8 Ways to Balance Original Content Creation With Curating Industry Content
Navigating the intricate balance between original content creation and curating industry content can be a challenge for any content strategist. This article demystifies the process by providing actionable strategies and ratios, underpinned by insights from seasoned industry experts. Discover the expert-recommended content mix that can elevate a brand's presence and engagement in the digital space.
- Balance Original And Curated Content
- Use A 70/30 Content Split
- Create Five Original Pieces Per Curated One
- Follow The 60/30/10 Rule
- Provide Value With A 50-70% Original Mix
- Aim For A 70/30 Content Balance
- Implement An Omnichannel Content Strategy
- Use An 80/20 Content Rule
Balance Original And Curated Content
As a UGC manager at Rathly, I focus on creating a balance between original and curated content. I believe it's essential to mix both. Original content gives you a chance to showcase your brand's voice and build trust with your audience. At the same time, curating content from others allows you to offer additional value and demonstrate your industry knowledge. For instance, I often share insights from industry leaders or success stories, which resonate with my audience and add credibility.
For the right content mix, I recommend a 70/30 split. Spend 70% of your time creating content that speaks to your brand's values and goals. The other 30% can be curating high-quality, relevant content that keeps your audience engaged and informed. It's all about providing value and making sure your audience can always find something useful. You don't have to create everything yourself.
Use A 70/30 Content Split
In commercial video production, standing out as a thought leader requires a balance between showcasing your own expertise and amplifying the work of others. I've found that creating five pieces of original content for every one curated piece is a ratio that keeps the focus on our unique voice while still engaging with broader industry conversations.
Original content like behind-the-scenes clips, case studies, or breakdowns of creative processes positions us as experts and highlights the quality and craftsmanship that set us apart. But curating and sharing standout projects from other creators or agencies allows us to acknowledge innovation across the industry and demonstrate that we're not just in the game to promote ourselves. By framing curated content with our insights or analysis, we add value to the conversation while reinforcing our position as champions of creative excellence.
This approach not only strengthens relationships within the industry but also keeps our audience informed and engaged. It's about showing we're part of a larger creative community, while consistently reinforcing our own perspective and expertise.
Create Five Original Pieces Per Curated One
Balancing original and curated content is all about being intentional with what you offer. Original content helps establish your brand's unique voice, while curated content provides additional value and keeps your audience engaged without always having to reinvent the wheel. One approach I recommend is the 60/30/10 rule: 60% original content that showcases your expertise, 30% curated content from trusted industry voices, and 10% experimental content to test new ideas or formats.
For example, when we run virtual events, we use attendee feedback and engagement data to figure out which topics resonated most. This helps us shape future content, whether it's original articles, follow-up events, or collaborations. Even better, since we've already worked with experts who delivered the most engaging sessions, we can approach them afterward to co-create content-like a guest blog, a podcast episode, or a co-branded webinar. It's a win-win: they get more exposure, and we deliver high-quality content to our audience without starting from scratch.
This strategy keeps your content mix fresh, collaborative, and data-driven, which not only builds authority but also strengthens industry relationships.
Follow The 60/30/10 Rule
Balancing original content with curated content is all about creating a well-rounded experience that adds value to your audience without overloading them with your own material. Both are important, but they serve different purposes. Original content establishes your brand's voice and authority, while curated content helps build community and shows you're keeping up with industry trends.
In my approach, I focus on 50-70% original content, with the remaining 30-50% being curated. The original content is where we showcase our expertise, share unique insights, and create in-depth pieces that provide value—whether that's through blog posts, case studies, or thought-leadership articles. This is the content that builds your brand's identity and credibility.
Curated content, on the other hand, allows you to tap into external voices and share the latest trends, news, or expert opinions that matter to your audience. It's about offering a broader perspective and showing your followers that you're part of a larger conversation. I tend to share industry articles, infographics, podcasts, or thought-provoking pieces that complement what we're doing, helping to inform or inspire our audience. The key is to ensure the curated content aligns with your brand's values and adds real value to your audience's experience.
To maintain balance, I make sure that the curated content isn't just a passive reposting of someone else's work. It's essential to add a personal touch or provide context when sharing something, whether that's through a comment, additional insights, or a call-to-action. This way, even though it's not 100% original, it feels unique and aligned with your brand.
The recommended approach is to aim for a mix that allows you to stay authentic while keeping your audience engaged with diverse, relevant content. The original content positions you as the leader, while curated content builds a sense of community and keeps your messaging timely.
Provide Value With A 50-70% Original Mix
Balancing original content with curated industry insights is key to keeping your audience engaged. I aim for a 70/30 split: 70% original content to showcase our unique perspective, and 30% curated material to provide valuable external viewpoints. This mix keeps our content fresh and relevant.
When curating, I focus on high-quality pieces that align with our brand's values and resonate with our audience. Adding personal commentary or insights to curated content helps maintain authenticity and encourages engagement. It's all about providing value while staying true to our voice.
Aim For A 70/30 Content Balance
I balance creating original content with curating relevant industry content by following the 70-30 rule. Seventy percent of content should be original, showcasing our expertise, insights, and unique brand voice. The remaining thirty percent should curate content from trusted industry sources, offering value through expert opinions, trends, or thought leadership. This approach maintains engagement, enriches the audience's experience, and positions the brand as both a leader and an informed participant in the industry, driving more trust and interaction.
Implement An Omnichannel Content Strategy
A balance of original content and content from thought leaders in your industry is important for an engaging, thoughtful content strategy. However, it can be tough to strike a balance that showcases your company's expertise and unique angles while focusing on important forward-facing trends with other leaders in your industry.
I recommend striking a balance by implementing an omnichannel approach that integrates a blend of both types of content. I think through the best uses for each type of channel. For example, on social channels I share both original content and useful content from other leaders in the industry. This helps engage users on those platforms, and helps me to connect with other leaders. On a blog, I integrate other thought leaders through interviews and data studies. With a tactic like email marketing, I tend to focus more on original content that will be more useful to current customers or showcase value props to potential new customers.
Each channel should have a specific strategy based on the audience for the individual channel. And sometimes that can change from company to company, so each marketer should evaluate every channel in order to determine their best course of action.
Use An 80/20 Content Rule
Balancing original content with curated content is about providing consistent value to your audience while showcasing your expertise. My approach is to follow an 80/20 rule: 80% curated content and 20% original. This balance allows you to position yourself as an industry authority while leveraging the credibility of others. When curating, focus on content that complements your message, aligns with your audience's needs, and adds fresh perspectives. When creating original content, emphasize your unique insights, success stories, or research findings. For example, when I conducted my study on 675 entrepreneurs, I didn't just share the findings. I created blog posts, infographics, and video snippets that interpreted the results, while also sharing curated data from other studies to support my conclusions. In practice, I applied this strategy while building the online presence for a telecom startup in Australia. The business needed to establish credibility quickly, so I recommended a mix of creating original blogs about market challenges while sharing curated updates on the latest telecom innovations from industry leaders like Telstra. Over six months, we saw a 35% increase in organic website traffic and significantly higher engagement rates across their social platforms. My background in telecommunications and business coaching, coupled with my MBA specializing in finance, allowed me to identify what type of content resonated with the target audience. By blending curation with creation, you can strike a balance that fosters engagement, builds trust, and solidifies your authority in any niche.
