How to Curate Content Your Readers Will Love

As bloggers, we are constantly on the look for inspiration and techniques on how we can curate fresh, engaging content. One way that you can do this is by using a “content curation formula,” where you would be choosing a portion of a post or an article from somewhere else and writing your own post around it. Here's a recap on the difference between creation and curation:

Content creation is your own, original content.
Content curation supplements your own content with useful content from another source—for example, an infographic or review that highlights (or presents a counterargument) your point.

So what next? Time to determine which curated articles are best for your followers, of course!

Step 1: Focus on Your Audience

More specifically, focus on helping your audience. If you genuinely want to help your subscribers and followers, not only will they be grateful, they’ll also trust that you have their best interests at heart. Curate what is…

Timely
Relevant
Needed
Requested
Interesting

Think about your readers with real interest. Doing so on a regular basis will help you intuitively know what they need and want. It'll also help you put your finger right on the pulse of your niche.

Just remember: It’s not enough to simply care about your audience. You’ll also have to interact with them. You have to be visible. You’ll want them to see you everyday on your blog, on social media, or in forums. And a little less often than that, you’ll want them to see you in their inboxes, too.

Above all, you’ll want to listen to them and the conversations they’re having with you and with other people. Here’s a list of questions you can ask yourself as you’re “listening:”

What is on my audiences' minds?
What are they excited about?
What are they interested in?
What sorts of challenges do they face? Can I relate to these challenges?

When you’re immersed in your community, you intuitively know which posts and articles they’ll appreciate. You might come across a blog post and automatically think, “I need to share this with my followers!” You won’t have to figure out whether you want to use the article as curated content or if you want to write an original post with just your viewpoint. The decision will come naturally.

Step 2: Learn to Find and Filter

Now, while being immersed in your community and an expert in your niche is extremely helpful, it isn't enough on its own. You want to stay current by keeping up with any changes or developments happening in your niche. It’s important that you’re always in the know.

Here's how:

Find out which niche publications are worth subscribing to.
Find out which sources are accurate.
Find out which experts to follow.

One of the best ways to sort through information is by using an RSS reader. We recommend the easy-to-use Feedly for this. You can search by hashtags to monitor what’s going on in your niche, then easily bookmark articles that interest you. Feedly offers three different plans, including a free version which lets you share on Twitter and Facebook. Best of all, feedly is available for both iOS and Android for free, so you can be updated on the go.

There are hundreds of different types of content curation engines on the internet, so do your best to find the ones that most closely fit:

Your content and focus
Your purpose and goals
Your audience

Besides fresh content, another advantage of subscribing to content platforms and curation engines is that they often provide stats for you to analyze and see which content got the most hits or conversions for you. Note that many curation engines are free, and some cost as little $9.00 per month for premium benefits such as stats access.

Step 3: Become the Curated

If, when you listen to your audience in Step 1, you realize you're hearing the same questions over and over again, it might be time to reevaluate. Come up with a list of relevant questions, then think about how you can present the answers. Here are some ideas:

Create an FAQ page. Then promote it. For example, you can say something as simple as: “Have you ever asked yourself these five questions? Visit my FAQ page for answers.”
Write an e-mail series. Write a mini email series that’s geared toward answering one question per day. This will also be a good way to get your subscribers excited about your content.
Make an infographic. Create an infographic that specifically addresses those questions.

Once you’ve produced any of these, you’ve created a valuable, original resource. You can use this to either attract new subscribers or encourage others to share it. When you do so, you become the original creator or author.

Even though content curation is important, creating your own work should still be at the very core of your blog. In your ideal mix, we recommend that you put your original content in the middle, then use carefully-selected curated content to add value.

Ultimately, the best way for you to become “the source” is to always make sure you give your followers accurate and valuable information that’s easy to read. Being consistent with this builds trust with your audience and boosts—what else?—your credibility.