Third party content.
It’s any content that you share online that is not created by you, but relates to your niche, audience, or values.
It’s almost as important as your unique content – that is, the articles, posts, podcast episodes, and videos that you create.
Why is it so important? Because it shows:
- That you are abreast of the developments and trends in your industry
- How your perspective is different from other people’s
- That you don’t just talk about yourself all the time
- That you are connected with other thought leaders and experts in your industry
My clients have gotten some of their greatest engagement ever through third party content!
And, it can cut WAY down on the amount of content you need to produce. Not only is it best to mix third party and unique content for marketing variety, it also takes pressure off your time.
How much is enough third party content?
People wonder what the ratio of unique to third party content should be, and the answer is (of course) “it depends.” You can share a majority of third party content online and it will boost your visibility, engagement and reputation in your industry. However, I like to aim for 50/50 – half your content, half other people’s.
The only hard part about third party content is that it can take time. Not as much time as creating your own content, but it DOES take research to find the right third party content to meet your marketing goals, AND write thoughtful commentary for it.
Luckily, it’s one of my favorite parts of my job, because I like connecting things so much. I love sharing the work of others to spark conversation or share a great idea with my community. It’s delightful to tag the author of a great article on Twitter, to give them that smile of appreciation via a notification that I shared their work. I love finding great content and relating it to what I or my clients do.
What counts as third party content?
Third party content can be ANYTHING!
- Podcast episodes
- Videos
- Infographics
- Articles
- Blog posts
- Webinars
- Images
- Quotes
The keys to make third party content work for you are:
- Share an insight, favorite point, or opinion about the content
- Make sure you tag the author or publication if you can
- Share it regularly
Go forth and market thyself with third party content!
