Why content syndication is the perfect deal for publishers.

In the first quarter of 2021, over five million blogs were published on Wordpress alone. Safe to say, there's a lot of content out there. Publishers spend day and night to develop the perfect story, article or cover story. After the first few hours of vitality, the buzz slowly dies around the content after which it moves back to take its place with the billion other content pieces on the web. Does this mean publishers just need to keep churning content? Does the hunt for something new and exciting never rest?

We're here to discuss content syndication, how you can use your users to extend your message and ranking high on google.

Content syndication refers to re-publishing/re-using the same content - like blogs, articles, vlogs, etc on one or more websites. The good news is that syndicated content isn’t the same as duplicate content and even google approves it!

Content syndication can help with link building – the more platforms you syndicate your content to, the more links you are to receive organically, which improves your site’s Google ranking. The authors also benefit from content syndication as it gets their brand in front of a new audience.

Content syndication helps you extend the shelf life of your content. Timeless pieces can be repurposed and repositioned. You get to make the most out of your content pieces. Pushing your content across third-party platforms is a great way to expand your audience. You can improve your engagement and navigate the traffic to the original website.

Content can be syndicated through third-party platforms like Google, Facebook, and other online platforms that accept guest blogs/articles. If done right, it helps reach a different set of audiences, helps grow brand awareness, and allows people to see the relevance of your content across different channels.

One must remember that third-party platforms are also in the battle to retain traffic and attract users. They would want to hold onto the readers. It's important to give users a reason to come back to your website. Leave bread crumbs so they don’t go astray. You can always use powerful messaging to attract attention away, or you can get more creative with your content syndication strategy.

The key to successful content syndication is ensuring your content is created in a way that it easily shows off your brand image, on both your native platforms as well as third-party channels where you want to drive in the audience from. For you to stand out on another platform, you need to make sure that the content also aligns with the morals and needs of their audience. A careful balance between the two can help you attract the right reader base.

A classic example of a bandwagon- users with influence convince others to consume the same content as them. As a publisher, it can be hard to keep up with content consumption habits that change daily over the weeks depending on what it is that’s happening to your audience. It’s also difficult to predict audience behavior.

The key to successful content syndication is ensuring that your content is - relevant, resonates, and engages with your audience. It should further help you make revenue out of your content through effective monetization models.

Standing out in an overcrowded platform and making a mark for yourself in a way that helps readers find you can be a challenge for any publisher. There is a lot of content on the web, for yours to stand out, you need some serious content strategy and traffic. This is why social media plays such an important role. While your content is available in all its glory on your site, you need the social network to distribute and promote your brand and content to real readers across the globe.

Visual networks like Instagram and TikTok are on the rise as news sources because of the same reason. People have also started to create content through videos and images on social media. You can use user-generated content to improve your engagement as well. A user-generated video will always have more impact and will encourage others to actively engage with your messages. It will create a deeper connection - one you don't want to miss out on.

Today people already know what they want and usually know where to ask for it, publishers need to match that intentionality and deliver strong content on all platforms.

As mentioned earlier, there is a whirlwind of content on the web. There are many publishers creating content however, there aren’t many publishers who are getting direct feedback in the form of UGC, from their readers. You need to make sure that you allow your content to make a full circle. Promote it, reuse it and republish it. Increase the shelf life of your average article. This helps improve your ranking. On the sidelines, you’d want to ensure that your reader base is encouraged to share more UGC. From videos to reels, we’ve come a long way. NEtizens respond and react to content - give them the space to share their voice. And use this engagement to your advantage.