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Newstex in Collective Magazine

In the most recent issues of Australia's renegade Collective magazine, writer Kerrie Davies explains why and how syndication builds audiences for both television programs and online content.Davies questions, "Would actor Jason Alexander be touring if Seinfeld hadn't been syndicated across the world? The power of syndication is to establish brands to a wider audience, which then leads to other opportunities."Davies spoke with Newstex director of content relationships, Aura Novembre, as she investigated the power of syndication. Aura explained, "At its heart, syndication is simply a form of content amplification."For audiences who consume content on television, online, mobile devices, and so on, syndication solves a problem. Aura explains this problem as it relates to content publishers who are trying to reach research audiences who need content to do their jobs in legal, academic, and professional industries:

"Consumers are definitely seeing a plethora of content choices, which is great for some content creators, but we are also experiencing a problem with information overload. It's not easy to figure out which publishers of stories to read or follow. Social sharing is a way to discover content, but that underscores a reliance on reader serendipity. Let's say I've just published an article. I can tweet about it and post a link on my Facebook or LinkedIn Page. This is a smart move if I'm trying to reach more readers, but I'm still missing the point of research audiences, because tools like Twitter and Facebook aren't designed for research. The two models (research and reader serendipity) have complemented each other since the first library and newspaper, and we see the need for that coexistence to increase, not decrease."

For online content publishers, Aura states that just like being picked up by a major network, the key is being chosen by a curator such as Newstex that can throw syndication to a new level. One way Newstex makes syndication more valuable to content publishers and audiences is through the enhancements it makes to that content, so it's easier for the right audiences to find. "If someone is writing about economic conditions but doesn't mention the worlds 'interest rates', we can tag it in the metadata," says Aura. "Technology is allowing the syndication model to really begin to evolve, but what's most interesting to me are the value-adds that syndicators have yet to explore. For example, the analytics that can be applied to metadata are an emerging area."Davies includes a story about an online publisher that has found great success through Newstex licensed syndication. Matt Lorier of Californiality.com shared his experience saying, "I received speaking invitations before political groups, unforgettable media interviews, and invitations to spectacular events, which I never would have attended otherwise."Just as television, radio, and newspaper syndication has evolved over its century-plus history, online content syndication will continue to grow and change. As Aura says, "The content evolution will continue, and that creates exciting clear, blue water spaces for syndication to evolve, too."You can follow the link to read Davies' full article, Spreading the Word, which first appeared in renegade Collective magazine.