How to Legally Steal Other People’s Content
What if there were a way to legally and ethically “steal” other people’s content so you never have to fret about keeping your content current ever again?
Now, obviously, you don’t want to cross the gods of Google ranking or legally infringe on anyone’s hard work and ingenuity with your actions.
But adapting from others’ work, finding the right sources, adding your own perspective, referencing content that’s already ranking well, and using proven formulas that work can help you take a lot of guesswork out of content creation.
Now, here’s the thing:
You may think that it’s the creation of content that’s the hardest thing for marketers.
But you’d be wrong.
It’s easy to outsource content creation, and there are various levels of quality, style, price range, and content type you can bid for and receive.
Instead, the biggest challenges for content marketing are, reportedly:
- A lack of data (27%)
- A lack of strategy (28%)
Which means that it’s content curation not creation that continues to be the sticky wicket for most brands and businesses who need to connect with their audiences and customers.
Without a specific strategy, it’s difficult to execute your content or even share the kind of content that resonates with your audiences. And without data to back up your decisions, you’re continuing to shoot in the dark.
Use This Well-Known Marketer’s Trick for Reverse-Engineering Success
If you’ve never heard of Russell Brunson, you might be living under a rock.
Or, you may just not be a marketer. That’s okay, because, here’s the only thing relevant right now that Brunson reveals to all who follow him:
Don’t waste your time reinventing the wheel.
Instead, be willing to pull out your credit card, test the services, products, and the sales process of others’ to see what works. Then, break it down and copy it.
That’s it. That’s all it took for Russell to make millions of dollars from a variety of niches. So that’s what we’re going to start with here.
.
Don’t waste your time trying to come up with new ideas. In fact, “new” ideas today are mostly derivatives of other hand-me-down concepts and the only way to really “go viral” (i.e. get a lot of attention) with ideas is to:
- Be consistent
- Hit a cross-pollination of niches (one of the patterns of virality)
When you track and analyze the best performing content out there, it all comes down to emotions. Contrary to popular belief, OkDork and BuzzSumo concluded that some of the most powerful drivers of human action are positive, not negative.
After analyzing over 100 million articles, the study found that “awe” and “laughter” are the top ways to attract traffic and social shares:
Why does this matter? Because any content you now “steal” (which we’re going to show you how to strategically do in a minute) has the best chance to perform well if they’re evoking these motivating emotions.
So How Do You Legally Steal Other People’s Content, Anyway?
Let’s be clear: there’s a difference between plagiarism and content curation.
Many people focus on proper crediting and attribution to the source image or content’s original creator — but it goes beyond this.
Sometimes, without written permission from the original creator, you can’t be reposting content. It all depends on the source’s Terms of Service (such as YouTube, as its user-generated content is also subject to the platform’s ToS, regardless of what the digital creator asserts).
The point is not to masquerade the content as your own. Using links to the original content creator’s website or specific post, you should be properly crediting the original creator.
However, a lot of digital and web content is covered by fair use. It’s important to know that “fair use” is not a coverage for a specific type of content. Rather, it’s about the way you go about using the content.
So, for example, copying someone’s entire post and slapping your name on it is totally illegal. Pulling a quote from the content, naming the piece and the writer, and then using that to expand your point is totally fair use.
Here are a few methods you can use to bid those content curation woes goodbye:
1) Use a Previous Well-Performing Post and Update It
You might recognize this particular technique from Brian Dean’s Skyscraper Technique.
You can put a spin on this for your content curation and content repurposing uses.
The Skyscraper Technique is a unique way to get others to “do” some of the “work” of sharing for you.
When using it for content sharing and curation purposes, you might try this:
- Find a high-performing social post with real metrics — look for “@” mentions and engagement, not just likes
- Then, update the post or improve on its content — go far more in-depth or add to the length
- Reach back out to the original content creator to let them know you’ve repurposed and added. You can also reach out to those who shared the original content.
2) Screenshot and Add Your Own Commentary
This is a pretty popular technique with social media posts, especially for Twitter threads.
A smart way to curate content without copying your competitors is to take a screenshot of a tweet or post. Then, add your own commentary for why they may be right, wrong, have missed the point — or just add a funny meme as a “reaction.”
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3) Use Proven Formulas for Posts
Depending on the type of content you’re working with, there are specific formulas you can make use of. For example, the “how-to” post has a very specific kind of framework. Catchy headlines all follow a similar pattern.
Use these frameworks to cut down on time and to only stick to what’s already working.
4) Expand On a Competitor’s Post
When you “expand” on a competitors post, you should be adding your own point of view. Make sure your opinion is either a diverging one, or that you’re adding to the post with your own experience.
A popular way to expand and add value is to include screenshots of your own results. For example, if you’re trying a strategy that an “expert” in your niche recommended, your experience will help bring authority to your claims.
5) Track, Refine, and Do Relevant Niche Research
There are two prongs to this approach.
The first is to find out what’s already working. For example, if an earlier post you shared is doing really well, find a way to either share it again, or take the second prong to this approach.
In the second “prong,” you can use a high-performing post as part of a list where you aggregate the “best” of the best. This could be a round-up or a review of some innovative ideas or products in your niche. You can use features like DrumUp’s relevant content suggestions to make this process even easier.
Conclusion
It’s important to make sure that your efforts with repurposing and content curation are being measured. This is where strategy and data come in. If you know your audience well, you’ll be able to anticipate what they’re looking for and what they’ll resonate with.
However, as you use DrumUp to organize and schedule your curated content, you’ll still need to track and analyze what’s working. DrumUp is uniquely designed to help you automate your curated content schedule and optimize your posts. Learn more about how DrumUp can help you amplify your brand online.
