Content Distribution

Alex Garcia
December 06, 2022

What's up!

It's 9 AM, and I'm on my third Tall Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. I don't know why I didn't order a Venti. I think it's just the taste of the first sip...

But anyways, why all this coffee?

Because we're launching a few more newsletters in Q1 - one of them being AI Examined.

Which will cover the intersection of AI and Marketing and how you can use AI to optimize your marketing efforts.

Some of the case studies we have planned are WILD!

If you want to join, you can one-click subscribe here.

IF the one-click subscribe doesn't work, then you can subscribe here :)

Sponsored by Marketing Against The Grain

I Listen To A Lot Of Marketing Podcasts. I Never Skip This One...

I'm like most marketers. I have a swipe file full of inspiration, notes, and resources.

At the top of that list is the podcast, Marketing Against The Grain, hosted by Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan (HubSpot’s CMO and SVP of Marketing).

Why is it at the top of my list?

Because it keeps me up to date on everything marketing related without having to scour the web or Twitter at 2 AM.

On top of keeping me up to date, they share how to incorporate these updates into your current marketing strategy.

For example, how ChatGPT will replace Google Search and open your creativity.

Here are some of my favorite episodes:

This OpenAI update is going to replace Google Search with Ben Tossell
How Bob Iger took Disney's stock from $50B to $275B
6 Marketing ideas to take Athletic Greens from $120M to $500M/Year
How Sam Parr comes up with $10,000,000 dollar business ideas
How we've marketed our podcast to 70,000 monthly downloads

Trust me and add this podcast to your rotation.

How To Fuel The Life-Cycle Of Your Content With Strategic Distribution

Moz Whiteboard Friday

I know the feeling of creating a piece of content that underperforms.

You spent days, if not weeks, on it, only to press publish - then crickets.

The majority of the time, it's not the piece of content, it's your distribution strategy after publishing.

And in this case study, we're breaking down how my good friend Ross Simmonds maximizes the reach of every piece of content he creates.

This is from his Whiteboard Friday with Moz.

We're going to dissect the 8-steps to increase the reach of your content:

1. Create With Intent

Understand the why behind a piece of content to create with intent.

They’re looking for value — hand deliver it to them.

That starts with research.

Here’s a simple series of steps to help you do this:

Go to answerthepublic.com
Enter a keyword(s) related to the content you’re creating
Take a “Highly Searched” term or question for the base of your content
Then go to buzzsumo.com and enter that same keyword or phrase
Find the content with the most social shares and that’s also “evergreen”

With this data, now ask yourself two questions:

What is a goal your audience is trying to achieve?
How can you make this easier?

So, now take your research and use these two questions to create content that earns attention and creates intent.

2. Treat It Like A Shoe Drop

No one knows your content is getting published other than you…

Unless you treat your publishing date like a shoe drop.

Here’s how:

Talk about what’s coming
What to expect
When it’s coming

You’re job as a marketer is to create excitement and convert excitement into engagement and traffic.

3. Launch & Distribute

Launch and distribute, aka publish and promote.

And there are two types of channels you should spend the majority of your time distributing your content:

Money Channels: Channels with high competition and high audience fit.

Rocket Channels: Channels with low competition and high audience fit.

Let’s take Marketing Examined for example:

Twitter would be the Money Channel with high competition and high audience fit. Competition is there. The audience is there. But I can still extract a ton of value from publishing my content there.
Youtube Shorts can be my Rocket Channel with low competition and high audience fit. A lot of marketers and founders but not too many newsletter creators or businesses creating Youtube Shorts content.

Find these opportunities and exploit them.

4. Experiment

Experimenting is like going to the buffet. You snag a plate and stack it up with everything and anything, knowing you're trying different foods.

For your content, it’s no different - let’s say you wrote an article, you’d now experiment with:

Creating an infographic
Creating quick tips
Writing a thread
Creating short-form videos
Creating long-form videos
Running ads
Sponsoring newsletters, publications, posts, podcasts, or videos

Test, refine, optimize and then scale.

When I start running experiments, I set specific KPIs that determine what equates to success or not.

When an experiment hits the benchmark KPI - then I start refining and optimizing it to see if the success is repeatable.

If yes, I scale.

5. Repurpose

Your experiments will determine how you repurpose your content.

Because what’s published in one format should never ONLY live in one format.

It should be remixed to live through other formats too.

For example: Newsletters → Article → Twitter Thread → Podcast → Short Form Clips

6. Reshare

What you posted once should get posted again.

Because chances are the fraction of people who saw your original piece of content will be different than the group who sees it in the future.

Plus, if you’ve grown your audience during that time, then resharing your content puts a valuable piece of content in front of a new group of people.

7. Syndicate

Now, how do you take everything and make it work cohesively?

By syndicating your content.

So, take your article - if you made a Youtube video, then embed it into your article, and the same goes for your infographic and tweets that complement your original article.

Now, this one article extends into every other piece of content you create.

8. Optimize & Update

Lastly, every 6 to 12 months, take your content and refresh it.

Find what’s changed within that timeframe and use it to optimize your content.

Putting It All Together

Understand the why behind a piece of content to create with intent
Don't just blast a piece of content, treat it like a shoe drop
Launch then distribute on money channels and rocket channels
Experiment different content types before repurposing at scale
Reshare your content after a specific time period
Syndicate your content to create an awareness flywheel
Optimize and update your content every 6 to 12 months

Also, I highly advise you joining Ross Simmond's newsletter for all things content marketing and distribution.