Perhaps you, a person with a passion for writing and a very specific knowledge base, also harbor dreams of writing. If you’re anything like most beginning writers (myself included over a decade ago) it can be difficult to know where to start. Given the nature of the internet, a web strategy is a critical component for success—but again, where should you start? You need a content distribution strategy.
Being a writer was always a dream of mine. As an avid young reader, I spent my afternoons engrossed in books and often daydreamed about the possibilities of a life spent crafting stories. I nurtured a personal love of complex vampire stories from a very young age, and although it’s not a genre that appeals to everyone, I found it to be both comforting and intriguing during a time where I perhaps felt a little unsure of myself. In particular, I was very fond of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire series and I still love Brad Pitt’s portrayal of her soft-hearted killer, Louie. But I digress--although I did not grow up to tell tales of immortal nightwalkers, I did still find my own path to writing (and I wouldn’t change it for anything).
Perhaps you, a person with a passion for writing and a very specific knowledge base, also harbor dreams of writing. If you’re anything like most beginning writers (myself included over a decade ago) it can be difficult to know where to start. Given the nature of the internet, a web strategy is a critical component for success—but again, where should you start?
What exactly is a content distribution strategy for the web?
A content distribution strategy includes all of the actions you will take to publish and promote your content on the web. This includes reaching audiences on various platforms with content that is easily finable and that will resonate with your audience. You may encounter challenges deciding where best to reach people that are interested in your content. Two elements you need to consider is the when and the where.
- When should you publish and promote?
- Where should you publish and promote?
Fair warning, it can sometimes take a fair bit of trial and error to get the formula right.
Why you need a content distribution strategy for the web
Why do musicians make music? There’s a certain satisfaction in creation, but ultimately, musicians want their music to be heard. They want listeners, fans, an adoring crowd. Similarly, writers also hope to find their audience. And that audience is using the web to find and consume their favorite content.
Writers and readers have a symbiotic relationship. But the web is a vast cosmos of information and the only way to get your content in front of readers is with a content distribution strategy.
Writers and readers have a symbiotic relationship. But the web is a vast cosmos of information and the only way to get your content in front of readers is with a content distribution strategy.
Owned, earned and paid channels for content distribution
Understanding your channel options can help you choose the right one for your content. Choosing which one you prefer can be a bit of a needle in a haystack, where you find yourself lost in the pile, trying to find the straw that speaks to you. That begins with knowing the difference between owned, earned and paid channels.
How to develop an effective content distribution strategy
A good content distribution strategy starts with the hypothetical and moves into the executable. As you begin, think about these key elements.
Define your content distribution goals
Identify what you truly want to achieve from the outset. These goals can, and likely will, change over time. But, knowing what you hope to achieve in the early days can help you determine a clear path forward. If you find yourself feeling a little lost, revisit your goals to rekindle your motivation.
Some examples of goals might include:
- Finding interested readers
- Building a brand or business of writing
- Establishing your credibility in a certain field
- Monetizing your writing
A home on the web
Choosing your distribution channels can be an overwhelming decision to make. There are far more content creation tools, syndication sites, distribution platforms, and repositories than one can possibly evaluate in the course of a lifetime. Add in a healthy dose of technical anxiety and you have a perfect recipe for tanking the whole undertaking. Don’t allow the anxiety to pull you under. Remember, you're not making a lifelong commitment. It's okay to change your digital home later on should it no longer meet your needs. Here are some things to consider:
- Create a branded website: This is a great choice if you want to build a brand. But the maintenance will fall squarely in your court, making it impractical for those who aren’t comfortable with technology. However, you would have full creative authority and you wouldn’t need to adhere to anyone’s standards but your own.
- Put up a blog: You can use dedicated blogging sites to host your blog if an audience is all you seek. Let the tool find your readers and leave the upkeep to others.
- Use content syndication: Companies such as Newstex can connect interested readers with content of interest. An ideal solution for those looking to build an authoritative voice in an area of expertise, content syndication is a great choice for audience building.
- Establish a portfolio: This can be done on your own website or using tools such as Contently where you house your content library in one place. Portfolios are a good solution for anyone looking to monetize, find work, or establish a brand.
Don’t allow the anxiety to pull you under.
A distribution channel that serves as a path from your home to your readers
If you’ve set up a blog or a website, the onus will be on you to pave the pathway for readers to find you. But this can be a challenge–the web is like a galaxy, and individual blogs are like individual planets.
In the beginning stages, start off by sharing your content on social media with friends and colleagues to gain traction. They may also share it with their network, further extending your reach.
In the beginning stages, start off by sharing your content on social media with friends and colleagues to gain traction. They may also share it with their network, further extending your reach.
As you look to move beyond these initial connections, you may need to dig deeper into the different distribution channels. Share in interest-specific forums and groups to expand your reader base. After you've found your footing, you may also want to build email lists that you can use for sending out new content. You can also network with others to crowdsource new options for sharing. They may suggest specific interest groups or sites that could help you promote your writing.
As you reach the hard-won status of advanced writer, you’ll want to make sure you are keeping your content fresh and optimizing it for SEO. This will help readers find you via search engines. You’ll want to do keyword research and understand search intent, melding this with SEO best practices, such as optimizing headings and deftly sprinkling keywords into your content.
After you’ve built a solid foundation, you’ll want to look and see what is performing well and what isn’t. This can help you identify which tactics yield the best results. Remember, even if you personally love a piece, it may not be loved by your readers. Keep an eye on those metrics and adjust accordingly.
Matching formats to improve your content distribution strategy
Choosing a format that fits your audience is key when planning your content distribution strategy. Use the following matrix to help match your format to your audience.
A content distribution strategy in 6 steps
Once you’re ready to put your content strategy to work for you, use these six steps.
- Research your audience. Figure out where your readers consume content, what format is most successful and what subjects get the most views. You can use sites such as Reddit to find guidance and track your industry, perform competitor analysis to see where others have found success and use Google Analytics to identify trends.
- Audit your content. Evaluate your content to identify trends, gaps and opportunities.
- Select your channel. Choose where you plan to publish your content. Evaluate owned, earned and paid options.
- Identify goals and KPIs. Identify what you plan to accomplish, outline your goals and determine what success will mean to you. This is very different depending on which industry you operate in and who your core audience will be.
- Create your content calendar. Plan a content release schedule that is both realistic and that accounts for seasonal and trending relevance.
- Measure and iterate. Take a look at your metrics and change your strategy over time to improve results.
Content distribution strategy examples
All of these guidelines are certainly helpful, but if you’re anything like me, you want to know what this actually looks like in practice.
Distribution strategy for enthusiasts who write to inform others
Goal: To share knowledge and gain an interested audience because you are passionate about a topic
For starters
Enthusiasts have many reasons for writing, from promoting a passion project to sharing knowledge. They often start out with a website and then add a blog. Wordpress.org is a good option for more complex sites, but it does require a level of technical skill, though Wordpress.com offers options that don’t require the same level of technical knowledge. Otherwise, you might consider a more creator-friendly service such as Wix or Squarespace. As a beginner, you might simply choose a basic blog service such as Weebly or Notion. Try to stoke interest in your content by sharing on social media.
Once you get going
Novice writers can expand their distribution strategy by looking for social media groups or forums that are related to your writing. These can be great ways to expand your audience by connecting with groups who are already interested in your subject matter. There are a number of niche platforms out there such as Ravelry for knitters, Letterboxd for movie buffs, and Goodreads for book enthusiasts.
Try networking with others to discover related topics or areas of interest to expand your content library. Search on social media for groups of like-minded people and hit up any forums you can find (Reddit can be a good starting place to find others with similar passions). Building an email list is a great next step. Substack can help with that, though it also offers tools for content creation.
As you get more advanced
Improve your SEO research by using a tool like Semrush (which offers 10 free searches per day and paid plans after that) or Google Analytics. It’s also a good idea to develop different formats for your content such as white papers and ebooks to reach as many readers as possible. As you continue to advance, you may consider monetizing.
An enthusiast case study
‘Kylie’ has a passion for reading and enjoys giving recommendations to other readers. To help her share her passion, she started a blog on Wix where she wrote reviews of her favorite books. A true enthusiast, Kyle combines her love of reading and writing by putting her thoughts into a blog. Her blog grew in popularity and she now writes for Goodreads.
Distribution strategy for beginners seeking a writing career
Goal: To begin publishing writing in various topics and ultimately move toward a career of writing
For starters
Beginning writers looking to turn their craft into a career will need to build a personal brand. It’s a good idea to start off with a website if you can, but remember that website-creation tools vary in their complexity. If the technical side of things is too daunting, consider options like these:
- For a blog, beginners could use Blogger, Medium or Substack.
- For a website, beginners might find Wix or Squarespace.
Once you have some published works, consider putting together a portfolio. If you have a website, you can add your portfolio as a landing page. If not, you can use sites such as Contently, Muck Rack, Clippings.me, and Journo Portfolio to create one. A solid portfolio showcases your skills and areas of expertise. It’s a good idea to include a selection of your best works. I recommend limiting it to 50 pieces or less. Organizing it by content or format can help you avoid overwhelming your viewer. Here are some great writer portfolio examples to spark your creativity.
An important part of any distribution strategy involves promoting your work on social media or via email. You can use free tools such as Mailchimp to build an email list and share your work with interested readers.
Once you get going
Reach out to other content creators and start networking. Other writers will have solid advice on what tools to use and where to go next. LinkedIn can be a good source for finding other writers and asking for advice. There are also several groups that promote writing jobs and offer tips for content distribution. LinkedIn is also a great source to find work, using their Jobs feature. You can also use job boards, such as Writerswork (for more outlets, check out this list of the best writing job boards). If you’re pitching to a publication, content syndication platforms can help you get your foot in the door. If you’re doing the pitch yourself, thoroughly research the publication ahead of time to make sure you're crafting the most compelling pitch possible.
After you've gained some traction, you can build an email list. Consider sending out a regular, monthly newsletter with fresh content to pique people's interest.
Consider sending out a regular, monthly newsletter with fresh content to pique people's interest.
As you get more advanced
Once you have a solid content foundation, you’ll want to optimize your website for SEO. Perform keyword research using Google Analytics and see what topics are trending. Produce content that focuses on long-tail keywords to remain competitive. Long-tail keywords are those that are longer than four words. They often focus on specific questions or user intent, such as, “how to format an academic research paper for publication” versus the shorter search phrase “academic research paper format.” Track which posts are successful and let them shape future content.
A writing career case study
‘John’ fell in love with writing after college and hopes to make a career out of it. He started a blog on Substack to get some published works on the web. He was also pitching a book idea while keeping up with his Substack newsletter content. John developed a portfolio with his published works and used the content to showcase the value of his book proposal. John’s book was published and John now maintains an active career as a writer and podcaster based on the success of his books.
Content strategy for subject matter experts looking to advance their career
Goal: To become an authoritative voice in your chosen field in the hopes of advancing your career
For starters
Begin your content distribution strategy by writing content that is hyper-focused on content that other professionals in your field will find interesting. The goal here is to establish your presence as an expert. To find content ideas, review content in popular publications and in forums to see what other professionals in your field are talking about and then research these topics. LinkedIn can be a good resource as well for identifying topics of interest. You’ll need a place to point readers so you may want to start out with a basic blogging service, such as Wix, Weebly, or Substack.
Once you get going
Reach out to content syndication services such as Newstex to expand your reach. Find industry-specific social groups to share your content. LinkedIn is a good place to find industry-specific groups for sharing out your content. Forums such as Reddit can also be helpful for finding readers based on interest.
As you get more advanced
Establish your presence in relevant communities and regularly contribute to guest posts to help further distribute your content and voice. Browse social media to find groups relevant to your area of expertise. Network with others in those groups to discover opportunities such as other platforms or opportunities for guest blogging. If you’re contributing a guest post, remember that you’ll be building your reputation as an expert and you'll want to provide value that can’t be found elsewhere. You may also want to see how your content is performing and adjust future posts. Additionally, it’s always a good idea to optimize for SEO.
A SME (subject matter expert) case study
As a research scientist, ‘Dr. Patel’ knew the importance of sharing his findings with the wider medical community. In addition to publishing in academic journals, he started translating his work into more accessible blog posts and infographics. By guest posting on popular industry sites and presenting at conferences, Dr. Patel quickly became a recognized expert in his field. Looking beyond the usual channels is a great way to open doors for you and your content.
Essential tools and platforms for content distribution
To truly succeed with content distribution, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the following essentials.
- Website tools, such as Squarespace, Wordpress and Wix.
- Blogging platforms, including popular sites such as Medium and Blogger.
- Social media sites, such as Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
- Content syndication networks, including Newstex and Taboola.
- Content aggregators, including Reddit and Feedly.
- Newsletter tools, such as Substack and Mailchimp.
- Portfolio creation sites such as Contently and Journo Portfolio.
Learn more specifics about these tools in our article, Content distribution platforms writers need to know.
Key metrics and KPIs you should measure for content distribution
Ultimately, the success of your content distribution strategy is a personal one. For instance, content that provides tips for viral marketing strategies may get far more clicks than content about the intricacies of the Soviet government in the cold-war era. This is simply because the latter has a far more niche audience than the former. But, genre aside, there are certain key metrics you should evaluate.
- Clicks: How many times your content was clicked. But, keep in mind that one user can click on your content multiple times and clicks aren’t always a qualitative metric. Translation? You may have a ton of clicks and a high bounce rate. This generally means the topic isn’t satisfying the search intent.
- Time on page: This measures the amount of time a person spent on your page. This is more of a qualitative metric that helps you understand whether people are actually reading through your content.
- Shares: This metric shows how many times your content was shared with others, typically via social media. This is a meaningful metric that shows your readers are engaging with your content at a high level and even encouraging others to read as well.
- Email sign-ups: If you run an email newsletter, this is a helpful metric because it shows that readers enjoy your content and want to establish a long-standing relationship with any future content you publish.
- Backlinks: This is how often people are linking to your content. This helps to establish your authority and is a valuable SEO-building metric. The more people link to your content, the higher you will rank in searches.
- Syndication pickups: When content is especially authoritative, it can be picked up by content syndication networks and displayed as expert or featured content. This is valuable because it can enhance your readership tremendously as content syndication networks already have existing audiences.
Repurpose and refresh as part of your content distribution strategy
Ok writers, this is where many of us go wrong. I am the first to admit that the refresh and repurpose task often gets shoved to the bottom of my to-do list. However, refreshing and repurposing is extremely valuable. And yes, you should absolutely be doing it. Here are some easy ways to refresh and repurpose.
- Turn blogs into visual social media shareables. Examples include:
- Making LInkedIn carousels from article content
- Sharing infographics of main ideas
- Creating quick-snippet videos using key concepts
- Use blog content to create an email drip series.
- Create how-to content from longform blogs. Examples include:
- Step-by-step guides
- Shortform tutorial videos
- Turn your thoughts into interactive content for audience building. Examples include:
- Creating webinars from trending topics
- Using polls to gather user input
- Gather expert input as part of your content. You could format them as:
- Short videos with SME advice
- Interview segments that can be shared in blogs
- Guest blogs
Check out our in-depth guide to learn more about repurposing and refreshing your content.
How can you refine your content distribution strategy?
Crafting an effective content distribution strategy is essential for writers who want to grow their audience on the Web. Whether you're an enthusiast sharing your passion, a beginner building a writing career, or a subject matter expert establishing thought leadership, the right mix of tools, tactics, and persistence can help you reach your goals. Partnering with reputable content syndication services can be a powerful way to get your writing in front of a wide range of relevant readers, from industry professionals to media outlets.
However, syndication is just one piece of the puzzle. To truly succeed, you need to be strategic, adaptable, and always learning. Experiment with different platforms, engage with your audience, and stay on top of trends in your niche. Most importantly, never stop writing and putting your work out there. With dedication and a solid plan, you can turn your writing dreams into a rewarding reality. Embrace the journey, learn from your experiences, and keep refining your approach as you navigate the ever-changing cosmos of the Web.
About the author,
Ashley Watters
