Infographic: 13 Ways to Be a Better Content Curator

“I’m kind of a curator, and I’m kind of a night-owl reporter.”

That’s what singer-songwriter Tom Waits told the Los Angeles Times in 1976. Waits may have been talking about curating the human condition, while we’re talking about curating good content on your blog, but many marketers are still heeding his advice with their content strategies, combining high-quality, original stories with roundup posts relevant to consumer interests.

In fact, according to Marketing Profs, 74 percent of marketers say curation is an important part of their content mix. The problem is 60 percent find it tough to find the right content to curate.

In an effort to help out, Ross Hudgens, founder of Siege Media, condensed his 5,000+ hours of curation experience into a definitive guide for marketers.

So what goes into the perfect roundup post? Interestingly, headlines that start with odd numbers generate 20 percent more clicks than those with even numbers. For instance, you might be inclined to ditch “6 Places to Find Last-Minute Holiday Gifts” for “7 Places to Find Last-Minute Holiday Gifts.” Additionally, it’s important to keep your descriptions short and sweet since concise text can improve readability by 58 percent.

For more of the science behind highly shareable roundup posts, check out the infographic below.