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Transcription
Module 5, Lesson 5
Start & Scale
Content Curation
In this lesson, I'm going to teach you about the difference between content curation, as opposed
to content creation, and how we can use it to your advantage. First up, let's identify what the
difference between content creation and curation actually is. Content creation is the process of
creating your own content from scratch and marketing it to your audience, while content curation
is the process of gathering existing content, for example an influencer's post on social media, and
sharing it with your audience.
Content curation is important because we won't always have enough branded content to post
across your social channels from the get-go. If you don't curate content as well as create content,
you're missing out on a whole lot of valuable content for your audience that's already been
created. Curation is one of the most valuable tools you can use for your content marketing,
especially on social media. When done well, you have the opportunity to tap into beautiful content
that connects with your audience and elevates your brand without costing you a fortune for
product photography.
First of all, it's okay to collect images from around the web, on Instagram, and other social
platforms. The key is to do it legally. Before we start though, let's talk about why content curation
can be better than content creation, at least when first starting out. By sharing other people's high
quality images, you can elevate your unknown brand. A high quality look and feel can
communicate a sense of professionalism and success.
This is something that's pretty hard to do when you're on a tight budget. High quality product
photography can be expensive, so curating content from across the web can be a better option.
When it comes to re-sharing images, you have a few options. On most devices, you have the
option to save an image from the web. When you do that, write down where you got the image.
Also, avoid screenshotting images as much as possible.
It greatly reduces the image, and if you do it wrong, it can really lower the quality of your
Instagram feed. If you must do it, make sure you're doing it on a large screen and capturing the
best possible version of the image. Alternatively, you can use an app like Repostly to share
images that you want to post on your account. This app also works with video as well. When you
use other people's media, make sure that you credit them.
Generally a statement like via at account name will suffice. You can also put a camera and the
account name as well. This notifies the account that you're using the image, and they can reach
out if they need to. You'd be surprised how many people are happy to have their images re-
shared, but ultimately, the content creator has the final call on where their image gets shared.
Technically you need a creator's credit and consent to repost their photo, but in the years I've
been running Instagram accounts, my brand accounts, this has only been a problem for one of my
brands once.
So I'd say proceed simply by crediting, but with caution. Make sure if the creator comments,
emails, or sends you a DM asking you to remove the content, you remove it as quickly as
possible. So as an action item for this lesson, I want you to begin to find content that suits your
brand's aesthetic and fits within your content territories that you can share to your social channels
with credit. The two main kinds of content that you should be saving to share for now are
influencer content within your niche.
Of course make sure that they're aren't featuring any competing brands or products, and viral
content from within your niche, so posts that have significantly outperformed others on accounts
within your niche. So go ahead and start finding content that makes sense for your brand, and I'll
see you in the next lesson.
