What Is Content Seeding & How Does It Work? Here’s the Expert Take [+ Examples]

Have you ever created content but didn’t see the results you hoped for? You’re not alone. The truth is that content needs to be shared in the right way to benefit your brand. That’s where content seeding comes in.
In this article, you’ll learn what content seeding is, its different types, and six tips to help you use it successfully.

What is Content Seeding?

Content seeding is a strategy where brands share their content on different platforms to reach the right audience and attract potential customers. This can include working with influencers to promote a product on social media.
By placing content in the right spots, brands can make sure their audience sees and engages with it. Marketing expert Goldberg explains it as “the strategic sharing of valuable content across platforms to naturally reach and connect with your audience.” He points out that placing content where people will notice it—like blogs, social media, and partnerships—helps boost brand awareness and trust.
For example, if you listen to podcasts, you might have heard an ad for Quince, an online fashion retailer. Podcast hosts often talk about their products and share personal reviews. These ads can be convincing—I’ve checked out Quince’s website a few times because of them! That’s an example of content seeding.
The reason this method works well is that influencers or partners share content that interests their audience. Brands figure out where to share content by researching their target market.

What is Influencer Seeding?

Influencers are great for content seeding because they already have a loyal audience. Studies show that people trust influencers even more than their friends.
Goldberg describes influencer seeding as “sending products or services to influencers who match your audience, hoping they will share honest reviews and create content.”
The key to success is choosing influencers who fit your brand and speak to your ideal customers. You can work with:

• Industry experts who are well-respected in their field.
• Micro-influencers have a smaller but highly engaged audience.

Teaming up with influencers can help you target a specific group and make your product stand out, especially since social media is packed with ads.

What is the Goal of Content Seeding?

The first goal of content seeding is to get industry leaders or brands to share your content with their audience.
The main goal, however, is to spread your brand’s message widely. This can help:

• Increase brand awareness.
• Generate backlinks.
• Drive more traffic to your website and social media.
• Attract new customers.
• Boost sales.

Where is Content Seeding Used?

In the past, blogs and editorial websites were the main places for content seeding. Today, social media is the top choice. It works well on platforms like:

• TikTok
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Podcasts
• Pinterest

But simply being on these platforms isn’t enough you need a solid plan.

How to do content seeding in 6 steps:

1. Define Your Target Audience

The first step to making content seeding work is knowing who you want to reach. If you understand your audience, you can create content that grabs their attention. Ask yourself these questions:

• Who will benefit from my products or services?
• What problems do they face with these products or services?
• How can I help solve these problems?

Answering these will help you create an audience persona, which is a simple profile of your ideal customer. This will guide you when making content. Once you have this, move to the next step.

2. Set Your Goals

Before creating content, decide what you want to achieve. Do you want to increase sales, make your brand more known, get more website visitors, or reach more people?

Having clear marketing metrics helps you choose the right platforms for content seeding. It also helps you track progress and measure success. By checking results, you can improve your strategy to get better outcomes.

3. Find the Right Influencers

Now, look for ideal influencers your target audience follows. These are trusted voices in your industry. Your audience persona from Step 1 will help you find them.

You can also search trending hashtags and topics related to your brand. Tools like GRIN can also help you find influencers. Once you have a list, reach out to them. Send a short, clear email introducing your brand and explaining what you offer.

4. Create Evergreen Content

Evergreen content stays useful for a long time. It keeps bringing value, even after weeks or months. This helps you get the most from your content-seeding efforts. Here are some types of content to consider:

• Blog posts
• Videos
• Articles
• Infographics
• Social media posts

Make sure your content fits the influencer’s brand and audience. For example, if you sell marketing online courses, share content that interests marketers or beginners in marketing. Also, match your content to the platform. LinkedIn needs professional content, while Instagram works well with visual posts.

5. Add a Call-to-Action (CTA)

Once your content is ready, start reaching out to influencers with a strong pitch. Explain why working with you benefits them and their audience. Keep your message short and friendly.
Influencers get many offers, so be clear about why they should choose you. Before sending your email, engage with their content. This makes it easier to start a conversation, and they may recognize your brand.

In your content, include a call-to-action (CTA) to guide your audience. Tell them exactly what to do, like:

• “Contact us today!”
• “Get a free sample!”
• “Talk to an expert for free!”

This makes it easier for people to take action, improving your content seeding results.

6. Measure Your Results

After sharing content, check if your efforts are working. There are different ways to measure success:

• Traffic data: How many people visited your website from the seeded content?
• Engagement metrics: Look at likes, comments, shares, and reactions.
• Website analytics: Check how long visitors stayed on your site and if they interacted with your content.

See if you met your goals. If not, figure out what went wrong and how to improve. Also, check if your content reached the right people. Analyzing results will help you make future campaigns even better.

Content Seeding Examples

If you’re thinking about starting content seeding, wondering which platforms to use, or what content to share, here are some helpful examples to guide you.

1. Neva LaRue x EatOkra:
   Neva LaRue is a popular Instagram influencer in the food niche. She works with EatOkra, an app that helps people find Black-owned restaurants. Neva shares pictures of delicious food and tags both the restaurants and the app. Her followers trust her, so this post helps people learn about and support these restaurants.
2. Dolly Chawla x Daniel Wellington:
   Dolly Chawla, a beauty and lifestyle influencer, worked with Daniel Wellington to promote their watches. Daniel Wellington asked many influencers to use the same hashtag in their posts. This helped the brand reach a wider audience across different niches.
3. Charli D’Amelio x Geske Beauty Tech:
   Charli D’Amelio, a well-known influencer, teamed up with Geske to promote their beauty products. Her young audience loves lifestyle advice, and Geske’s target audience is also young people interested in beauty. This partnership brought Charli more engagement and helped her grow her influencer credibility.
4. Anna Shields x MasterClass:
   Parenting influencer Anna Shields promoted the learning platform MasterClass, specifically a course on building better habits by James Clear. This topic resonated with her audience of parents. Anna’s followers were invited to learn how to improve their lives, and the MasterClass content found a perfect home on her TikTok.
5. Becky Hillyard x Saks Fifth Avenue:
   Blogger Becky Hillyard worked with Saks Fifth Avenue to share outfit inspiration with her followers. With over a million followers, Becky’s platform was perfect for Saks. She shared direct links to Saks’ products in her DMs, driving more traffic to their site.

Make Content Seeding Work for You

Just like my vegetable garden needs the right care to grow, content seeding needs the right partners, platforms, and products. You don’t need to spend a lot of money—micro-influencers, guest bloggers, and podcast interviews are great and affordable ways to get started with content seeding.