the subject moves. Most editing tools (Adobe Premiere Auto Reframe, CapCut, DaVinci Resolve) can track the subject automatically. Close-ups and medium shots convert well to vertical; wide landscape shots generally do not.

4. If a shot cannot be cropped, use a layered layout

Some shots like wide scenes, group shots, and gameplay footage lose too much when cropped. For these, place the horizontal video in the centre of the vertical frame and fill the top and bottom with a blurred copy of the same footage or a branded background. The top and bottom areas can also carry some text.

5. Better without text

In a video Reel format, the visuals should speak for themselves: we recommend avoiding text wherever possible.  If you want to promote one of your stars or categories and you feel text is mandatory, follow these text-related tips: 

• Keep it minimal and non-intrusive: one short line, never covering the main subject.
• Keep text within the central safe area, away from the edges where interface elements may overlap.
• Show it only as long as needed, not throughout the entire video.

6. Design for sound-off viewing

A large share of mobile viewers watch without sound. Ensure the creative communicates its message visually, and add captions if there is spoken content. Treat audio as an enhancement, not a requirement.

7. Keep the pace fast

In a Reel-style creative, it is fast-paced, so aim for a cut or visual change every 2–3 seconds. Slow pans and long static shots that work in horizontal formats feel empty in vertical. Trim aggressively, extract the moments that work on their own: a close-up, a key action, a reveal, a reaction. One clear moment per creative is more effective than a condensed summary of a longer video.

8. Try star or category compilations

If you have a lot of horizontal content of a specific star, why not crop their videos into short vertical video compilations or top 5 lists? That way you can build up a library of your end users’ favourite stars. You can also do this with different site categories and create compilations of those in Vertical format. 

Final Thoughts

Repurposing horizontal content into vertical is not a compromise when done correctly; it produces content that feels native to the Reels format and is a highly engaging way to retain and monetize your end users on mobile.