Content syndication is an essential component of modern growth marketing, as it allows businesses to reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness. While blog posts were traditionally the only type of content syndicated, other formats can now be utilized as well. Although search engine optimization has evolved over time, syndication remains important for engaging prospects through various distribution platforms and networking channels.
Content syndication involves publishing online content on a third-party platform with the goal of reaching a different audience and directing traffic back to your website. It can be considered a growth hacking strategy to expand your brand’s reach and connect with a broader audience. There are several methods to syndicate content, including republishing the entire piece, editing it for a shorter version, or posting an excerpt or summary from the original work.
Content syndication differs from guest posting, which involves publishing original content on third-party sites. The advantage of syndication is its scalability, as you can syndicate the same blog post to multiple platforms. Guest posts, on the other hand, cannot be republished elsewhere, limiting their reach. Marketers use content syndication to increase website traffic, generate leads, create backlinks, and more.
Content syndication has been a long-standing practice, even before digital marketing became popular. Media outlets used to publish syndicated content from freelancers and smaller publications to provide their audience with valuable content without investing significant resources. Today, marketers utilize content syndication to gain exposure to a wider audience and reap various benefits.
Successful content syndication stories include James Clear, who gained over 600 subscribers by republishing his article on Lifehacker, and Buffer, which consistently drives traffic through syndication on platforms like HuffPost and Fast Company. Buffer initially utilized guest posting to build relationships and later started syndicating their content to attract readers and increase brand awareness.
Content syndication should not be confused with plagiarism. Syndicated content is a copy of the original content that clearly specifies where it was originally published, while plagiarism involves republishing content without giving credit to the original author. Content syndication is also different from content curation, which involves compiling content from various sources and organizing it for readers’ benefit.
The benefits of content syndication include increased exposure, reaching a wider audience, optimizing visibility, establishing thought leadership, and driving traffic. Syndicated content can be articles, eBooks, whitepapers, videos, etc., and can be distributed through various channels like social networks, content hubs, blogs, or syndication platforms. Additionally, content syndication can help in lead generation by capturing prospect information through gated content and improving SEO through link generation.
