Content distribution refers to the ways that journalists get their content in front of their audience. There are several different media distribution strategies that journalists can employ by focusing on different types of content channels, from owned ones to earned ones. 

In the distribution strategy umbrella, the types of media journalists can create or earn are the following: 

• Owned: These are channels that you as the journalist are fully in control of, including your social media, newsletter, etc.
• Earned: These are backlinks to your content that you earn for free from other sources, like blogs or online magazines. 
• Paid: These are channels where you can pay to promote your content, such as sponsoring a social media post or paying for an ad placement. 

Let’s explore some distribution strategies that focus on different channel types and marketing tools, and how they can benefit your content strategy. 

Owned Channels Distribution Strategies

Owned channels include channels that you, as the content author, own. This means that you have full control over how your content is spread and how it is presented to the public. These can be an extremely effective way to build your personal brand since your article distribution and chosen messaging are all up to you.

Some examples of content distribution strategies for owned channels include: 

1. Create a Personal Website

Your personal website can be a hub for your work, resume, contact information, and more. You can post a portfolio of your work, a biography page, attach your resume, and include an email or contact submission form that lets your audience contact you. This makes a website an extremely good way to build a reputation within your field and connect with your readers. 

2. Write a Blog

A blog is less formal than a website, but still serves a similar purpose. It allows you to share your thoughts with your viewers and have control over your publishing schedule. You can write blogs about your content niche, link to your published work, and write informal updates about your career developments or personal life. 

3. Post on Social Media Channels

Social media is perhaps the most personable way to get your content out there. You have full control over how and when you post, and you can speak to and connect with your followers in an extremely informal way. Share links to your published work, short life updates, and more to both build your brand as a journalist and promote your work to people who might want to see it. 

Most journalists use x (formerly known as Twitter), which allows you to post a link to your work with a short hook to get readers interested. You can also utilize social media apps like Instagram and Threads (Instagram’s answer to X, which uses the same format). 

4. Create a Newsletter

More and more, journalists and other content creators are creating newsletters to connect with their audiences. Newsletters are a direct line from the journalist to their loyal readers, so you don’t have to worry about your content getting buried underneath an algorithm. There are many different websites that will help you build a newsletter at your selected cadence and send it right to your subscribers’ inbox, including Substack, Mailchimp, and Beehiiv. Within your newsletter, you can include relevant work, career updates, and more. 

Distribution Ideas For Earned Channels

Earned media refers to distribution channels in marketing that allow you to get your content shared on other websites, which will then drive traffic to your content. For a journalist, earned media mostly functions to help establish you as a thought leader through increased exposure on other sites.

Some examples of content distribution strategies for earned channels include: 

5. Guest Post on Other Websites

Reach out to respected publications within your niche and pitch a story, guest post, or guest blog. Publish it under your name with a biography that links back to your website, a notable piece of media that you wrote, or your social media channels. 

6. Create Assets To Accompany Your Content

Shareable assets like a short video, an infographic, an image, etc., can make it easier and more enticing to share the main points from your content. You can link back to your content within these graphics, or cite yourself on the asset to make it easy for your audience to find you and learn more. This method works best for research-based content. 

Paid Channel Distribution Strategies

As the name implies, paid channels refer to content channels that you paid to be featured on, sometimes called “sponsored content.” This can be helpful to reach a wider audience that fits the demographic you’re looking for, as these types of channels typically allow for you to set your target audience. 

Some examples of content distribution strategies for paid channels include: 

7. Create a Social Media Ad Campaign 

Promote your post on social media channels like X, Instagram, or Facebook. You can set your target audience, how long you want the campaign to run, and which posts you want to promote. While it might not seem ideal to sponsor a post on a social media website, it can help get your content in front of people who will like your work while you’re still building your brand. 

8. Pay for Sponsored Content

If you really want to get your content featured on a specific website, blog, video channel, etc., it might be worth it to pay for sponsored content. Essentially, you’d be paying your chosen avenue to post the content that you’ve written that you want to get out there. Then, you can link back to your website or social media channels. This can help drive readers to your site, help your site rank higher, and help you build a bigger readership. 

Distribution Strategy Tips For Journalists 

Networking and getting your content out there is of the utmost importance for journalists, especially now that the content market is so saturated. It can be hard to pick the best distribution network for your work, or the perfect way to share your content. However, there are a few tips that may be helpful for all journalists. 

• Find your target audience and focus the most on the content channels that they utilize the most. 
• Build a personal editorial calendar and stick to it, to help determine when you need to send out your personal communications like social media posts, newsletters, blogs, etc. 
• Keep track of which methods work the best by measuring how they drive users to your content and how well each piece performs, then focus on those.
• Be personable with your audience to create an inviting brand that readers want to read.

Tools to Add to Your Journalist Toolbelt

Journalists have many good tools at their disposal to write, edit, and promote their content. Yet some reign supreme in their usefulness. 

Some of our most recommended tools for journalists include: 

1. Substack: An email newsletter hosting service that can help you easily create and send newsletters to your most loyal readers.
2. Rev VoiceHub: VoiceHub takes the tedium out of transcribing your interviews. Our AI easily and quickly takes audio from video or phone interviews and creates a written transcript, which you can use to write articles or blogs. The VoiceHub AI assistance can also format interviews for you in your chosen format. 
3. BuzzSumo: Sometimes you have a great article, but the perfect title is evading you. BuzzSumo can help take your topic and make it a reality by showing you which pieces are performing the best on that topic. 
4. Hemingway: No matter how good of a writer you are, everyone has moments when the right wording escapes them or you can’t quite nail down grammar. The Hemingway AI technology can help uplevel your writing and perfect your articles. 

Don’t Bury the Lede

Many journalists choose their field for the love and passion of creating content and sharing it with the world. But it doesn’t have to be stressful: many tech innovations have made it easier for journalists to provide their essential service. VoiceHub, for example, can be your right hand for transcribing your all interviews, taking notes, and analyzing your data. That way, you can focus on what matters: getting the important information out to your audience without getting bogged down in the logistics. 

‍Let VoiceHub help you with your content