If you’re a content creator, you work hard to develop material that provides value to your target audience. But once the content is complete, your next challenge is getting it out in the world.
Content syndication isn’t a new concept, but it’s one with a lot of mystery attached to it. For years, individuals, businesses, marketers and PR professionals have used this technique to get content published on recognized and trusted platforms and seen by a wider audience.
But what exactly is content syndication and how can you benefit? Keep reading for a breakdown of the basics.
What It’s All About
Syndication began in the radio industry nearly 100 years ago and spread to television in the late 1940s. It helped make programming accessible to a wider audience and also allowed major radio stations and television networks to boost their offerings and bring in more profit from listeners and viewership.
Today, online content syndication is a much different beast. The process is faster, and more automated, with the ability to target a very specific audience. Plus, the number of media outlets, podcasts, blogs and other online publications looking for syndicated content is vast.
When you syndicate content, you’re republishing the same piece on multiple third-party websites. This could be an article, podcast, video, infographic or press release. It’s done to reach a wider audience, and in many cases, an audience with an interest in your content.
On the surface, the practice may seem like duplicate content, which is an SEO no-no. However, syndicated content is different. It cites the original source and often includes a backlink so readers can check out where it came from.
How it Benefits the Creator
We’ve already pointed out one way content creators can benefit from syndication – they get more eyes on their material. Higher exposure is always good, but what’s even better are the other benefits this triggers.
Let’s use press release syndication as an example. If you’re a business with a news story like a recent award or partnership, you can syndicate a press release to niche platforms you know have a built-in audience that may be interested in your news. This is a great way to become a thought leader in your industry and can help you form lasting relationships with journalists and media outlets.
You can also syndicate to national or regional media outlets that publish content related to various topics. This allows you to reach a wider demographic and boost your brand awareness with people who may not have heard of you.
Both strategies are effective, and you’ll need to decide what’s best for you given your industry and business goals. But regardless of whether you end up syndicating to industry-specific or general websites, you’re setting yourself up for additional benefits, including:
- An uptick in website traffic
- Lead generation
- Better search engine rankings
- Higher credibility
- Cost-effectiveness
If you’re new to content syndication, make sure you work with a reputable partner who has the tools and expertise needed to get results. Many sites offer free syndication services – just make sure you read reviews and do your research first. There are also plenty of paid services out there that offer fast, affordable syndication.
How it Benefits the Publisher
The advantages of content syndication also go in the other direction. Publishers stand to benefit in many different ways, which is one of the reasons the practice is so common – and successful.
A primary benefit to publishers is the ability to offer a more diverse range of content without having to do any creative legwork. This constant flow of content keeps their readers interested and engaged and ensures their platform stays active.
Another benefit is that syndication helps publishing sites increase their online visibility and expand their readership. New content helps strengthen a publisher’s SEO and drive more traffic to their site. Plus, quality backlinks help to boost their domain authority.
Finally, content syndication can be a great source of revenue for publishers. In addition to syndication partnership agreements, they have the opportunity to make extra income via advertisements placed on their content-rich site.
Content Syndication Best Practices
While syndicating content is a powerful tool for businesses, marketers and PR professionals, it must be done correctly. Ensuring some key elements and practices are in place will increase the success of your content and will also help you avoid the possibility of getting penalized by search engines for plagiarism.
So, let’s go over some best practices you need to keep in mind.
Quality is Everything
Much of the success of your article, press release, video or any type of content you’re syndicating depends on its quality.
As a rule, only publish material that’s well-written, relevant and provides value to the audience. This will make a bigger impact on your audience and increase the chance of it getting shared on social media.
Choose the Right Platforms
You go to great lengths to create high-quality content. Don’t squander your efforts by syndicating it to the wrong audience.
When choosing a platform, make sure they have a trusted audience and are well-known in your industry. This ensures you reach your target audience, which will help build your brand reputation and establish you as a thought leader.
It’s also worth partnering with a platform that has a large readership.
Avoid the Duplicate Content Issue
There are a few things you can do to ensure search engines don’t flag your content as duplicate. Each step is quite simple but very important. This includes:
- The canonical tag – Make sure the URL where your syndicated content lives includes a “rel=canonical” tag. This informs search engines that the content is syndicated.
- The noindex tag – Set as a rule in the meta tag of a URL, the noindex tag tells search engines to avoid indexing the syndicated content. Add this tag if you don’t want the original content competing with the syndicated version.
Shorten Long Content
If your content is lengthy, consider only syndicating part of it and linking back to the original source. This can help strengthen your SEO.
Search engines tend to rank pages with more content higher. So, if you syndicate a 2,500-word article, there’s a chance the publishing site will get more SEO love than your own.
Analyze the Results
Once syndicated, you’ll need to measure how successful your content was. This will help you decide if a publisher is right for you and can shape future campaigns.
An easy way to track success is to look at your website traffic. Pay attention to how many visitors are arriving at your site from each platform. You can also look at conversion rates if your content was meant to bring in new business.
Start Syndicating Your Content Today
If you’re tired of waiting for organic rankings or have time-sensitive, newsworthy content to get out in the world, consider syndicating. It’s one of the easiest ways to reach a wider audience and make an impact.
We offer press release syndication to major media outlets people recognize and trust. Get started today.
