Content distribution demystified: A roadmap to success

Content distribution can be a bit of a mystery for new creators. It’s common to focus on content creation since it takes so much effort and it feels so gratifying to put something genuine out into the world. But the creation process is only half the battle. You also need to get your content in front of the right audience. After all, your efforts will be for naught if no one ever sees your hard work. With so many content distribution options available, it can be difficult to know where to start. Not to worry, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about content creation. 

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“Getting content distribution right creates loyalty, which leads to audience feedback, advocacy,  
and ultimately community.”

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What to expect from this guide

This guide will explore every facet of content distribution. You’ll learn what content distribution entails, why you need to do it, and how you can execute it. We’ll delve into developing a content strategy and examine concrete examples of how different types of content creators can reach their target audience.

• Chapter 1: Finding the right approach to content distribution
  • When you’re just starting out
  • When you’re seeking to grow your audience
  • When you want to keep your audiences engaged over the long term
• Chapter 2: Exploring content distribution channels
  • Primary channels for written content
  • Primary channels for video content
  • Promotional channels
• Chapter 3: Deploying your content distribution strategy
  • 6 steps for an effective content distribution strategy
  • A few examples

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Introduction

What is content distribution?

Content distribution helps you connect your content with the right audience. A solid strategy ensures long-term success in a world where content has a short shelf life. In fact, according to the Content Marketing Institute, most news articles reach 80% of their overall views within the first 24 hours. Even if your content isn’t tied to the news cycle, knowing how and where to reach your audience will increase its longevity and set you up for success.

Why content distribution matters

Finding the right audience is crucial. Your content distribution strategy will need to be tied to your goals and your audience. In this guide, we’ll examine concrete examples of how different types of content creators might approach distribution, including a blogger who writes about a topic of interest, a subject-matter expert who wants to inform others, and an entrepreneur aspiring to rethink their industry. A strong content distribution strategy helps all types of content creators to find and grow their audiences.

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"Your medium defines your message. Choose wisely."

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Chapter 1

Finding the right approach to content distribution

Finding the right approach to content distribution can feel like a daunting task, especially if you’re just starting out. The vast array of options available may seem overwhelming to the point of paralysis, yet, despite that complexity, mastering content distribution is both essential and attainable. Whether you’re just starting out as a creator or you already have an audience, our guide can help you think strategically about content distribution.

When you’re just starting out

As you begin your journey, it’s a good idea to leverage free tools and keep your focus on the creation process. Spending huge amounts of time worrying over distribution platforms can be a pitfall in these initial stages. Rather, it’s best to keep costs down and take advantage of tools that are simple, don’t require technical setup, and are available at low or no cost. 

Before embarking on a complex distribution strategy, you first need to understand your audience. What are their primary interests and motivations when they land on your site? How did they find your site in the first place? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a great way to start answering these questions. SEO can take years to master, but you can begin by focusing on key areas.

User intent

When people search the internet, they are doing it with intent. Knowing what people are searching for can help you craft content to meet those needs. If you aren’t satisfying one of the following types of user intent, you’re unlikely to rank in search engines under a specific search query.

• Informational intent: Looking for information on a certain subject.
• Navigational intent: Looking for a specific webpage or source.
• Transactional intent: Looking to purchase a product or service. 

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Keyword research

It’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of what search terms people are using. Developing content to meet queries with high volume can help improve search traffic.

After you’ve spent some time on search engine optimization, we recommend two other ways to help you learn about your audience.
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• Platform analytics: Your platform of choice will have analytics tools to help you identify and better understand your audience. Monitor this from the beginning to get immediately familiar with your audience’s behavior and preferences.
• Connecting with similar publishers: To help you interpret your SEO and platform analytics results, it can be very helpful to hear from other publishers in your field, whom you trust or admire. We recommend reaching out to them and learning from their experience. Furthermore, such connections often set the stage for potential for collaboration down the line.
  
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Should I have my own website?

Publishers have to make the tough choice of whether to blog on their own website or use a publishing platform, such as Medium or Substack.

When you’re seeking to grow your audience

Once you’ve made it past the first stage of your content distribution journey, you’re ready to grow your audience. This will likely involve making modifications to your distribution strategy to extend your reach. Here are some ways you can adapt.

• Transition your content to a personal domain: Procuring your own domain name and moving to a personal website gives you better control over your content and lets you build a personal brand.
• Build your presence in channels frequented by your audience: Understand where your audience spends their time and establish a presence there. This is an opportunity to solidify long-term relationships with those who share your interests.
• Implement more advanced SEO tactics: Refining your strategy starts with better SEO tactics and tools. Paid and free options can help you identify keyword opportunities and determine how your content is performing when it comes to search.
• Understand the technical needs of your own website: Expand your understanding of what it takes to manage and maintain a website. Make a plan for long-term maintenance, whether this involves expanding your personal skillset or finding expert help.

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Am I ready for paid promotion?  

Before investing in paid promotions, ensure you have a solid grasp of your audience. Once you’ve mastered that, you can reach new audiences with paid promotion. Like so many other parts of content distribution, using paid promotional tools is a learning process. Experimentation is key.

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Here is a content boost ladder to help you get started with paid promotion.

• Basic boosting: Investigate paid options within your existing platform. Most platforms offer paid promotional tools. This will allow you to get started without having to learn an entirely new toolset. For example, Substack offers paywalling features or subscription fees for premium content while WordPress will feature ads using WordAds. Do research where you are already comfortable first.
• Advance with ads: Next, you can level up using dedicated advertising tools such as Facebook Ads or LinkedIn Ads. These platforms will complement your social media promotion strategy while allowing for enhanced targeting based on behavior, demographics, and other facets.
• Become a marketing master: Finally, you can master paid promotion by repurposing content across platforms and developing a deeper understanding of website tracking. Armed with that information, you can personalize content and track conversions.

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When you want to keep your audience engaged over the long term

After you refine your tactics, you’ll now want to engage your audience for the long term. Ultimately, you want your audience to come back again and again. Here are some tips for advanced content distribution.

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• Diversify your content: While you can and should repurpose content across your channels, it’s a good idea to diversify your format and curate content to fit your channel. This can involve creating content hubs or developing ebooks.
• Implement more advanced SEO tactics: Adapt your SEO strategy to include additional audiences and continue to put more advanced tactics in place.
• Develop a backup strategy for content ownership: We’ll discuss content platform options later, but it’s important to understand how content ownership works when using third-party platforms. If your content ever becomes the property of another platform, you’ll want to migrate it to an owned channel.
• Review your content promotion activities. As your content base grows, you may find you need to expand your reach. This is a good time to consider paid promotional options to ensure you are working toward your brand goals and achieving better return on investment.

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Chapter 2

Exploring content distribution channels: primary channels vs. promotional channels

Your content has to live somewhere. That place is known as your primary channel. But simply getting your content up on a website is only the beginning. You need to get people to see it, and to do that, you must share content through different tools and platforms. These are known as your promotional channels.

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Primary content distribution channels for written content:

A good starting point:

• Wordpress: Wordpress.com is a good option for beginners. It comes with free options, but can be upgraded over time for more complex functionality. However, WordPress retains control over how your content is presented on its platform. Monetization options are also limited. But if you don’t care about making a ton of money and don’t want the hassle of maintaining a website, this can be a good choice.

If you’re feeling more creative:

• ‍Substack: Substack is a free platform for content creators, offering a comprehensive set of tools for planning, writing, curating, and publishing. Readers pay a small fee to subscribe to content they enjoy, which encourages writers who are just starting out. This allows new writers to build their audience easily. However, like WordPress, Substack ultimately controls how your content is presented on its platform.
• ‍Medium: Also free for content creators, Medium has audiences who pay to subscribe to curated newsletter content. It does pay writers who achieve a certain number of views or who have articles contained in the newsletter. Because it is more competitive in nature, this is a platform that is often considered ideal for intermediate or advanced writers.

If you want to get scientific about things:

• Wordpress.org: (as opposed to Wordpress.com, mentioned above) Wordpress.org is ideal for writers who want more creative ownership. It offers advanced functionality and flexibility. It does require you to pay a yearly hosting fee and maintain the site, but you’ll also get more advanced monetization options. If you’re able to maintain your site and you want to eventually build a business around your content, Wordpress.org can be better than Wordpress.com.
• Notion: Notion is a platform that can be used to plan, create, and distribute content. It has tools to support content creators from start to finish, including creation tools, an editorial calendar, a content hub, media kits, sales tools, and a no-code website maker. Notion offers free and paid options for individuals and businesses so it can grow with you.
  

Primary content distribution channels for video content:

A good starting point:

• YouTube: YouTube is a great tool for any level of content creator because it’s free to create a channel and post videos. You’ll get paid for views past a certain point so you can potentially monetize quickly. It’s important to note that the video quality depends largely on creators’ equipment and adding too many ads can annoy viewers. Keyword stuffing can also frustrate people trying to find content as it leads to clickbait videos. However, anyone can view your content on YouTube so there is considerable potential for building an audience. This is a good starting point if you know you want to release content but don’t have any firm goals.

If you’re feeling more creative:

• Vimeo:  Vimeo can be a good alternative to YouTube. This platform has tools for creating and editing and is free for viewers to use. Beginners can upload two videos each month for free, but you will be charged to upload content past that point. Vimeo is known for superior video quality and has better privacy tools so you can target a specific audience. This platform is often chosen by more business-minded creators.

If you want to get scientific about things:

• ‍Wistia: Wistia comes with free and paid options. It can be a good option for creators that already have a content plan or defined goals. The platform has tools for gathering followers and building an audience, such as requiring an email address before viewing, but it’s not a great option for creators who just want to publish for educational purposes. The free version allows you to upload up to 10 videos per month and offers basic features for beginners. The paid version is often used by creators who want to view more complex reports and test content against different audiences.

Promotional channels:

A good starting point:

• Social media platforms: Sharing content on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok can amplify your impact.
• Email updates and newsletters: Some writers will notify their followers when they update their publication.
• Reach out to your personal network: Sharing with friends, family, and peers can help leverage a new audience.

If you’re feeling more creative:

• Guest blogging: This can be a form of promotion since it allows you to introduce yourself to a wider audience.
• Online communities: If you’re part of certain online groups or networks (e.g., LinkedIn Groups), it can be beneficial to share your content with like-minded peers.

If you want to get scientific about things:

• X Pro (formerly known as TweetDeck): X Pro is a dedicated, paid platform for promoting content specifically on X. This tool, only recently a paywalled service, allows users to easily manage content on X and connect it to a larger strategy.
• BuzzSumo: BuzzSumo is a great tool for tracking content promotion across all social media platforms. The tool consolidates all mentions, shares, comments, and backlinks to give you a complete picture of your content’s performance in one place.

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"A strategy isn’t about being everywhere, but being effective where you are."

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Chapter 3

Deploying your content distribution strategy

Once you’ve chosen a home for your content (your primary channel) and you’ve identified the best places from which to draw an audience (your promotional channels), it’s time to distribute your content as effectively as possible.

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A few examples:

Let’s take a look at a few examples. These will help you to better understand how to apply an effective content distribution strategy in a real-life situation. Please note that our examples illustrate how these different content creators might approach distribution, but they do not reflect actual scenarios. We wanted to offer actionable tips, but it’s important to remember that the following examples are suggested purely for educational purposes.
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Note: You may not find that your situation exactly fits any one of these examples, but sits somewhere in between. That’s okay! Simply apply them as you see fit to your individual situation.

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Let’s say you’re an enthusiast who writes to share knowledge.

Let’s examine the popular traveling blog Nomadic Matt. Matt Kepnes travels the world and discusses his experiences on his blog. As a highly successful writer, he publishes content on his website and promotes it through social media. His content has gained so much popularity that he is now regularly featured in publications such as National Geographic and The New York Times. In this example, his website is his primary channel and social media and publications are his promotional channels.

Top goals he might track include blog visits, page views, engagement time on each blog, and audience growth.
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Let’s say that Matt is pleased with his budget travel tips and he now wants to reach an audience interested in luxury travel.

This is how he might approach a content distribution strategy to engage this new audience.  

• Step 1: Research your audience
  Matt researches luxury-travel sites like Luxury Columnist and uses Similarweb to understand the demographics and interests of people drawn to luxury travel, providing insights into this new audience.

• Step 2: Assess your existing content
  He evaluates his current content, retaining items appealing to luxury travelers and removing budget-friendly options. This ensures his material aligns with the expectations of a luxury-travel audience.

• Step 3: Select your content distribution channels
  Adding a luxury-travel category to his website allows Matt to leverage his existing audience and platform, effectively exploring and engaging with this new niche.

• Step 4: Decide how you will measure success
  ‍Matt creates new Facebook and Instagram accounts targeting luxury-travel enthusiasts, monitoring follower growth and engagement metrics to evaluate the success of his content strategy.

• Step 5: Promote your content
  He promotes luxury-travel blog posts on his website and social media channels, increasing visibility and engagement with his audience, ensuring the content reaches interested viewers.

• Step 6: Measure performance
  Matt analyzes follower growth on social media and monitors website traffic to assess the effectiveness of his strategy in attracting and engaging a luxury-travel audience.

Let’s say you’re a subject-matter expert who writes to inform the general public.

Benjamin Hardy, PhD uses Medium as his primary channel. He focuses on self improvement and methods for achieving your goals. As a best-selling author, he uses Medium to release short-form articles and smaller tips to help readers overcome challenges. He has around 256,000 followers and is hugely popular for his short reads. His Medium profile allows him to put all of his content in a single place, build an audience through email subscriptions, and market his books without building a formal website.

Goals that can be tracked with publishing services include article views, email subscriptions, and follower counts.

Benjamin’s content on productivity is extremely popular with individual readers. However, most of these writings involve ways to improve yourself on a personal level

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‍Let’s examine what a content distribution strategy might look like if he now wanted to show how his expertise can be applied specifically to business readers.

• Step 1: Research your audience
  Benjamin begins by researching the target audience for business productivity. He finds the blog of well-known business writer, Tim Ferriss. Benjamin uses SpyFu to determine who is looking at Tim Ferriss’ content.

• Step 2: Assess your existing content
  Benjamin has written a 7-step plan for becoming a millionaire. However, this content could easily be repurposed to use much of the same content to formulate an article that targets business leaders, such as A 7-Step Plan for Becoming an Executive-Level Leader.

• Step 3: Select your content distribution channels
  To keep his productivity content separate, Benjamin considers launching a website using tools like Wix. This allows him to reach a broader audience beyond Medium, targeting the general public effectively.

• Step 4: Decide how you will measure success
  Benjamin tracks page visits and engagement duration to evaluate his business content's success. He monitors these metrics over six months, looking for consistent growth and increased audience interaction.

• Step 5: Promote your content
  He focuses promotional efforts on sharing his blog on LinkedIn, leveraging the platform's popularity among business professionals to maximize visibility and engagement with his target audience.

• Step 6: Measure performance
  Benjamin uses blog visits and LinkedIn follower growth to assess his content's impact. These metrics help him determine if his intended audience is connecting with and valuing his content.

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Let’s say you’re an entrepreneur aspiring to rethink your industry.

Let’s take a look at one of the most popular newsletters available on Substack, The Elysian. In this newsletter, Elle Griffin releases content about being a writer in the digital age. She offers tips about publishing and the creative process. Substack is her primary channel. The service allows her to promote her newsletter via email and on social media. The service has made it easy for her to format her newsletter without having to go to the trouble of designing in a separate platform and finding her own audience.

Important goals to track for newsletters involve open rates, clicks, audience growth, and engagement time.
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Let’s return to our example of newsletter writer, Elle Griffin. Let’s say Elle has now decided that she wants to teach a younger audience about writing fiction in a new video series. She may take the following approach.
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• Step 1: Research your audience
  Elle starts by researching demographics for an audience interested in fiction writing. She finds The Creative Penn and uses tools like Unbox Social or Social Blade to find detailed demographic information. 

• Step 2: Assess your existing content
  In her post "A few notes and experiments," Elle discusses her writing schedule strategy. She repurposes this content into a video lesson geared towards younger audiences seeking effective writing strategies.

• Step 3: Select your content
  Elle publishes her writing videos on YouTube, a popular platform among younger audiences. Its search functionality allows her content to be easily found by anyone searching for writing tips.

• Step 4: Decide how you will measure success
  Elle measures success through video views, channel subscribers, and YouTube revenue. She monitors growth in views and subscribers over time to evaluate her channel's performance.

• Step 5: Promote your content
  Elle promotes her video series through her existing newsletter and shares links on Facebook and Instagram, targeting younger audiences based on her research.

• Step 6: Measure performance 
  Elle evaluates success by tracking video views, shares, and subscribers over six months. If successful, she plans to release videos more frequently to maintain engagement.

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“Mastering distribution is mastering the art of delivering value to your audience.”

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‍Conclusion

Content distribution is an art, not a science

Content distribution can be tricky business. The most important aspects involve crafting valuable content, developing a plan for where it will live, and knowing how you should promote it to reach those interested in what you’re producing. Your approach can range from incredibly time consuming to simply a weekend hobby. Depending on which channel you choose, you may also need to possess certain technical skills. It’s essential that you understand what you’re realistically capable of contributing towards your own strategy. 

Remember, you may have to adjust your approach several times before finding success. That’s okay! Don’t be afraid to take a fresh look at your content and experiment with different distribution and promotional channels. As new channels and promotional platforms emerge, you may also want to modify your strategy to include different audiences. No one strategy will work forever. The key is to never stop learning.

Stay focused on learning and realize it’s an ever-evolving process. Happy creating! 

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