Creating content is only half the battle – if you want to get it to the right people at the right time, you’ll need amplification

What is it?

A recent article on Content Desk was a cautionary reminder that content marketing isn’t all plain sailing. Although new kinds of content are being demanded all the time, creators trying to compete in existing markets are witnessing a decline in the quality of engagement as quantity of content goes up.

Industry experts are recommending publishers spend 50% of their time creating content and the other 50% amplifying it.

Put simply, amplification means getting the right combination and number of creators and influencers to publicise your content. Over time, this boosts reach – and boosts it to the people who are ultimately going to drive your profits.

The fact is that 5% of posts obtain under 40 shares and 42% of professionally marketed blog posts get less than 10 interactions. Content is being wasted. Publishers need to act.

How does it work?

Working out how to get your content amplified can take some effort, but it’s time well spent.

One of the easiest ways to amplify content is to tap into the right communities and niche interests. Although social media reach is dwindling, other platforms for tapping into such interests, like Reddit, are thriving.

Getting influencers on board is another way to coordinate the communities in which your content ends up. In addition to industry bigwigs, micro influencers can offer a ready-made hyper-relevant audience.

Paid promotion is an increasingly popular way to achieve better reach. Paid services can be used to target key consumers with content, reflected in its almost five-fold uptake since 2014. Content marketers falling behind the times risk being left in the dust.

There are a range of other tips and tricks that can help amplify content. Signing up to services like Google AMP and Apple News can offer an edge over your rivals, for example, and tapping into tech looks like the amplification solution of the future. But what’s clear is that whacking a blog post online and hoping it will take off just doesn’t work anymore, if it ever did.

Could this change my content marketing efforts forever?

Yes! Although it’s worth noting that the world of amplification has its perils.

For example, Facebook Instant Articles, Apple News and Google AMP all offer ways for publishers to take their reach to the next level via the world’s biggest digital platforms, but they don’t always mesh. Google’s obscuring of Apple News traffic on analytics continues to give publishers a headache. As the battle to be seen intensifies among content creators, competition among amplifiers will become similarly fraught and potentially more underhand.

Nevertheless, amplification is something any self-respecting content marketer should be briefed on. While not always as relevant for B2B marketers catering to more restricted audiences, fatigue and saturation engulfing digital content is something all publishers need to navigate. Investing some thought into amplification might just light the way.