7 Content Curation Hacks to Cut Creation Time in Half

• Updated on: 2017-08-06
• Read original article here

How long does it take you to create a single blog post today?

Probably a few hours, if I had to guess.

Now multiply that same time across your other content channels.

That includes everything from social media to audio, visual, and even offline presentations.

Content creation now sounds like more than a full-time job.

The good news is that you don’t need to create content from scratch each and every time.

In fact, you almost never should.

I’m going to show you my seven favorite content curation hacks.

They’ll help you save a ton of time.

But even better will be the new traffic, leads, and customers it will generate.

This might sound a little confusing at first.

But there’s one tip that can make a massive difference down the road.

Unfortunately, many marketers miss it.

And it’s right in front of them!

You need to plan content for curation from the very beginning.

You know that feeling when you sit in front of the computer, and the blank white screen is just staring at you?

Instead, everything should be planned out in advance.

If a topic is inspired by multiple sources, make sure you list that information in the idea stage.

Then you can plan ahead and have one piece of content springboard the next.

It will also help you double your content output.

 use content curation for two very good reasons:

For example, you eventually want to  to build high-quality backlinks and get more traffic, right?

You create an in-depth  on your own site. Then you can reuse the same material for another one.

Of course, you switch up the format and still create a unique piece of content.

But this way you’re able to skip the time-consuming stuff, like finding stats.

You don’t have to stop there, either.

Content curation also helps you easily increase rankings for tier-two links.

You guest post on one site to get links. Next, you guest post on other sites to drive links back to that first guest post.

Why would you do this?

Because when your first guest post becomes more authoritative, your own website becomes more authoritative.

Here’s how it would look if you used three tiers that link all the way back to the first tier.

However, it’s only complex if you’re not planning ahead.

Fortunately, there are a few tools out there to help you keep everything straight.

For example, I love using  to help brainstorm new topics.

Once a topic looks good to go, you can also manage the entire creation process.

It gives you a few extra controls, like the ability to plan out your entire marketing calendar in advance.

That you can  social updates weeks in advance.

The trick is to have your systems ironed out ahead of time.

 you can repeat every time you create content. The process should include several steps:

Turn content creation, distribution, and promotion into a precision process to supercharge your content in minutes — not hours.

Most companies know what their products or services give to customers.

I mean the benefits your customers ultimately get.

But negative messaging around your customer’s problems is a better place to start.

Notice how a problem is identified right off the bat in the headline of  post:

Shining the spotlight on the problems customers are facing can help you cut through all of the other noise faster. That can also extend to the pain points or symptoms that pop up in their lives.

There are two ways to do that:

There’s a lot of danger, pain, and sadness out there in the world.

There are also a lot of things that could potentially harm your customers if they don’t have someone or something to protect them.

Go on: Be their savior.

Step 2. Help them fix the internal mistakes they’re already making.

People don’t like to look stupid.

They want to avoid unknowingly sabotaging their goals or objectives. They want ways to identify potential pitfalls.

Pointing these out can help improve engagement from your audience and even encourage your followers to promote your content themselves.

Only when people understand why they should be afraid can you properly position yourself as the solution to their troubles.

And if you do it right, you can frame it as a “must have” as opposed to a “nice to have.”

That means that, in every piece of content, you can subtly position yourself as the “expert” or the “answer” without having to overtly push the hard sell in your content.

There should be no shortage of problem-specific topics.

Think about it.

You can open up your email right now and start scanning customer questions.

You probably have hundreds if not thousands of them already!

Do you work with a customer support team? If so, these people listen to problems and issues on the phone all day long.

Take them to lunch, ask them a few questions, and you’ll get topic ideas for the next month.

You can even take this further to get extra mileage.

For example, Andy Crestodina answers questions from his customers and followers via email, then uses those emails as blog posts.

His trick was to create a separate Google Doc called “.” He simply copies and pastes all of his answers here over time.

Then he was able to mine this database of ready-made content that just needed a little tweaking to become ready for public consumption.

Posts that include visuals are 150% more likely to get shared based on .

And people are  to engage if your posts are visual.

So turn those boring words into visuals!

For example, let’s say you create a cheat sheet.

The goal is to provide a few quick, actionable tips.

You do the research and prepare the content. Take the final step and !

It’s the same information. You’ve already written all about it already.

It takes maybe a few extra minutes to work with a designer for something basic.

Better yet, expand the scope to pull together an entire infographic.

What’s that? You don’t think that you have the time or ability to create infographics.

For the price of an email address, HubSpot will give you .

All you have to do is point, click, and edit the text.

It all depends on your raw data.

If you’ve already written the content, this step should set you back by half an hour at most.

And infographics are one of the best ways to wrap a narrative around dry, technical topics.

It’s mostly known for creating social media images.

However, you can also use it to create custom graphics or even presentations.

Tip 1: Make sure the visuals you use are relevant.

We are nearing the death of the stock photo.

No one feels emotionally connected to a photo of a group of three colleagues sitting around a coffee table, “crunching” the numbers and laughing.

Excel is not that funny. Trust me.

Those photos often feel fake. Give viewers something that is more relevant and relatable.

Tip 2: Make sure your visuals are up to date.

This one is simple. If you are trying to convey a message about modern technology, or the rise of mobile phone usage, don’t use a photo of someone on a flip phone.

The more you can incorporate  and your content, the better.

Interactive-based content — like tools, contests, or quizzes — can help you keep people engaged for longer periods of time.

These types of content are commonly more “shareable” and memorable, as well.

You and your friends dancing like Britney Spears? Hysterical. And most importantly: shareable.

Interactive content doesn’t have to be just fun and games, though.

For example, take the .

Plug in your URL, and it will return all types of data behind how well your AdWords campaigns are being managed.

The tool is effectively saying, “If the result is between X and Y, show them Z.”

That’s the same idea behind my tool on .

Think about it this way.

I can tell you all about how important title tags and meta descriptions are for SEO.

But you’ll probably ignore me. ????

Or I can just show you how the site’s already showing up Google.

That also allows me to explain each what you’re doing well, or not so well, in greater detail.

And the best part about this tool?

The heart of this is still content.

However, this format is better for people at the end of the day.

People find out exactly how this abstract concept applies to their sites.

That means the content is much easier to understand than in text only.

And it means they’re much more likely to reach out to me for help.

 is one of the best ways to leverage your past work to generate future results.

It has the added bonus of making your life simpler, too. Here’s why.

Repurposing content opens up opportunities you wouldn’t have otherwise had. It allows you to reach a new audience, to update old ideas, and to expand on a topic.

The good news is that you already have everything you need to get started. Here are some techniques, tools, and tactics to repurpose the content you’ve saved.

Want a perfect example? Post your webinar to YouTube :

Turn a blog post into a guide, a slide deck into an infographic, a PowerPoint into a slide deck, and more.

You get the idea.

The next step is to create a centralized knowledge hub to record these good ideas and “templates.”

For example, you can use  to create a simple swipe file.

That will allow you to quickly bookmark, collaborate, and retrieve old information for new stuff.

I’m not the only one who loves swipe files.

Swipe files are meant to give you a kickstart.

But don’t copy. What worked for a competitor won’t necessarily work for you. Besides, content marketing only works when you create unique content.

There is a tendency to copy something that works without knowing or understanding why it works. When you see an ad, article, or visual that you are considering swiping, take a moment to dig deeper.

Again, online tools can help.

 will not just compile your swiped files, but it will also help you determine what is working and why.

Many times, the best inspiration can be found outside of your industry because it will be fresh or new.

So get outside of the echo chamber.

Look at what others are doing and adapt the approach for yourself.

Bloggers are awesome at several things.

They’re good at writing. Or they’re awesome at images and video.

But you know what bloggers aren’t so great at?

They often struggle to monetize their blogs.

I’m not saying that’s right. However, it is true in many cases.

That’s good news for you, believe it or not.

It means that you have something they need. And they have something you need!

You can give them free products or sponsor their sites. In return, they promote your brand.

You can also have bloggers create all of your content for you.

 will work with industry influencers to craft social media content.

The visuals hit all of the important points we reviewed earlier.

They’re extremely relevant and relatable. So people love interacting with them and watching to see what’s next.

Here’s a perfect example of one .

Working with a team of bloggers has an added logistical bonus.

You can quickly and easily rotate the types of content you distribute so you’re not always sharing from the same person.

If your followers see that you’re consistently sharing content from , they might disregard you and go straight to the source.

However, working with multiple influencers expands your audience (and your content distribution).

First and foremost, why is content curation important to you?

“Thought leadership” is nice, but it’s not quantifiable.

So what does that mean to you? How will it look?

Maybe it will be a certain number of email subscribers, website page views, or Facebook engagements. Just don’t over-prioritize “.”

The point is, beyond ensuring that you meet deadlines and continue to publish on time, SMART goals will help you make sure that the content you’re curating and sharing matches the campaign or product you’re about to unveil.

Getting started is as easy as making a spreadsheet that lists your basic strategies for each audience.

Next, you can set  to create a roadmap of how you’re going to get from point A to B.

Hubspot’s  takes this to the next level by forcing you to write hard metrics for each category.

Running through a goal-setting process can help highlight where you’re currently falling short.

For example, writing out the numbers can make you realize how hard it is to get new visitors to convert immediately.

You might have to create some new offers or content pieces in the middle ground to get leads first.

Manually implementing a SMART strategy can get a little clunky. You might have to re-write and run different statuses or CTAs to the same audience but at different times.

Or you could use a tool like , which helps you generate leads just by sharing content. You can use its  tool to see which CTAs work best.

There’s also the benefit of you getting recognized while you’re sharing other creators’ stuff.

Content marketing applies to more than blog posts.

It ranges from Twitter updates to webinars and even interactive tools.

If you had to create content for each one of those things, from scratch, each day, you’d probably want to change careers.

There literally aren’t enough hours in the day.

Fortunately, you don’t have to do that.

Instead of creating everything from scratch, you can curate content from other sources.

Leverage the work of others to speed up your writing. Even your old content can be repurposed, as well.

Content curation doesn’t just help you save time. It also helps you improve output and results.

What’s your favorite content curation tip to cut your creation time down?