This article will share content curation sources that will help you become your audience’s go-to place for information.Content curation is like being your audience’s personal algorithm. Just as an algorithm curates a feed for every user — putting content they’d like front and center — you separate the wheat from the chaff and collate info your followers would want in an organized way.But where do you even find content to curate? And given the popularity of content curation, how do you stand out and offer bits and pieces that no competitor has an eye on? This article will share content curation sources that will help you become your audience’s favorite, go-to place for information.💡If you’re new to this concept, first read our essential guide to content curation.The fault with content curation toolsIf you surf online for how to become an A+ content curator, you’ll find loads of content curation tools — like Flipboard, Feedly, Curata, Scoop.it, Upcontent, etc. The problem with using these software (and even RSS feeds) as content sources is that everyone’s using them for content discovery. So you’re not truly giving your audience any new info.Relying on content curation tools alone also makes you more of a content aggregator than a content curator: The former just collects pieces of relevant information and presents them as is, while the latter adds their own inputs and insights into the mix of existing information. It’s the difference between a retweet and a quote tweet.To actually be successful in content curation, you need two things:1. The ability to spot trends from a vast web of information: Seeing new information pop up every day and sharing it is one thing; connecting the dots is another. Noticing patterns and picking up on novel ideas enables you to create high-quality content — the kind no one can compete with.2. An eye for seeing html–> View this post on Instagram A post shared by ThredUp (@thredup) To stay on top of brand mentions, notifications aren’t enough. You can use social media monitoring tools to track where you’re tagged and where you’re mentioned (but not tagged). Many social media management tools also come with built-in capabilities of spotting brand mentions, so try to find a tool that can do multiple jobs.💡Related reading: A Straightforward Approach to User Generated Content that Connects6: Your For You Page (FYP)For You Page (FYP) is a TikTok term for the personalized feed the TikTok algorithm shows you when you log into your account. But this advice is applicable to all social media channels that curate handpicked social media posts on their homepage after learning your interests and behavior patterns.If you spend some time online from any of your business social media accounts (on any social networks), you’ll find the feed curates to one particular niche or topic. For example, if you interact with many self-improvement videos, your homepage starts to recommend similar content to watch.This homepage is a goldmine for curating content. You can stumble across relevant info that your audience will find useful and is probably not shown on their feed. Instead of just resharing something helpful, you can add your own thoughts on it — it’s called creating a Stitch video on TikTok, Remix on Instagram Reels, and Repost (formerly Quote Tweet) on X (formerly Twitter).An example is this Stitch video created by creator Sylvia on TikTok. @sylvia I didnt expect this to actually work 😳 @victoria__benitez ♬ original sound – Sylvia You can use the content you come across on your FYP to collaborate with other creators, react to trends or news, test viral hacks in your industry, or to simply continue the thought of another creator — embellished with your own examples and experience.⚡Pro-tip: Create a separate business and personal account on all social media platforms to keep your homepage on all networks separate. This will allow the algorithm to do its magic and your feed will be curated with information only relevant to your niche.7: Social media hashtags or keywordsThink of social media hashtags and keywords as an extension of your FYP. You can use these tools to proactively search for trending topics in your industry and find videos you can Remix, Stitch, etc.TikTok’s SEO (search engine optimization) is chef’s kiss and works very similarly to Google — just type in relevant keywords and popular posts including that keyword will appear like web pages. Pinterest and YouTube have a similarly strong search engine and Instagram’s SEO is also slowly catching up.When you’re using hashtags or keywords to search for industry-related content, remember to see the “Related” or “Others searched for” topics, too. This will help you find more content to curate without the time-consuming process of hunting for keywords yourself.You can also click on “Accounts” on TikTok and Instagram to find social media profiles using the keywords you mentioned. These are creators you can follow to keep up with your industry’s trending topics, news, etc.8: Relevant communitiesCommunities are the place where people share tips, advice, problems, and interesting conversations. These can be subreddits, niche Slack channels, Twitter lists, Discord servers, Facebook groups, or even LinkedIn groups.For example, at Buffer, we have a community of content creators, small business owners, and agency founders who are looking to grow on social media. If anyone’s looking to curate content for the social media feed, our community chats have helpful insights into html–> View this post on Instagram A post shared by dr. Heleen Kibbelaar – Chemist (@sciencemeetscosmetics) If you’re a skincare creator, you can remix one of her Reels with a product review — seeing if the item matches all the boxes Kibbelaar mentions.There are so many creative ways to build on a thought leader’s content. Find the key thought leaders in your industry — by Googling, social media search, or simply FYP — and follow them.Balance curation with creationIf all you do is curate content, I have some bad news: You’re eventually going to become obsolete. Instagram’s algorithm has already started to prioritize original content — so someone who’s only resharing content will not be favored by the algorithm. Other social media platforms might follow suit.While curating content, remember to:a) Always put your unique spin on it. Sure, there’s this piece of information you found. But html–>
How to Find Relevant and Fresh Content to Curate: Our Top 10 Sources
