Content distribution: why it matters and how to master it

February 21, 2022

Your content may be great– but if no one in the target audience hears about it, does it make an impact?
Ultimately, no, it won’t help you achieve the goals you have set.

Amy Bull, head of content at Peterborough-based PR and digital marketing specialists Media Matters explains: “Content distribution matters because it makes the most of the content you have worked hard to create.

“When successful, content distribution ensures the correct audience consumes that content, and makes a positive action as a result.

“What that response or action is depends on what the objective of the content is – do we want to improve brand awareness, gather data or generate leads?

“But how can you make sure your content distribution works? How can you make sure your content reaches people who could become buyers? Here’s where having a plan will help.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to creating a content distribution plan, but there are a few tips and tricks we have up our sleeves as a content marketing agency that can help to make it a lot more effective.”

Here are some of them:

Know your audience 
Knowing your audience takes the guesswork out of where you should be focussing your efforts to get your content seen – you’ll know where your audience is most likely to consume their content and in what format, so you can focus on getting your content out via those channels.

Owned, paid or earned – use a blend to get the best results
Consider all the channels you could use to distribute your content – including channels you own (such as social media, email marketing and your website), paid channels (think social ads, PPC, influencers) and earned media (PR, guest posts, reviews, social media mentions).

Allocate a realistic budget
It’s so easy to get carried away funnelling all your budget into the creation of your content. Yes, you need a realistic budget for that part, but you need to put aside a reasonable amount for your content distribution too.

Create great supporting assets 
Wherever you share your content you will need some great imagery to go alongside it. Whether it’s social ads, social posts, a landing page or in email, some extra visuals will help to catch the eye of potential readers and give a sneak peek at what it might be offering. The same goes for PR, if you’re sharing your content or story with the press, think about getting some great photography or graphics sorted to support it.

Collaborate for extra reach
When you create your content plan, why not have a think about who you could collaborate with to create the content? If you’re creating a guide or whitepaper, is there an expert in a field that complements your business or content topic who could contribute? When your content is complete, share it with the contributors and you never know, they may share it via their own channels.

Don’t give up 
A content distribution plan doesn’t have to be set in stone – and it doesn’t need to have a clear finishing line. Start distributing the content via the channels you have planned for and see which work, invest more time into those and keep trying different ways to catch the attention of your audience.

Equally, don’t relegate old content to sit without any distribution of its own. If, using Google Analytics, you can see content on your website is performing well – perhaps via social or search engines – and that people are consuming it, then you may want to look at redistributing that content.