Content curation is a process used by content writers, content writing agencies and marketers to handpick valuable resources from across the web and share them with their audience. Curate means to select, organize, and present something thoughtfully, often with a clear purpose or theme. In simple terms, curated content is material that has been carefully chosen, arranged, and shared from various sources to provide value to a specific audience. Rather than creating everything from scratch, you gather high-quality articles, videos, images, or posts from other creators and present them in a way that’s relevant, engaging, and helpful to your followers.
Example of Curated Content
In this section, we’ll walk you through a live example of content curation. We’ll transform this very blog, “What is Curated Content?” into a curated piece itself.
Steps Involved in Content Curation
- Step 1 – Find valuable sources
- Step 2 – Select the most relevant points
- Step 3 – Organize for your audience
- Step 4 – Add your own perspective
- Step 5 – Credit the original sources
Now, let’s move on with the actual steps.
Step 1 – Find valuable sources
Step one is about choosing content that is both credible and relevant. Look for trusted industry websites, popular blogs, and experts who share accurate information. Set up alerts or subscribe to newsletters to find new content regularly. When you find articles or posts, check their quality. See who the author is, look at the facts or examples, and compare with other reliable sources. Good curation means carefully filtering so you only share content that helps your audience and builds your trustworthiness.
Here’s what we found for this blog,
Top Five Blog Pieces on Curated Content
- https://mailchimp.com/resources/what-is-curated-content/
- https://sproutsocial.com/glossary/content-curation/
- https://nytlicensing.com/latest/methods/what-content-curation/
- https://quillbot.com/blog/content-writing/what-is-curated-content/
- https://coschedule.com/marketing-terms-definitions/curated-content
Step 2 – Select the Most Relevant Points
Once you’ve gathered potential sources for curated content, the next step is to filter out anything that doesn’t align with your audience’s needs or your brand’s purpose. This is where quality control matters—curation isn’t about sharing everything you find, but selecting the most relevant, credible, and engaging pieces that add value to your audience.
Most Relevant Points from Top 5 Industry Blogs
1. Definition & Purpose
Curated content means selecting external material—such as articles, blogs, videos, or social posts that are relevant, high-quality, and useful for your audience. It’s not random sharing rather it’s intentional selection that supports your brand message and builds authority.
2. Benefits
Saves time and resources compared to creating everything from scratch.
Keep your content calendar active and consistent.
Positions you as a thought leader by showcasing your awareness of industry trends.
Builds trust and credibility through sharing reputable sources.
Fosters relationships when you tag or credit original creators.
3. Process for Selection
Discover: Use tools like RSS feeds, social listening platforms, and content alerts to find relevant pieces.
Evaluate: Check the source’s credibility, the accuracy of data, and alignment with your brand tone.
Select: Choose content that’s timely, useful, and engaging for your audience.
Add Value: Include your insights, commentary, or summaries to provide context.
Schedule: Use a content calendar to balance curated and original material.
4. Best Practices
Maintain a mix: roughly 65% original, 25% curated, and 10% syndicated content.
Limit curated posts to avoid overshadowing your original work (e.g., 1 curated post out of every 5).
Always credit the original source and link back to them.
Use scheduling tools to maintain consistency.
Track performance to see what resonates most with your audience.
Step 3 – Organize for Your Audience
Your audience is the specific group of people you want to reach, engage, and influence with your content. They’re the ones whose needs, preferences, and challenges should guide how you choose, format, and present curated material. Knowing your audience means understanding:
Who they are (demographics like age, profession, location).
What they care about (interests, goals, and industry trends).
How they consume content (preferred channels and formats).
For Klubz Media, the audience consists of small to medium business owners, marketers, and startup founders who want practical marketing solutions, quick wins, and reliable strategies without heavy jargon.
Step 4 – Add your own perspective
Adding your own perspective turns curated content from simple sharing into real value. For Klubz Media, this means explaining why a piece matters for small business owners, linking it to real client experiences, and offering quick, actionable steps. It’s about giving context, showing relevance, and keeping the tone friendly and authentic so the audience sees it as a trusted solution, not just another post.
Step 5 – Credit the original sources
Always give credit when sharing curated content. It builds trust, respects creators, and opens networking opportunities. Here are quotes from the five sources we reviewed that you can reference directly:
Mailchimp – “Curated content is content from other brands or people that you share on your own channels, like social media or email.” (Mailchimp, What Is Curated Content?)
Sprout Social – “Content curation is the act of searching for and sharing outstanding content with your audience.” (Sprout Social, Glossary – Content Curation)
Quillbot – “Curated content is content created by others that you select and share because it’s relevant and valuable to your audience.” (Quillbot, What Is Curated Content?)
NYT Licensing – “Content curation is the process of finding, organizing and sharing the best and most relevant content on a specific topic or for a specific audience.” (NYT Licensing, What Is Content Curation?)
CoSchedule – “Curated content is content from the web that you choose to share with your audience because it’s relevant to them.” (CoSchedule, Marketing Terms – Curated Content)
Alright Let’s View The Curated Content Now.
What Is Curated Content and Why It Matters for Your Brand
Curated content means selecting external material such as articles, blogs, videos, or social posts that are relevant, high-quality, and useful for your audience. It’s not random sharing; rather, it’s an intentional selection that supports your brand message and builds authority. As Mailchimp explains, “Curated content is content from other brands or people that you share on your own channels, like social media or email.” This careful approach ensures your content adds value and aligns with your goals.
The Benefits of Curated Content
Curating content offers several important advantages for your brand:
- It saves time and resources compared to creating everything from scratch.
- It helps keep your content calendar active and consistent, avoiding gaps that might lose audience interest.
- It positions you as a thought leader by showcasing your awareness of industry trends.
- It builds trust and credibility through sharing reputable sources.
- It fosters relationships when you tag or credit original creators, opening networking opportunities.
Sprout Social highlights that content curation is “the act of searching for and sharing outstanding content with your audience,” emphasizing how curation connects you with valuable information while strengthening your brand’s reputation.
How to Select the Best Content to Curate
Choosing the right content to share is one of the most important parts of curating. It’s not just about picking anything you find—it’s about finding content that truly benefits your audience and fits your brand. Here’s a simple way to do it:
1. Discover
Start by looking for content in places where your audience spends time. This could be blogs, news sites, social media channels, or newsletters related to your industry. Use tools like RSS feeds to get updates from favorite websites, social listening tools to track trending topics, or set up alerts for keywords that matter to your business. This way, you always have a pool of fresh content to choose from.
2. Evaluate
Once you find a piece of content, check if it’s trustworthy. Look at who created it—is it an expert or a reliable source? Does the information have clear facts, data, or examples to back it up? Also, ask yourself if the style and tone match your brand. For example, if you speak in a friendly and simple way, a very technical or salesy article might not be a good fit.
3. Select
Pick content that is timely and useful. Timely means it talks about current trends, news, or issues your audience cares about right now. Useful means it teaches something, solves a problem, or inspires your audience to take action. Avoid content that is too general or not relevant to your niche. The goal is to share only the best content that adds value.
4. Add Value
Don’t just share the link or repost the content. Add your own thoughts to explain why you think it matters. This could be a short summary, your opinion, or a suggestion on how your audience can use the information. Adding context shows that you’ve done the work to pick something helpful, not just passing along random information.
5. Schedule
Plan when and where you will share the curated content. Use a content calendar to mix curated posts with your original content. This helps keep your posting consistent and balanced. Posting at the right time on the right platform ensures your audience will actually see and engage with the content.
Best Practices for Effective Content Curation
To maintain a healthy content strategy, aim for a balanced mix: roughly 65% original content, 25% curated, and 10% syndicated, as recommended by Sprout Social. Limiting curated posts to avoid overshadowing your original work is crucial—for example, sharing one curated post out of every five. Always credit the original source and link back to their content. This not only respects the creator but also boosts your credibility. Using scheduling tools helps maintain regular posting, and tracking performance lets you learn which curated pieces resonate most with your audience. As CoSchedule succinctly puts it, curated content is “content from the web that you choose to share with your audience because it’s relevant to them.”