How to Diversify Traffic Sources and Grow Audiences with Content Syndication Platforms
Growing a site’s traffic through organic means requires consistency, patience, and an understanding of the various distribution platforms and traffic sources. It’s no secret that a majority of organic traffic comes from Google Search and so optimizing your content with SEO best practices increases your site's SERP rankings which in turn increases the number of visitors to your site.
However, publishers should not rely on only one traffic source as a change in algorithm or loss in ranking for that platform can lead to a significant drop in the site’s traffic and revenue. In addition to the volatility of Google’s SERP algorithm, social traffic sources can also be unreliable, especially in recent times. There are only a few social platforms where publishers can share links and easily re-direct traffic and those platforms are starting to give less and less priority to link traffic. Recently Facebook shared that it will be de-prioritizing link traffic as they claim publishers’ content “plays an economically small and diminishing role” on the platform.
It is important to establish and maintain a wider distribution for your content by diversifying your traffic sources and thus hedge your site against fluctuations — which are bound to happen. So when one traffic source drops or weakens (e.g as is the case with Facebook currently) your content can still can reach an audience via other means.
Now let’s talk syndication.
Content syndication can increase a site’s visibility, SERP credibility, and authority, generate backlinks, and yes grow traffic! In the Collective, we’ve seen syndication sites work as a growth tool for sites bringing in significant traffic and new users. Some Syndication platforms (like Newsbreak or Smartnews) do not pull the full article. Instead, they post an excerpt of the content and then link to the full piece on the publisher’s website. This means there will be a flow of users who get redirected to the main site. Others like Microsoft Start posts the entire content on their platform but it still gives publishers a chance to get traffic with internal linking and grow their audiences as users follow the content trail to the site.
Here’s a comprehensive list of syndication platforms available to publishers.
Newsbreak
With Newsbreak, publishers can upload their content using an RSS feed or do it manually. Newsbreak distributes content from publishers including bloggers, writers, independent publishers, and large publications. Newsbreak's strategy largely rests on prioritizing local content and users accessing the content on the Newsbreak mobile app. To increase your chance of getting accepted, publish articles that provide “unique local insights, experiences or stories”. Apply for Newsbreak
SmartNews
Like Newsbreak, Smart News is also app-based and is known for driving traffic on a steady basis to accepted sites. If you get accepted, submit an RSS feed and make sure you produce content regularly. Smartnews is focused on News content so make sure to publish timely relevant and local content for a chance to get accepted. Apply for Smartnews
Source: Flipboard
Flipboard is both an app and a website with millions of users. It’s known to be a reliable traffic driver — in the last few years, the popularity of Flipboard for Publishers might have diminished but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great source of traffic. Flipboard posts an excerpt of an article or blog post and drives users directly to the publisher’s site. Flipboard favors image-based stories and content with high-quality photos. Apply for Flipboard
Google News
Google News lets you reach a wider audience through its publisher center. A site doesn’t need to be signed up in the Publisher Center to appear on Google News but doing so increases your chances — especially for smaller websites. According to Google, “Publishers who have set up and submitted Google News Publications in Publisher Center are eligible to appear in the Newsstand section of the app in applicable countries and regions.” Google News relies on its understanding of a publication’s importance and so does not guarantee placement but applying and syncing your Google Search Console will increase your chances. Google also ranks content on Google News and relies on key factors to determine the most useful content. Apply to Google News
Opera News Hub
Opera News has over 350 million active users and “utilizes an AI-technology-powered recommendation system to help creators distribute their content to a highly targeted audience”. Opera News offers publishers the chance to expand their reach and grow their base. Publishers in a larger size threshold can also start earning on the platform. Take a look at their Publisher Guidelinesand apply for Opera News
Pocket is currently not accepting applications. They however will share publicly when they start accepting new partners to their publisher dashboard tools. It is worth it to check in regularly with them so you can be notified when they start accepting new publishers again. See Pocket FAQs here
Microsoft Start
Source: Microsoft Blog
Microsoft Start is one of Microsoft's newer content aggregation platforms. It hosts the entire content in the platform which increases your brand visibility. You can also include internal links in the articles to redirect visitors to your site. And publishers who use it have given good feedback. Apply to Microsoft Start Creator Program
Apple News: News Publisher
Apple News publishes content from professional publications and favors larger and established sites like The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Sports Illustrated. However, there is a chance to get interesting and engaging articles distributed via News Publisher. See here: how to get started on Apple News Publisher. Please note that Apple News is one of the hardest platforms to get on. Members of the SHE Media Collective also get access to Apple New’s monthly calendar and pitching opportunities which increases their chances.
Google Discover
Google Discover is Google’s content recommendation that appears on the Google search homepage right below the search bar. It is customized to a user's search history and location (if they have location tracking enabled) and is a mobile-only program. However on the Desktop, in place of Google Discover, users see article recommendations tagged as ‘Suggested Ideas’.
Source: Google
Discover traffic is neither predictable nor dependable as it doesn’t follow any particular seasonalities. You also cannot apply to be picked up by Google Discover. Google does this so that site cannot optimize for it. However, based on our research and industry contacts, we know that Google Discover favors and often picks up— news articles, trending events, and topics, helpful content like how-tos’ and guides, and of course local content. Also, remember that Google recommends content based on a user’s history so users who visit your site regularly may start to see your content regularly on their Discover page. Read more on How Discover differs from Search.
LinkedIn Publishing
LinkedIn is the largest and most popular social media platform for professionals and this makes it the best place to publish B2B content or content targeted at professionals. LinkedIn Publishing platform allows you to write and share long articles on the platform and by applying their best practices like including hashtags, catchy headlines, networking, etc, your content can reach a wide audience beyond your immediate network. Given the LinkedIn audience, professional content and B2B type content performs the best on the platform, however, there is no limit to the type of content that can perform on Linkedin so long as you understand how to use it properly. How to Publish Articles on LinkedIn. You can also check out LinkedIn Newsletters.
Push Notifications - Pushly
Push notifications are prompts that appear on Desktop and Mobile alerting users when a new article or content is published. They are a good way to keep your users engaged and work great for Entertainment and Food sites or any site providing valuable content on a regular basis. Push notifications can also be used to build a newsletter list or drive users to e-commerce pages.
Unlike the platforms listed above, Push notification is usually paid. There are several push notifications services however, members of the SHE Media Collective get an exclusive deal with Pushly. With Pushly, publishers can get audience attention whenever they publish, retain this audience, and get data on their behavior, habits, and engagement. Pushly delivers an average of 7.35MM Page Views to SHE Media Collective sites every quarter. Learn more about Pushly Push notifications by watching this Pushly Explainer Video and to register Sign up here.
How to get a Site picked up by a Syndication Platform
You can apply to these syndication platforms by following their application process and ins instructions -especially on how to set up your feed. Though there is no guarantee that your site will get picked up right away, it will please you to know that applying the SEO best practices (quality content, unique perspective, descriptive headlines, quality photos, etc) also makes your content attractive to syndication platforms and other traffic sources.
Prepare a comprehensive and unique application for each platform
Some platforms might not be a fit for your content. Take time to apply to the platforms that are the right fit
Make sure your RSS feed is set up properly
Share your most authentic content
Be specific in your content niche and have a point of view and unique perspective
Make sure your content provides valuable information and/or inspiration
Use catchy and descriptive headlines
Concluding Thoughts
The syndication platforms listed above, give publishers a chance to distribute their content through the internet to garner a wider audience and bring more users to your site. They serve as additional ways to grow and amplify a site's content. However, publishers should not lose focus on the ultimate growth strategy which is publishing high-quality content regularly. Publishers should also focus on maintaining a direct relationship with their audience through email newsletters. Your email newsletter is your direct and sure way to reach your audience and is not subject to external forces or fluctuations. When you apply to these syndication platforms, be patient and understand that your site might not get picked up on your first try.
Members of the SHE Media Collective get access to the pitching opportunities and publishing calendars of some of these platforms (such as Apple News, Flipboard, etc) which increases their chances of getting picked up.
The SHE Media Collective helps content creators and entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses with dedicated support for managing ads, brand partnerships, and more. Apply now to join our mission-driven platform.