Many Smarties have asked me about syndicating their web show. They want to know what that means and how do they go about doing it. Basically, when you are syndicating your web show, you are making your show available via RSS feeds, widgets, codes, or video players and broadcasting it on other (third-party) websites.
Next New Networks syndicates some of the Web's most popular regularly scheduled and episodic programming.
You may have heard people throw out the word, “super-syndication” (or “super-distribution”) when talking about web shows. That basically means blasting out your show to any and every possible site. There are a number of ways to do this. For instance, on Blip.tv, a social video network, you can syndicate your videos by simply pasting your code on any third party websites and you can automatically distribute your video to your own accounts at Yahoo, iTunes, AOL, MySpace, FaceBook, and Feedburner. So basically, the goal of super-syndication is to get as many views as possible on as many different platforms and websites as possible.
Unfortunately, syndicating your web show does not mean you’re “in the money” like it does with television. However, you can make money syndicating your web show. Here are a few ways you can make money on your syndicated web shows:
- When you give your content to other websites to publish, you can charge a licensing fee.
- Have some sort of advertisement within your video – such as pre-rolls, banner ads, or even product placement, so that when the video is clicked on, you are generating revenue.
- Use or create a video platform that you can distribute on third-party sites that is pay-per-view or subscription based.
While super-syndicating is one strategy for web shows, it is not the only strategy. I always recommend content creators target their niche communities. Rather than throwing your show out there and seeing if it sticks, try and build your viewership wherever you are – like on Facebook or YouTube. iJustine, a video blogger, did just that by making comedic videos for a mostly high school, YouTube audience. Through using her excellent sense of cross-promotion with a great understanding of the power of current technology (Twitter and social networking) plus some fun editing techniques and a funny personality, iJustine has over 73,000 friends on Facebook and over 8 million channel views on YouTube! Once you have a community with solid demographics that you can clearly show to advertisers, you will most definitely generate revenue.
Find out how to create compelling video content for your community on March 11th at the P2P Workshop, “Putting the You in YouTube: What Video Can Do For Your Business.”
Kendall Rhodes is the founder of Spin and Stir Media, a boutique Internet video production company in Los Angeles. Spin and Stir Media produces low-cost, high-impact Internet video campaigns for businesses of any size and in any industry – with a special focus in fashion, beauty, lifestyle and the arts.
