#032 | 📜 10 Content Curation Tips To Boost Engagement And Save Time

Boost engagement & save time with 10 essential content curation tips. Get practical strategies to select, share, and track high-value content ethically.

Content curation sits at the heart of every modern professional’s digital toolkit. Instead of endlessly trawling the internet for fresh ideas, the most effective marketers, creators and business leaders know how to harness the power of curated content—offering their audiences a steady stream of value, without burning out. In fact, according to Pew Research, nearly a quarter of online news consumers “very often” follow links from social media, revealing just how much readers rely on trusted curators to filter the noise.

But with so much information out there, how do you curate with purpose, maximise engagement, and actually save time? The answer lies in a set of clear, actionable strategies—each grounded in proven frameworks, practical tools and real-world examples. From defining your curation goals to leveraging specialist newsletters like Murat Esmer’s Substack, and from crafting insightful summaries to ensuring ethical credit, these ten content curation tips will help you build authority, foster genuine connections and keep your workflow efficient.

Ready to transform how you share knowledge, spark conversation and lead your community? Let’s dive into the essential steps that make content curation work for you.

1. Subscribe to Murat Esmer’s Substack for curated content inspiration

One of the quickest ways to keep a steady flow of quality content at your fingertips is to lean on dedicated curators—people who’ve already sifted through the noise and hand-picked the best stories. Murat Esmer’s Substack is a prime example: a weekly newsletter covering AI, Tech, Business, Film, Music and Reading, all drawn from Murat’s 15-year digital marketing experience. The archive is searchable by topic tags, so whether you’re hunting for the latest in B2B influencer marketing or a deep dive into Turkish psychedelic music, you can find it in seconds.

Ready to get started? Head over to Murat Esmer’s Substack and click “Subscribe.”

In your inbox, create a dedicated label or filter—this ensures your curated digest doesn’t get lost among promotional emails. Finally, block out a 30-minute slot in your calendar each week. During this “digest session,” scan through the top five newsletters in your folder and pull out 5–10 items you can share across your channels.

Understand the value of specialised newsletters

Specialist newsletters do the heavy lifting for you—they scour niche blogs, research reports and interviews so you don’t have to. By subscribing to Murat Esmer’s Substack, you tap directly into an expert’s perspective: each issue is more than a list of links. You get context, commentary and often a fresh angle you wouldn’t encounter in a generic roundup. That level of curation not only saves you hours of research but also helps you maintain a level of authority your audience will appreciate.

Integrate insights into your workflow

To make the most of your subscription, capture every promising headline and link in a simple system. Use a spreadsheet or a tool such as Notion or Airtable to record:

• The article title

• Its URL

• A 1–2 sentence summary

• Tags for topic (AI, Music, Tech) and format (blog, video, report)

Colour-code or flag the items you plan to share immediately versus those you’ll save for a future theme or campaign. This way, when you sit down to draft your social posts, newsletter or blog updates, you’ve already got a ready-made library of expert-vetted resources at your disposal.

2. Define your content curation goals and audience

Before you begin collecting links, you need a clear destination in mind. Without well-defined goals and a vivid understanding of your audience, curation can quickly become a chore that ticks the box but fails to move the needle. Drawing on the principles from Constant Contact’s “10 Tips for Developing an Effective Content Curation Strategy” (https://www.constantcontact.com/blog/content-curation-strategy/), this step lays the groundwork for every share, summary and social post that follows.

Start by articulating what you want to achieve with your curated content. Whether you’re aiming to boost brand awareness, capture leads via email sign-ups or cement your status as a thought leader, each objective requires a slightly different approach. Once your goals are on paper, you can pick metrics—like open rates, click-throughs or social shares—that will reveal whether your efforts are hitting the mark.

With objectives in place, build detailed audience personas. Go beyond basic demographics and sketch out the industries, challenges and content preferences of your ideal reader. Does your persona prefer bite-sized video tips over long-form articles? Which social platforms do they trust for professional advice? These details will guide your curation choices and ensure you surface the right mix of formats and topics at each stage of the customer journey.

Lastly, map your content types to each persona’s path. A mid-funnel marketing manager might appreciate a how-to infographic, while a top-of-funnel follower could favour a 60-second podcast snippet. By aligning every piece of curated material with both an objective and a persona, you transform random links into a cohesive narrative—and give every share a clear purpose.

Clarify your objectives

Most curators settle on one or two primary goals. Here are examples and their corresponding metrics:

• Brand awareness: track new followers, impressions and mentions.

• Lead generation: monitor email sign-ups from curated content links.

• Engagement: measure likes, comments and social shares.

• Thought leadership: assess click-throughs on in-depth pieces and long-form content downloads.

Frame each objective in your planning document. For instance: “Increase LinkedIn shares by 15% month on month to build visibility” or “Generate 50 new email subscribers via curated self-care posts by quarter-end.”

Build and use audience personas

A simple persona template can keep your curation focused. Include fields such as:

• Name and role (e.g., “Anna, Marketing Director”)

• Key problem (e.g., “Needs fresh content ideas without adding to her workload”)

• Content preferences (videos, articles, audio)

• Favourite channels (LinkedIn, email newsletter, Twitter)

• Tone/style (data-driven, conversational, inspirational)

Populate these fields with real data: survey responses, analytics reports or even one-on-one conversations. When deciding whether to share a link, ask: “Does this solve Anna’s problem?” or “Will this resonate on her preferred platform?” If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track.

3. Establish a three-step content curation framework

Rather than scattering links at random, a simple framework ensures your curated content remains focused, differentiated and sustainable. One of the most popular models is Curata’s three-step guide to curation strategy. By following these steps—evaluating your edge, organising topic clusters and planning your publishing rhythm—you’ll transform ad-hoc link sharing into a repeatable process.

Here’s a sample mini-framework to illustrate the method:

• 1. Unique Curation Edge
  Define how you’ll outshine competitors: deeper analysis, hyper-relevance to your niche or unmatched consistency.

• 2. Topic Clusters
  Select 3–5 core themes that map to your brand pillars, then break each into subtopics for targeted coverage.

• 3. Publishing Rhythm
  Decide on frequency (daily social post, weekly newsletter, monthly round-up) and channel mix, then batch-produce accordingly.

Step 1: Evaluate your curation potential

Before pulling in other people’s content, ask yourself:

• Can you offer more depth or context than existing round-ups?

• Is there a narrow niche you understand better than anyone else?

• What formats or angles can you maintain most reliably?

If your answer is “yes” to any of the above, you have a curation edge worth building on. Document this in one sentence—for example: “We distil weekly AI research into three actionable takeaways for busy product managers.”

Step 2: Choose your topic clusters

With your edge defined, outline 3–5 high-level themes that reflect your brand’s expertise and audience interest. For each theme, list two or three subtopics for deeper dives. For instance, a B2B marketing newsletter might include:

• Customer acquisition (lead scoring, paid media experiments)

• Content strategy (video tutorials, white-paper reviews)

• Martech tools (AI writing assistants, analytics dashboards)

This topic map becomes your content GPS, guiding which articles, videos or podcasts you collect and share.

Step 3: Create a publishing rhythm

A cadence that works is key to long-term success. Decide:

• How often to share curated items (e.g., daily LinkedIn post, Friday wrap-up email)

• Which channels receive which formats (Infographic on Instagram, article link on Twitter)

• Block times in your calendar to batch-review, annotate and schedule content

For example, allocate Monday mornings to scan your topic clusters, Wednesday afternoons to write summaries, and Friday to queue everything in your social scheduler. Batching reduces context-switching and keeps your audience fed a consistent diet of valuable curated material.

4. Pick a central theme and organise content into categories

A scattergun approach to curation rarely pays dividends. Instead, choose a single theme that reflects your brand’s expertise and your audience’s most pressing need. Drawing on the Content Marketing Institute’s guide “How To Use Content Curation To Deliver Fresh Ideas Without Added Resources” (https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/content-optimization/how-to-use-content-curation-to-deliver-fresh-ideas-without-added-resources), you can shape your curation into a coherent story rather than a random collection of links. Once you’ve established your theme, decide on the most effective vehicle for sharing—whether that’s a weekly blog post, a dedicated newsletter segment or a short podcast episode—and then create a simple taxonomy to keep everything organised.

Craft your topic statement

A clear, concise topic statement serves as your north star. Use this fill-in-the-blank formula to capture purpose and benefit in a single sentence: “We curate content on ____ [core topic] ____ to help ____ [audience] ____ achieve ____ [key outcome] ____.”

Example: “We curate content on low-budget social media tactics to help small-business owners double their engagement without hiring extra staff.”

Refer back to this statement whenever you select or discard content. If a resource doesn’t support your promise, it doesn’t belong in your curation.

Build your taxonomy

To make your curated archive easy to navigate, break your theme into high-level categories, sub-categories and tags. For a marketing newsletter, a sample taxonomy in prose might look like this:

• Theme: Content Formats
  – Sub-categories: Articles, Videos, Infographics
  – Tags: “how-to”, “case study”, “template”

• Theme: Promotion Channels
  – Sub-categories: Email, LinkedIn, TikTok
  – Tags: “growth hack”, “best practice”, “algorithm update”

• Theme: Budget & Tools
  – Sub-categories: Free tools, Paid platforms
  – Tags: “automation”, “analytics”, “design”

By assigning each curated item to one category, one sub-category and up to three tags, you create a simple, searchable framework. When it’s time to put together your next newsletter or social post, you can filter by the exact format and topic you need—no more scrambling to remember where you saved that infographic link.

Organising your content in this way ensures every piece you share connects back to your central theme, resonates with your audience and reinforces your promise. Whether you’re planning a deep-dive podcast or a bite-sized daily tip, your taxonomy provides the scaffolding for a consistent, high-value curation strategy.

5. Curate a diverse mix of content formats

A one-size-fits-all approach rarely works when sharing curated material. Your audience’s preferences vary, as do the strengths of each channel. By mixing up formats—from long-reads to memes—you’ll keep readers engaged and satisfy different consumption habits. Hootsuite’s guide to Content Curation in 2024: Everything You Need To Know highlights this principle: variety isn’t just more interesting, it also broadens your reach.

Begin by listing the formats you could include in your curation mix:

• Articles and blog posts for in-depth analysis

• Infographics that distil data into digestible visuals

• Short videos and reels for bite-sized insights

• Podcast episodes or snippets to suit auditory learners

• Memes and GIFs to inject humour and drive shares

• E-books or white-papers for comprehensive guides

• User-generated content (UGC) such as reviews or testimonials

• Interactive elements like polls, quizzes or micro-surveys

• Case studies showcasing real-world results

• Data visualisations (charts, heat maps) for quick comprehension

Each format has pros and cons. A detailed blog post can boost SEO and time on page, but a 60-second clip may resonate better in Instagram Stories.

Catalogue available formats

To decide which formats to curate, think about:

• Depth: Do you need detailed explanations (articles, podcasts) or quick takeaways (infographics, memes)?

• Visual appeal: Is it important to catch the eye immediately? Consider infographics, videos or data visualisations.

• Engagement drivers: Polls and quizzes invite participation; UGC highlights community voices.

• Resource intensity: Memes and GIFs are quick to repurpose, whereas converting a study into an e-book requires more effort.

Map each format to the channels where it performs best. For instance, LinkedIn loves long-form articles and thought-leadership pieces, while Instagram favours carousels and short reels. Your spreadsheet or curation tool should include a column for “Format” and another for “Ideal Channel” to streamline decision-making.

Test and iterate

Once you’ve built a repertoire of formats, run simple A/B tests:

1. Choose one topic (e.g., “Top AI productivity hacks”).

2. Create two curated pieces: one as a summary blog post, the other as a colourful infographic.

3. Publish both on the same channel, at similar times.

4. Compare engagement metrics—likes, shares, click-throughs, average time on page.

If the infographic outperforms the article in shares but underperforms on click-through rate, you know where to refine your approach. Perhaps accompany infographics with a “Read more” link on your website, or split longer posts into a series of shorter formats.

By cataloguing your formats and continually testing, you’ll discover which combinations resonate most with each segment of your audience. This iterative mindset ensures that your content curation stays both dynamic and data-driven.

6. Add value with personal insights and concise summaries

When you simply repost a link, your audience gets the content but misses your expertise. According to Steven Rosenbaum’s Curate This!, each curated entry should be at least 200 words—enough space to add meaningful context, extract the essentials and showcase your unique voice. By investing in a brief introduction, a set of concise takeaways and a closing remark or question, you transform someone else’s work into a cohesive, engaging piece that reflects your brand and helps readers decide why it matters.

Consider this before/after:

Before (raw link):

https://example.com/ultimate-seo-checklist

No introduction, no summary—just a link that may get lost in the scroll.

After (annotated post):

In this Ultimate SEO Checklist, Joanna Smith breaks down the 12 steps you need to boost on-page rankings in 2025. It’s jargon-free, action-oriented and perfect for marketers short on time.

• Audit your current content for outdated keywords and fix internal linking.
• Optimise for user intent by analysing top-ranked pages on Google.
• Update images with descriptive filenames and compressed sizes.
• Add schema markup to enhance rich results.

My take? I’ve started running weekly mini-audits using her tips and already seen a modest uptick in impressions. Which SEO step will you tackle first?

By structuring each entry this way, you guide readers through the “why” and the “how” and spark a conversation of your own.

Write engaging introductions

Your intro (2–3 sentences) should hook the reader and set expectations. Aim to:

• Highlight the author or publication

• State the main benefit (“In-depth guide”, “Data-backed strategy”)

• Tease an angle that resonates with your audience (“perfect for marketers on a budget”, “a must-read for ChatGPT users”)

Try templates such as:

• “In her latest post, [Author] reveals how to [action] with [unique insight].”

• “If you’ve ever wondered [question], this [resource] has the answers.”

• “This quick guide to [topic] packs four practical tips you can try today.”

Craft bullet-point takeaways

A long article can be distilled into 3–4 bullets that capture the essentials. When crafting takeaways:

• Pull out standout facts or stats (“75% of marketers prefer…”).

• Summarise key steps or tools in simple language (“Use an RSS reader to collect…”).

• Use parallel structure (start each bullet with a verb).

• Keep bullets under 20 words for easy scanning.

By boiling a 1,500-word post into a handful of sharp points, you respect your audience’s time and position yourself as someone who translates complexity into clarity.

Close with personal reflections or questions

The final few lines invite interaction and signal that your curation is alive. Whether you:

• Share a quick anecdote (“I tried her tool and cut research time in half.”)

• Pose a question (“Which of these tips will you implement first?”)

• Offer a micro-challenge (“I challenge you to optimise one page tonight.”)

…you make your readers feel part of an ongoing dialogue—not just passive link-clickers.

By consistently applying this three-part formula (intro, takeaways, reflection), you elevate curated content from a simple share to a strategic touchpoint that builds trust and drives engagement.

7. Position your community as a thought leader through clever curation

Content curation isn’t just about gathering links—it’s a powerful tool for demonstrating expertise and fostering a reputation that resonates beyond your own channels. When you thoughtfully select and showcase content from leading voices in your field, you signal to your audience (and to peers) that you’re plugged into the conversations that matter. As Khub’s guide on how clever content curation positions your online community as a thought leader explains, this “show, don’t tell” approach builds credibility far more effectively than self-promotion alone.

By weaving together insights from top influencers, emerging research and under-the-radar voices, you position your community at the cutting edge. Rather than simply saying “we’re experts”, you prove it through the quality and relevance of the content you share. The result? A more engaged audience, stronger relationships and the organic growth that comes when others start pointing back to your curated collections as a trusted resource.

Align with recognised experts

Start by identifying thought leaders whose work complements your brand’s values and expertise. Look for:

• High-impact articles or studies from established researchers

• Influencer podcasts or webinars that spark lively debate

• Case studies or white-papers penned by renowned practitioners

When you share their content, tag the original authors and use their preferred social handles. This does two things: it notifies the influencer, increasing the chance of a like or a retweet, and it underscores to your followers that you’re connected with the best minds in your industry.

Spark community conversation

Once you’ve curated killer content, turn it into an interactive experience. Try:

• Hosting a monthly “round-up” panel via LinkedIn Live or Twitter Spaces, where you discuss the top three curated pieces and invite audience questions

• Creating a dedicated Slack or Discord channel for members to comment on each curated item and share their own takeaways

• Running a LinkedIn poll tied to a curated study, then posting the results alongside expert commentary

These tactics not only amplify your content’s reach but also encourage your community to engage, debate and recommend your curated selections. Over time, this level of active participation cements your reputation as the hub for timely, high-calibre insight—exactly what every thought leader aspires to be.

8. Leverage tools and resources to streamline your workflow

Even the most diligent curator can get overwhelmed without a systematic way to discover, organise and publish content. Thankfully, a host of specialised tools exists to automate much of the heavy lifting—from collecting relevant articles to scheduling social posts. Drawing on 100 Pound Social’s practical guide to curated content (https://100poundsocial.com/blog/social-media-marketing/how-to-use-curated-content/), this section highlights the key platforms you need and shows how to set realistic frequency targets: aim to curate roughly 60 % of your output and create original pieces for the remaining 40 %, adjusting as you test performance.

Below is a mini‐toolkit of both free and paid options, each covering a critical stage in your curation workflow:

• Free tools
– Feedly: An RSS reader that organises blogs, news sites and YouTube channels into easily navigable feeds.
– Google Alerts: Monitors the web for specific keywords and delivers new matches straight to your inbox.
– Pocket: Lets you save articles and videos for later, tag them by topic and access them on any device.

• Paid tools
– Scoop.it: A content hub that curators use to discover, comment on and publish thematic collections.
– Curata: A comprehensive solution for source discovery, annotation, scheduling and analytics—ideal for larger teams.
– Hootsuite (or Buffer): Social scheduling platforms that let you queue and automate posts across multiple networks, with built-in performance insights.

Essential discovery tools

Start by capturing the right sources automatically. Set up keyword searches or RSS feeds in Feedly to pull in reports, blog posts and podcasts that match your topic clusters. Use Google Alerts as a safety net for niche phrases that rarely appear in your main streams. When you stumble upon a promising resource—be it a white-paper or a short video—send it to Pocket, add relevant tags (e.g., “AI tools”, “email tips”) and it’s safely stored for your next batch review. Over time, these tools learn your interests and deliver increasingly relevant suggestions, cutting your manual search time by up to 50 %.

Scheduling and batching

Consistency is just as important as discovery. Block out a few slots each week for “content sprints” where you:

1. Scan your discovery feeds and Pocket queue.

2. Draft introductions, summaries and tags for each item.

3. Schedule posts in Hootsuite or Buffer, spacing them according to your ideal cadence (for instance, two curated posts per weekday on LinkedIn and one in your weekly newsletter).

By batching these tasks, you minimise context switching and ensure a steady drip of curated value—without last-minute scrambles. And remember the 60/40 rule: if you publish five posts a week, aim for three curated shares and two original updates. Review your analytics monthly and adjust the ratio if your audience responds more strongly to one type over the other.

Using this toolkit and approach not only saves you hours each month but also guarantees that your feed remains both fresh and focused—your audience will come to expect top-notch insights without the chaos of unfiltered links.

9. Ensure ethical curation by crediting sources and complying with data privacy

Maintaining trust is as important as delivering value when you’re curating content. Ethical curation goes beyond simply linking to an article; it involves giving proper credit, respecting intellectual property and ensuring that any personal data you handle complies with privacy regulations. In the UK, the ICO’s Data Sharing Code of Practice offers clear guidance on sharing data responsibly. By embedding these principles in your workflow, you protect your audience, your brand and the creators whose work you champion.

Attribution best practices

• Always link to the original source, using the canonical URL rather than a cached or shortened link.

• Tag authors, organisations or brands by name (and handle where appropriate), so they receive proper recognition and social notification.

• Include a clear credit line immediately above or below embedded content: for example “Image courtesy of Acme Research”.

• Preserve any author attributions within quoted text or images—avoid cropping out logos or bylines.

• Use descriptive alt text for images and caption any infographics, naming the creator and source in the file name and caption.

GDPR compliance essentials

• Establish a lawful basis for any personal data processing—“legitimate interest” is often valid for sharing publicly posted content, but conduct a basic Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) if in doubt.

• Be transparent: if you collect or analyse user comments, explain how and why you’re using that information in your privacy policy.

• Minimise data usage by only storing what you need—avoid collecting unnecessary personal details from UGC or survey responses.

• When sharing user-generated content, remove or pseudonymise personal identifiers unless you have explicit consent from the creator.

• Securely store any data you retain—use encryption or password-protected systems, and regularly review access permissions.

Ethical curation checklist

Before publishing any curated piece, run through these questions:

1. Have I credited the original creator and provided a direct link to their work?

2. Have I obtained permission or verified that the content is shared under a suitable licence?

3. Am I processing any personal data, and if so, do I have a clear lawful basis and privacy notice in place?

4. Have I anonymised or pseudonymised any user-generated content to protect individual identities?

5. Does this share align with the ethical standards outlined by the ICO’s Data Sharing Code of Practice?

Embedding these ethical practices into your curation process not only ensures compliance but also strengthens your reputation as a reliable, respectful curator. By giving credit where it’s due and safeguarding privacy, you build goodwill with both your audience and the creators whose work you rely on—ultimately fostering a more transparent and trustworthy digital environment.

10. Schedule strategically and measure performance using audience insights

Even the best-curated content will struggle to gain traction if it lands in front of your audience at the wrong time or without a clear way to track its impact. By combining audience habits—like the Pew Research finding that 23 percent of online news consumers “very often” follow links from social media—with a straightforward performance framework, you can optimise both when and how you share, then measure what matters.

Determine optimal timing and frequency

1. Leverage platform analytics.
   • On LinkedIn, check When Your Audience Is Online in the Campaign Manager reports.
   • On Twitter/X and Facebook, use the Follower Insights section to see peak hours and days.

2. Apply the 23 percent rule.
   • If nearly a quarter of your readers habitually click social links, plan at least two curated posts per weekday on key channels.
   • Spread your shares across morning (8–10 am) and early evening (5–7 pm) slots to catch both before-work and after-work scrolls.

3. Build a shared schedule.
   • Use a calendar (Google Calendar, Notion or a social-posting tool) to map out:

   • Daily: one to two social posts featuring curated insights.

   • Weekly: a dedicated newsletter or blog round-up.

   • Monthly: an in-depth curated “deep dive” on a central theme.
     • Batch-create and queue your posts, then set recurring reminders for review days so your content never stalls.

Track and refine

To know what resonates, focus on a handful of key performance indicators. Here’s a simple performance dashboard you can build in a spreadsheet or BI tool:

• Date & Time: when the curated piece was published.
• Channel: LinkedIn, Twitter, email newsletter, etc.
• Format: article, infographic, video, Q&A snippet.
• Recall Rate (surveyed or estimated): proportion of your audience who remembers the content after 24 hours.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): clicks divided by impressions.
• Engagements: total likes, shares, comments.
• Conversion Actions: email sign-ups, download clicks, event registrations.

Review this dashboard monthly:

• Highlight top-performing slots and formats.

• Identify low-engagement windows to avoid or pivot.

• Look for patterns: perhaps infographics on Wednesdays drive extra shares, or newsletter links perform best when sent on Fridays.

Armed with these insights, adjust your schedule and content mix. Maybe move one LinkedIn post from Tuesday to Thursday, swap a text-only share for a short video snippet or double down on themes that spark the most comments.

By scheduling with purpose and measuring with precision, your content curation won’t just save time—it will deliver a steady increase in visibility, engagement and real-world results.

Bringing your curated strategy to life

You’ve now explored every stage of a powerful content curation process: from tapping into Murat Esmer’s Substack for expert insights and defining clear goals, to establishing a three-step framework, organising content into focused categories and mixing in diverse formats. You’ve learned to add your own voice with succinct summaries, build thought-leadership through smart tagging and discussion prompts, streamline discovery and scheduling with the right tools, uphold ethical standards and back every share with performance data. Each of these steps works together to transform random links into a strategic, time-saving engine for engagement and authority.

Rather than trying to tackle all ten tips at once, pick two or three actions you can implement today. Maybe that’s setting up a weekly “digest session” in your calendar and subscribing to Murat Esmer’s Substack for fresh ideas. Or perhaps you’ll build a simple audience persona and map your next five curated items to its needs. You could also experiment with one new format—say, an infographic pulled from your favourite blog—and measure its engagement next week. Small, focused wins will build your confidence and keep your workflow sustainable.

Above all, remember that content curation is a living practice: stay curious, track what resonates and refine your approach as your audience evolves. When you maintain a steady rhythm of discovery, annotation and sharing—with proper credit and privacy considerations—you create a ripple effect of value that keeps readers coming back.

Ready for more inspiration? Subscribe to Murat Esmer’s Substack for a weekly dose of curated insights across AI, Tech, Business, Film, Music and Reading: