The LinkedIn Edge

37Sharing: Building Authority Through Content Curation

If original content is the fuel that powers building and elevating your personal brand, curation is your secret weapon for staying visible and relevant with far less effort. You don't need to start from scratch and craft a Pulitzer‐worthy post every day to maintain a steady stream of content. Sometimes the smartest move is putting your stamp on someone else's voice.

Curation is finding content published by others and sharing it while adding your own spin. This could mean giving a brief summary, pulling out a thought‐provoking quote, or adding your perspective.

Reposting insightful content from experts, prospects, customers, and peers signals that you're plugged in and positions you as a maven, connector, and conversation catalyst.

The beautiful thing about content curation is, even though you didn't produce the content, when you repost with your comments and perspective, some of the authority rubs off on you.

Be Aware and Know Your Space

You need to be aware of what is happening in your industry—trends, competitors, movers and shakers. Have your eyes and ears open, pay attention to what is going on around you, and consume industry‐specific media.

When you come across content that resonates with your audience, ask yourself:

• Why is this important right now?
• Who in my network would benefit from seeing this?
• What unique perspective can I add?

That last question matters. A lot. When you curate content, you're not just reposting—you're ...