Why You Should Be Curating Content INS 17

These show notes for today’s podcast will outline 6 tips on why you should be curating content for your platforms, but you’ll have to tune in to the actual podcast about tip number 6 as I really challenge the idea about some of the reasons that content creators feel entitled to get something back from the original creator of that curated content.

First, let’s quickly define curated content as a technique in which you or someone on your team filters through and brings together content that is created by someone else, and shares it on your platforms with your communities. Now this isn’t the same as copying and pasting word-for-word an entire blog post and reposting it on your site, this should never happen. Never.

You can however quote someone’s content, giving them credit, and sharing their links back to the original content. You can also re-share Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ posts onto your platforms while still crediting the original source, but I’ll get into the “how” on the follow up episode to come. Right now we’re just discussing the “why” and the actual benefits with no specific order of priority here.

1. Does the ratio matter?

To be honest, there’s no “right” formula because it’s not a one size fits all scenario. For many however, especially when you’re first starting out I do recommend having more curated content than the content you’re actually producing yourself. This is especially true if you’re a very small business with limited resources. There are also plenty of brands that have been built almost solely on curated content. Once you’re able to hire these services out however, then you can then start producing more of your own content.

2. It gives the reader another perspective. When we’re busily growing our businesses and our online platforms we’re hyperfocused on our point of view within the particular landscape we’re attempting to hang our own shingle. Your community is aligning with you because of your brand, but giving them another perspective that aligns with your business and values can offer them a little bit of variety with similar messaging.

Of course once you’re able to build a team that can create that content, then these additional “voices” start to be sourced internally with a variety of perspectives from those that are working for you or those that are an ongoing contributing member.

3. Curating can inspire you to add your own perspective. Speaking of creating your own content, when you actually consume and curate content from another source this can inspire you to develop very similar content by adding your own voice to the conversation. How many times have you read something that really speaks to you, inspires you, yet you may have even said to yourself “I can write this, why don’t I just write a similar article with my own spin on this subject matter?”

So why don’t you? There’s plenty of that occurring at this very moment.

4. It can save both time and money. As a budding entrepreneur and content creator, resources are limited as I’ve mentioned prior, and you may already be on the brink of burnout. By curating content this can eliminate hours or even days to produce content from the ground up. You can offer your opinions whether it be a few characters in a Tweet or a paragraph of why you think it’s valuable, which in turn will likely take a significantly smaller amount of time.

Now don’t take this as an opportunity to just spend a few minutes going through content and just sharing something that was the first piece of content in your feed. You do in fact need to give it some thought. Does the content align with your brand, is this something that will speak to your audience and is it representative of what you might create or feel as high value to your community?

5. You must have your finger on the pulse of what’s hot. You’ve got to be this savvy thought leader aren’t you? Staying in the know is just a requirement in any business, and by curating relevant content with your community then you’re proving to them that you are knowledgeable about what the current trends are. You know what’s what. You’re also saving them some effort as well by keeping this relevant content within the platforms they’re already following, your platforms.

You should of course always link out to this content and not be afraid that if they leave your platform that they’re not coming back. As long as the content is valuable they’ll keep returning to see what you’re sharing, which they’ll likely share with someone else. You’ll start to become an authority through curation.

In the podcast I take a moment to discuss another great way to build community not only among readers, but also other content creators. Brittney Wilson of The Nerdy Nurse has been hosting a Blog Carnival for quite some time now, and in my opinion this another form of content creation. However, this is an entirely different expectation than what I discuss in tip #6.

6. You’re not owed anything. What do I mean by this? Well you owe it to yourself to listen in on where I’m going here. It might not be for the faint of heart, but neither is business. So tune in. 

 

What are your thoughts on the “why” of content curation. Has it worked for you? Either way, stay tuned for the upcoming episode where I talk about how to best curate content.

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