7 Tips for Curating Content on Your Fashion Blog

Welcome to our weekly column by Blogger Babes co-founder Ponn Sabra. Check back every Monday for the tips and tricks you need to take your blog to the next level!

We've been spending the past two weeks talking about content curation. Now you know what it is and (hopefully) how to do it. Remember, like so many other aspects of running a blog, content creation is vastly underutilized—and while it's great to know the basic formula, I want to help you push the envelope and reach for your full potential.

To do that, you need to be creative. So here are some of our best tips go get you going.

1. Plan every element of your content curation.

To succeed with content curation, you need to make sure it fits into a specific marketing plan. Know why you're doing what you do—at every step and with every piece of content.

For example, if you decide to publish your compilation of seven reviews from fashion week, ask yourself: “How does this fit in with my theme? My topic? My monetization strategy? My followers?”

Make sure that everything you do fits in with your central marketing plan and goals, as well as with your audience.

2. Curate your content around a theme.

Since you're asking yourself how something fits with your theme, you should probably have a theme to begin with. 😉 Your curated content will only be valuable when it supplements something.

Choose your theme carefully. Look around on social media and note what's going viral. Then narrow that down to what's going viral in your niche. Timing is everything.

You can find signs that a topic's about to go viral pretty easily, too. If something's suddenly popular on one social network, like Instagram, it won't be long until it catches fire on Facebook or Twitter. Jump on that chance! Being quick and authentic will make you a source that people trust for the best tips, recommendations, and/or information.

3. Use catchy headlines.

Truth is, it doesn't matter how wonderful or fine-tuned your content is—headlines and titles are the first thing readers see. So if you don't grab your reader with a punchy headline, they won't click or read.

When it comes to curated content, here’s an example of a win-win:

1. You find great content with a dull title—say a review for a new indie makeup line.
2. You curate the review and give it a more exciting, memorable title.
3. Your readers are interested! Not only do they read your post, they also go to the review and the product page (and maybe even buy something!).
4. You, the reviewer, and the indie all profit.

Great curated content is only as good as its packaging—which includes punchy headlines, graphics, and calls-to-action.

4. Learn how to filter.

Be the expert who saves people time. Filter out the 98% of empty, shallow content around the internet so you can bring your readers the 2% that's pure gold.

5. Make sure your material is share-worthy.

It doesn’t matter if you're writing a 100% original article or including your carefully curated content from other sources—do your best to make sure that any finished piece is share-worthy.

To achieve this goal, your curated content needs to be (some of these will sound familiar):

• Relevant (to your theme and what’s going on in your niche)
• Timely (what your audience needs right now)
• Accurate
• Focused and clear (stripped down to the essence of what your curated material is really saying)
• Interesting

On top of all that, make sure you actually ask your audience to share your content. The key to getting other people to share your content is by showing your readers how excited you are about it.

6. Promote your content through monthly email newsletters.

Put out an email newsletter that includes top curated content. Ensure it contains the most outstanding nuggets of information. Keep it short and clear, so that you leave your subscribers wanting more. Then, as a call-to-action, direct subscribers back to your site.

7. Don't get bored with yourself.

And finally… as Sabina of Oceanblue Style pointed out last week, before anyone else, you need to relate to what you're posting. “Just posting outfits as an over 40 fashion blogger can get quite boring but you need to know what you really want to share with your readers.” So true!

These are only a handful of tips inspired by my and Heidi’s fifth ekit in the Blogger Building Blocks Monthly Series, Being a Content Source! This starter kit includes a mailing list planner, step-by-step tutorial workbook, 2-week calendar, and a getting-it-done checklist.

What are your curating tips?