6 Steps to Get AI to Recommend Your Brand

Content distribution is the process of sharing, promoting, and repurposing your content across a variety of marketing channels. These may include social media platforms, email marketing, paid ads, and other websites.

For example, Backlinko distributes content by sending new blog posts to email subscribers each week:

And sharing them on social media:

Content distribution can help you reach a wider audience with each piece of content you create, leading to more traffic, engagement, and conversions for your business.

Below, I’ll walk you through the main content distribution channels and the steps you can take to maximize your reach with each one.

The 3 Main Types of Content Distribution Channels

Knowing the differences between owned, earned, and paid channels is key to maximizing your content’s reach.

Owned Distribution Channels

Owned distribution channels are the ones you own and have control over.

The good thing about owned channels is you can publish what you want, when you want.

For example:

When Masterclass adds new content to its site, it sends an announcement to its email subscribers.

And when B2B companies like ON24 release new reports, they share them on LinkedIn.

Plus, you can track your performance and results on these channels fairly easily. By using tools like Google Analytics to monitor website traffic and conversions.

Earned Distribution Channels

Earned distribution is when your content “earns” visibility on other people’s channels.

Think social media shares, mentions, [backlinks](/content/hub/seo/backlinks "What Are Backlinks in SEO? & Why You Need Them"/index.html), and reviews.

Earned distribution can instantly expand your reach and boost your credibility since it involves other people recommending your content.

Paid Distribution

Paid distribution refers to all types of paid ads and platforms that distribute or promote your content for a fee.

These include boosted social media posts, pay-per-click (PPC) ads, and paid influencer promotions.

Paid distribution gets eyes on your content immediately. However, it can get expensive and isn’t an option for many content creators.

How to Build a Content Distribution Strategy: Step-By-Step

Step 1: Define Your Target Audience

Understanding where your target audience hangs out will make it much easier to choose which distribution channels to use for your content.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Who Is Your Target Audience?

For example, you should find out details like:

• The age range of your target audience
• Their income and education levels
• Where they are physically located

This information can help you pinpoint the most effective distribution channels to use.

You may be able to use your existing analytics. For example, Google Analytics can tell you where your audience is located, their gender, age, and the languages they speak:

What Content Do They Enjoy?

Understanding what content your target audience enjoys most will help you understand not only where to distribute your content, but also what format to use.

• Does your target audience prefer to learn through visuals?
• Do they like to consume more technical how-to guides?
• Would they rather watch videos than read blog posts?
• Do they prefer short-form or long-form content?

The type of content your audience consumes most will help you understand where to post yours.

Who Do They Trust?

Finally, think about who your target audience trusts.

Step 2: Choose Your Distribution Channels

Choose distribution channels that fit your goals and target audience's preferences.

Step 3: Choose the Right Content for Each Distribution Channel

You don’t need to distribute every piece of content to every channel.

Step 4: Match the Format and Messaging to the Distribution Channel

Tailor your presentation to each channel.

Step 5: Create a Content Distribution Calendar

Your content distribution plan likely involves a few different individual channels.

Step 6: Measure and Analyze Your Results

As you distribute content, you want to do more of what’s working, and less of what isn’t.

Owned Channel Metrics

Tracking the metrics for your owned channels is fairly straightforward.

Earned Channel Metrics

Tracking results from earned channels can be a bit tougher than for owned ones.

Paid Channel Metrics

If you’re using paid ads to distribute your content, you can likely track metrics like impressions, clicks, and conversions within the platform.

Get Started with Content Distribution

Content distribution can boost the performance of individual pieces of content, but for best results, make distribution part of your regular content workflows.