Content Syndication: Everything You Need to Know

Intro

Can you do high-quality link-building at scale via guest posts alone? Certainly not. However, you may accomplish this goal with the help of content syndication. And that’s only one benefit.

This article will explore the benefits of content syndication, the most effective strategies for sharing your content, and the leading platforms for syndicating content.

Let’s start from the top:

What Is Content Syndication?

Content syndication is the process by which one website makes its unique content available to another via an intermediary service or platform. Various forms of content, including articles, infographics, videos, and other media, can be syndicated.

The goal is to get the information seen on other sites to boost the original site's exposure and traffic.

How Does Content Syndication Work?

Content syndication is a method used by businesses to distribute their content to third-party websites that share a similar target audience.

There are two popular methods used for content syndication: paid and self-syndication. Paid syndication involves paying a fee to distribute your content on various platforms. These websites then publish the content while giving credit to the source. They usually use phrases like:

• Republished with permission
• Originally published on
• Originally appeared on

Here is an example from fastcompany.com.

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Self-syndication is when you republish your content on other websites like Medium and LinkedIn yourself. Both methods can be effective in expanding your reach and increasing brand visibility.

Whatever the method, parties involved in content syndication must establish clear guidelines and agreements to ensure the content is credited correctly and not plagiarized.

UniverseToday.com, for instance, explains how they should be credited:

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Apart from the challenge of ensuring proper attribution, there’s also the issue of duplicate content in content syndication. But you can also overcome this by adjusting your content before republishing it on other websites. So, if you partner with different insurance companies, for example, you can use generative AI for insurance to customize your content for each. You can also update your statistics, add new insights, or modify your content format to give it a different look and feel.

Benefits of Content Syndication

Content syndication offers organizations various benefits. Let us take a deeper look at these advantages.

1. Increased Reach and Visibility for Your Content

By syndicating content, you can tap into the audiences of various websites and platforms, expanding your reach beyond what you could achieve independently. That could result in greater brand recognition and the possibility of attracting new leads or customers.

2. Improved SEO through Backlinks and Increased Traffic

Syndicating your content on reputable websites can improve your search engine rankings by providing valuable backlinks. Additionally, increased exposure through syndication can result in more traffic being directed to your website. This can lead to better SEO performance, greater engagement, and increased conversions.

3. Enhanced Brand Credibility

The more credible websites and platforms that distribute your material, the more authority your brand will get in your industry. The fact that these websites would promote your material gives the impression that your brand is trustworthy.

In the long run, then, you can establish a solid foundation of loyal consumers.

Top Content Syndication Platforms

A content syndication platform is a service or tool that enables content creators to distribute their content to various websites, blogs, or social media channels. Content syndication platforms often provide analytics and reporting tools to assist creators in tracking the performance of their content across different channels.

Let's explore the top content syndication platforms:

1. Flipboard

Flipboard is a well-liked content-sharing app that lets users craft personalized digital magazines by curating articles, videos, and other content from around the web. Users can follow particular topics or publishers to find tailored content that matches their interests.

Flipboard also provides advertising options for brands seeking to expand their reach by distributing targeted content to a broader audience.

When you're ready to get your publication on Flipboard, just set up a profile with a photo and a brief bio that represents your brand. There is no cost to you for that. Next, you can make a magazine and begin including stories using the bookmarklet.

Take a look at this Flipboard profile, for example.

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As you keep adding content and growing your audience, you'll see a boost in traffic and interaction.

2. LinkedIn Publishing

LinkedIn Publishing is a feature on the professional networking site LinkedIn that allows users to create and share long-form articles with their network. This feature helps professionals showcase their expertise, share industry insights, and establish themselves as thought leaders.

Other users can interact with these articles by sharing, liking, and leaving comments, which helps to increase visibility and engagement. Here's an example of syndicated content from LinkedIn.

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LinkedIn Publishing is open to everyone, regardless of membership level. So, both free and premium users can create and share articles on the platform to build their brand and achieve professional growth.

3. Medium

Medium was founded in 2012 by Evan Williams, who is also the co-founder of Twitter. It is a widely used online publishing platform. It lets people share their thoughts, ideas, and stories with a larger audience.

The platform is known for its simple and user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for writers to create content without distractions. Here's how syndicated content appears on Medium.

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Medium is open to both established writers and newcomers who want to share their work. Users can sign up for a free account and start writing immediately, with the option to publish their content publicly or privately.

This accessibility has helped Medium create an inclusive and diverse community of writers from all walks of life.

Content Syndication Best Practices

While it can be an effective way to expand your online presence, it's important to be cautious and follow best practices to ensure the best results from your content syndication efforts.

1. Select the Right Syndication Partners/Platform

Syndicating your content through partners with higher domain authority and a larger following can significantly increase your content's reach and visibility. Therefore, you must conduct research and identify trustworthy, popular websites, blogs, and social media platforms to share your message.

Also, ensure that their values align with your brand and that they have a history of producing high-quality content.

Google can help you discover potential syndication partners in your niche. For example, search for “originally appeared on” + [topic] to discover sites that have republished content in the past.

Here is an example.

You can also use phrases such as republished with permission, originally appeared on and originally published on. Here is another example.

This can help you identify websites open to syndicating content and expanding your reach.

Finally, as I briefly mentioned, clear communication channels and expectations must be established to ensure a successful partnership. Reach out to them with a clear proposal outlining the benefits of partnering with your brand. Furthermore, negotiate mutually beneficial and fair terms for both parties involved.

2. Create High-Quality Content

Once you have identified potential syndication partners, the next step is to optimize your content for distribution. This involves tailoring your content to suit the preferences and requirements of each partner. That increases the likelihood of your content being accepted and shared across multiple platforms.

So, understand your target audience and their needs. Research what topics are trending in your industry and what type of content resonates with your target audience. This will help you create relevant and valuable content for your readers.

Also, focus on creating original content. Avoid simply regurgitating information that is already available online. Instead, provide a fresh perspective or unique insights to make your content stand out.

Consider this piece: it enriches the subject by incorporating the companies' experience and insightful observations.

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Pay attention to formatting and structure. Use subheadings, bullet points, and images to break up your content and make it easier to read. This will also help improve the overall user experience and keep readers engaged.

Remember to also optimize your original content for search engines by incorporating relevant keywords and meta tags. You can partner with a SaaS link-building agency to help you in acquiring valuable backlinks for that original post. This way, coupled with your content syndication efforts, you can further increase your visibility and showcase your brand as an authority.

3. Use Appropriate Methodologies for Content Syndication

As I mentioned, content syndication can present some potential issues, such as plagiarism and duplicate content. For that reason, it's crucial to credit the source of the content.

Here are some related best practices to follow:

1. Use the "rel=canonical" tag: This tag helps search engines identify the original URL and prevent duplicate content issues. Just add the tag to the HTML code header of the preferred URL.

2. Use the meta no-index tag: This tag prevents search engines from indexing syndicated content. Google recommends adding the meta no-index tag to the HTML header of duplicate pages to ensure only the original content is displayed in search results. This helps maintain the authority of the original URL and helps one avoid penalties for duplicate content. You can ask your partners to do this.

3. Syndicate a snippet and back to the original post: This strategy involves syndicating only a small snippet of your content and linking your original post for the entire piece. Readers of the syndicated article must click on the link to your website to access the entire content.

Implementing these strategies will help you reap the benefits of content syndication.

Conclusion

Sharing your content through syndication can help you connect with a larger audience and boost its visibility. This can improve your website traffic and enhance your search engine rankings. It can also help position your brand as an expert in your field and attract potential customers to your business.

Use platforms like Medium, Flipboard, and LinkedIn Publishing to share your content with a wider audience. Just make sure to follow best practices like choosing a reliable partner, producing top-notch content, and implementing the “rel=canonical" and no-index tags.

So, don't limit yourself to just guest posting — consider content syndication as part of your overall content marketing strategy and see excellent results.