A few months ago, I showed you how Karen Dietz curates posts on Scoop.it. The article was so well received that I decided to turn the idea into a mini-series.
This time, I went for a different example: a roundup. This form of curation consists in bringing together a series of related posts in an easy-to-digest article. It is a time-consuming but very effective way to deliver valuable information to your customers or audience and keep them where it matters to your bottom line — your digital property.
The example is taken from Scott Monty’s very popular blog.
Scott is the former head of social media at Ford Motor Company. From 2008 to 2014, he held the title of Global Digital and Multimedia Communications Manager. Many, myself included, consider him a major thought leader in the communications and marketing industries.
I have been reading Scott’s blog almost religiously for a long time. His roundups cover the most important news and developments in social media, marketing, and technology in a non-overwhelming way.
Scott Monty’s “This Week in Digital”
The example I want to show you is Scott’s latest roundup. Click the screenshot to read the entire article.
(Source: ScottMonty.com)
Here is why this roundup is a great example of curation to emulate.
- The first paragraph presents the headlines. You know exactly what you will get:
“The role of the CMO in the culture wars, the future of customer experience, new search and targeting features on Instagram, Facebook wants you to stay on Facebook, ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’ does not apply to the sharing economy, speed listening, the numbers can lie, the evolution of a Truffle Pig, raising your digital quotient, the interplay of algorithms and humans in curation, Cannes in is the can and more, it’s This Week in Digital.”
- Items are grouped by categories: industry, social media platforms, collaborative economy, audio (podcasts), content, metrics / data, privacy, and recommended readings.
- Each item is presented in a couple of sentences and bulleted form. Subtopics are also bolded for easy skimming.
- Readers interested in finding more about the highlighted information can click on the blue bolded text. No need to look for it.
- Questions and commentaries are included to give more context. In other roundups, Scott occasionally quotes short passages from sources.
- Visuals help direct readers to important concepts. Check out the embedded presentation, for example.
- Last but not least, there are calls to action in several sections of the article: “If you read nothing else in this edition, read this.” / “Just in case you need some inspiration, check out…”
Scott takes full advantage of social media. On Facebook, he tags his news sources. It’s a wonderful way to increase engagement and build relationships with fellow bloggers and marketers, as well as your audience. Nothing beats a good team player!
(Source: Facebook)
Scott also engages with his audience on Twitter and leverages Flipboard. His magazine features all the links mentioned in his articles as well as additional ones. Finally, his roundups have a dedicated newsletter.
As expected of such an expert, the posts are introduced differently based on the social network used. Scott knows his audience very well, and that is what makes him such a great curator.
Want to see other great roundups? Check out the ones agency We Are Social publishes every Monday. They are presented differently but work just as well!
See you next time for another case study of content curation that works.
Lead image attribution: Origin unknown (many sources)
Cendrine Marrouat
Latest posts by Cendrine Marrouat (see all)
- 4 Tips to Craft a Winning Unique Value Proposition - April 26, 2016
- Scott Monty’s ‘This Week in Digital’: A Case Study in Excellent Content Curation - July 5, 2015
- Content Curation: A Case Study in Doing It Right - February 18, 2015