How to Curate a Roundup Blog Post of Industry Influencers

Do you want more exposure for your blog?

Have you tried curating articles written by influencers?

Roundup posts help you gain the attention of influencers who can increase the reach of your content.

In this article I'll share five steps to creating a curated blog post.

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#1: Choose a Topic

To select a subject for your post, start by researching popular topics covered by your competitors.

Make a list of three to five individuals or companies that share your area of expertise. Then, go to Buzzsumo.com, type in the name or URL for each competitor and click search. The results let you see their most successful articles.

For example, a search of Social Media Examiner shows two of their most successful posts are about tools.

After you search a few more companies, identify a common topic you want to feature in a curated post.

#2: Identify Influencers to Feature

After you choose your subject, strategically target experts to feature in the blog post.

First, go over to Followerwonk, click on Search Bios and enter your topic keyword. This free tool lets you see the most influential Twitter users relative to your topic or keyword.

Next, click the Social Authority tab to sort your list by who has the most influence. Ideally you want to target individuals with high authority and a large number of followers. I suggest individuals rather than companies, since people tend to be more responsive.

For instance, on the topic of social media tools Ian Cleary has a high social authority and a large Twitter following.

Finally, go back to Buzzsumo. This time, run a search for your topic. This is how you find the most popular blogs and authors on the subject.

Compile a list of 5 to 15 of these influencers, including their blog URL, and move on to the next step.

#3: Select Articles to Include

Once you know which influencers to target, you need to find the most popular content they've published on your topic.

Paste each influencer's blog URL into Buzzsumo search and look for a popular article that relates to the subject of your article.

If you cannot find any relevant content from the author, don't panic. Type the topic keywords after the URL and search again.

Make sure you read all of the articles (you may even want to make notes for later) and gather a nice cross-section of articles without any overlap. You're curating content from these influencers to share with your audience, so you want to create as valuable an article as possible.

When you're done researching, choose one article written by each influencer on your list to feature in your roundup post.

#4: Write a Roundup Blog Post

Now it's time to construct your roundup blog post. Use the following blog post structure to increase the likelihood of getting shares from the influencers you mention.

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Headline & Introduction

Start with a strong headline to drive clicks to your blog. Here are some headline formulas you can adapt for your roundup:

Next, tell your readers what they will learn from your article. Keep the introduction short, punchy and to the point.

Featured Blog Mention

• Title and Rank: Start with the numbered position of the article (#1, #2, #3, etc.). Then add the original post title and the amount of shares it received.

• Images: Gather and insert the logo, an eye-catching image of the header from the featured blog and a screen grab of the Buzzsumo share count for the original blog post.
• Attribution: It's essential to fully credit the website that posted the original article and cite the author. For example:

• Short Description: Write a brief description of each post (about a paragraph), outlining why someone should read it and what they will discover.

Repeat these steps until you've included all of the blogs you're featuring.

Call to Action

Decide what action you want readers to take once they've read the article, and include it at the end of your article. For instance, ask readers to share, comment, subscribe, download, sign up, etc.

Review your article when it's complete, and when you're satisfied, hit Publish.

#5: Reach Out to Mentioned Influencers

Reaching out to the influencers you featured gives them the chance to share your article. Their amplification of your content can be a fundamental factor in its success. You'll want to start interacting with the influencers you mention at least a few weeks before you publish the post linking to their content.

There are a variety of ways to do this. For instance, share their content across social platforms, add thoughtful comments to their blog and social media posts, share links to their blog and tag them when you do so, connect with them on social media and sign up for their newsletter.

Once your blog post is live, send each influencer an email to let them know they've been featured in your curated article. Write a nice, genuine letter, sharing your enthusiasm for their work and excitement about your article.

Here's an example:

You'll also want share your post on social media and tag each influencer when you do. Maybe send each influencer a direct tweet with a link to the roundup post to let them know they have been featured.

Hit the right notes and featured influencers may share your content with their audiences, giving your blog more exposure.

Conclusion

Creating a curated roundup blog post is an excellent way to get on the radar of key influencers in your industry and introduce yourself to their audiences. I've used a variety of blog formats and without a doubt this one is the most effective. It dramatically increases the reach of your posts, while helping you build relationships with the experts in your field. Give it a try.

What do you think? Have you written curated blog posts? How do you find influencers to target? What methods do you have for writing and sharing your posts? Please share your thoughts and experience in the comments.

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