Increase your audience with content syndication
Written by Kimberleigh Gardener on 6 minute read
You work hard to create high-quality content, so it’s only natural that you’d want it to be seen by as wide an audience as possible.
There are numerous content marketing techniques out there to expand a publisher’s reach and improve affiliate conversion rates accordingly. One strategy growing in strength is content syndication. Here’s how it works and what you need to know before signing up for any content syndication service.
What is content syndication?
Content syndication is the act of taking a piece of existing content and republishing it on a third-party website for greater reach. Whether you’ve written a blog or made a YouTube video, you can help your content be seen by a wider audience through a range of different content syndication methods. It’s beneficial not only for the creator, who gains exposure, but also for the third-party website, which gains content and views. With greater exposure comes an increase in click-throughs – and with increased authority as an author, your readers are more likely to trust any affiliate links posted within your syndicated content.
There are several types of content syndication tools and channels to consider.
- You can contribute your piece to a content syndicating website.
- You can republish your own content on a site like Medium.
- You can syndicate another party’s content on your own website.
Syndication vs repurposing
While content syndication involves republishing a piece on a third-party website, content repurposing changes the piece. The writer uses the original content as a jumping-off point or guide, repurposing its contents into a new piece of content. For example, you could repurpose an original blog post into video content or an email campaign.
Syndication vs guest blogging
Guest blogging is also different from content syndication. A guest blogger creates fresh content, whether visual or written, specifically designed for the website they’ll be published on. The content must be completely original rather than republished or repurposed. Syndication is always re-used in its orginal form (as posted on your blog or website) and has not been edited or updated.
The benefits of content syndication
Why should you consider syndicating content? There are several benefits both in terms of brand awareness and lead generation.
- Build brand awareness: Syndicating content gets your name out there which is particularly useful when starting out. You can build your reputation and forge new affiliate partnerships by getting as many eyes on your content as possible.
- Drive website traffic: Use a syndicated content strategy to place links directing back to your blog, website, and social media profiles. Research in-demand keywords that align with your affiliate offers for more clicks and conversions.
- Monetary incentives: Publishers with a higher volume of followers have more opportunities to monetise their blog through affiliate marketing. You’ll attract the attention of advertisers by growing your following and brand profile.
- Improve authority: Syndicating your work on high-profile websites like Medium or Forbes not only drives up traffic and subscribers, but it also helps build your authority. This translates to higher commissions since readers will trust the links posted.
- Online presence: Most affiliate marketers focus on their own blog, but using content syndication allows you to market your offers elsewhere – on multiple websites.
Syndication vs duplicate content
While a syndicated content strategy can drive traffic to your website, what does this mean for Google’s policy regarding duplicate content? Google’s algorithm penalises websites that duplicate content and rewards originality.
The key to ensuring that syndicated content, which is an exact share of the original content, is not affected by Google's policy is to ensure the syndicated shares of your content include a canonical tag instructing crawlers to view your original piece as the source content.
How to create a content syndication strategy
Now that we’ve discussed its numerous benefits, how can you get started as an affiliate publisher? The first step is to write the original content or choose a piece from your blog that you would like to syndicate. When writing or choosing content, look for articles that are expertly written with plenty of audience appeal.
The next step is to find partners for syndication. You’ll have your choice between free and paid partnerships.
- Free content syndication partnerships
There’s often no need to pay for syndication; the use of your content should be payment enough for many third-party websites. The question is, how do you find these sites? With this type of strategy, you can search Google with keywords such as:
- originally published in
- republished with permission
- originally appeared on
Search these terms to find sites that regularly publish syndicated content. Read the publication carefully to get a feel for its tone of voice and audience before sending your pitch to the appropriate editor. Does it have an audience that would appreciate your affiliate offers?
- Paid content syndication platforms
If the type of research above sounds like too much effort, you can use paid content syndication tools like Outbrain to place your content with a publication that aligns with your affiliate niche. For example, journalism-focussed websites like Forbes and the Guardian use these content syndication platforms to source articles. A paid syndication service works similarly to a service like Facebook ads. When you sign up, you can select the appropriate objectives, budget, and target audience.
- Self-syndication outlets
Apart from pitching websites and paying for publishing, there is a third DIY option. Many content creators choose to save money by self-publishing on social media platforms and sites like LinkedIn or Reddit. Medium is a popular outlet for content syndication, allowing publishers to grow their reach on a heavily trafficked site. It’s user-friendly as well. You simply import your story to the platform, including a canonical link back to your original piece.
The bottom line
Perhaps the most important thing to remember with syndication, as with any content, is that quality matters. Don’t forget to link back to your original piece, not only to avoid content duplication penalties but also to benefit from a wider audience.
Pageviews equate to revenue for publishers. With more eyes on your work, you’ll stand a better chance of monetising your original blog through affiliate marketing. Our publisher tools can help you track visitors and create more effective affiliate partnerships. You’ll also be able to build your own brand through authority while gaining followers along the way.
