Content Super Bowl I: Creation takes on Curation

Creating vs. curating. If you work in marketing, or maybe even if you don’t, I’m sure you’ve been a witness to this content debate at one point or another. There are numerous arguments for each side, and ultimately, both are included in any successful content strategy.

The ideal mix between content curation and original content creation is a debate that I often find myself having with my colleagues and industry peers. So, in the spirit of Super Bowl XLVIII this weekend, I decided to ask the experts what they thought in a matchup that I’ve officially dubbed Content Super Bowl I.

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Jeremy Goldman, Founder, Firebrand Group

Thinking about curated vs. created content is a fascinating topic, as there are serious pros and cons to each. But, in a nutshell:

Curated – 7 points
-Relatively easy to do – at least at the start. 14 points
-There are many affordable tools, such as Scoop.it and Buffer among others, that can help you with your curation. 6 points
-But, curation is hard to master. Since it’s easy to get into (and has an extremely low barrier to entry), many underestimate the time needed to do a great job at curation. -10 points

Created – 10 points
-Since it’s more difficult to do, many brands and individuals decide it’s not worth it to create homegrown content – which means there is less competition for your own created content. 21 points
-Created content can be much more specific to your brand, and thus is more often likely to resonate and help people convert into customers. 14 points
-Creating content can be a great team-building exercise for growing your existing staff. It’s a fun activity, and makes it more likely for your team members to remain engaged. 3 points
-However, creating your own content is much more difficult to do and takes time and effort to master. -21 points
-And, because of the steep learning curve, some may not be willing to put in the time and effort to get into the groove of creating original content. -7 points

Brian Murray, Director of Talent, Likeable Media 

Tim McDonald, Director of Community, Huffington Post

Dennis Shiao, Product and Content Marketing, DNN Corp.

Created: 8 points (two fields goals and a safety): There’s a lot of work involved in creating effective content. Far too many publishers today are running “random plays of content” – large quantities for very little quality. The result? It’s harder and harder to find the end zone. When you do score, it’s going to be multiple possessions on a circuitous path. You need the entire team to contribute: offense (field goals) and defense (safety).

Curated: 8 points (touchdown, followed by two point conversion): Curation gives you a quicker score, in the sense that the “heavy lifting” (defining the concept and doing the writing) has been outsourced to others. But like a curator of museum-quality paintings, there’s a fine art to doing it well. You need a keen understanding of audience needs and you need to make good judgment calls. Additionally, you ought to insert your own thoughts and comments alongside the curated content.

The winner: a tie. With different ways to get there, both end up with the same point value. In short: your content marketing strategy should involve both.

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