We get it, and we’ve all been there.
You have limited time, and you’ve got to figure out what content is going to bring you the impact you are looking for.
Is it really worth all of this time to create a carousel post on Instagram just to receive one like (from you)? (Admit it, social media managers.)
But there are so many types of content you can share, such as curated, syndicated, UGC, and then, of course, all of the different forms that content can take on, such as written, graphic, and video.
But what is the best “type” of content to achieve your business goals?
There isn't a "silver bullet" type of content out there. But a blend of these different types and forms of content is necessary, and the amount of each can be defined by considering what outcomes you want your content to produce.
So what are the different “types” of content out there, why can’t you use just one type of content, and which type of content is best?
For this article, a “type” of content will be one of the following: created, AI-generated, curated, syndicated, or UGC (user-generated content).
A “form” of content will refer to the medium you choose to use, such as written, imagery, video, voice, etc.
Before we jump into the best type of content, let’s define some of them.
Created content refers to any original material produced or generated by an individual or organization.
This can include written pieces such as articles, blog posts, and books and visual content like photographs, videos, and graphics.
Essentially, created content is any form of information deliberately crafted and put out into the world by its creator to communicate a message or provide value to an audience.
AI-generated content is created by artificial intelligence algorithms rather than by human authors.
AI-generated content can be created using various techniques, such as natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning.
The goal of AI-generated content is to mimic the style and tone of human-generated content and to create new and unique pieces of content that you can use for a variety of purposes, such as written text, images, videos, and other forms of media.
While for the sake of this article, we are separating AI-generated and created content, we believe there is a lot of value in using AI tools for content creation, AI-assisted content creation.
Curated content refers to third-party material that has been selected and organized by an individual or organization for a specific purpose.
Unlike created content, which is produced from scratch, curated content is sourced from various external sources.
This can include news articles, social media posts, videos, images, and other forms of media.
The process of curation involves selecting the most relevant and high-quality content from these sources and presenting it in a cohesive and organized manner. This is not aggregation.
The goal of curation is to provide value to an audience by presenting them with a collection of relevant and useful information on a specific topic or theme.
Syndicated content refers to material that is distributed and made available for use by multiple outlets or platforms.
It is often produced by a single source, such as a media company or publication, and then licensed or sold to other organizations for use on their own websites, newspapers, or broadcast programs.
Syndicated content can include a wide range of media, including written articles, photographs, videos, and graphics.
The goal of syndication for the original publisher is to increase the reach and visibility of the content by making it available to a wider audience.
For the entity syndicating, they have the ability to keep the reader on their property (i.e. website) even though the content presented isn’t their own.
This can benefit both the content creator, who can generate revenue from licensing fees and the outlets that use the content, as it can save them time and resources in creating their original content. However, there are a number of challenges inherent with syndication as well.
User-generated content (UGC) is any type of content created and submitted by individuals who are not primarily responsible for creating content. These could be employees, customers, or other members of a brand’s audience.
This can include text, images, videos, and other forms of media and can be in the form of comments, reviews, blog posts, videos, and social media posts.
The content is usually created outside of a professional context and often reflects the personal experiences, opinions, and expressions of the individual.
I'll break it to you easily if you haven’t guessed it by now: you can’t just use one type of content.
It's important to have a diverse and dynamic content strategy that utilizes a variety of different types AND forms of content.
But why?
Each type of content has unique strengths and benefits, and by using a mixture of all of them, you can create a well-rounded and effective content marketing strategy that appeals to multiple aspects of your audience and is “fit for purpose” to achieve each goal.
Sharing multiple forms of content shows diversity, well-roundedness, and actual thought into what you’re sharing.
But, if you’re anything like me, you may feel a little overwhelmed with thinking you must start utilizing ALL of the types of content to succeed.
Fear not! Just because having a mix is critical doesn’t mean that ALL types and forms should be used.
It won’t look the same for anyone, but that’s where thinking through the goals for your content for a hot minute can help.
In our own experience, just by implementing a content mix of our blog posts, curated content, videos, and graphics we created, our LinkedIn impressions jumped over 500% in one month!
But we weren’t trying to tackle every single type of content marketing. Instead, we have created a mix that aligns with the goals we wish to achieve and use tools to help that process be as intentional and automatic as possible.
But where do you even get started?
We have created a downloadable guide to aid in selecting the proper content type and form to best achieve your goals.
If you want to learn more about how curated content can increase your thought leadership, check out some of these other articles!
Become a Better Thought Leader in 2023 with Curated Content