Content distribution strategy: Write once, publish everywhere

Great content fails all the time, often due to a missing element: a solid content distribution strategy. It’s heartbreaking because so much work goes into creating great content — ideation, SME interviews, writing, editing, rewriting, graphic creation. The list goes on.

The key is to share, promote and amplify your great content. Let’s dig into how to create a winning content distribution strategy to make sure all your great content gets seen by the right people.

Defining a winning content distribution strategy

Content distribution is all about publishing, sharing and promoting your content. It’s how you get your content in front of your audience through various channels. It’s arguably the most important part of your content marketing strategy and often the most overlooked.

The pillars of effective content distribution strategy

There are three main ways you can distribute content:

1. Owned channels: This is the best place to start — places you own. As in, your website, blog, social media pages and email lists.
2. Earned channels: Third-party media that share your content on their platforms. A good example of this is press coverage on your local newspaper’s website.
3. Paid channels: These are platforms you have to pay to be on. Examples are Google and Facebook ads or sponsored posts.

Each of the three areas has different pros and cons. Let’s review them.

Pros and cons of content distribution channels

• Owned channels
  • Pro: You own it and control it.
  • Con: It’s a limited audience — they’re people who are already following you on social or are on your email subscription list.
    
• Earned channels
  • Pro: Allow you to boost credibility and reach.
  • Con: These can be challenging and take a while to acquire because you have to build relationships with external partners.
    
• Paid channels
  • Pro: Fast results, which means you can turn ads on quickly.
  • Con: It’s easy to overspend and you have to be thoughtful about audience targeting.

Each tactic has its own strategy. For example, under owned media, you’d have a separate web strategy, blog strategy, social media strategy and email strategy.
“All of these channels are critical in helping your content go further than it can alone,” says Abbie Krajewski, content strategist at WG Content.

But she advises you to be thoughtful about audience expectations.

“When looking at email and social channels specifically, these allow you to meet your audience where they are and where they prefer to hear from you,” says Abbie. “That preference is important — you might be finding your audience when they’re waiting for a bus or as they’re putting their children to bed.

“This is why using the channels intentionally is critical but also why it’s important to not ask for more than what your users have to give in different circumstances,” Abbie continues. “Because you’re coming into their daily life at that point, make sure you’re meeting and fulfilling audience expectations. Channels are a powerful tool and shouldn’t be taken lightly or approached like one size fits all.”

So, what’s the magic mix for maximum impact? It depends on your audience.

Steps to build your content distribution strategy

Ready to dig into how and where to share your content? Here are some key steps to take to get started:

1. Know your audience. Knowing who your audience is and where they spend their time is essential. Research your audience and arm yourself with knowledge about who you want to consume your content. This is where personas come into play.
2. Select the right channels. Make the channels you choose align with your audiences’ preferences and behaviors. If they are on Instagram, you should be, too. If they read the local newsletter site, investing in that relationship makes sense.
3. Match content types to distribution channels. You will most likely either create content for the specific channel, such as a video for YouTube, or you’ll reformat existing content to match the channel. For example, take a popular blog post and create a quick video about it for YouTube. Either way, make sure you are matching the content format to what performs well on that channel.
4. Create a content editorial calendar. Editorial calendars are essential to content marketing. Take yours a step further and include the channels you plan to use to promote it and your repurposing plans. For example, depending on your selected publishing destinations, one blog post may need to be repurposed into a graphic, video or checklist.
5. Measure, measure, measure. It’s always important to measure, analyze and iterate as you go. Determine your content KPIs and start to monitor them. You’ll also want to think about what metrics make sense for each channel.

Success metrics will vary depending on your goals and the channels you use. For example:

• Owned channels: Measure website traffic, time on page and email open/click-through rates.
• Earned channels: Track backlinks, mentions and referral traffic from third-party sites.
• Paid channels: Focus on ad impressions, click-through rates and conversions.

The real content distribution differentiator: Repurposing

You might be thinking, Great, our team can barely keep up with creating content, let alone doubling down on distribution. This is where repurposing comes in. The true magic happens when you can adapt one piece of content into many different formats, which ensures it gets the most play.

Some general tips for repurposing:

• Each time you share, reframe the content. Change the headline, visual or format to keep it engaging. For example, if you’re sharing a patient story, you can mix up the visual: Use a quote and image from the patient one time, a short video interview with the doctor another and a graphic featuring the patient’s journey.
• Keep an eye out for declining interest. If you see great results every time you share it, don’t stop. But if engagement declines significantly, it might be time to move on for a bit.

Content distribution repurposing: a healthcare example

Let’s say your health system’s marketing team just wrote a new blog post on “How to beat springtime allergies.” How should you repurpose this for all your platforms? Consider these ideas:

Owned:

• Post full article to your blog. Great for SEO, builds authority on your website.
• Share in your next email newsletter. Reach an audience that already knows and trusts you, driving traffic back to your website.
• Repurpose the content through social media channels.
  • Facebook: Create a short, engaging post with a key tip from the article (e.g., “Did you know pollen counts are highest in the morning?”).
  • LinkedIn: Give the article a professional angle: “Spring is here, and allergies are on the rise. Here’s how you can stay healthy this season. [link]”
  • X (formerly Twitter): Post a series of tweets highlighting key points and add relevant hashtags like #SpringAllergies, #HealthTips.
  • YouTube: Create a quick video where you feature a physician or nurse sharing three tips from the blog post. Use trending sounds and add text overlays for key points.

Earned:

• Pitch to local media outlets. Share the article with local health reporters and offer an expert from your health system to comment further.
• Encourage community shares. Partner with local schools or community groups to share the content on their social platforms or newsletters.
• Involve influencers. Work with local health influencers to repost the blog link with their audiences.

Paid:

• Repurpose the content through paid channels.
  • Facebook and Instagram ads: Create a carousel ad with eye-catching visuals and focus on audiences that are searching for allergy remedies in your area.
  • Google ads: Run search ads for keywords like “spring allergy relief,” “how to beat allergies,” or “local allergy tips.”
  • Boosted posts: Boost your Facebook or LinkedIn post to extend reach among a health-conscious audience in your community.
  • Programmatic display ads: Feature banner ads on health-related websites or local news outlets, linking back to the article.

Content distribution timing

You might feel like you’ve already shared your content, but that doesn’t mean everyone has seen it — especially on social. Social media feeds are busy. Don’t assume your audience reads everything you post every time you post.

Keep these tips in mind:

• It’s best practice to share the same content (presented differently) once every few days or weeks.
• Most companies follow the 80/20 rule for social media: 80% of your content is new and 20% is recycled.
• When in doubt? Test. Don’t assume a platform is working or isn’t working, test it and see what the data shows.

Content distribution pitfalls to avoid

We’ve shared many ways to tackle content distribution, but it’s always best to be prepared in case there are missteps along the way. Here are some tips to help you avoid the most common pitfalls we see.

Pitfall #1: Not tailoring to audience or channel

Approaching your distribution strategy with customized content requires you to be thoughtful about each platform’s unique challenges and opportunities.
“So many healthcare organizations see the concept of ‘write once, publish everywhere,’ but they miss the part of personalizing how you publish everywhere,” says Abbie. “Consider how to catch the attention of each of these audiences independently to speak to them, specifically. Remember, people expect different types of messages for different channels, so keeping your voice and tone consistent while also speaking to the unique desires and trends of each channel is a tricky needle to thread, but a critical one to consider.”

Pitfall #2: Focusing too much on one pillar (paid, earned or owned)

Knowing the right mix for your organization will take some trial and error, but try to avoid having all your content eggs in one basket.

“Channel mix is always unique for each organization, which is why knowledge of the local competitive landscape is critical,” says Abbie. “The bulk should be owned, but your ideal mix of earned and paid media depends on your market, community and priority audiences.”

Pitfall #3: Not leaning into AI enough — or too much

ChatGPT and other AI tools can be helpful as you think about how you’re distributing your content — but always use caution.

“If you don’t have time to stay up to date on the trends and fads on different channels, AI can be great for helping you understand the current conversations, memes and jokes and decide if they are right to adapt for your brand,” says Abbie. “As always, the worst part of brainstorms is the blank page. AI can help make your content ideation phase a little easier by giving you a starting point for your content (as can WG Content strategists, if you need help). Sometimes, AI can also help you decide when to share where. Feed that through your knowledge of each channel to make sure it’s aligned with your audiences and needs.”

As with all uses of AI today, always double-check AI-provided or assisted information. Abbie advises, “While these tools may be fast, we all remember the Google AI Overview misinformation that made headlines (and became jokes) around the internet. If something reads or feels off to you, it will likely feel the same to your audience.”

Partner with WG Content for a tailored content distribution strategy

You go to great lengths to create great content, either in-house or with a content partner like WG Content. Make sure your smart content is ready with a savvy content distribution strategy. If you need a hand maximizing your content’s potential, we’re here to help.

Follow-up questions about content distribution

Heather Stanley

A born storyteller, Heather has 20 years of experience managing…

Abbie Krajewski

Abbie is an experienced marketer who uses her strategic mind…

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