Content is King: Creative Strategies for Curating Share-Worthy Posts on Hootsuite

Outcome first: In one week you’ll set up a lean Hootsuite curation system that finds trending stories, surfaces industry-specific posts, and publishes thoughtful shares that drive clicks and engagement - without spending hours every day.

Why this matters

Curated content builds authority faster than original posts alone. People share timely, helpful, or surprising information. When you consistently surface that kind of content, your audience learns to rely on you as a go-to resource. Hootsuite gives you the tools to discover, vet, plan, and publish - this guide turns those tools into a repeatable workflow.

How to think about curated content (quick framework)

Use the 3Cs when curating:

• Context - Is this relevant to your audience right now?
• Credibility - Is the source trustworthy and recent?
• Contribution - Does your caption add value - a take, a summary, or next steps?

Every curated post should pass all three.

Hootsuite features to master (and how to use them)

Streams - your daily listening dashboard

What it is: Streams lets you follow keywords, hashtags, mentions, and specific feeds in one view.

How to use it:

1. Create streams for - industry keywords, competitor handles, brand mentions, top hashtags, and a list of trusted sources (blogs, news accounts).
2. Scan quickly and star/save items to your Content Library or schedule directly.

Example stream setup for a SaaS company:

• Keywords stream - “product management”
• Hashtag stream - #SaaS #ProductManagement
• Competitor stream - @CompetitorA @CompetitorB
• RSS/Blog stream - Product Hunt feed, TechCrunch

Learn more: Hootsuite Streams guide.

Boolean and search query examples (for Streams)

Use boolean operators to narrow or broaden results. Paste these into Hootsuite search boxes.

• Industry trend (broader):

"artificial intelligence" OR AI

• Focused product topic (narrower):

"chatbot" AND (enterprise OR "customer support")

• Exclude noise (drop job posts, promotions):

"digital marketing" -"hiring" -"apply" -"career"

Suggested Content & Content Library - quick, quality saves

What they do: Suggested Content helps you discover articles that match topics you choose; Content Library stores approved assets and saved links for your team.

How to use it:

• Add reliable RSS feeds and trusted publications to Suggested Content.
• Save strong pieces to the Content Library with tags (e.g., #case-study #trends #howto).
• Create folders by theme (Thought Leadership, Industry News, UGC).

More: Hootsuite Content Library.

Composer & Publisher - craft and schedule with intent

What it is: Composer (editor) and Publisher (planner/calendar) lets you write, attach media, schedule, and preview posts.

Workflow tips:

• Batch your curation - spend one hour to draft and schedule all curated posts for the week using Composer’s preview and scheduling features.
• Use AutoSchedule for low-lift posting times, but hand-pick timing for trending items.

How to compose a share-worthy curated post:

1. Lead with a one-sentence take.
2. Add the link and a 1–2 line summary or commentary.
3. Ask a question or include a CTA to encourage shares/comments.
4. Include 1-3 relevant hashtags and a branded tag/handle if appropriate.

See: Create and schedule posts using Composer.

Analytics - close the loop

What to track: click-through rate, shares, comments, and saves for curated posts vs original posts.

Use data to refine:

• Which sources drive clicks? Add more of them to Streams.
• Which post formats get shared? Replicate the structure.

Hootsuite’s analytics can help you identify high-performing curated content and adjust cadence.

Share-worthy post templates (copy/paste and adapt)

Below are caption templates you can drop into Composer. Replace bracketed text.

1. The Curated Insight (short + strong take)

“[One-line insight]. Read more: [link] - what surprised you most?” #hashtag

Example:

“AI is now automating customer onboarding tasks that took weeks. Read more: [link] - which task would you hand off first?” #SaaS #AI

2. The Quick Summary (bullet + CTA)

“Top takeaways:

• [Point 1]
• [Point 2] Read the full piece - [link]”

3. The Resource Share (helpful + tag)

“If you’re working on [topic], this is worth a read: [link] - thanks @Author!” #IndustryHashtag

4. The Conversation Starter (controversy or strong opinion)

“Not everyone agrees, but [claim/opinion]. Thoughts? [link]” #debate

Quality-check checklist for curated content

Before you share, verify:

• Date - Is it current and still relevant?
• Source - Is the publisher reputable?
• Accuracy - Are claims backed by data or quotes?
• Permission - Do you need to credit or ask permission for images/quotes?
• Value - Can you add a unique perspective in your caption?

If any box fails, don’t post - either discard, hold, or add clarification.

Templates: Weekly curation schedule (example)

Use this 15–90 minute weekly routine depending on team size.

Daily (15 minutes):

• Open Streams - scan mentions and top hashtags.
• Star/save 3–5 interesting links to Content Library.
• Reply to any urgent engagement in Inbox.

Twice weekly (30 minutes each):

• Review Suggested Content, select 4 items to schedule.
• Draft captions using the templates above.
• Use Composer to schedule or mark for priority posting.

Weekly deep-dive (60–90 minutes):

• Analyze last week’s curated posts in Analytics.
• Add new sources to Streams and remove noise.
• Bulk schedule next week’s curated posts in Composer or with Bulk Composer upload.

Sample 7-day content cadence (optimized mix)

• Monday - Industry roundup (curated article + summary)
• Tuesday - User-generated content or testimonial
• Wednesday - How-to guide (curated or expert post)
• Thursday - Trending news share + brand take
• Friday - Opinion piece or listicle (curated)
• Saturday - Behind-the-scenes or repurposed content
• Sunday - Weekly recap (top 3 reads)

Examples by industry (ready-to-adapt)

1. SaaS (sharing a product management trend)

Caption: “Product teams are shifting to outcome-focused roadmaps. Key takeaways: faster validation, smaller bets. Read: [link] - how does your roadmap look?” #ProductManagement #SaaS

Why this works: timely, invites response, ties directly to audience pain.

2. Retail (curating a trend report)

Caption: “Retailers who offer frictionless returns saw conversion increases. Here’s a great breakdown: [link] - could this boost your checkout rates?” #Retail #Ecommerce

Add image: screenshot of a stat from the article (with credits) and tag the source.

3. B2B (sharing a whitepaper)

Caption: “Data-driven security policies cut breach risk by X%. Excerpts + link: [link] - download the whitepaper if you’re securing remote teams.” #Cybersecurity #B2B

Include: a short list of 3 action items from the paper.

4. Healthcare (sharing clinical news responsibly)

Caption (with caution): “New study suggests X may reduce Y in clinical trials - read the full paper and consult primary sources: [link]. Not medical advice.” #Healthcare

Why: adds caveat, links to original research, avoids overclaiming.

Handling trending topics and newsjacking (fast, but careful)

1. Speed matters - set a Stream for high-velocity hashtags and a separate “trending” folder in Content Library.
2. Add a ‘fast-approval’ workflow for real-time posts - draft > emergency approver > publish.
3. Always add context - don’t just repost headlines. Explain why it matters to your audience.

Team workflow: delegate and scale

• Assign a daily curator role in Hootsuite Inbox/Streams.
• Use the Content Library tagging and approvals to maintain brand voice.
• Schedule a weekly editorial standup to review analytics and fresh sources.

Measure success (KPIs for curation)

Primary KPIs:

• Shares and reshares
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Engagement rate (comments + reactions)
• Follower growth (over time)

Secondary KPIs:

• Time-to-publish for trending items
• Number of high-quality sources added

Final checklist before hitting publish

• Did I add a unique take or summary? ✅
• Is the source credible and recent? ✅
• Is the caption tailored to the platform (length, hashtags, emojis)? ✅
• Did I tag/credit the author or publisher? ✅

When you repeat this process, curation becomes compound interest: the trust and traffic add up.

Useful links and resources

• Hootsuite Streams guide: https://help.hootsuite.com/hc/en-us/articles/204598160-Using-Streams
• Hootsuite Composer: https://help.hootsuite.com/hc/en-us/articles/115003634668-Create-and-schedule-posts-using-Composer
• Hootsuite Content Library: https://help.hootsuite.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059757833-Use-the-Content-Library
• Social listening guide from Hootsuite Blog: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-listening-guide/

Keep your curation purposeful: each shared piece should answer “Why does my audience care?” Not every good article deserves a share; only the ones that spark action or conversation. Make Hootsuite the engine that finds them, then use the templates and workflows here to publish consistently and well.