How can you use content partnerships to expand your authority and reach?

Two audiences are better than one. Content partnerships are about teaming up with other brands or influencers to share and co-create content. It's a direct and effective way to tap into new audiences while lending more credibility to your brand. Each partner you collaborate with is like a new channel. More channels mean more touchpoints for customer interaction. Content partnerships are a fast track to new audiences and amplified credibility.

At lower levels, people compete. But higher up, they collaborate, partner. It's the most powerful, fastest way to build authority reach. It could be by adding content created by others on your platforms through syndication to add authority. Or licensing your content to others to widen your footprint. It could be co-creation to bring different/ new perspectives. Cross-promoting to exchange followers. Like a stand up comic with a musician. Ed Sheeran featuring Eminem. You have to be able to bring value to each other if it's a true partnership. Could be as expertise, monetization, promotion, reach, credibility. That's when it is the most powerful.

Focus group studies are always helpful to identify potential partners. Who is your target audience? Who do they follow on social media? Which media channel they use most? What do they spend their most time on?

Keep in mind that just because you "expand" to a new audience through content partnership does not mean that the campaign is effective. Define your own success first, do you want to increase brand awareness or do you want to gain potential customers? Don't get twisted in hopes and expectations

Find people who have your desired audience that you would like to speak to. This doesn't have to be people in your industry as much as it should be an audience of your ICP.

Today technology companies are collaborating at a rapid scale. Example of AWS with Cisco and other Security Brands. This builds a complimentary solution which is a win-win for both. The audience benefits with the dual offering and marketing can share costs to build use cases and more. The big challenge is finding the right complimentary partners who can work with you in the long run. It's about maturity, professionalism and a lot to do with getting the job done. These aren't easy and take time to mature.

If you are using content partnerships to expand your authority, it means they're the authority, not you. So approach the relationship with humility. Use what they've got. Seek partners who are already saying what you want them to say. Don't just find someone with a big following and shove your agenda in their mouth. That rarely works the way you want it to.

Some easy ways to amplify content promotion through partnerships include: - Giving backlinks to your partner's website in blog articles, and asking them to link to your articles as well. - Tagging the creator or company you're partnering with when posting on social media. - Combining your email lists when promoting a gated piece of content or webinar. - Frequently interacting with and promoting your partner's individual content to establish a reciprocal relationship.

This is the end game for your content partnership. To understand if your strategy indeed worked, think of it in brand synergy terms. The impressions, engagement, and impact you create must be over and above your individual values. "1+1 must be greater than 2." If that's something you're able to achieve, it means you've reached the right audience and delivered maximum value. If not, there are other platforms, funnels, and marketing opportunities to explore.

Decide what you want out of the partnership — new followers, shares, better open rate, free download...? Once you know what your goal is then create messaging with a CTA toward that specific goal. Determine a specific measurable target you would like to reach, Ex: ## new social followers, ##% open rate, ## of downloads, etc. Create at least two different content variations to see which performs better, then use the best performing one and tweak if needed. Monitor the metrics to see if something needs to be changed.

* Collaborative approach: Bring together expertise to advance your content by collaborating with industry leaders. *Cross-Promotional Campaign: Create a collaborative campaign for reach and make the most of shared content. *Co-production: Collaborate on unique issues and combine different perspectives for engagement. *Guest comment exchange: Exchange guest posts or articles and share knowledge with a new audience. *Webinar participation: Conduct collaborative webinars for a wider audience and increase joint reach and visibility. Using these strategies creates stronger relationships, enhances control and greatly expands the scope of accessibility.

Listen to your partners, they know their audience and platform more than you. It is their community to begin with, try to head in to the partnership with an open mind. What usually works for you might not be the case with your partner!

I would suggest giving more than you're taking. Help promote them as much as possible then ask if you can partner. For example, if they make a blog post, try sharing it with some insightful thoughts on your social media. Or if they make it a video, make a reaction video. Show them you understand where they are coming from before you ask them for a partnership

The most effective content partnerships are with those who naturally align with your brand — the content will resonate with both their and your audience and have impactful organic engagement.

Effective content partnerships thrive on open communication with partners, valuing their audience insights. The key is an organic alignment, choosing partners whose content naturally resonates with your brand. This not only ensures a genuine collaboration but also sets the stage for longer-term partnerships. Through consistent association, both audiences become familiar with and relate the partner to your brand, fostering authenticity and trust.