If you’ve spent much time at all looking around the internet, you’ve probably seen plenty of round-up posts. They say things like “10 great articles about artichokes you need to see today” or “15 amazing influencers who use quality software solutions for their mobile pet businesses.”

There are all types of industries that use these round-ups as a way to get traffic. People click, read, and decide to take action. Ideally, the action they choose to take benefits the business that created the round-up post.

Creating a round-up post sounds like it could be a lot of work, but it’s really not. The chances are high that you’re already reading other blogs and websites that relate to your industry, so you’ve already got some fantastic places to look for content.

Of course, you can also use your own content because there’s nothing wrong with some self-promotion from time to time, either. So whether you decide to do a round-up of your content, other great articles around the web, or a mix of both, here’s what you need to know.

Why Would You Round Up Other People’s Work?

For business owners and others who want to bring traffic to their site, rounding up a lot of other people’s work and talking about it could be seen as counterintuitive.

After all, you want customers and potential customers to see you as an authority figure in your industry. Doesn’t that mean you should only be talking about your thoughts and opinions? Not necessarily.

People who are considered thought leaders often show that they respect the work of others in their industry, as well as their own creations.

The insight that people in your industry can bring to your customers can be very important, and you can also expand upon that knowledge with thoughts of your own too.

In other words, you can do a round-up of some of the biggest news in your industry, for example, and then talk about your take on that news. 

You might want to do that weekly, monthly, or on a schedule that fits with any breaking news or big developments in that area. The industry you’re in will have a big effect on which option works better for you.

Another thing you do for your customers when you round up other people’s work is you show them that you have your finger on the pulse of your industry. You’re focused on up-and-coming ideas, the right technology, changes to rules and regulations, and other areas that could affect your company and your customers.

When they see that you’re paying attention, they know they can trust you, and that can make them more likely to buy from you, as well.

Can You Just Use Your Own Stuff?

If you have a lot of content already on your blog, there’s no reason you can’t do a round-up of your own posts, too. Some people don’t like to do that because they think it looks bad. But there’s nothing really wrong with some self-promotion from time to time.

You want to make sure the posts you’re rounding up fit the theme of your industry and that they’re relevant to the title of the round-up itself. If you’re just pulling in off-topic posts because they’re yours, that might not help you gain credibility with readers.

Another thing to consider is including some of your posts with posts from other people. A lot of companies do that with their blogs, so they can get additional promotion for their own work and also show that they know what others are doing.

It can be one of the best ways to reach out and connect with customers because they see that your focus is on quality content and not only on what you’ve already written in the past. There’s nothing wrong with using your own stuff, or a mix of yours and others when doing correctly.

What Steps Should You Take for Great Content?

For great content in your round-up, the first thing you need to do is choose the right posts.

Look at the blogs and websites that are in your niche or industry, and see what they have to say. If they’re talking about something polarizing, such as changing industry regulations that are hotly debated, for example, those could be of interest to your customers. Start with the blogs you already read, and make a good list of the best posts you find on them. 

Then you can branch out to other blogs in your specific industry.

You only need a handful of great articles because quality is more important than quantity. Sure, you don’t want to have a round-up that only consists of two or three articles. But you also don’t need to have 30 or 40, either.

Most people won’t read a round-up post that has that many articles in it, so you won’t get the increase in traffic you’re looking for. As you move through the list of posts and write about each one of them for your round-up post, make sure you’re citing the authors of the original posts.

Yes, Even Competitors Can be Included

You’re probably wondering: what about the great posts my competitors have written? Surely you shouldn’t include those? While you don’t want your round-up to read like an ad for a company you’re competing with for customers, there’s nothing wrong with using some competitors’ posts in your round-up.

If you have competitors who are well-respected in the industry or who are seen as thought leaders, showing that you acknowledge that generally won’t hurt you. Just make sure you don’t oversell them.

Instead, consider a round-up where most of the articles are from people who are important in your field but who aren’t in competition with your company.

Then, you can include your competitors and some of your blog posts as a part of that round-up.

That looks well-rounded and ensures that you’re not actively favoring any one particular person or company in a way that might look bad to your customers. Of course, some fields are also more competitive than others, and it’s important to be aware of that.

Make Sure Authors Know They’re Included

The better you can make an author look when you include them in a round-up post; the more likely that author will be to share your post with their own followers. That’s one of the best ways to start getting more backlinks, and to help increase the traffic that’s coming to your site.

But a lot of people make the mistake of creating a great round-up post and then not letting the authors of the posts know they were included. Don’t make that mistake, as it can cost you and lower your traffic numbers.

Instead, reach out to the authors of the posts you’re including and let them know which post you added to your round-up, something specific you liked about the post, and where they can see the round-up article. 

Authors will usually go take a look, and most often, they’ll share the post, too. You’ll get valuable backlinks and can see your customer base grow, as well. It’s a great way to start organically growing your audience without the need for expensive marketing or flashy gimmicks that may not even work.

Share, Share, and Share Some More

Getting the authors you rounded up to share your post is great, but it’s not something you can rely on. Instead, you want to make sure you’re sharing your round-up post, too. Put it on your social media pages, and make mention of it in any comments or other locations where you typically have a “latest post” link.

You want as many people as possible to see what you’ve curated, so they can check out what the post (and your company) has to offer to them. If they aren’t familiar with your work, this can help.

Make Round-Ups a “Thing” On Your Blog

Not everyone wants to do round-up posts all the time, and that makes sense. But there are plenty of great reasons to make sure you’re doing more than just one. Especially if a lot of people like and share that post, or if it brings you in more customers, you’ll want to consider doing more of them in the future.

The size of the round-up may play a role in how often you’re creating that type of post, of course. A weekly round-up won’t be as thorough as something you spent months developing. But they can both work.

What’s the Bottom Line?

The bottom line for any business is that round-up posts are great ways to get more traffic, more backlinks, and more interest from people in your intended customer group. When you want people to know who you are or recognize your company name, you can do that through posts that catch attention and have value.

Round-ups, when done right, do both of those things very well. If you haven’t explored them yet, it’s time to see what they can do to move your business forward.