Getting your content in front of the right audience can feel like an uphill battle. You invest time and effort into creating high-quality content for your website, yet it doesn’t always attract the attention it deserves. Frustrating right?
But what if there was a way to tap into audiences far beyond your current reach without doubling your workload or draining your budget? Well, there actually is, and it’s called Content Syndication.
So, what exactly does ‘content syndication’ mean? What are its pros and cons, and how can you do it successfully?
Content syndication is the process of sharing or republishing your original content—such as blog posts, articles, videos, or infographics—on other websites or platforms. This allows you to reach a much broader audience by leveraging the traffic and reach of other sites.
But wait, isn’t that what guest blogging is?
Well, not exactly
Guest blogging involves writing brand-new content specifically for another site, while content syndication focuses on republishing or sharing the same content you’ve already created on other platforms. With guest blogging, you’re creating exclusive material for a third-party site, whereas with syndication, you’re amplifying the reach of your existing work without having to write something new from scratch.
How Does Content Syndication Work?
When it comes to syndicating content, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Different types of content and different audiences require different approaches. The key is to understand what your audience values and how they consume content. Do they prefer full-length articles? Or are they more likely to click through from a teaser or summary?
Here are some common methods for syndicating your content:
- Duplicate the Entire Content: This involves republishing your full article, video, or infographic on another site, essentially giving it a second life. It’s quick and straightforward but may present some SEO risks if not managed properly.
- Summarizing Content: Instead of republishing everything, you can provide a summary of your content on a third-party site. This method gives readers a taste of what your original piece is about, prompting them to visit your website for the full story.
- Use Excerpts: An excerpt, like a highlighted paragraph or a snippet of your content, can act as a teaser, directing users back to the full article on your own site.
- Restructure the Content: Sometimes, it’s not enough to copy and paste your content. Restructuring can make your material more engaging or relevant to a new audience. This could mean focusing on key points, creating a different version with a new angle, or even targeting different keywords.
Whether you duplicate your content, summarize it, or only syndicate certain parts, one thing is constant: it takes time for content syndication to gain traction. Your audience may not flock to your site overnight, so consistency and patience are key.
Is Content Syndication Plagiarism?
A lot of people wonder if syndicated content is the same as plagiarism.
Now, you’d be thinking that since both terms describe using already published content, why don’t we just call it “content theft?”
But there are some key differences between these two concepts: while plagiarized articles take original information from websites and publish them unaltered (often with no mention at all), syndicates typically specify which post comes originally by including language like “published originally on this website” and ”on this date”, and perhaps ”by this author.”
Think of it as a way to get your work in front of people who might not otherwise find your website.
How to Syndicate Your Content
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to syndicate your content successfully.
1. Create Quality Content
A well-written article is a powerful tool for any marketer. But it doesn’t start and end there – you have to make sure the quality of your work covers up all other shortcomings for this strategy to be effective.
To create high-quality articles that people will want (and need) on their website or social media page, first things first:
Ensure relevance by staying true to what interests them most at the present time, then dive deep enough into those topics until they feel satisfied as if someone else did this research beforehand. Maybe even learn about something new yourself, then give readers as much information as possible without compromising its readability.
2. Find Appropriate Content Syndication Websites
There are three main types of syndication sites;
- Free Syndication Sites
Free content syndication sites can be a great way to share your work with the world for free. However, you’ll need to find publications that are willing and open about accepting this type of material to get some exposure online.
The most popular free syndication sites include; Huffpost and Business 2 Community.
- Paid Syndication Sites
There are a variety of sites designed for content syndication, and they all charge you per click. The problem with these, however, is that there’s an over-reliance on clickbait headlines which produces extremely high bounce rates and lack of user engagement (or worse: negative sentiment) – the complete opposite of what we want. Some examples include Taboola and Outbrain.
- Owned Syndication
Being your own syndicator is always the best bet. LinkedIn and Medium are great examples of such platforms that give you complete freedom. Here you can publish your content without the need to contact editors or negotiate terms.
These platforms allow for your original work with an attributive “originally published on” line at the bottom linking back to where it was initially published online.
3. Use the Appropriate Syndication Techniques
Don’t forget to use the proper content syndication methods. It’s crucial that your work doesn’t get discovered as plagiarized, so ensure you’re using appropriate methodologies for success.
Here are some tips on how to index syndicated content;
Rel=Canonical Tag
Using the rel=canonical tag will let search engines know that a particular page features syndicated content.
Noindex Tag
Why does it matter whether or not syndicated content is indexed?
You might be thinking, “What difference does noindex make?”
Well, for starters, the meta tag ensures that your original work will always remain authoritative in Google’s eyes. Why do you need another page competing with you on search engine results when all they can show are your own words.
The whole point behind using this technique was so you could avoid having two versions–one official and one copied-and to ensure that your original content stays at the top of Google’s rankings.
4. Evaluate Your Content’s Performance
To create high-quality leads from your syndicated content, you must evaluate and optimize it. This includes measuring how well the work is being received by readers with metrics such as;
Conversion Rates
It is the speed at which qualified prospects convert across what you sell. Conversion rates can be tracked by measuring how many people click through from an ad and become a lead, sale, or customer.
Engagement Rate
The more engagements you get, the better! The number of leads that can be connected or interacted with by a sales executive is what we call “engagement rate.” You want this number to stay high so that the leads you’re connecting with will convert into customers and revenue for your business.
Win Rate
The win rate is the percentage of times you convert an opportunity into a customer. You can measure this by looking at how many opportunities have resulted in sales or leads for your business, then dividing it with all available possibilities.
Qualification Rate
Qualification rate is one way of measuring how well your content performs. It refers to the percentage of qualified leads that become sales-ready customers over time with marketing efforts.
Where Can You Syndicate Your Content?
Think of your content syndication strategy like any other marketing campaign. The key to its success will depend on what tactics you use, for instance, where you republish your content.
Consider syndicating across multiple platforms or networks so that anyone interested can find them easier – this will definitely increase potential audience reach.
Here are some of the most common syndication outlets;
Syndication Networks
Content syndication networks are a great way to help your blog posts, videos, or photos reach a bigger audience. Syndicating with these sites is easy and helps you distribute your work across large audiences by placing links from them on other blogs in their network of websites that cover similar topics.
Multi-author Websites
There are many websites that allow you to syndicate your content. If an author’s blog is not enough exposure for them, then this might be the perfect outlet.
These sites will often take whole or partial articles from other writers and publish them under their own name with no changes made except adding more bylines to show off all contributors involved with the piece on the site’s page.
Blogging Sites
Blogging sites are an excellent option for syndicating your articles. These social media-style websites allow users to create their own blogs and give you great control over when and how often to post, so it’s an excellent option in terms of accelerating your blog traffic- not forgetting the fact they already have an audience.
Social Media Platforms
Posting to social media is a great way to get your content in front of new people. Many of the top networks have an option to publish directly onto their platform.
You can consider LinkedIn Publishing Platform or Facebook’s Instant Articles, which not only give you access to discovery features but also analytics so that you can optimize posts accordingly.
The most popular syndication outlets include;
- Outbrain
- Medium
- HubPages
- Slideshare
- Taboola
What is the Difference Between Content Syndication and Content Marketing
At first glance, content marketing and content syndication might seem similar, but they serve different purposes and involve distinct approaches.
Content Marketing is about creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a clearly defined audience. The goal is to build trust, establish authority, and ultimately drive profitable customer action through content published on your own platforms, like your blog, website, or social media channels. You control the message, format, and delivery, aiming to foster a direct connection with your audience.
On the other hand, Content Syndication focuses on republishing or distributing your existing content on third-party platforms to reach a broader audience. It doesn’t involve creating new content; instead, it amplifies the visibility of what you’ve already produced by leveraging external websites or networks. The goal here is to expand your reach, drive traffic back to your original site, and boost brand visibility by tapping into the audiences of other established platforms.
In summary:
- Content Marketing is about creating original content for your own platforms.
- Content Syndication is about sharing or republishing that content on other sites to increase visibility.
What are the Advantages of Content Syndication?
It’s Cost-Effective
It’s a cost-effective marketing method that can help you generate leads and engage with potential customers. There is plenty of opportunity for lead generation, too, and if not enough money exists in your budget to fund an entire campaign, then this might just be what you need.
Third parties also stand to gain from freebies passed their way. Content syndication is the best way to get free content for your site without having another expense or putting in hours of work.
Builds Brand Awareness
Content syndication offers an excellent way for consumers and companies alike to build their brand awareness. Content that is contributed to third-party sites can establish you as an industry leader within your niche while also enhancing credibility with those who view it!
For instance, one single article can help put out your brand and reach clients who may be interested in what they see on third-party sites that link back to yours.
Saves Time
Content Syndication offers more engagement with your audience, reaching them quicker and easier than if they were coming from a source where there may be fewer followers.
For third-party websites, they don’t have to spend time creating new content. Instead, they can use already existing content and focus on generating traffic.
An Effective Lead Generation Tool
If you want to generate more leads, especially if your company’s original site isn’t generating enough traffic for its own needs. It helps get traffic back to the original source.
Link Generation- Backlinking
Content syndication is an effective method for generating quality backlinks. When you syndicate your content on third-party platforms, they link back to your content- which is the original content.
Backlinks from other sites help your original web page rank higher in search engine results, and this leads to more organic traffic for you.
What are the Disadvantages of Content Syndication?
Spammy Syndication Sites May Ruin Your Online Authority
There are a few downsides to content syndication, but the most major of these is spammy sites. These can ruin your reputation if you’re syndicating on those pages and end up linking back there too.
It would be best to always research any website/platform where you want your work seen.
Negatively Affects Your SEO
One downside of the practice is that your site’s SEO might suffer. This is because Google may treat any third-party site you publish on as if they were actually posting new information instead of just linking back to yours – which means they outrank your site.
In some cases, replicated material might be treated as duplicates meaning both versions rank lower than expected, or your site gets the lower ranking.
It’s Challenging to Convert a New Audience
The best way to get leads is by syndicating content. Not only does this generate quality traffic for your website, but it also helps build a new audience of people who have not seen your work and are likely to become conversion candidates.
The downside though? It may take time converting these new visitors into buyers because they are interacting with your content for the first time.
Conclusion
Content syndication presents a powerful opportunity to get your content in front of larger, more diverse audiences without the need for hefty budgets or time-consuming new content creation. When done right, it can boost your brand’s visibility, generate leads, and even improve your SEO through quality backlinks.
But as with any strategy, success comes from thoughtful execution. Whether you’re duplicating, summarizing, or restructuring your content, the key lies in choosing the right platforms and syndication methods that align with your goals.