Expand the Reach of Your Content

When you write a blog post, an article or content for your newsletter, are you using it once and then forgetting about it? If you are, I want to show you an easy way to expand the reach of your content and gain exposure to new audiences that your current mediums may not have access to.

Many websites, online magazines, and even print publications are looking for great content to share with their audience and the good news is, you likely have content to send them! Before you send your blog post or article off, however, here are some tips to get the most out of your existing content and expand your reach.

1. Make the Content Connection

When you are revamping your article to be shared elsewhere, be sure to include a link back to your website. Whether this is a direct link to your website or a link to another relevant blog post or article on your site, this is really important. Also, be sure to include a short bio with each article. This will usually be attached to the end of your piece and will let people know where they can find you, so don’t forget to include your website.

Whenever you are looking to increase your online exposure, think about how everything is intertwined and then think about how you can maximize your efforts.

2. Edit to Prevent Duplicate Content Penalties

When you re-post your articles, it is really important to edit it in such a way that it does not appear to search engines like duplicate content. When Google, and other search engines, index your content, they will match it against other websites. If they find your article on another site that has a higher PageRank than your website, you will be dinged with a duplicate content penalty.

The best thing to do is to rewrite it slightly so that it has a new title, updated content and uses enough new words to not appear as though it was already posted somewhere else. There are websites that exist that can help you “spin” your copy so it doesn’t come out the same way but I would avoid these sites. Instead, take the time to spruce it up organically as the results will be much better and you’ll get more practice carving out your message.

3. Share Your Best Writing in the Best Places

Since the goal here is to expand your reach and increase your visibility, be sure to submit your best work. You want the community it is shared in to say, “Wow! I want to know more about this person…” and not just feel as though it was a repurposed article shared for page views. That first impression really matters so make it a good one!

The other thing you want to consider, aside from using your best work, is to choose the best places to repost your writing. Choose sites where your ideal client would be “hanging out” online. If they are a consumer, it may not make sense to post your article to a B2B sales site. Look for websites that share a similar client so that there is value all around.

4. Re-Purpose and Post Often

Once you have a process down for editing your content and identifying the best websites to use, set a reminder in your calendar to re-purpose and post content on a regular basis. It’s not enough to just know that you should do something, you actually need to take action and do it on a consistent basis!

To make this easier, compile a list of websites your audience would visit that accept guest posts and articles and then create a content plan for each. Having a plan in place is the first step toward action. It will also help you to look at your existing content more critically and determine what you already have that might be a good fit for each site.

Your Turn

Getting your content out into the world is a great way to expand your reach and gain more credibility. If you haven’t done this yet for your business, what has been holding you back? Leave a comment and let me know — I’ll pull some of the responses for future blog posts!

The Pilot To Profit Program includes an 8-week segment focused on content creation alone – it’s that important. This edition of Shop Talk scratches the surface of content creation while the Pilot To Profit Program dives deep so that your business can take flight.