The Business Driving Power of Content Syndication: Real Results from 10 Bloggers
Effective content syndication can be summed up by the infamous phrase, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.“
If you’re looking to launch a blog or website, grow your audience, increase your domain authority, drive organic traffic or qualify for advertising networks, it might surprise you that the proven strategy you need is one invented in 1884 – – content syndication.
What is Content Syndication?
Have you read an article in your local newspaper or web content, and the byline isn’t a person or the site you’re on but the Associated Press, Reuters, or even People.com? That means that the piece you are reading is a syndicated one. Websites and blogs are republishing an entire article, with permission, that originally appeared somewhere else, written by another author.
But the opportunity for republishing content goes beyond just articles. “Any type of media can be syndicated or reshared. From blog posts, videos, and audio clips – anything content-related can be syndicated to further its reach,” says Bernz JP, Founder of Moneylogue.
This cooperative effort of using content multiple times is a lot more common than you think. Major media websites such as Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, MSN, Nerdwallet, Huffington Post, CNN, and The New York Times know the power of syndication for their content.
Skeptical? It’s a common reaction
It’s okay. Stay awhile and listen. I’m sure that you have a lot of the same doubts that Tim, Blogger at timthomas.co did about duplicate content issues.
“When I joined a blog collective last year, the whole concept of content syndication was completely new to me. I Googled the term, read a few articles but still had questions about how it actually works. The biggest was whether I would get penalized by Google for republishing existing blog content.“
“Those questions were answered very quickly. When I syndicated my first article to a group of fellow bloggers, I was amazed by the results. Why hadn’t I tried it earlier?! I’ve got backlinks from sites that I wouldn’t have gotten on my own, and the growth in my site is directly related.”
Source Expert Content Easily
When you are running a website, there is an endless list of to-dos. It’s hard to balance your long list with the ultimate priority of producing top-notch blog content for your readers. With a never-ending 24/7 news cycle and endless social media channels, there’s tons of pressure to regularly release great content. Enter Me! (content syndication says in parentheses).
“As someone who lives in Canada but has a large US-based readership, it can be difficult to write thorough and accurate articles on certain topics, especially in the personal finance niche. Getting free relevant content from other talented writers that are knowledgeable on these topics has helped to bring the best information I can to my audience,” said Amanda Kay, Founder, Mylifeiguess.com.
Publishing content from other authors (acting like a content syndication network) can solve multiple challenges when you’re running a site.
“Great content syndication helps fill the void when I typically can’t publish frequently. I publish syndicated content when I’m on vacation, and my readers appreciate the different perspectives,” said John from Financial Freedom Countdown.
Gain Visibility
When you’re just getting started building momentum can be challenging. Sometimes it seems like you are writing out of this world content, and no one sees it. Permitting large established sites to run your articles will quickly help raise your profile.
“I know that content syndication has gotten my work in front of hundreds of thousands of readers that I could never have gotten on my own. When third-party sites republish my work (like the Ladders), I reach a wider audience and been contacted by readers and business partners from all over the globe,” said Jesse, Founder of BestInterest.blog.
“I definitely hesitated at first because they just…take my work? But after trying it out, I always get full credit, get direct traffic, and get links back to my site, improving my domain authority. It’s a win-win-win!“
Reach Your Target Audience
Reaching your target audience is always a priority but it can be hard when starting out. One shortcut can be introducing your blog and your content, where your audience already is – other sites. It’s like fishing where the fish are!
“I was really unsure what content syndication opportunities could do for me. It seems counterintuitive. I want my content on my site, right? Though I can write well, I have struggled with how to draw readers to my site,” said Regina, Founder of That Frugal Pharmacist.
“Content syndication has been a way to get my content in front of readers and introduce my name as a freelance writer. It’s also allowed larger sites to see my writing and a few quotes in major online publications that I wouldn’t have achieved, yet, on my own.“
Drive Traffic
Another critical priority for bloggers, and any website, is driving traffic. If you create great content and give it away it will give traffic in return!
“When I first heard of syndicating posts, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. Was I giving away my original content? As it turns out, partnering with other bloggers to syndicate content has led to many opportunities to get it in front of a larger audience and even be picked up by major news outlets such as CNBC. It’s been a great way to get backlinks, improve search engine rankings, drive additional traffic back to my blog, and form relationships with journalists,” said Andrew Herrig, Founder, Wealthy Nickel.
Build Your Email Subscribers
You hear it everywhere. Building an email list is a critical piece of a blog that makes money. Who knew that content syndication is the Oprah of email lists? You get new subscribers! And you get new subscribers! And You!
“As a new blogger, building my email list was slow going. I had an email lead magnet that solved a common problem for my target audience, but no one knew about it. Every once in a blue moon, I would get one new subscriber to my site,” said Monica at Planner At Heart.
“One Saturday, I woke up to an email box full of new subscriber notifications. Earlier that week, my first syndicated article went live on a prominent site with big visibility. That article was seen by the founder of the most trusted group within my niche. They then featured my piece in their weekly Saturday morning newsletter sent to 50,000 people within my target audience. Without the syndicated article, none of that would have happened.“
Raise Your Domain Authority Efficiently
If you’re looking to drive traffic to your site from search engine results, having a high domain authority (DA) score is a critical piece of the puzzle. The best way to raise this score is by securing a link back to your site from other sites. It’s like people raising their hand, one by one, vouching that your site provides trusted content. It’s just another reason to consider syndicating content to a thirdparty website.
“I was unfamiliar with content syndication and the benefits it can bring. Now, I love it! Before joining a blogger group called The Money Mix Insiders, I was reaching out to many sites individually for guest blogging. This process would yield about one or two backlinks. However, with syndication, I’m able to scale my backlinks with just one or two guest blog posts,” said Jonathan, Founder of The Parent Portfolio.
“After I wrote my first syndicated post, I saw the results. One weekend I was notified by my SEO tracking site of 83 backlinks from one syndicated article. After three months of focusing on links (and a handful of other DA driving efforts like running a sweep), my DA went from 9 to 54!“
Stories like these seem like luck or a fluke, but they aren’t.
“I didn’t even know what content syndication was until I joined a blogging group. I didn’t understand how this process was different from guest posting. But now that I know, I’m hooked,” said Melanie, Founder of Partners in Fire. “I’ve had my posts syndicated on high domain authority websites, such as MSN. I know this is what helped me improve my domain authority from 27 to 56 in months. Syndication definitely works.”
Increase Revenue
Blogging as a successful side hustle means that eventually, you need to make money. Invest time and effort in syndicating your content, and it will pay dividends. Keep the faith!
“I heard about content syndication six months ago, and it changed the blogging game for me. Personally, I doubled my pageviews in 3 months when I started syndicating content,” said Marjolein, Founder of Radical Fire. With more page views, I was able to change my ad network and make 629% (!!) more revenue.”
This article originally appeared on Sweepstakes Mama and has been republished with permission.
