Content syndication
The redistribution of editorial content to other publishers, aggregators, or platforms — typically via RSS, API, or partner feeds, with optional licensing.
Content syndication is when one publisher's content appears on another platform — via RSS, partner API, news aggregator (Apple News, Google News), or licensing agreement (e.g. wire services). For the originating publisher it's reach and revenue; for the receiving platform it's content cost-effectively.
Modern syndication is more sophisticated than RSS. Publishers may run different feeds for different partners (full text vs summaries, with or without ads, exclusive vs shared content). They track engagement on syndicated content separately to negotiate better licensing deals. Some publishers earn 10–20% of revenue from syndication.
The technical requirements are: structured content (so partners can reformat), per-partner feed configurations, usage analytics (to prove value to partners), and clear licensing metadata (who owns the photo, can it be redistributed, until when).
A modern editorial platform should make syndication zero-effort: write once, define which partners get which feed, monitor performance, renegotiate annually. Without integrated syndication, publishers either undersell or skip the channel entirely.