Content Curation

A comprehensive overview of content curation and how to use content curation to manage your content production more effectively.

Content Curation

Content CurationContent curation is the strategic process of discovering, gathering, and organizing relevant information from diverse sources to present it in a meaningful and cohesive manner.

In this lesson, we provide a comprehensive overview of content curation and how to use content curation to manage your content production more effectively.

Understanding Content Curation

What is Content Curation?

Content curation is a method for creating valuable and engaging content by gathering, organizing, and presenting information from various sources in a meaningful and coherent way.

It goes beyond simple sharing and involves selecting, filtering, and adding value to content before presenting it to a specific audience.

Content curation involves sifting through the vast amount of information available online and selecting only the most relevant and valuable content for your audience.

Content curators act as information custodians, sifting through vast amounts of data to provide valuable insights, trends, or knowledge tailored to the interests and needs of their audience.

This practice not only helps build credibility but also fosters audience engagement by offering a curated experience that is both informative and targeted.

Why is Content Curation Important?

In today’s digital age, where information overload is a common issue, the ability to filter and organize content effectively has become more important than ever.

As a content curator, you play the role of a trusted resource for your audience, providing them with valuable and relevant information that helps them make informed decisions.

One of the key reasons why content curation is important is that it helps you build credibility and establish yourself as an authority in your niche. By consistently sharing high-quality content that resonates with your audience, you can position yourself as a go-to source for valuable insights and information. This, in turn, can help you attract a loyal following and build trust with your audience.

Content curation also helps you save time and resources. Instead of creating every piece of content from scratch, you can leverage existing content that is already available online. By curating content from reputable sources and adding your own unique perspective, you can provide value to your audience without having to invest a significant amount of time and effort.

Additionally, content curation can help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in your industry. By regularly curating and sharing relevant content, you can demonstrate your expertise and keep your audience informed about important news and updates.

Overall, content curation is a valuable skill that can help you build credibility, save time, and stay informed. By incorporating content curation into your content marketing strategy, you can provide value to your audience and establish yourself as a trusted authority in your niche.

The Benefits of Content Curation

The key benefits of content curation include:

  • Save time and resources. Instead of creating all your content from scratch, you can leverage existing content from reputable sources and add your insights and commentary to enhance its value. This not only saves you time but also allows you to focus on other aspects of your business.
  • Build authority in your niche. By curating content, you can provide your audience with high-quality, high-value information, build credibility and trust with your audience, and position yourself as an expert in your niche.
  • Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in your industry. By curating content from a variety of sources, you can keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your niche and share timely and relevant information with your audience.

Types Of Curated Content

Content curation is a multifaceted practice, encompassing various approaches to present information cohesively. Diverse content curation strategies also offer flexibility in presenting information, catering to different preferences, and enhancing the overall user experience.

Types of curated content include:

1. Aggregation

  • This involves consolidating the most pertinent content on a particular topic into a singular location.
  • Widely adopted, this form serves as the foundation for many available content curation services.

2. Distillation

  • Strips away extraneous details from a topic, distilling it down to its fundamental concept.
  • Aims to simplify by highlighting key points essential for the audience’s understanding at a specific stage of the consumer journey.

3. Elevation

  • Curators extrapolate general insights or trends from an extensive pool of content.
  • This approach seeks to formulate hypotheses, ideas, or theories by identifying common threads in multiple content pieces.

4. Mashups

  • Involves blending diverse content types to generate a fresh and original perspective.
  • For instance, uncovering relevant content pieces within the same industry and connecting previously unnoticed correlations to present a new viewpoint.

5. Chronology

  • Takes a historiographical approach to content curation, mapping content pieces along a storyline or timeline.
  • Demonstrates the evolution of a concept or theory through a sequential arrangement of content, showcasing the contributions of individual pieces toward the endpoint.

Content Curation vs Content Repurposing

Content curation differs from content repurposing in the following ways:

1. Definition

  • Content Curation: Involves sourcing, selecting, and sharing existing content from various outlets to provide value to your audience.
  • Content Repurposing: Refers to updating or changing existing content into a different form or format to cater to a different audience or purpose.

2. Process

  • Content Curation: Involves discovering and organizing relevant content created by others.
  • Content Repurposing: Requires modifying or adapting existing content, often by presenting it in a new format or targeting a different audience.

3. Objective

  • Content Curation: Aims to provide a curated collection of valuable information to your audience.
  • Content Repurposing: Focuses on extending the life of content by adapting it for different platforms or audiences.

4. Creation vs. Adaptation

  • Content Curation: Utilizes existing content without modification, focusing on selection and organization.
  • Content Repurposing: Involves modifying, updating, or presenting existing content in a new way to serve a different purpose or audience.

Quick Guide To Content Curation

Below is a quick overview of the content curation process:

  1. Understand Content Curation: Content curation involves selecting and sharing high-quality digital content that resonates with your target audience.
  2. Identify Your Audience and Goals: Define your target audience and understand their interests and preferences to curate relevant content.
  3. Select Reliable Sources: Identify reputable sources that align with your niche or industry. Use social media management tools to find these.
  4. Use Content Curation Tools: Various content curation tools, including AI content research tools are available that can aid in finding curated content (see the Resources section below). Leverage these tools to streamline the curation process and discover valuable content.
  5. Organize and Share Content Categorize curated content to make it easily accessible. Share it on various platforms, adding your insights or commentary to provide value.
  6. Monitor Engagement: Track audience engagement using analytics tools. Adjust your curation strategy based on the content that resonates the most with your audience.

Example of Content Curation: Curating a Marketing Trends Roundup

  1. Define the Theme: Choose a theme, such as “Emerging Marketing Trends in 2024.”
  2. Select Your Sources: Utilize diverse sources like blogs, articles, and podcasts.
  3. Perform Comprehensive Search: Scour reputable platforms for up-to-date information. Explore examples from various industries, like those highlighted in this article.
  4. Add Value: Study the examples of curated content from Codecademy’s career paths page, Selzy’s email marketing resource, and SEO Notebook’s newsletter in this article.
  5. Organize and Attribute: Compile the curated content, giving credit to the original sources. Ensure proper attribution to maintain credibility.
  6. Add Visual Appeal: Enhance the presentation with visual elements. Incorporate statistics, infographics, and images.
  7. Provide Expert Insights: Include quotable quotes from industry experts found during the curation process.
  8. Publish and Share: Schedule the curated content in advance, following content curation best practices (see below)

Content Curation Best Practices

Effective content curation requires strategic thinking. The essential practices listed below wll help you develop a more strategic approach to curating content and enhance your content sharing:

1. Know Your Audience

  • Align curated content with your audience’s needs and your brand perception.
  • Before sharing, assess its relevance and value for your target customers.
  • Reference your content strategy and buyer personas for guidance.

2. Credit Your Sources

  • Always acknowledge and link to the original creators.
  • Avoid presenting curated content as your own to maintain brand integrity.
  • Tag creators using @ on platforms like X(Twitter) or Instagram.
  • If sharing from multiple sources, provide a preview and link to the full piece, crediting all sources.

3.  Add Your Insights

  • Enhance shared content with your thoughts to provide additional value.
  • A brief sentence or two introducing the share can be impactful.
  • Consider creating an image with a relevant quote to captivate your audience.

4. Schedule in Advance

  • Save time by scheduling curated and original content in advance.
  • Use social media management tools like to plan, analyze performance, and identify content gaps.
  • Ensure timely posting, avoiding last-minute rushes for campaign posts.

5. Offer a Diverse Content Mix:

  • Maintain a balanced content calendar with various content types, including curated posts.
  • Aim for a 40% original and 60% curated content ratio.
  • Prioritize high-quality, actionable, and fully original content to attract and engage your audience.

Remember, content curation complements your original content and contributes to a well-rounded social media strategy.

Curating Content Effectively

Create a Content Curation Strategy

The first step to curating content effectively is to create a content curation strategy.

Creating a content curation strategy is essential for effectively curating content that resonates with your target audience.

By following a structured approach, you can ensure that the content you share is relevant, valuable, and engaging.

Let’s explore the key steps involved in creating a content curation strategy that works for you.

1. Define your goals: Before you start curating content, it’s important to clearly define your goals. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, or establish thought leadership in your industry? By identifying your objectives, you can tailor your content curation strategy to achieve the desired outcomes.

2. Know your audience: Understanding your target audience is crucial for effective content curation. Take the time to research their interests, preferences, and pain points. This will help you curate content that is relevant and valuable to them, increasing engagement and building trust.

3. Identify your sources: Once you know your goals and audience, it’s time to identify sources for curating content. This may include industry publications, blogs, social media influencers, and news websites. By diversifying your sources, you can ensure a steady stream of high-quality content to share with your audience.

4. Curate with purpose: When curating content, it’s important to do so with purpose. Choose content that aligns with your brand values and supports your overall goals. Consider adding your own commentary or insights to provide additional value to your audience.

5. Measure and optimize: Finally, it’s crucial to measure the impact of your content curation efforts. Monitor key metrics such as engagement rates, website traffic, and lead generation to determine what is working and what can be improved. Use this data to optimize your content curation strategy for continued success.

By following these steps, you can create a content curation strategy that drives results and helps you connect with your audience on a deeper level. Remember, content curation is not just about sharing content – it’s about providing value and building relationships with your audience.

Find Quality Content

When curating content, use the process below to help you find quality content.

Identify Your Target Audience

Understanding your target audience is crucial in content curation. Knowing who you are creating content for will help you tailor your curation efforts to meet their needs and preferences. When you have a clear understanding of your target audience, you can curate content that resonates with them, engages them, and ultimately drives them to take action.

To identify your target audience, start by defining the demographics of your ideal audience. Consider factors such as age, gender, location, income level, education level, and interests. This will help you create a detailed profile of your target audience and guide your content curation efforts.

Next, consider the psychographics of your audience. Psychographics refer to the attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors of your target audience. Understanding these factors will help you create content that speaks to their motivations, desires, and pain points.

It is also important to conduct market research to gather insights into your target audience. Use surveys, interviews, and social media analytics to gather information about your audience’s preferences, habits, and challenges. This will help you create content that addresses their needs and interests.

Once you have identified your target audience, create buyer personas to represent different segments of your audience. These personas will help you visualize and humanize your audience, making it easier to create content that resonates with them.

By understanding who your audience is, what they care about, and what motivates them, you can create curated content that engages and inspires them. Take the time to research and define your target audience to ensure that your content curation efforts are effective and impactful.

Utilize Content Curation Tools

As a content curator, you are responsible for finding, organizing, and sharing relevant and valuable content with your audience. However, with the sheer volume of information available online, it can be overwhelming to manually curate content.

This is where content curation tools come into play. These tools can help streamline the content curation process, making it easier and more efficient for you to find and share high-quality content. By utilizing these tools, you can save time, stay organized, and ensure that you are consistently providing your audience with valuable content.

For popular content curation tools that you can use, go here: Content Research Tools

When choosing a content curation tool, it’s important to consider your specific needs and goals. Look for a tool that aligns with your content curation strategy and workflow. Additionally, make sure the tool is user-friendly and offers the features you need to effectively curate content for your audience.

By incorporating content curation tools into your workflow, you can take your content curation efforts to the next level. These tools can help you stay organized, save time, and ensure that you are consistently providing your audience with valuable and relevant content.

Understand Copyright Laws

Understanding Copyright Laws is essential for anyone engaging in content curation. Copyright laws are in place to protect the intellectual property of creators, ensuring that they receive recognition and compensation for their work. As a content curator, it is crucial to be aware of these laws to avoid infringement and legal issues.

One key aspect of copyright laws to understand is that original works are automatically copyrighted upon creation. This means that any content you come across, whether it be written, visual, or audio, is protected by copyright unless stated otherwise. It is important to respect the rights of creators and obtain permission before using their work in your curated content.

Fair use is a concept within copyright laws that allows for the limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the creator. However, there are specific guidelines that must be followed to qualify for fair use, such as using the material for educational purposes, commentary, or parody. It is important to familiarize yourself with these guidelines to ensure that your curated content falls within the boundaries of fair use.

When curating content, always credit the original creator and provide a link back to the source. This not only shows respect for the creator but also helps to build credibility and trust with your audience. Additionally, consider using content that is licensed under Creative Commons, which allows for more lenient use of copyrighted material with proper attribution.

By understanding and following copyright laws, you can create curated content that is both ethical and legal. Stay informed on the latest developments in copyright laws to ensure that your content curation practices are up to date and compliant.

Organize Your Curated Content

Now that you have gathered a wealth of valuable content through your curation efforts, it’s time to focus on organizing it effectively. Organizing your curated content is crucial for maximizing its impact and making it easily accessible for your audience.

One of the first steps in organizing your curated content is to categorize it based on themes or topics. This will help you create a clear structure for your curated content and make it easier for your audience to navigate through the information.

You can use tools like a content management system or spreadsheets to create a system for organizing your curated content.

Next, consider the format in which you want to present your curated content. Do you want to create blog posts, infographics, or videos? By determining the format in advance, you can tailor your organization approach to fit the needs of that specific format.

It’s also important to establish a schedule for when you will release your curated content. Consistency is key in content curation, so make sure you have a plan in place for when and how often you will share your curated content with your audience.

Additionally, consider creating a tagging system for your curated content. Tags can help you easily search and retrieve specific pieces of content when needed. This can save you time and make it simpler to repurpose your curated content in the future.

By organizing your curated content effectively, you can enhance its value and make it more impactful for your audience. Take the time to establish a clear structure, determine the format, create a schedule, and implement a tagging system to streamline your content curation process.

Add Value to Curated Content

Adding value to curated content is essential in order to make it unique and valuable to your audience. Simply collecting and sharing content from various sources is not enough – you need to add your own insights, opinions, and expertise to make it stand out.

One way to add value to curated content is to provide context. Explain why you chose to include a particular piece of content, how it relates to your overall message, and what your audience can learn from it. This helps your audience understand the significance of the content and how it fits into the bigger picture.

Another way to add value is to offer your own commentary. Share your thoughts, opinions, and personal experiences related to the curated content. This not only helps to establish your expertise in the niche but also adds a personal touch that can resonate with your audience on a deeper level.

Additionally, you can add value by organizing and presenting curated content in a way that is easy to digest and navigate. This could involve categorizing content by topic, creating summaries or key takeaways, or even creating visual aids such as infographics or charts to enhance understanding.

Ultimately, adding value to curated content is about creating a unique and valuable experience for your audience. By providing context, sharing your insights, and organizing content effectively, you can set yourself apart as a trusted source of curated content in your niche. Remember, the goal is not just to share content, but to add value and make a meaningful impact on your audience.

Promoting Your Curated Content

Share Curated Content on Social Media

Sharing curated content on social media is a crucial step in maximizing the reach and impact of your curated collection.

When sharing curated content on social media, it is important to tailor your posts to the specific platform you are using. Each social media platform has its own unique audience and posting style, so make sure to customize your content accordingly. For example, on X(Twitter), you will need to keep your posts short and concise, while on Instagram, you can use visually appealing images to capture your audience’s attention.

Another important aspect of sharing curated content on social media is to add your own commentary or insights to the post. This not only adds value to the content you are sharing but also helps to establish your expertise in the field. By sharing your thoughts on the curated content, you can engage your audience and spark discussions around the topic.

Additionally, make sure to schedule your posts at optimal times to reach the largest audience possible. Use social media management tools to plan your posts in advance and ensure that they are posted at times when your followers are most active.

Overall, sharing curated content on social media is a powerful way to showcase your expertise, engage with your audience, and drive traffic to your curated collection. By following these best practices, you can maximize the impact of your curated content and build a strong online presence in the world of content curation.

Engage with Your Audience

Engaging with your audience is a crucial aspect of content curation. It is not enough to simply find and share interesting content; you must also interact with your audience to build a loyal following and create meaningful connections. In this subchapter, we will discuss some strategies for engaging with your audience effectively.

One of the most important ways to engage with your audience is to listen to their feedback. Pay attention to the comments and messages you receive on your curated content, and take the time to respond thoughtfully. This shows your audience that you value their input and are interested in what they have to say. It also helps you to build relationships with your followers and create a sense of community around your curated content.

Another way to engage with your audience is to ask for their input. Encourage your followers to share their opinions, thoughts, and ideas on the content you curate. This can be done through polls, surveys, or simply by asking open-ended questions in your posts. By involving your audience in the curation process, you show them that their opinions matter and help to make them feel like they are a part of your content curation journey.

Finally, don’t forget to show your personality and be authentic in your interactions with your audience. People are more likely to engage with content that feels genuine and relatable, so don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through in your curated content. Share personal stories, jokes, or insights that show your audience who you are and what you stand for.

By engaging with your audience in a meaningful way, you can build a loyal following, create a sense of community, and ultimately grow your influence as a content curator. So don’t be afraid to reach out, listen, and connect with your audience – they will appreciate it, and your curated content will be all the better for it.

Measure the Success of Your Curated Content

Measuring the success of your curated content is crucial in determining the effectiveness of your curation efforts. By analyzing key metrics, you can gain valuable insights into what is resonating with your audience and what can be improved upon. Here are some ways to measure the success of your curated content:

1. Engagement Metrics: One of the most important indicators of success is the level of engagement your curated content is receiving. This includes metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and click-through rates. By tracking these metrics, you can see which pieces of content are generating the most interest and adjust your curation strategy accordingly.

2. Traffic and Conversion Rates: Another key metric to track is the amount of traffic your curated content is driving to your website or landing pages. By monitoring your conversion rates, you can see how effective your curated content is at converting leads into customers. This can help you determine which types of content are most effective at driving conversions and focus on creating more of that content.

3. Brand Awareness: Measuring the impact of your curated content on brand awareness is also important. This can be done through metrics such as social media mentions, brand sentiment, and search engine rankings. By monitoring these metrics, you can see how your curated content is helping to increase brand visibility and reputation.

4. Feedback and Surveys: Gathering feedback from your audience through surveys or direct communication can provide valuable insights into the success of your curated content. By asking for feedback on the relevance, quality, and usefulness of your curated content, you can make informed decisions on how to improve your curation strategy.

Overall, by monitoring these key metrics and gathering feedback from your audience, you can measure the success of your curated content and make data-driven decisions to improve your curation efforts. Remember, success is not just about quantity but also about the quality and relevance of your curated content.

Overcoming Common Content Curation Challenges

Dealing with Information Overload

We are constantly bombarded with information from all directions. Whether it’s social media updates, news articles, or emails, it can be overwhelming to try and keep up with everything. This is where the importance of content curation comes into play.

As someone who is interested in content curation, you understand the value of sorting through the vast amount of information available online to find the most relevant and valuable content for your audience. However, even for seasoned curators, dealing with information overload can be a challenge.

One of the key strategies for managing information overload is to establish clear goals and priorities for your content curation efforts. By defining what you hope to achieve through your curation, you can focus your efforts on finding the content that aligns with these goals.

Another important aspect of dealing with information overload is to establish a routine for consuming and curating content. This could involve setting aside specific times each day to review new content, or using tools and technologies to help streamline the curation process.

It’s also important to be selective about the sources of information you rely on for your curation. By focusing on high-quality, reputable sources, you can ensure that the content you share with your audience is accurate and valuable.

Ultimately, dealing with information overload is an ongoing process that requires constant refinement and adjustment. By staying organized, setting clear goals, and being selective about your sources, you can effectively manage the deluge of information and create curated content that truly resonates with your audience.

Maintaining Consistency in Content Curation

Consistency is key when it comes to content curation. It’s not just about finding great content to share with your audience; it’s also about ensuring that you are consistently providing value and engaging your audience on a regular basis.

One of the most important things you can do to maintain consistency in your content curation is to create a content calendar. This will help you plan out your content in advance, ensuring that you are consistently posting and sharing content with your audience. A content calendar can also help you stay organized and avoid last-minute scrambling to find content to share.

Another tip for maintaining consistency in your content curation is to establish a posting schedule. Whether you are posting daily, weekly, or monthly, it’s important to stick to a consistent schedule so that your audience knows when to expect new content from you. This will help you build trust and credibility with your audience.

Additionally, it’s important to stay up to date with the latest trends and news in your industry. By staying informed, you can ensure that you are curating relevant and timely content for your audience. This will help you stay ahead of the curve and position yourself as a thought leader in your niche.

Overall, maintaining consistency in your content curation efforts is essential for building a loyal and engaged audience. By creating a content calendar, establishing a posting schedule, and staying informed about industry trends, you can ensure that you are consistently providing value to your audience and growing your online presence.

Avoiding Plagiarism in Curated Content

When it comes to content curation, one of the most important things to keep in mind is avoiding plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work or ideas without giving them proper credit. Not only is plagiarism unethical, but it can also have serious consequences for you and your reputation as a content curator.

To avoid plagiarism in your curated content, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First and foremost, always make sure to properly cite your sources. This means including a link to the original content or providing a clear attribution to the original author. By giving credit where credit is due, you can avoid any accusations of plagiarism.

Another important way to avoid plagiarism in curated content is to put the information you gather into your own words. Even if you are summarizing or quoting from a source, it is important to rephrase the information in a way that is unique to you. This not only helps to avoid plagiarism but also adds value to your curated content by providing your own perspective and insights.

Lastly, it is important to always double-check your work for any instances of potential plagiarism. There are many online tools available that can help you check for plagiarism in your content before you publish it. By taking the time to review and revise your curated content, you can ensure that it is original and free from any plagiarism.

Avoiding plagiarism in curated content is essential for maintaining your credibility as a content curator. By properly citing your sources, putting information into your own words, and double-checking for plagiarism, you can create high-quality curated content that is both informative and ethical.

Advanced Content Curation Techniques

Collaborate with Other Content Curators

Collaborating with other content curators can be a game-changer in your content curation journey. By working together with like-minded individuals who share your passion for discovering and sharing valuable content, you can amplify your impact and reach a wider audience.

One of the key benefits of collaborating with other content curators is the opportunity to tap into their unique perspectives and expertise. Each curator brings their own set of skills and knowledge to the table, which can help you discover new content sources, angles, and ideas that you may not have come across on your own.

By pooling your resources and sharing insights, you can create a more comprehensive and diverse range of curated content that will resonate with a larger audience.

Collaborating with other content curators also allows you to leverage each other’s networks and followers. By cross-promoting each other’s curated content, you can introduce your work to new audiences and gain exposure to potential followers who may be interested in your content.

This can help you grow your own following and establish yourself as a trusted source of curated content within your niche.

To start collaborating with other content curators, reach out to individuals or groups who share your interests and values. Establishing a mutually beneficial partnership based on trust and respect is key to a successful collaboration.

You can co-create curated content, host joint events or webinars, or simply share each other’s work on social media platforms.

Remember, collaboration is not about competition but about building a supportive community of content curators who can learn from each other and grow together. By working together, you can elevate your content curation skills and make a bigger impact in your niche.

Automate Your Content Curation Process with AI

Content curation is the process of finding, organizing, and sharing relevant content with your audience. However, manually curating content can be time-consuming and overwhelming. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in to revolutionize the way you curate content.

AI tools can help you automate the content curation process, making it more efficient and effective. These tools use algorithms to sift through vast amounts of information, helping you discover the most relevant and valuable content for your audience.

Many AI tools also cite their sources when compiling content from your prompts, effectively doing most of the content curation “heavy-lifting” for you.

By leveraging AI, you can save time and resources while still delivering high-quality content to your followers.

One other benefit of using AI for content curation is its ability to personalize content recommendations based on user preferences and behaviors. AI algorithms can analyze data such as user interactions, browsing history, and social media activity to recommend content that is tailored to each individual’s interests. This personalized approach can help you engage your audience more effectively and increase overall user satisfaction.

Furthermore, AI can also help you stay ahead of the curve by monitoring trends and predicting future content opportunities. By analyzing patterns and data from various sources, AI tools can identify emerging topics and opportunities for content creation. This proactive approach can give you a competitive edge in your industry and help you position yourself as a thought leader.

By automating your content curation process with AI, you can streamline your workflow, improve the quality of your content, and better engage your audience.

Personalize Your Curated Content

As you continue on your content curation journey, it’s important to consider how you can personalize the content you share with your audience.

Personalization is a key aspect of creating a unique and engaging experience for your followers. By tailoring your curated content to fit the interests and preferences of your audience, you can increase engagement, build trust, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche.

One way to personalize your curated content is to understand your audience’s preferences and interests. Take the time to research and analyze the demographics, behaviors, and preferences of your target audience. Use this information to curate content that resonates with their interests and provides value to them. By understanding what your audience is looking for, you can create curated content that is relevant and engaging.

Another way to personalize your curated content is to add your own unique perspective and voice to the content you share. Don’t just share content for the sake of sharing it; instead, add your own insights, opinions, and commentary to make the content more valuable and interesting to your audience. By adding your personal touch to the curated content you share, you can establish yourself as an authority in your niche and build a stronger connection with your audience.

Remember, personalizing your curated content doesn’t mean creating content from scratch. It’s about finding the right balance between sharing valuable content from others and adding your own unique touch to make it more engaging and relevant to your audience. By personalizing your curated content, you can create a more memorable and impactful content experience for your followers.

Tip: Many email marketing tools allow you to personalize your content and target segmented audiences.

Creating Your Ultimate Content Curation Plan

Set Goals for Your Content Curation

Setting goals for your content curation is essential to ensure that you are curating content that aligns with your objectives. Without clear goals in mind, your content curation efforts may lack direction and purpose.

The first step in setting goals for your content curation is to define what you hope to achieve through your curation efforts. Are you looking to increase website traffic, engage with your audience, or establish yourself as an authority in your niche? By clearly defining your goals, you can tailor your content curation strategy to support these objectives.

Once you have identified your goals, it is important to establish specific and measurable targets. For example, if your goal is to increase website traffic, you may set a target of increasing your monthly page views by a certain percentage. Setting specific targets will help you track your progress and assess the effectiveness of your content curation efforts.

It is also important to set realistic goals that are achievable within a reasonable timeframe. Setting overly ambitious goals can lead to frustration and demotivation if they are not met. Start with smaller, achievable goals and gradually increase the difficulty as you gain confidence in your content curation skills.

Finally, regularly review and adjust your goals as needed. The content curation landscape is constantly evolving, so it is important to be flexible and adapt your goals to reflect changes in your industry or audience preferences. By setting clear, achievable goals for your content curation efforts, you can ensure that your curated content is purposeful and effective in achieving your objectives.

Establish a Content Curation Schedule

Creating a consistent and effective content curation schedule is essential for successfully curating content that resonates with your audience. By establishing a schedule, you can ensure that you are consistently providing valuable and relevant content to your followers.

Here are some tips to help you create a content curation schedule that works for you:

1. Identify your audience: Before you can create a content curation schedule, you need to have a clear understanding of who your audience is and what type of content they are interested in. Take the time to research your target audience and identify their preferences, interests, and needs.

2. Set goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your content curation efforts. Are you looking to increase engagement, drive traffic to your website, or establish thought leadership in your niche? Setting clear goals will help you create a schedule that aligns with your objectives.

3. Choose the right tools: There are many content curation tools available that can help you streamline the process of finding and sharing content. Research and choose the tools that work best for you and your specific needs. (See the Resources section below for links to tools).

4. Create a content calendar: Once you have identified your audience, set goals, and chosen your tools, it’s time to create a content calendar. A content calendar will help you plan and organize your content curation efforts, ensuring that you are consistently sharing valuable content with your audience.

5. Be consistent: Consistency is key when it comes to content curation. Make sure that you stick to your content calendar and regularly share content with your audience. Consistency will help you build trust with your followers and establish yourself as a reliable source of information in your niche.

Establishing a content curation schedule takes time and effort, but the benefits are well worth it. By following these tips, you can create a schedule that works for you and helps you achieve your content curation goals.

Evaluate and Adjust Your Content Curation Plan

Evaluating and adjusting your content curation plan is a crucial step in ensuring the success of your content strategy.

Firstly, you should review the performance metrics of your curated content. Analyze metrics such as engagement rates, click-through rates, and social shares to determine which types of content are resonating with your audience. This will help you understand what is working well and what needs improvement.

Next, consider the relevance of the content you are curating. Are you providing valuable, up-to-date information that is aligned with the interests of your target audience? It is essential to regularly assess the relevance of your curated content to ensure that it continues to meet the needs and preferences of your audience.

Another important aspect to evaluate is the diversity of your content sources. Are you sourcing content from a wide range of reputable sources, or are you relying too heavily on a few sources? Diversifying your sources can help you provide a more balanced and comprehensive view of the topics you are curating.

Finally, don’t forget to regularly review and adjust your content curation schedule. Are you posting content at the right times and frequencies to maximize engagement? Experiment with different posting schedules and monitor the results to find the optimal posting times for your audience.

By regularly evaluating and adjusting your content curation plan based on these key factors, you can ensure that your curated content remains relevant, engaging, and valuable to your audience.

Remember, content curation is an ongoing process that requires constant monitoring and optimization to achieve the best results.

Content Curation – FAQs

Here are frequently asked questions about content curation:

What is content curation?

Content curation is the process of collecting, contextualizing, and sharing information that is relevant to a specific audience or topic. It involves sorting through large amounts of content and presenting the best pieces in a meaningful and organized way.

How does content curation differ from content creation?

Content curation involves gathering and sharing existing content from external sources, whereas content creation is about producing new content. Curation is used to enhance a content strategy by adding value through perspective and context.

Why is content curation important?

Content curation helps establish authority and expertise, keeps followers engaged with regular updates, and supplements original content without the additional resources needed for content creation. It can also help target content to specific audiences effectively.

What are the key considerations for effective content curation?

Key considerations include understanding your audience’s needs, selecting high-quality and relevant content, adding unique insights, and maintaining ethical standards such as proper attribution and respect for intellectual property.

What are some best practices for content curation?

Best practices include using reliable sources, curating content that aligns with your brand’s values, regularly updating curated collections, and using tools to streamline the curation process. Engaging with the content by adding personal insights or additional context is also crucial.

What tools can help with content curation?

There are several tools available for content curation, including Feedly for RSS feeds, Pocket for saving articles, and social media tools (e.g. Hootsuite) for scheduling and sharing curated content. These tools help curators save time and organize content efficiently.

How can content curation benefit learning and development?

In learning and development, content curation can provide learners with a variety of perspectives and expert insights, help keep learning materials up-to-date, and aid in building a continuous learning culture by making a wide range of resources accessible.

Resources

References

The content in the above lesson was curated from various sources, including the following:

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Image: Resumes

Content Production Automation

Streamline your content production process and optimize your workflow with content production automation.

Content Production Automation

Learn how to streamline your content production process and optimize your workflow with these content production automation tips.

Content Production Automation - AI Generated imageContent production can be a complex and time-consuming process, involving tasks such as research, writing, editing, and publishing.

However, with the rise of content production automation, your business can streamline its workflow and increase its productivity.

This lesson is part of our content automation series and provides essential content production automation tips to help you optimize your processes and achieve better results.

Content Production Automation Tips

Use these content production automation tips to optimize your workflows, increase your productivity, and achieve better results:

1) Use AI-Powered Tools For Content Research And Analysis

AI-powered tools for content research and analysis can help you gather insights into your target audience, competitors, and industry trends. You can use these insights to create more targeted, relevant, and engaging content, and save time and effort in creating quality content.

Follow these steps to automate your content creation using AI tools:

  • Choose an AI-powered content research and analysis tool that meets your needs.
  • Use the tool to generate topic ideas, analyze keywords and search terms, and gather data on your competitors.
  • Use the insights from the tool to create high-quality, relevant content that meets the needs of your target audience.
  • Monitor and analyze the performance of your content using the tool to refine and optimize your content strategy.

Some popular AI-powered content research and analysis tools include:

  • SemRush – provides comprehensive data and insights on your competitors and helps you identify profitable keywords and topics for your content.
  • BuzzSumo – analyze the performance of your content and your competitors’ content on social media.
  • Clearscope – helps you optimize your content for search engines by analyzing your content and suggesting improvements.

See these lessons and resources for more information:

2) Use Templates For Content Creation And Formatting

Templates can help you streamline your content creation process and ensure consistency across different formats and channels.

You can use templates for blog posts, social media posts, email newsletters, and other types of content.

Follow these steps to automate your content creation and formatting using templates:

  1. Choose a content creation and formatting tool that offers templates.
  2. Choose a template that fits the type of content you want to create, such as a blog post, social media post, or email.
  3. Customize the template to fit your brand and message.
  4. Use the template as a guide to create high-quality, consistent content.

Some popular content creation and formatting tools that offer templates include:

  • Canva – provides templates for various types of content, including social media posts, flyers, and infographics.
  • HubSpot – offers templates for email campaigns, landing pages, and blog posts.
  • Grammarly – Grammarly offers templates for business writing, such as emails and reports.

See these lessons and resources for more information:

3) Automate Your Content Publishing And Distribution

Automating your content publishing and distribution can help you save time and ensure that your content reaches your target audience at the right time and on the right platforms.

You can use scheduling tools to publish your content on different channels and at optimal times.

Follow these steps to automate your content publishing and distribution:

  1. Choose a content management system that offers automation features.
  2. Create a content calendar that includes your publishing and distribution schedule.
  3. Use automation features to schedule your content for publishing and distribution on the appropriate platforms.
  4. Monitor and analyze the performance of your content using analytics tools and adjust your strategy as needed.

Some popular content management systems that offer automation features include:

  • WordPress – offers plugins and automation tools that allow you to schedule your posts and distribute your content across various platforms.
  • HubSpot – offers automation features for content creation, publishing, and distribution, as well as analytics and reporting tools.
  • Buffer – allows you to schedule and automate your social media posts and analyze the results.

See these lessons and resources for more information:

4) Use AI-Powered Tools For Content Optimization And SEO

AI-powered tools can help you optimize and improve the visibility and ranking of your content on search engines, and increase your organic traffic.

You can use these tools to identify relevant keywords, analyze your content’s readability and structure, and suggest ways to improve your SEO.

Follow these steps to automate your content optimization and SEO using AI-powered tools:

  • Choose an AI-powered content optimization and SEO tool that meets your needs.
  • Use the tool to analyze your content and suggest improvements to optimize it for search engines.
  • Use the insights from the tool to make changes to your content, such as adjusting keywords, optimizing meta tags, and improving readability.
  • Monitor and analyze the performance of your content using the tool to refine and optimize your content strategy.

Some popular AI-powered content optimization and SEO tools include:

  • SmartCrawl – a popular WordPress plugin that analyzes your content and provides suggestions for improving your SEO. It analyzes various elements such as content length, readability, and keyword usage, and provides suggestions for improving your content.
  • SemRush – provides the ability to conduct in-depth keyword research, analyze competitors’ strategies, track search engine rankings, identify content gaps, generate content ideas, and monitor brand mentions and backlinks.
  • Google Analytics –  provides insights into how users interact with your website and content. It can help you identify areas for improvement and track the performance of your content.

See these lessons and resources for more information:

5) Automate Your Content Quality Assurance And Editing

Automating your content quality assurance and editing can help you improve the quality and consistency of your content and ensure that your content is error-free.

You can use tools to check for grammar and spelling errors, ensure that your content follows your brand guidelines, and provide feedback to your writers.

Follow these steps to automate your content quality assurance and editing:

  1. Choose a content quality assurance and editing tool that meets your needs.
  2. Use the tool to check for errors such as spelling and grammar, as well as readability and style.
  3. Use the insights from the tool to make changes to your content.
  4. Monitor and analyze the performance of your content using analytics tools and adjust your strategy as needed.

Some popular content quality assurance and editing tools include:

  • Grammarly – checks for spelling and grammar errors, as well as readability and tone.
  • ProWritingAid ProWritingAid checks for errors and provides suggestions for improving your writing, including style and structure.
  • Hemingway Editorchecks for readability and suggests improvements to make your writing more clear and more concise.

See these lessons and resources for more information:

Save Time Automating Your Content Processes

See the lessons below for additional ways to automate your content processes:

Content Planning Automation

Content Planning Automation

Streamline your content planning process and maximize your team's productivity with content planning automation.
Content Production Automation

Content Production Automation

Streamline your content production process and optimize your workflow with content production automation.
Content Promotion Automation

Content Promotion Automation

Streamline your content promotion process and optimize your workflow with content promotion automation.
Content Management Automation

Content Management Automation

Streamline your workflow and maximize your team's potential with content management automation.

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Image: AI-Generated (Dall-e)

Editorial Calendar

Learn how to create, use, and manage an editorial calendar, and how it can help with your content planning, scheduling, and production.

Editorial Calendar

Learn how to create, use, and manage an editorial calendar, and how it can help with your content planning, scheduling, and production.

Calendar

An editorial calendar is a powerful content planningcontent production, content promotion, and content management tool that lets you organize and schedule all the content your business or organization needs to produce and publish to meet its strategic goals.

In this lesson, we’ll cover:

  • What Is An Editorial Calendar?
  • Why Use An Editorial Calendar?
  • Benefits Of Using An Editorial Calendar
  • How To Create An Editorial Calendar
  • How To Use An Editorial Calendar

Before You Begin

Please review the Content Planning Overview before starting this lesson.

Editorial Calendar vs Content Calendar

Editorial calendars are sometimes also referred to as content calendars. However, according to Neil Patel, there is a difference:

“These terms are often used interchangeably. However, an editorial calendar generally outlines each step of the process, while a content calendar usually covers one aspect—such as when posts are published or shared to social media.”

Source: NeilPatel.com

AirTable content calendar demo
You can use a template to build your content calendar. Image: Airtable.

Let’s briefly cover what a content calendar is and how to create one, and then we’ll focus on the editorial calendar.

What Is A Content Calendar?

A content calendar is a schedule for creating, publishing, and promoting your business’s content.

A content calendar helps your business stay organized and on schedule when creating content and ensures that you have a steady stream of relevant, high-quality content to share with your audience.

How To Plan And Create A Content Calendar

Follow the steps below to plan a content calendar for your business and see the rest of this lesson for more detailed instructions on how to create one:

  • Define your audience: Identify the demographics and psychographics of the people you want to target with your content. Understanding your audience will help you create content that resonates with them.
  • Set your goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your content. Goals can include increasing website traffic, generating leads, boosting brand awareness, or improving engagement on social media.
  • Research your competitors: Look at what other businesses in your industry are doing with their content. This can give you an idea of what has worked well in the past, and what strategies you might want to avoid.
  • Identify your topics: Choose the topics you will create content around. This might include product- or service-related information, industry news, or thought leadership pieces.
  • Plan your content: Decide on the format of your content (e.g. blog post, video, podcast, infographics) and schedule out when you will publish it.
  • Create a production plan: Decide how you will produce your content, and include it in your content calendar.
  • Create a promotion plan: Decide how and when you will promote your content, and include it in your content calendar.
  • Use a tool: Use a content calendar tool or spreadsheet to organize and schedule your content, and to make it easy to track progress and make adjustments as needed.

Example Of A Content Calendar

Here is an example of what type of information might be included in a content calendar for a marketing agency:

  • Audience: Small to medium-sized business owners
  • Goals: Increase website traffic, generate leads
  • Competitors: other marketing agencies
  • Topics:
    • Inbound marketing
    • Content marketing
    • Social media marketing
  • Plan:
    • Blog post: once a week
    • YouTube video: once a month
    • Webinar: Once a quarter
  • Promotion plan:
    • Social media: LinkedIn, Facebook
    • Email marketing: send a newsletter once a month
    • Paid Advertising: Google Ads, Facebook ads
    • Tool: Google Sheet

By following these steps, the marketing agency will be able to create a content calendar that helps them achieve its business goals while engaging its target audience with relevant and valuable content aligned with its overall promotion and distribution strategy.

Also, by using a tool to organize the calendar, it will be easy to track progress, make adjustments as needed and share it with the team members.

What Is An Editorial Calendar?

“An editorial calendar is a visual workflow that helps a team of content creators schedule their work on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Editorial calendars can help you track content types, promotional channels, authors, and most importantly, publish dates.”

Source: HubSpot

An editorial calendar:

  • Records how, when, and where you plan to publish upcoming content.
  • Lays out every step of the content planning and production process from idea to publication.
  • Lets you track and manage different content types (e.g. articles, videos) and promotional channels (e.g. blogs, social media, emails).

 

Editorial Calendar example - Asana
Editorial calendars are typically used to track upcoming pieces, planned promotions, and social media posts. Image: Asana

An editorial calendar should be the single version of the truth, and only projects that are actually going to be created should be added to the calendar.

Note: You can have a column in your calendar where content topics or ideas for review and discussion can be added and then either moved into production or discarded if the team decides not to go ahead with it.

Why Use An Editorial Calendar

According to Forbes.com

“The editorial process for a business can be surprisingly complex; it’s not just a way to plan a few content ideas ahead of time, but rather it implies establishing content marketing objectives, developing a strategy and carefully strategizing all of your content ahead of time so that you can generate better results for your business – whether it’s an improved search engine ranking, more traffic, more social shares or more leads and conversions.”

Source: Forbes.com

If you are working with a team of content creators, you need organization, structure, and a system for planning, writing, and scheduling content on a regular basis to avoid missing deadlines, miscommunication with team members, and the accumulation of a growing pile of unfinished content.

If your business is serious about using content marketing (e.g. blogs, social media, email marketing campaigns, etc.) to improve its results, then it needs to plan, strategize, create, publish, and promote content in an organized manner, keep track of its content production in one place, and give its team complete visibility into the process.

An editorial calendar allows businesses to do this effectively.

Content Calendar Goals And Objectives

Common content calendar goals and objectives include:

  • Content planning: The goal is to plan and strategize the creation, distribution, and promotion of content. This can be achieved by creating an editorial calendar, identifying your target audience, and defining KPIs.
  • Timeliness: The goal is to ensure that content is created and published in a timely manner. This can be achieved by scheduling blog posts, social media posts, and other content well in advance, and creating deadlines for content creation and review.
  • Consistency: The goal is to ensure a consistent flow of content to keep your audience engaged and interested. This can be achieved by publishing regular blog posts, scheduling recurring social media posts, and creating a content calendar that covers the year/month.
  • Brand alignment: The goal is to align content with your company’s brand messaging and values. This can be achieved by creating and sharing branded graphics, videos and infographics, and guest blogging on relevant websites.
  • Audience engagement: The goal is to engage your target audience by creating and publishing content that is relevant and valuable to them. This can be achieved by creating a calendar that includes a mix of different types of content, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, and social media posts.
  • Content optimization: The goal is to improve the visibility and performance of content by ensuring it is well-written, visually appealing, and optimized for search engines and social media. This can be achieved by optimizing headlines, meta descriptions, and images, using keywords and hashtags, and making sure the content is mobile-friendly
  • Integration: The goal is to integrate your content calendar with other systems and tools to improve efficiency, collaboration, and automation. This can be achieved by integrating with a CRM system, integrating with social media platforms, and integrating with analytics and reporting tools.
  • Flexibility: The goal is to ensure that your content calendar can be easily adapted to changing business needs and goals. This can be achieved by incorporating a feedback and testing process, making it easy for stakeholders to provide input and feedback, and implementing agile methodologies.
  • Collaboration: The goal is to promote collaboration and communication among team members to ensure that content is created and reviewed in a timely and effective manner. This can be achieved by using shared tools for content creation, review and publishing, setting up regular meetings and check-ins, and providing clear guidelines and instructions
  • Budget and resources allocation: The goal is to plan and allocate the budget and resources needed to achieve your content goals. This can be achieved by identifying the cost of creating, distributing and measuring the content, and allocating resources to create, review, and publish your content.

Benefits Of Using An Editorial Calendar

Some of the benefits of using an editorial calendar include:

Better Planning

Better planning creates better content.

With an editorial calendar, you can include content research information in the planning process that content writers and creators need to create in-depth content targeted to the right audience, like supporting sources, quotes, stats, and references, keyword research, editorial briefs, notes from other team members, competitive intelligence data, etc.

Screenshot of Jira board used as a content calendar.
An editorial calendar lets you include all the background information your team needs to create high-quality targeted content.

This can save valuable time and help generate an ongoing pipeline for the production of high-quality content.

One Place To Organize, Delegate, And Manage Everything

Depending on your content strategy, after a certain point, it can become unwieldy to keep track of all content production activities using spreadsheets, emails, text files, word docs, or sticky notes.

An editorial calendar allows businesses to plan, organize, delegate, track, and manage all of their content production effectively from one place.

It also allows a content production team to plan and work collaboratively and break the process into manageable workflow steps, assign tasks to individual team members, set priorities and deadlines for each item, adjust shifts in content needs and timing, and communicate with each other during each stage and level of production through notes and comments.

Keep in mind, however, that while some businesses may choose to use one ‘source of truth’ application for managing all of their content production, other organizations may have different departments or teams with different calendars to meet their content schedules.

For example, an organization may have a team of writers focused on creating content for their blog, a team (or individuals) managing their social media campaigns, and a marketing team or person running email campaigns and newsletters.

In this case, the organization could have different calendars to manage different content needs and all these separate content schedules would need to be coordinated to make sure that every team meets its targets and deadlines.

Content Schedule chart with multiple content calendars.
Some organizations may need to run multiple schedules and calendars to meet their content needs.

Helps Achieve Strategic Goals

An editorial calendar can assist a business to achieve goals set in its content strategy in a number of ways, including helping to:

  • Improve focus.
  • Meet critical milestones.
  • Track promotional activities.
  • Grow leads and improve conversion rates.
  • Increase sales and sign-ups on newsletters and registrations.
  • Build brand awareness.
  • Determine whether sufficient content is being produced for each persona being targeted by the business.

Meet Deadlines

An editorial calendar can help team members plan content ahead of time to meet specific timeframes and deadlines.

This is especially important if the business strategy requires new content to be published by a certain date to coincide with product launches, sales, or other time-based events.

It can also help to eliminate writer’s block. If the topic is set, a brief is clearly stated, and all background information is provided, the content writer can log in for the day, check the calendar, and begin working immediately on their project or assignment.

Managing Your Content Calendar

As a content manager working with a content production team, you will probably be the person responsible for managing the content calendar (unless someone else is appointed as calendar manager).

Even if you allow team members to add and edit items on the calendar, it’s helpful to have one person managing it and being accountable for it.

The calendar manager is responsible for deciding:

  • Who manages the calendar
  • Who can access the calendar (view only, view and edit, etc.)
  • Which projects will be added to the calendar
  • How often the calendar will be reviewed, updated, and cleaned up

Additionally, the calendar owner/manager is responsible for:

  • Making sure that deadlines are being set and met.
  • Nudging team members as deadlines approach.
  • Calling out anything that doesn’t look right.

How To Create An Editorial Calendar

Before creating an editorial calendar, make sure that the following processes are already in place:

  1. Goals, audiences, budgets, etc. have been defined in your content strategy.
  2. content plan has been created for your team.
  3. You have set up a schedule for your content production team. See this lesson for an example of what this step might look like: Content Production Team Schedule.

Once these processes are in place, you are ready to create your editorial calendar. The video below provides an overview of the process.

Source: coschedule.com

Let’s go through the steps:

1. Decide On Content Types

Check your content plan and decide on the content types your team will create.

For example:

  • Blog posts and articles
  • Social Media posts
  • Emails
  • Videos
  • Infographics
  • Lead Gen Reports
  • Guides and Ebooks
  • Webinars
  • Podcasts
  • Print magazines, brochures, or newsletters.
  • Other marketing projects.

2. Choose Your Tools

You can use a range of tools to create and track content production. Often, a combination of tools is needed to achieve the best results and these can vary from organization to organization and even from team to team.

Your business may or may not have already invested in some of these tools. If it has, then learn to use these tools. If not, refer to the Content Production Tools section for free and paid tools that will help you build and manage a content production workflow.

Types Of Content Calendars

An editorial calendar doesn’t have to be a digital tool to begin the process. Depending on what the business wants to do and how much content it plans to create to start with, you could begin with a diary, printed calendars and/or a whiteboard.

Stock image of diary on a desk with a pen, paper clips, mobile phone and glasses.
This is a step in the right direction if you’re just getting started but has many limitations for content planning and production. Image: Pixabay.

While this is a step in the right direction toward organizing your content workflow if you’re just getting started, non-digital tools are limited in what they can do. You can’t edit these easily, or use them to coordinate assigning editorial work or move projects through different stages of content planning and production.

In this case, using a spreadsheet is a better option to start with. You can make your own content calendar or use a spreadsheet template. There are many editorial and content calendar spreadsheet templates available and we provide links to these in the “Resources” section of this lesson.

Content Calendar Excel Spreadsheet Template
You can use a spreadsheet template to create a content calendar. Source: Vertex42

You can also use a tool like Google Calendar to schedule your content.

Google Calendar
Image source: Google Calendar

Using a spreadsheet template or Google calendar is not a bad way to start, especially if you’re designing a prototype for your content scheduling or production workflow.

You can also use a Kanban board to create your content calendar. A Kanban board application looks like a virtual whiteboard with digital post-it notes that contain information about each project and can be moved across different columns after each stage of the process is completed.

Editorial Calendar Template - Trello
Editorial calendar template from Trello. Image source.

For more information on different types of tools you can use for editorial and content calendars, see this article: How to Create an Editorial Calendar [Examples & Template]

Additionally, see this excellent article on creating a social media content calendar.

info

For a list of free and paid tools you can use to create and run an editorial calendar that lets you assign tasks to individual team members or authors, set publishing schedules, allow your entire team access to track content through different stages of production, and know what and when content is being published, see these sections:

3. Set Up Content Production Processes And Workflows

The easiest way to get your marketing/content team involved in using the editorial calendar is to build workflows for your standard content creation processes into it.

To do this, you need to:

  1. List all the individual steps (processes) in your content production process,
  2. Organize these in a logical sequence, and
  3. Set up a workflow in your calendar tool.

For example, the following processes and team members may be involved in the production of new blog posts or articles:

  1. Add a new topic. (Editor)
  2. Research background information (e.g. create a content brief, do topic research, competitive analysis, keyword research, linking opportunities, etc.) and add these to the item. (Editor/SEO)
  3. Assign an author. (Editor)
  4. Create an outline of the post or article. (Author)
  5. Approve outline. (Editor)
  6. Write an initial draft. (Author)
  7. Design/create/source visual content. (Illustrator/Graphic Designer)
  8. Create/source media [optional]. (Video Producer)
  9. Review/Edit initial draft. (Editor)
  10. Make changes to draft and submit for review. (Author)
  11. Review/edit amended draft. (Editor)
  12. Make changes to draft, then transfer to CMS, format content, and add additional elements like artwork, media, etc. (Author)
  13. Submit draft for technical review [optional]. (Author)
  14. Technical review/edit. (Product Manager)
  15. Make changes and submit the final draft for review. (Author)
  16. Approve content in the final draft. (Editor/Product Manager)
  17. Publish. (Editor/Author)
  18. Schedule content for promotion. (Editor/Marketing Team)

So, documenting the above workflow would look something like this…

Flowchart - Blog Content Production Workflow.
Example of a content production workflow for creating new blog posts.

Once you have figured out your content production workflow, set the processes up in your content planning tool/editorial calendar as columns in your spreadsheet, kanban board, etc.

Blog Production Spreadsheet - Workflow
Add the workflow processes to your content planning tool.

Note: Some workflow processes include subtasks that need to be completed before content production can proceed to the next stage, so make sure to document these as well.

For example, adding a new task to production can involve completing subtasks like:

  • Gathering research sources and references
  • Performing keyword research
  • Analyzing content from the competition
  • Creating an editorial brief for authors
  • Sourcing internal linking opportunities
  • etc.

And creating an initial draft can involve subtasks like:

  • Requesting visual artwork (images, banners, etc.) from illustrators or graphic designers
  • Requesting media (e.g. videos) to be created
  • Interviewing subject experts
  • etc.

Some tools allow you to add checklists and templates to explain the workflow and ensure that all essential or required tasks and subtasks are completed successfully at each stage.

CoSchedule task templates
Task templates help to ensure that workflow processes get followed and tasks get completed on time. Source: Coschedule

4. Create A List Of Content Ideas

After deciding on the editorial calendar tool(s) you will use, the next step is to build a content backlog (i.e. a list of content ideas) to start organizing and tracking ideas and topics for articles and other content.

You can use a spreadsheet for this or just create a column on your content planning board for adding content ideas and topics for team discussion that may or may not make it to production.

Screenshot of Jira board used for content planning.
Add a column to your content planning board for content ideas and topics for discussion. Source: WPMU DEV

Next, start adding a few headings to organize your content.

For example:

  • Title – Article title or content topic
  • Author – Assign an author (if there are multiple writers)
  • Status – Set the project status here (e.g. discussion, assigned, draft, review, published, etc.)
  • Date – Add the publication date

Additional headings you can add include special dates and anniversaries, themes and distribution channels, trending topics/new launches relevant to your industry or niche, seasonal content, and key sales dates.

Once you have this information, you are ready to begin using your editorial calendar.

How To Use An Editorial Calendar

With the prerequisite Content Strategy and Content Planning steps done, you can avoid the chaotic, disorganized, and often stressful scramble to come up with content at the last minute, begin the more methodical and effective route of scheduling content in advance, and get your content production pipeline rolling.

5. Schedule Your Initial Content

Ideally, you would schedule anywhere from 2-6 weeks’ worth of content ahead of time, depending on how much content you plan to produce and how many people are on your team.

Set up your content tasks into your content production tool, allowing enough time for each step of the process to meet content production targets and deadlines.

6 . Move Content Into Production

After scheduling your initial content, your team can begin to produce it. Make sure that every member of your team knows how to access and use your content production tool to move things along when each stage is completed (e.g. from writing an initial draft of an article to initial review).

tip

Color-Code Content

Color coding the content on your calendar helps to keep your content activities organized, and allows your team to quickly identify content types, projects, or other agreed-upon ways to classify your processes.

You can color-code your editorial calendar however you like, as long as the color scheme is consistent and everyone in the team understands what the colors refer to. Some tools offer built-in color-coding functionality and allow you to specify custom colors and color schemes.

Some examples of using color-coding in your calendar include classifying content by:

  • Campaign, theme, or category
  • Team member/author
  • Content marketing channel
  • Any content-related activity where there is more than one type involved.
Infographic: Color code your way to an organized workspace with office products.
Use a color-coding scheme to organize your content calendar. Source: Quill.com

7. Build Your Content Pipeline

If the goal of your organization is to keep publishing content on a regular basis, then you need to build a forward-looking content pipeline into your editorial calendar.

You should be continually adding and queuing up new content for production, moving things along each stage of the pipeline, and having articles or other content ready for publication coming out at the other end.

If you’re just getting started with your content production process, you will probably need to put in extra work at the beginning to start filling your editorial calendar and feed your content pipeline.

This might mean getting a team of in-house or outsourced writers to create extra content until you have a suitable volume of content to publish or spending some time each day or week creating additional content.

8. Optimize & Refine Your Content Process

Content production is not a “set and forget” process. It needs to operate like a well-oiled machine. And like all machines, your content process needs to be periodically reviewed, maintained, and adjusted.

This means identifying and eliminating unnecessary processes, removing bottlenecks, making sure that all tools being used are fit for their purpose, reviewing processes and procedures with your team, and ensuring that the editorial process works for everyone.

In addition to making sure that your content team isn’t being slowed down or affected by a lack of skills or training on using tools or understanding processes,  some of the more common areas to review periodically include:

  • Your content production schedule
  • Your content production tools
  • The volume of content that’s backed up and why it’s not getting published
  • The average time the content sits in the pipeline between each stage of production.
  • Other metrics that the business is tracking.

For an excellent step-by-step tutorial on setting up an editorial calendar, see this article: How To Create An Editorial Calendar The Best Way

Editorial Calendar - Infographic
Infographic: How to plan a perfect editorial calendar. Source: Co-Schedule

Content Calendar Checklist

  • Define the goals and objectives of your content calendar: Clearly define the goals and objectives of the content calendar, such as ensuring a consistent flow of content and aligning with business objectives.
  • Identify key themes: Identify the key themes that align with your business goals and audience interests.
  • Gather existing content: Gather existing content, such as blog posts, videos, and social media updates, that can be repurposed or used as a starting point for new content.
  • Research content ideas: Research content ideas based on the themes and audience interests identified earlier.
  • Create a content calendar template: Create a content calendar template that includes columns for the content type, topic, target audience, deadline, and any other relevant information.
  • Fill in the calendar: Fill in the content calendar with the content ideas and existing content.
  • Set a publishing schedule: Set a publishing schedule for the content, taking into account the desired frequency and the target audience’s behavior.
  • Allocate resources: Allocate resources for creating, publishing, and promoting your content.
  • Coordinate with other teams: Coordinate with other teams, such as marketing and product development, to ensure the content aligns with the overall company goals and objectives.
  • Continuously monitor and update: Continuously monitor and update the content calendar based on the results and feedback.

Content Calendar FAQs

Here are frequently asked questions about content calendars:

What is a content calendar?

A content calendar is a scheduled plan for publishing all forms of content across different media platforms. It helps organize the way content is curated and distributed, ensuring timely publication while aligning with marketing goals.

Why use a content calendar?

Using a content calendar helps with planning, organization, and consistency in publishing. It enables teams to track content from the idea stage through to publication and promotion, ensuring strategic alignment with business objectives.

How do I start a content calendar?

Begin by determining your content strategy goals, understanding your audience, and deciding on the types of content you will produce. Then, choose a tool or template to organize the information, such as publication dates, channels, and content types.

What should be included in a content calendar?

A content calendar should include topics, dates of publication, responsible team members, channels of distribution, and stages of content creation. Additional details might include keywords, required images, and calls to action.

Can you share examples of content calendars?

Yes, there are various types of content calendars such as editorial calendars for blogs, social media calendars, and marketing campaign calendars. Each type serves different purposes and platforms, addressing specific content management needs.

How often should I update a content calendar?

Update your content calendar as often as necessary to respond to feedback, track the progress of content creation, adjust to shifting marketing strategies, and incorporate new ideas and insights.

What tools can I use to create a content calendar?

There are several tools available ranging from simple spreadsheets to comprehensive project management software and specialized social media planning tools.

How do I manage multiple content types in one calendar?

Organize different types of content by using color codes, tags, or separate layers within the same calendar. This approach helps maintain clarity and prevents confusion across different content strategies and platforms.

What are common challenges when using a content calendar?

Common challenges include maintaining consistency, aligning with strategic goals, resource allocation, adapting to changes in content trends, and ensuring collaboration across teams. Addressing these challenges requires regular reviews and updates to the calendar.

How do I measure the success of my content calendar?

Success can be measured by tracking engagement metrics such as clicks, shares, comments, and conversions from published content. This feedback can then be used to refine and optimize future content plans.

Summary

Creating and managing a content strategy can be daunting and trying to maintain a regular publishing schedule without a tool for planning, tracking, and coordinating content activities can be challenging.

An editorial calendar is an ideal tool for managing content planning and streamlining content production activities from a central hub. It will help your team stay focused and on track and ensure the consistent delivery and publishing of high-quality content for your business.

Action Steps

Decide on the right editorial calendar tool for your business, set up a content production schedule, get your content team involved in using it to build a content pipeline and publish regular new content, and periodically review and improve your processes.

Resources

Visit our tools and resources section for additional courses, guides, and helpful tools and resources for content managers.

References

Next Lesson

***

Source: Calendar

Content Production Manager

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a content production manager. 

Content Production Manager

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a content production manager. 

Content Production ManagerIn this section of the Digital Business course module, we look at the role and responsibilities of a content production manager.

This article is part of our free content management course series where we look at various digital roles and responsibilities that a content manager may need to oversee and assume, depending on the organizational structure of the business.

***

Content Production Manager Role

Someone must supervise the creation and publication of all articles, videos, and every other item of content found on a web page, newspaper, or magazine. This is what content production managers do.

A content production manager is a professional who is responsible for overseeing the creation and production of various types of content, including written, visual, and audio content. This may include managing a team of content creators and coordinators, as well as collaborating with other departments such as marketing and design.

The main goal of a content production manager is to ensure that all content is produced efficiently and effectively, and meets the required standards of quality and consistency. To do this, a content production manager must have strong project management skills and be proficient in various content creation tools and management tools.

In addition to managing the production of content, a content production manager may also be responsible for developing and implementing a content strategy, which involves setting goals, identifying the target audience, and determining the most effective channels and tactics for reaching and engaging with that audience.

Overall, the role of a content production manager is crucial in helping a brand or organization effectively communicate its message to its target audience. By overseeing the creation and production of high-quality content, a content production manager can help ensure that a brand’s message is delivered consistently and effectively across various channels.

Content Production Manager Duties And Responsibilities

Content production managers are responsible for:

  • Overseeing all aspects of content production, from initial brainstorming to publication.
  • Working with their teams to produce content that will help to increase the value of the business.
  • Providing creative input.
  • Making sure that content deadlines and quality standards are met.

Content Production Manager Role Requirements

Content production managers need a more diverse set of skills than content editors. They must understand writing and editing word-based content (e.g. articles), video creation and audio editing, and the ability to coordinate and work with various content specialists like writers, photographers, and videographers.

Recruitment sites advertising the role of Digital Content Production Manager recommend people with qualifications in communications or marketing, experience in content creation, content production, and editing, a keen eye for detail, strong communication, leadership skills, and the ability to adhere to strict deadlines.

Full-time content production managers can expect to earn between USD$65,000 to USD$75,000 per year.

Content Production Manager Role – FAQs

Here are frequently asked questions about the role of Content Production Manager:

What does a Content Production Manager do?

A Content Production Manager oversees the creation, management, and delivery of content across various platforms. This includes coordinating content creation, ensuring deadlines are met, managing budgets, and optimizing workflows.

What are the key responsibilities of a Content Production Manager?

Key responsibilities include developing content strategies, managing content calendars, overseeing content creation teams, maintaining quality standards, optimizing content for SEO, tracking performance metrics, and ensuring content aligns with brand guidelines.

What skills are required to excel as a Content Production Manager?

Skills required include strong project management, excellent communication, leadership abilities, content creation expertise, knowledge of digital marketing principles, proficiency in content management systems, and analytical skills to interpret data.

What qualifications are typically required for a Content Production Manager role?

Qualifications often include a bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism, or a related field. Previous experience in content creation, project management, or a related role is usually required. Additional certifications in project management or digital marketing can be beneficial.

What tools and software does a Content Production Manager use?

Content Production Managers often use tools and software such as content management systems (e.g., WordPress, Drupal), project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello), analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics), SEO tools (e.g., SEMrush, Moz), and collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Google Workspace).

How does a Content Production Manager collaborate with other teams?

Content Production Managers collaborate with various teams such as content writers, editors, designers, SEO specialists, social media managers, and marketing teams. They ensure alignment of content with overall marketing strategies and coordinate efforts to achieve common goals.

How does a Content Production Manager ensure content quality and consistency?

Content Production Managers establish quality standards, provide clear guidelines to content creators, conduct regular reviews, offer constructive feedback, and implement quality assurance processes. They also ensure consistency in tone, style, and branding across all content.

How does a Content Production Manager measure the success of content initiatives?

Content Production Managers use metrics such as website traffic, engagement rates, conversion rates, time on page, and social media metrics to measure the success of content initiatives. They analyze data to identify trends, assess performance, and make data-driven decisions to optimize content strategies.

How does a Content Production Manager handle tight deadlines and shifting priorities?

Content Production Managers prioritize tasks, allocate resources efficiently, and communicate effectively with stakeholders to manage tight deadlines and shifting priorities. They may adjust workflows, reassign tasks, or negotiate deadlines to ensure deliverables are met without compromising quality.

What are some challenges faced by Content Production Managers?

Challenges may include managing diverse content formats, staying updated on industry trends, balancing creative freedom with strategic goals, adapting to changing algorithms and platform policies, overcoming resource constraints, and maintaining consistency across distributed teams.

Related Roles

Some of the roles that a content production manager may interact with while performing their duties include:

Source: https://www.marketing-schools.org/careers/content-production-manager

Useful Resources

We recommend the following resources:

Visit our tools and resources section for additional courses, guides, and helpful tools and resources.

Other Digital Content Related Roles

Click on the links below for more information about other digital content-related roles:

Digital Content Team

Digital Content Team

An overview of different digital team roles, responsibilities, and job descriptions.
Digital Strategy Director

Digital Strategy Director

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a digital strategy director. 
Digital Content Strategist

Digital Content Strategist

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a digital content strategist. 
Digital Content Manager

Digital Content Manager

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a digital content manager. 
Content Production Manager

Content Production Manager

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a content production manager. 
Digital Content Editor

Digital Content Editor

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a digital content editor. 
Digital Content Writer

Digital Content Writer

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a digital content writer. 
Digital Media Manager

Digital Media Manager

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a digital media manager. 
Interactive Media Manager

Interactive Media Manager

Learn about the role and responsibilities of an interactive media manager.
Internet Marketing Director

Internet Marketing Director

Learn about the role and responsibilities of an internet marketing director. 
Content Marketing Specialist

Content Marketing Specialist

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a content marketing specialist. 
Digital Communications Professional

Digital Communications Professional

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a digital communications professional. 
Search Engine Marketing Director

Search Engine Marketing Director

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a search engine marketing director. 
Digital Marketing Manager

Digital Marketing Manager

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a digital marketing manager. 
Internet Marketing Coordinator

Internet Marketing Coordinator

Learn about the role and responsibilities of an internet marketing coordinator. 
Internet Marketer

Internet Marketer

Learn about the role and responsibilities of an internet marketer. 
Email Marketing Manager

Email Marketing Manager

Learn about the role and responsibilities of an email marketing manager. 
Social Media Director

Social Media Director

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a social media director. 
Social Media Strategist

Social Media Strategist

Learn about the role and responsibilities of a social media strategist. 
Outsourcing

Outsourcing Resources

Here are useful resources to help you find people with the right talent and skills for outsourcing your content needs.

Return to the content management course outline

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Image: Pixabay

Content Strategy

Learn what a content strategy is, why it’s important to have one, and how to develop an effective digital content strategy for your business.

Content Strategy

Learn what a content strategy is, why it’s important to have one, and how to develop an effective digital content strategy for your business. 

ContentManagementCourse.com - Content Strategy Module

In the previous module, we looked at the role of the content manager and various setups that a content manager may need to operate within the digital structure of an organization.

In this module, we provide a practical overview of content strategy as it relates to the role of a content manager. We recommend going through the links, resources, and references in this section for a more in-depth understanding of the key concepts presented here.

This module covers the topics outlined in the table of contents below:

Before You Begin

Make sure to review The Role Of The Content Manager and Business Basics before starting this lesson.

Additionally, we recommend subscribing to our free content management course email lessons if you haven’t already, as these provide a practical step-by-step way to implement the lessons in this course.

As a subscriber, you will also get notified when new posts containing practical information and valuable content management tips are added to our blog.

What Is A Content Strategy?

A content strategy helps you define your target audience, understand their needs and interests, and create content that addresses those needs and speaks to their interests.

It also helps you determine the most effective channels for distributing that content, such as your website, social media, email marketing, or even offline channels like events or print materials.

A simple way to think about content strategy is to ask the question “how do we achieve our business goals using content?”

A content strategy presupposes that the business already has in place a business strategy and a marketing strategy to achieve its goals.

This is important because a content strategy is a component of the business marketing strategy and specifies who, what, where, when, and how it plans to connect with its audience.

Chart showing relationship of business strategy, marketing strategy, and content strategy.
Businesses need a business strategy and a marketing strategy before creating a content strategy.

A content strategy can be defined as…

“Getting the right content to the right user at the right time through strategic planning of content creation, delivery, and governance.”

Source: ContentStrategyAlliance.com

Also…

A content strategy is your brand’s game plan to drive traffic, leads, engagement, sales, and other business outcomes through content.

Source: ContentStrategyAlliance.com

A content strategy is also much broader than coming up with a list of content formats and topics. It includes buyer personas, customer journey maps, editorial calendars, content audits, and content governance.

Watch our free video course on how to create an effective content strategy for your business.

Now that we have a basic understanding of what a content strategy is, let’s take a look at why businesses need one.

Why Do You Need A Content Strategy?

Businesses need a content strategy to:

  1. Set And Reach Goals – A documented content strategy helps define marketing goals, set priorities plan the work, and ensure that all marketing efforts translate into tangible results.
  2. Track Progress – A strong content strategy outlines the metrics to track, analyze, and determine if the content marketing efforts are producing results.
  3. Identify New Opportunities – A good content strategy outlines all the avenues that can be used to follow news and trends and find story ideas and prevent the effort put into discovering new opportunities from being uncoordinated and reflecting poorly on a brand’s publications and tone.
  4. Cut Costs – Content strategies help define how much money to spend per project, how to spend it, and how to find ways to cut costs if required to avoid excessive spending on individual projects.
  5. Optimize Its Marketing Team – A documented content strategy sets out performance metrics for team members, and defines a work schedule for content creation, guidelines on the management of social media accounts, maintenance of marketing automation system, and other content-related processes. Without this, the marketing team won’t know how much content to produce, where to post it, how to repurpose it, and how to work as productively and effectively as possible.
  6. Produce Content That Converts – Content that consistently converts comes from a content strategy that understands who its target audience is, what type, style, and format of content its audience wants to consume, its ideal content tone, and how to leverage different distribution and promotional channels.

Source: Kontent.ai

In simpler terms, a content strategy can help your business realize its vision.

Chart: Business cycle
A content strategy gives a measurable and quantifiable way to help your business realize its vision using content.

If your business has a clear vision with clearly defined objectives and a sound business and marketing strategy, a content strategy provides a measurable and quantifiable way to determine how using content can help you achieve those objectives.

Your content strategy drives your content plan, defines the focus of your content production efforts and content promotion activities, and specifies what systems your business needs to put in place to manage all of your content-related processes effectively, including the content itself.

Content Strategy Goals And Objectives

Common content strategy goals and objectives include:

  • Audience understanding: The goal is to understand the target audience and create content that meets their needs, interests, and preferences. This can be achieved by conducting market research, creating buyer personas, and analyzing website traffic data.
  • Brand alignment: The goal is to align content with the company’s brand messaging and values, and to create a consistent brand voice and visual identity across all content. This can be achieved by creating a brand style guide, conducting a brand audit, and training content creators on your brand’s messaging and tone.
  • Content creation and distribution: The goal is to plan, create, and distribute high-quality, relevant, and engaging content to reach and engage the target audience. This can be achieved by creating an editorial calendar, creating and publishing blog posts, creating and publishing videos, and creating and publishing infographics.
  • Content optimization: The goal is to improve the visibility and performance of existing content through search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. This can be achieved by researching and including relevant keywords, optimizing meta tags, and creating internal and external links.
  • Content measurement and analytics: The goal is to track and measure the performance of content in terms of engagement, conversion, and other key performance indicators (KPIs). This can be achieved by using Google Analytics to track website traffic, using social media analytics to track engagement, and using A/B testing to optimize conversion rates.
  • Content governance: The goal is to ensure that all content is accurate, up-to-date, and compliant with legal, ethical, and brand guidelines. This can be achieved by creating and enforcing a content style guide, regularly reviewing and updating content, and ensuring that all content is accessible and inclusive.
  • Continuous improvement: The goal is to continuously improve your content strategy by analyzing performance data, gathering feedback, and making adjustments as needed. This can be achieved by conducting regular content audits, gathering feedback from stakeholders, and testing and implementing new content formats and distribution channels.

Benefits Of Having A Content Strategy

There are many benefits to having a clear content strategy, including:

  • Consistency: With a content strategy in place, you can ensure that your content is consistent in terms of quality, tone, and style. This helps to build trust with your audience and establish your brand as a reliable source of information.
  • Improved audience targeting: A content strategy helps to identify the target audience for your content and ensures that the content is tailored to their interests and needs.
  • Increased brand awareness: Consistently publishing high-quality content can help to increase awareness of your brand and establish it as a thought leader in your industry.
  • Greater customer engagement: By providing valuable and relevant content, you can engage and build relationships with your customers, leading to increased loyalty and customer retention.
  • Higher search engine rankings: A content strategy can help to optimize your website’s content for search engines, leading to higher search rankings and increased organic traffic.
  • Enhanced reputation management: A content strategy can help to proactively manage your brand’s reputation by ensuring that all content aligns with your brand values and message.
  • Increased sales and conversions: By providing valuable and relevant content, you can drive traffic to your website and convert visitors into customers.
  • Improved internal communication: A content strategy can help to align the goals and messaging of different teams within your organization, improving internal communication and collaboration.
  • Streamlined content creation: A content strategy helps to define the types of content that will be created, who will create it, and how it will be distributed, streamlining the content creation process.
  • Reduced costs: By having a content strategy in place, you can avoid wasting time and resources creating ineffective or redundant content and focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with your target audience.

Content Strategy Vs Marketing Strategy Vs Content Marketing

It’s also important to distinguish between Content Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Content Marketing and the differences between a Content Strategy vs a Content Marketing Strategy.

Content Strategy vs Marketing Strategy

A marketing strategy outlines the marketing steps you’ll take towards your ultimate goals, like growth and increasing revenue, a content strategy focuses on defining which content is created to support this marketing strategy, as well as how you’ll promote it.

Source: Kurve.co.uk

Content Strategy vs Content Marketing

Content strategy is the roadmap that guides your content marketing. Content marketing is the process of organizing, scheduling, creating, publishing, and promoting content pieces. Content marketing is the tactics that follow from the content strategy.

Source: Terakeet.com

An effective content strategy needs to specify:

  1. What goals the business wants to achieve using content,
  2. What type of content will be used to achieve these goals,
  3. How to create and distribute this content, and
  4. How to measure its performance.
Content Strategy
An effective content strategy needs to specify the above.

Let’s go briefly through each of these steps:

1. Business Goals

Some of the main goals a business may want to achieve using content can include:

  • Increasing search rankings
  • Driving traffic
  • Reaching a specific target audience
  • Increasing brand awareness
  • Building engagement
  • Boosting conversions
  • etc.

In The State Of Content Marketing Global Report (2022), for  example, a survey of 1,500 marketers cited the following as their key content goals for 2022:

  • 45% want to increase brand awareness
  • 37% want to attract more traffic to their website
  • 36% are focused on generating leads through content marketing
  • 27% of respondents want increased sales and revenue
  • 23% strive for improved customer loyalty and engagement with their brand

Here are a few examples of strategic business goals and objectives using content and content marketing:

  • To create a content marketing strategy that increases website traffic by 50% within the next six months.
  • To develop a content calendar that consistently delivers high-quality, relevant content to our target audience.
  • To increase brand awareness and engagement through social media by creating and sharing engaging content on a regular basis.
  • To establish our company as a thought leader in our industry through the creation and distribution of educational and informative content.
  • To improve search engine rankings through the optimization of our website content and the creation of high-quality backlinks.
  • To develop a content marketing campaign that generates at least 100 qualified leads within the next quarter.
  • To create a content marketing strategy that increases customer retention and loyalty through the creation of personalized and valuable content.
  • To establish ourselves as the go-to source for industry news and trends by creating and sharing timely and relevant content.
  • To improve customer acquisition and conversion rates through the creation of targeted and persuasive content.
  • To create a content marketing strategy that supports the overall goals and objectives of our business.

2. Types Of Content

After defining goals and objectives, the next step is to decide what type of content the business will use to achieve these.

This can include using blog posts & articles, social media posts, how-to guides, videos, email newsletters, ebooks, whitepapers, and reports, podcasts, infographics, webinars, case studies, etc.

Graph: Content Formats That Produced The Best Results In 2021
Content formats. Source: Semrush.com. Click on the image to view an enlarged version.

We cover this in more detail in the content planning and content production modules.

3. Content Creation & Distribution

After specifying the type of content the business needs to create to achieve its goals, the next step is to define how it will create and distribute this content.

Chart: Channels used to distribute and promote content.
Content distribution channels. Source: Semrush.com. Click on the image to view an enlarged version.

We cover this in more detail in the content planning, content production, and content promotion modules.

4. Measuring Content Performance

The last step of an effective content strategy is to be able to track and measure the performance of your published content.

This step lets your business know if the content has helped it achieve its goals.

Content Performance Measurement
Key metrics used to measure content performance success. Source: Semrush.com. Click on the image to view an enlarged version.

We look at ways to measure content performance in the content planning, content management and content promotion modules.

Key Elements Of An Effective Content Strategy

According to Kurve, the three pillars of a successful content strategy are brand focus, user experience, and content distribution.

Brand Focus ensures that the content is consistent with the brand strategy of the business and that it remains on-topic and relevant to both the business and its customers.

User Experience involves developing an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) so that you can create highly targeted content.

Content Distribution defines where and how you will publish content to make the most out of the media types you will publish and deliver your content in. We cover this in more depth in the Content Promotion module.

Who Is Responsible For Creating A Content Strategy?

In the Content Manager Mindset lesson, we discuss the three decision-making levels of a business and how these are responsible for creating, implementing, and managing different areas of the organization.

This includes the overall business strategy and its digital strategy.

Digital Strategy Structure
Different decision-making levels are responsible for creating, managing, and implementing different aspects of a Digital Strategy.

If we apply the three decision-making levels to the digital strategy of a business, for example:

  • The executive level creates its digital content strategy.
  • The management level implements and manages its digital content plan.
  • The technical/tactical level performs the work required to create the content specified in the content plan (e.g. writing articles, recording videos, etc.)

Ideally, executive-level roles of the business would create a content strategy for the organization as part of developing its overall business strategy and digital strategy.

The Content Manager would then take the content strategy and use it to create and implement a content plan.

This content plan would then be used to drive the content production process.

As we have seen in the Digital Business Setups lesson, however, many small and startup businesses do not have the resources to either create a digital business strategy or hire a content strategist to create one for the organization.

In this case, the content manager will need to be directly involved in the process of creating a content strategy before creating and implementing a content plan.

How Do You Create A Digital Content Strategy?

We cover this process in a separate lesson here: How To Create A Content Strategy

Content Strategy – Useful Stats

We mentioned earlier that there are key differences between a content strategy and a content marketing strategy. Many businesses confuse these two.

Keeping this in mind, it’s good to know and keep up with the latest content marketing statistics, as these can be helpful when creating or reviewing your content strategy.

Infographic: What makes a content strategy successful?
Infographic: What makes a content strategy successful? Source: Semrush.com. Click on the image to view an enlarged version.

Content Strategy – FAQs

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about content strategy:

What is content strategy?

Content strategy is a plan that outlines how content will be created, managed, and distributed to achieve specific business goals, such as increasing brand awareness or driving conversions.

It involves understanding the audience, creating relevant content, and ensuring consistency across channels as well as planning, creation, delivery, and governance of content.

It also ensures that there is usable and useful content, which is well structured and easily found, appropriate to the needs of the user, and that it enhances or improves the user experience of a website or brand interaction.

Why is it important to have a content strategy?

Having a content strategy provides direction, consistency, and efficiency in content creation and distribution efforts. It helps businesses effectively reach and engage their target audience, build brand authority, and drive desired actions, leading to better ROI on marketing investments.

How does content strategy align with business objectives?

A content strategy should directly support business objectives, such as increasing brand awareness, boosting sales, or improving customer engagement. Each piece of content should be crafted with these objectives in mind to ensure it contributes to achieving the overall goals of the organization.

What are the key elements of a content strategy?

Key elements include clearly defined goals, a deep understanding of the target audience, content auditing and mapping, developing a content calendar, content creation guidelines for creating high-quality content optimized for SEO, and metrics for performance evaluation through analytics. It should also encompass content management and updating processes. Each component should also ensures alignment with business objectives and audience needs.

How do you develop a content strategy?

Developing a content strategy involves researching audience preferences, defining clear objectives, conducting competitive analysis, selecting appropriate channels, creating a content calendar, assigning responsibilities, and continuously refining based on performance data. It’s essential to have a documented strategy to guide content creation and distribution efforts.

What tools are used in content strategy?

Common tools used in content strategy include content management systems (CMS), SEO tools, content analytics tools, and project management software. These tools help in planning, creating, managing, and measuring the effectiveness of content.

How is content performance measured?

Content performance effectiveness can be measured through key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments), conversion rates, lead generation, sales attributed to content, user feedback, SEO rankings, etc. Analyzing data from web analytics tools like Google Analytics and social media analytics platforms provides insights into what content resonates with the audience and what needs improvement.

How does content strategy differ from content marketing?

Content strategy focuses on the planning, creation, and management of content to achieve business objectives, while content marketing specifically aims to attract and engage an audience through valuable, relevant content to drive profitable customer action. They are closely related but serve different purposes within a marketing strategy.

Content strategy is also a broad discipline that includes defining how and why content will be collected, managed, and archived, whereas content marketing focuses specifically on using content to attract and engage audiences, leading them towards a specific business goal.

How often should I update my content strategy?

You should review and update your content strategy regularly, at least annually, or more frequently depending on changes in business goals, audience needs, or market dynamics.

Summary

It’s important that businesses have a clear content strategy, as this will guide and drive all the content it creates to achieve their goals.

Without a content strategy, planning, creating, promoting, and managing content can lead to ineffective results and wasting valuable resources.

Action Steps

If you are the person responsible for managing content in your organization, it is vitally important to make sure that there is a content strategy in place. If not, look for ways to help create one.

Useful Resources

In addition to completing the lessons in this module, we recommend the following resources:

Visit our tools and resources section for additional courses, guides, and helpful tools and resources for content managers.

References

See the articles below for additional useful information related to this lesson:

Content Strategy

Also…

Business Strategy

Marketing Strategy

***

This concludes our overview lesson on content strategy.

Please complete all lessons in this module before proceeding to the next module (Content Planning).

Next Lesson

Go here for the next lesson in the Content Strategy training module: How To Create A Content Strategy or click on one of the other lessons in this module in the section below.

Content Strategy – Module Lessons

This module includes the following lessons:

Content Strategy

Content Strategy

Learn what a content strategy is, why it's important to have one, and how to develop an effective digital content strategy for your business.
Digital Business Basics

Digital Business Basics

This lesson looks at some of the basic steps your business should complete before it can grow using content.
How To Create A Content Strategy

How To Create A Content Strategy

Learn how to create an effective content strategy for your organization.
Target Audience

Target Audience

Identify your target audience's demographics, interests, and pain points to create a more targeted content strategy.
Buyer Journey

Buyer Journey

Learn how your customer's buyer journey impacts your content strategy. 
Customer Surveys

Customer Surveys

Use feedback from customer surveys to create a more targeted content strategy and improve your content creation.
Content Audit

Content Audit

Learn why businesses need a content audit and how to perform a content audit for your organization.
Web Content Accessibility

Web Content Accessibility

Learn about the importance of making your web content more accessible and inclusive for all of your website's users.

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Image: Coffee and Notepad

Content Workflow

Learn how to define a content workflow for your organization, from content ideation and creation to scheduling and publishing. 

Content Workflow

Learn how to define a content workflow for your organization, from content ideation and creation to scheduling and publishing. 

WhiteboardKeeping content projects on track and on time requires organizing and managing processes with specific tasks, done in a specific order, by team members assigned to specific roles.

If you are building a content pipeline and your content team is working on various projects, things can quickly become unwieldy and difficult to manage. People will start to get confused about where things are at, and projects will end up getting stuck and delayed.

This is where having a defined content workflow can help.

In this lesson, we’ll cover:

  • What is a content workflow?
  • The importance of defining your content workflow.
  • Key elements of an effective content workflow.

Before You Begin

Make sure to review the Content Production Overview lesson before starting this lesson.

What Is A Content Workflow?

The Content Marketing Institute defines a content workflow as follows:

“A content workflow is a set of tasks that a team needs to complete for a given client or content type — a web page, a blog post, a white paper, an email, or any other kind of content that the group needs to deliver.”

Source: Content Marketing Institute

The article also mentions Kristina Halvorson, author of Content Strategy For The Web, as saying that a content workflow determines “how content is requested, sourced, created, reviewed, approved, and delivered,” and goes on to explain:

  • Why a business needs to define a content workflow
  • How to define a content workflow, and
  • How to:
    • Identify the roles (who is involved in production)
    • Identify the tasks (what each role does)
    • Determine when tasks should get done by to maintain consistent production flow, and
    • Assign accountability for overseeing and tracking projects through to completion.

This lesson will cover these areas, but we also recommend reading the article: Marketing Workflow: How To Keep Content Production On Track

The Importance Of Defining Your Content Flow

As we touched on in the Content Production Overview lesson, creating a content workflow involves defining things like the steps involved, who does what to make each step happen, how/when the process should move from one step to the next, what formats, guidelines, and procedures should be followed to ensure consistent standards, how/when to deliver each step, etc.

Even a simple content workflow can have many moving parts. For example, consider the steps involved in writing an article for a blog.

At first glance, it may look something like this:

  • Create an outline.
  • Write a draft.
  • Review the draft.
  • Edit the draft.
  • Get changes approved.
  • Publish the article.
Simple content production workflow.
A simple content workflow.

However, if you map out the sequence of all the steps involved in the actual article writing process, you may find that your article creation workflow ends up looking something more like this:

Content workflow for creating an article.
Your content workflow for creating articles could look like this.

From the above, it should be clear that:

  1. Certain aspects of the process need to be assigned to and performed by different roles.
  2. Some steps cannot proceed until other steps have first been completed.
  3. Certain processes involve steps that “loop” (i.e. repeat) before the workflow can move to the next phase.
  4. Different content requires different content workflows – a workflow used to create content like blog articles won’t necessarily work for other types of content (e.g. videos).

It’s important, then, to define content workflows in the content production process, as it helps the content team to:

  • Keep everything organized, saving time, reducing costs, and increasing production efficiency,
  • Break down different processes into manageable tasks,
  • Identify each stage of development and what needs to happen for the item to move forward and get approved,
  • Know who should take over responsibility for each step and when,
  • Identify and deal with bottlenecks in the production process.
  • Identify different workflows for different types of content.

Content Workflow Goals And Objectives

Common content workflow goals and objectives include:

  • Efficiency: The goal is to streamline the content creation process and reduce the time and effort required to produce, review, and publish content. This can be achieved by creating a content calendar, using project management tools, and automating repetitive tasks.
  • Collaboration: The goal is to promote collaboration and communication among team members to ensure that content is created and reviewed in a timely and effective manner. This can be achieved by using shared tools for content creation, review, and publishing, setting up regular meetings and check-ins, and providing clear guidelines and instructions.
  • Quality control: The goal is to ensure that all content meets the established standards for quality, accuracy, and compliance with legal, ethical, and brand guidelines. This can be achieved by creating and enforcing a content style guide, regularly reviewing and updating content, and ensuring that all content is accessible and inclusive.
  • Scalability: The goal is to ensure that the content workflow can easily adapt and scale to accommodate changes in content volume, team size, and complexity. This can be achieved by using cloud-based tools, creating a flexible and modular content creation process, and implementing a version control system.
  • Security: The goal is to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the content and the workflows by implementing security protocols. This can be achieved by using encryption and access controls, creating backups, and monitoring for unauthorized access.
  • Flexibility: The goal is to ensure that the content workflow can be easily adapted to changing business needs and goals. This can be achieved by incorporating a feedback and testing process, making it easy for stakeholders to provide input and feedback, and implementing agile methodologies.
  • Automation: The goal is to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks to improve the speed and efficiency of the content workflow. This can be achieved by using a content management system (CMS) to automate the publishing process, using workflow automation tools, and integrating with other tools and software.
  • Integration: The goal is to integrate the content workflow with other systems and tools to improve efficiency, collaboration, and automation. This can be achieved by integrating with a CRM system, integrating with social media platforms, and integrating with analytics and reporting tools.

Key Elements Of An Effective Content Workflow

As mentioned, you may need to define different content workflows depending on the content strategy of the business and the purpose of the content it intends to create.

For example, consider the following types of content:

  • Blog articles to boost search engine visibility and drive traffic to the business,
  • Videos to inform and introduce products to potential customers,
  • Social media posts to increase brand awareness.

Each type of content listed above requires different processes to create and serves a different purpose. Each of these processes needs to be clearly defined to ensure efficient content production and consistent standards of quality.

While each of these content types requires different workflow processes, they also have certain elements in common.

Let’s look at these.

Content Production Phases

Content Production Phases
Different phases of content production.

While different content production processes result in the creation of different content types, they all tend to move through similar phases.

Your content workflow has to move content production through the various phases below:

1. Concept Development / Strategic Ideation

In this phase, team members brainstorm content ideas. Ideally, this will flow from the content strategy and include input from all stakeholders (e.g. the content team, designers, writers, editors, channel managers, creative agencies, etc.) to provide a fuller perspective of all the essential aspects of the project.

This phase should also involve a discussion of factors that can affect the project, like concept, style, budget, resources, timeframes, etc.

2. Pre-Production

This is the preparation phase where you source, gather and line up everything you will need before starting the actual process of creating the content. Depending on which project the team is working on, pre-production may include activities like researching, preparing outlines, sourcing graphics, scripting, etc.

For example, if you are shooting a video, pre-production will probably involve doing things like:

  • Create a video timeline
  • Write a creative brief
  • Estimate the video budget
  • Write the video script
  • Draw the video storyboard
  • Recruit video talent

Source: Vidyard.com

On the other hand, if you are planning to write an article for a blog, pre-production will involve different activities, such as:

  • Create an outline
  • Research information
  • Gather quotes, stats, etc.
  • Source media (images, banners, videos, etc.)
  • Interview subject experts
  • etc.

3. Production

This is where the content gets assembled. Production can take place internally (e.g. by the content team) or externally (e.g. an agency or outsourced provider), or split between the two.

4. Post-Production

In this phase, content either gets fine-tuned and polished (e.g. adding video titles and intros/outros to videos) or prepared for different channels and purposes (e.g., adding video transcripts or translations, creating longer and shorter versions of videos, repurposing articles for social media, infographics, slide presentations, videos, etc.).

Post-production activities can also be split between internal and external teams.

5. Feedback Loop

Once the content is ready for initial review (e.g. an article draft or video rough), it will typically bounce around a loop (e.g. Draft 1 > Review 1 > Draft 2 > Review 2 > Draft 3 > Review 3) involving different people (e.g. editors, subject experts, managers) or different departments (e.g. HR, legal) who provide feedback and additional suggestions until the final content is approved.

6. Final Delivery / Publishing

This is where the content is approved for publishing or distribution via the agreed channels (e.g. blog, social media, email newsletters, etc.)

Content Purpose

There are different ways to define your content’s purpose. For example, the overall purpose of the content may be to help the business achieve a strategic goal, such as building brand awareness or generating leads and sales.

While knowing why you are creating a certain piece of content is important and should be incorporated into the workflow’s production notes and the content brief (see further below), asking a writer to write an article or a video producer to create a video designed to “build brand awareness” doesn’t provide sufficient direction to help them with the actual article writing or video scripting process.

So, additional information about the purpose of the content may be required.

For example, SEOptimer describes the three types of content produced for most websites, often to be used in conjunction with one another:

  • Cornerstone Content – This is longer, authoritative content that will remain mostly unchanged, covering single topics in a definitive way to build awareness of your brand and establish authority rather than to sell products. Cornerstone content is the content you want to rank highest in the search engines, so it needs to be well written, updated often, and targeted to rank for your most competitive keywords.
  • Gated Content – This is content (usually of very high value) designed to be exchanged for something of equally high value (e.g. opt-in subscriber or lead information), such as email newsletters, downloadable guides or templates, podcasts, etc.
  • Evolving Content –  This is content produced regularly that changes over time and often needs frequent updates, such as blog posts, news, a video series, etc.

While the aim of content marketing is to use content to convince your audience to take an intended action (e.g. buy something), the aim of content production is to connect with individual members of that audience, and this also has to be reflected in the content’s purpose.

EngageContent describes three types of content that connect with individuals:

  • Entertaining content – Content that connects with people on an emotional level, such as subjective stories centered around people.
  • Educational content – Content that connects with people on an intellectual level, such as objective content that describes processes or analysis of data.
  • Informative content – Content that connects with people on an attentional level, e.g. news content that attracts the reader’s attention because it’s current, new, and relevant.

Understanding the above differences and incorporating these into your content workflow will help your team create and deliver content that is on-purpose.

Content Types

Your content workflow may be geared exclusively to the production of one type of content or to multiple content types, such as blog articles, videos, emails, social media posts, downloadable PDF guides, whitepapers, infographics, templates, etc., and/or produced for print and digital formats.

See the Content Types lesson to learn more about different types of content that can be included in your content workflow and content production.

Team Roles

When defining a content workflow, it’s important to understand and identify:

  • Who will be involved in the content production process,
  • Which stage of the project they will be required to participate in, and
  • What the responsibilities of each role will be.

A project may require assigning different roles to people who may also be working on other projects or areas of the business at the same time, so it’s important to define how all the different roles will work together seamlessly and efficiently in the workflow.

Swimlane diagrams, for, example, are a useful way to map roles in content workflows.

Example workflow - swimlane diagram
A ‘swimlane’ content workflow involving a number of roles. Source: Content Marketing Institute.

We provide an entire section dedicated to helping you understand different team roles in a content production team and a digital organization.

Tasks

After identifying the roles in the workflow, the next step involves the following:

  1. Identifying the tasks required to complete a project (i.e. what needs to be done).
  2. Defining each task in detail (to minimize time-wasting and confusion once the project gets underway).
  3. Assigning tasks to the roles (i.e. who will do what).
  4. Organizing tasks in a logical and sequential order (i.e. their flow).

Without clearly-defined tasks, things can fall through the cracks, especially if there are multiple people working on a project and/or or multiple teams responsible for ensuring the completion of projects. Vaguely-defined tasks can lead to confusion and lack of accountability (e.g. “I didn’t know I was supposed to do that…I thought such and such was looking after that area!”).

For this reason, it’s important that tasks be made clear enough so that anyone occupying the role assigned to the task will know exactly what needs to be done to complete their part and move it along to the next stage of the production process.

Here’s how to ensure this happens:

  • Break each task down into its smallest possible elements. For example, after a blog article has been approved for publishing and before hitting the “publish” button, there may be additional steps involved to the post itself (i.e. not the content), like adding a post excerpt, meta description, author’s note, related articles, categories, tags, etc.
  • Work out who is responsible for each element. For example, if you are creating an infographic, make sure to specify who will do the research and who will supply the graphic designer or illustrator with accurate data (and in which format, e.g. a list, table, slide mock up, etc.). Similarly, who will upload the final article to the blog and hit the publish button…the writer, the editor, or the production manager?
  • Assign each element of the task to a specific team member. This will help you work out whether certain roles have excessive workloads in the production process and whether these can be distributed, reassigned, or consolidated within existing roles and the available resources.
  • Ask for feedback when assigning tasks. It may be more efficient for someone else to take on a task. For example, when writing a technical article, a product manager may be more suitable for writing out all of the key points and then handing this to a writer for making the content flow in a more readable way to the audience. This can be worked out during the team production meeting.
  • Work out agreed ways to signal the completion of a task. Using good workflow management tools can help in this area.

As most tasks in workflows tend to be repeatable processes, it’s best to document these tasks and anything else that helps to complete them, like style guidelines, company information (e.g. mission, vision, and value statements, legal compliance policies, etc.), and store this documentation somewhere where your team can easily access it.

Timelines

Ideally, you would start from the deadline or final publication date for the content, then work backward to create a timeline, adding in specific dates or time frames for all the steps in the process. This way, each team member knows when their task is coming up and when it is due and can plan their workload accordingly.

For example, Let’s say that you are in the first week of July and during your production meeting, the team is informed about a new product due for release on August 1st that needs an accompanying article to be written and ready to publish by the end of July.

Let’s also say that from past experience, you know that it takes articles one working week to go through the feedback loop for reviews and approvals, 2-3 days to write the first draft, and 2-3 days to research and create an outline once the writer is given a content brief.

Working backward from the deadline, the initial schedule for making sure that the article will be ready in time for publishing would look something like this…

Example of a content production calendar with project milestones written in.
What your production calendar timeline would look like working backward from a deadline for submitting publish-ready content.

From the above schedule, you would then assign all the tasks required to complete the project to different roles and incorporate your content workflow into your content management tool to track its progress.

While this approach may work for getting content delivered in sync with a specific marketing promotion or event (e.g. a “Black Friday” sale) and is quite useful for content planning purposes, things often don’t work out to plan, so it’s important to include enough time into the content production process for additional edits, revisions, and unexpected events, such as:

  • A team member gets sick or goes on leave,
  • Competing priorities create delays, hold-ups, or bottlenecks in the production process,
  • The project schedule is brought forward (e.g. to match a product release or company announcement).

Tools

Using the right tools allows everyone involved in the project to have a clear idea of what, when, and where their contribution is required in the workflow, and to keep track of where things are at during production.

We cover this area in more detail in this lesson: Content Production Tools

Workflow Approach

Once everything has been defined — phases, timelines, roles, tasks, etc., the next step is to choose a workflow approach and arrange all production elements in a way that will work for the business or organization.

As explained in this article, there are three main workflow approaches:

  • Status-based: The workflow is organized around the status of a content piece.
  • Task-based: The workflow is organized around the tasks needed to complete the project.
  • Swim lane: The workflow is organized across different roles over time.
Swimlane Diagram
An example of tasks organized using the ‘swim lane’ workflow approach. Source: Smartsheet.com

Project/Content Brief

A content brief (or project brief, or creative brief) is a document that outlines the project’s context, purpose, and deliverables. It provides whoever is assigned to create the content with all the information and direction they need to make sure that their efforts will be on track and on purpose.

A content brief helps to:

  • Set out project expectations clearly and concisely.
  • Make the team focus on the most important areas of the project.
  • Save unnecessary editing and revisions.
  • Deliver content that fits the purpose and goals of the organization’s content strategy.

Depending on the project type, a content brief may include/address the following areas:

  • Project background (i.e. why is this content required?)
  • Target audience/buyer persona (if the organization targets multiple audiences)
  • Content type(s) and deliverables
  • Project timeline, deadline, and key milestones
  • Suggested titles, target keywords
  • Initial research (e.g.  competing articles, reference sources, etc.)
  • Resources (e.g. supporting statistics, quotes, related articles for internal linking, etc.)
  • Access to subject matter experts (if required). This can be as simple as pointing out who to contact in the organization to obtain information (e.g. a product manager), or something more elaborate, such as lining up interviews with industry experts.

To help you understand what a content brief looks like, here is an example of a content brief for an article listing the best espresso coffee machines:

*** Start Content Brief ***

Title: “Top 10 Best Espresso Coffee Machines for At-Home Brewing”

Purpose: To provide readers with a list of the best espresso coffee machines for at-home brewing, based on factors such as performance, ease of use, and price.

Target audience: Home coffee enthusiasts who are interested in purchasing an espresso coffee machine for at-home brewing.

Objectives:

  • To help readers find the best espresso coffee machine for their needs and budget.
  • To provide detailed information about the features and performance of each espresso coffee machine.
  • To offer tips and recommendations for selecting the right espresso coffee machine.

Keywords: espresso, coffee machine, at-home brewing, performance, ease of use, price, features

Outline:

    1. Introduction
  • Explain the purpose of the article and introduce the topic of espresso coffee machines.
  • Provide a brief overview of the different types of espresso coffee machines available, and explain why they are a popular choice for at-home brewing.

2. Top 10 Best Espresso Coffee Machines

  • Introduce the list of the top 10 best espresso coffee machines, and explain the criteria used to select them (performance, ease of use, price, etc.).
  • For each espresso coffee machine on the list, provide a brief overview of its features and performance, and explain why it made the top 10.

3. Tips and Recommendations

  • Offer tips and recommendations for selecting the right espresso coffee machine, based on factors such as budget, intended use, and personal preferences.
  • Provide guidance on how to properly use and maintain an espresso coffee machine to ensure optimal performance.

4. Conclusion

  • Summarize the main points of the article and encourage readers to consider purchasing one of the top 10 best espresso coffee machines for at-home brewing.

**** End Content Brief ***

Content briefs are not only useful for helping your content team nail projects when creating standardized content types internally but they can also be used in projects that involve working with new or inexperienced writers and content creators, outsourced (e.g. freelance) writers and marketing agencies, partners who are writing content about your company, or when creating projects on behalf of clients.

In all of the above instances, writing content or creative briefs before starting on the work will help content creators stay focused on the project’s goals, audiences, topics, keywords, etc., and deliver content that will meet your defined standard, voice, style, and needs.

Useful Tips:

  • Don’t overload content creators by supplying them with more information than they need to complete the project.
  • Ideally, the brief would also incorporate some form of initial meeting or discussion with the content team and individuals involved in the project to address any questions or concerns they may have and to make sure that everyone clearly understands the project and what is expected of them.
  • It’s also useful to develop a content brief template that the team can easily understand and follow.

For additional information on creating content briefs, see the ‘Resources’ and ‘References’ sections at the end of this lesson.

Workflow Sub-Processes

Depending on the size of your business and the complexity of its projects, certain aspects of content production may take place in different areas of the business or outside the organization.

In this case, you may want to consider creating separate workflow sub-processes to ensure that content production remains manageable.

For example, in larger companies, content approval and content publishing often involve more people, different departments, or outsourcing to professionals outside the organization, so the business may want to consider treating these as sub-processes of the content production process and having separate workflows to manage these areas.

The content approval workflow would then focus on the ‘sign-off’ process and deal specifically with content approval or rejection, while the content publishing workflow would focus specifically on the publication process.

Document Storage

An efficient content production process needs a system that allows content to be stored, organized, and retrieved at each stage of production.

This will depend on what works best for your organization.

You can use workflow management software to do this or just simply set up a numbered series of folders on a shared drive or cloud storage location that allows each member of the team to go into the folder on a specified date and see at a glance whether there is work waiting for them to do and what their tasks and responsibilities are for that day.

Ideally, you will use a combination of both methods. For example, you can run content projects from a workflow management tool and allow team members to add and access media elements such as images, videos, and downloadable files from numbered folders saved on a shared drive.

Example of using numbered folders to organize a content project
You can organize your content project using content workflow software of numbered folders. Source: EngageContent.com.au

We cover this area in more detail here: Content Workflow Documentation

Content Production Schedule

The next step after defining your content workflow is to create a content production schedule.

This is the schedule that your content team will work to in order to meet content production targets and deliver content within specific deadlines.

The content production schedule will depend on how much content the business needs to create and the structure of your content team. This schedule can be refined as you go.

Once your content team gets into its stride, you will have a better idea of how long it takes to create content outlines, edit drafts, wait for people to review articles, coordinate items and events between different calendars (e.g. content production and content promotion calendars), what days are best to publish content, etc.

This is covered in more detail in this lesson: Content Production Team Schedule.

Content Workflow Checklist

  • Define the goals and objectives of your content workflow: Clearly define the goals and objectives of the content workflow, such as streamlining the content creation process and ensuring consistency in the quality of the content.
  • Identify all stakeholders: Identify all stakeholders involved in the content creation process, including content creators, editors, and approvers.
  • Define roles and responsibilities: Define the roles and responsibilities for each stakeholder in the content creation process.
  • Establish a content creation process: Establish a content creation process that outlines the steps for creating, reviewing, editing, and publishing content.
  • Use a content management system (CMS): Use a content management system (CMS) to manage and organize the content creation process.
  • Set deadlines and milestones: Set deadlines and milestones for each step of the content creation process.
  • Implement a content review process: Implement a content review process to ensure the quality and consistency of the content.
  • Use a version control system: Use a version control system to keep track of the different versions of the content and ensure that the final version is accurate.
  • Set up an approval process: Set up an approval process for the final version of the content before it is published.
  • Continuously monitor and improve: Continuously monitor and improve the content workflow based on the results and feedback.

Content Workflow – FAQs

Here are frequently asked questions about content workflow:

What is content workflow?

Content workflow refers to the structured processes and steps involved in creating, managing, and distributing content. It ensures consistent execution and quality across content projects.

Why is content workflow important?

Content workflow is crucial because it helps teams maintain efficiency, consistency, and quality in content creation and distribution. It also facilitates better collaboration and accountability among team members.

What are the typical stages of a content workflow?

The stages usually include planning, creation, review, approval, publication, and analysis. These stages help in managing the content lifecycle effectively.

What tools are commonly used in content workflows?

Tools like CMS (Content Management Systems), image creation and editing tools, and word processors are frequently used for creating and managing content. Digital asset management systems are also essential for handling multimedia content.

How do I choose the right content workflow for my team?

Assess your team’s specific needs, the types of content you produce, your publication frequency, and your team’s size. It might also be beneficial to consider customizable templates or software that can adapt to your organization’s changing needs.

What are the benefits of a well-defined content workflow?

A well-defined workflow improves operational efficiency, reduces errors, ensures content quality, and helps meet deadlines. It can also lead to better content alignment with business goals.

Can content workflow impact content quality?

Yes, a well-managed workflow ensures that all content is properly vetted and refined through stages like editing and approval, which significantly enhances the quality of the final output.

Summary

Defining content workflows ensures that the content production process works efficiently by following a logical and repeatable order.

Content workflows also help your content team set clear milestones and recognize any dependencies required to help them meet project deadlines on time.

Action Steps

Identify and document all the different content workflows your organization requires to meet its strategic objectives.

Resources

References

Next Step

Learn how to document content workflows: Workflow Documentation

***

Image: Whiteboard

Content Production

Learn how to develop an effective content production process that delivers consistently high-quality content on a regular basis. 

Content Production

Learn how to develop an effective content production process that delivers consistently high-quality content on a regular basis. 

ContentManagementCourse.com - Content Production Module

Typewriter
Content…a website’s gotta have it!

Your business needs to produce high-quality content to attract leads and engage with your audience, delivered regularly, and often adapted to multiple channels.

This requires developing and maintaining an effective content production process.

In this lesson, we’ll cover:

  • What Is Content Production?
  • The Key Components Of A Content Production Process
  • Troubleshooting Common Content Production Problems

***

Before You Begin

Make sure to review and complete the lessons in the Content Strategy and Content Planning modules before you begin.

Additionally, we recommend subscribing to our free content management course email lessons if you haven’t already, as these provide a practical step-by-step way to implement the lessons in this course.

As a subscriber, you will also get notified when new posts containing practical information and valuable content management tips are added to our blog.

What Is Content Production?

Let’s look at some definitions from the web…

“Content production is the process of creating written and visual products for distribution as part of an overall content marketing strategy.”

Source: SEOptimer

And…

“Content production is the process of developing and creating visual or written assets, such as videos, eBooks, blog posts, whitepapers, or infographics.”

Source: Upland Software

As the above suggests, content production is a process.

Content production, however, is more than just a process. It’s also a system. And like every system, it requires inputs and outputs.

Your Content System: Content Strategy And Content Production

Having a content strategy is not the same as having a content production system:

Content strategy = the plan that informs what you publish, how you publish and why you publish (ie business value)”

vs…

Content production = the series of defined, documented, steps that take each piece of content from idea to publication and analyze its effectiveness in advancing your content strategy.”

Source: SEOptimer

Both your content strategy and content production process, however, are essential parts of a “self-looping” feedback system that can create and deliver content of great value to help your organization achieve its objectives.

Content Strategy and Content Production
Having a content strategy and a content production process is essential to creating content that delivers results to your business.

In fact, a content strategy (and the content plan derived from its strategic objectives) are the inputs the content production process needs to output the various types of content your business needs to meet its strategic goals and objectives.

Content Production process.
A content production system should deliver content that helps your business meet the goals outlined in your content strategy.

A good content production system, then, allows your business to:

  • Produce quality content for one or more content types that serve a definite purpose for your organization.
  • Maintain a steady flow of newly published content of a consistent standard.
  • Communicate roles and responsibilities clearly within the content production team and across other teams.
  • Identify, prevent, reduce, solve, and/or eliminate problems that arise in the content production process.
  • Adjust the types of content it produces if there are any changes made to the content strategy or content plan.
  • Scale its efforts.

It can’t be emphasized enough that content needs to be created (and distributed, and managed) as part of a well-thought-out system.

Your business may create an occasional brilliant piece of content ad-hoc, but without a strategy, planning, and systems, it will have no way to understand what makes the content resonate with your audience, what your true cost of production is, and how to duplicate this success across other topics or different content types.

The Key Components Of A Content Production Process

Now that we have established the importance of thinking of content production as being part of a system, let’s look at the main components of the content production process.

Content Production components.
Key components of the content production process.

Content Ideas

Coming up with ideas for your content can be a challenging part of the content creation process.

With the right sources and methods, however, you can generate a steady stream of ideas to keep your content fresh and engaging.

Some sources and methods you can use to generate ideas for your content include:

  • Your audience: Your audience is a great source of ideas for content. Consider what questions, problems, or interests your audience has, and create content that addresses those topics.
  • Industry experts and thought leaders: Follow industry experts and thought leaders in your field and look for ideas for content that align with their work and insights.
  • Trends and news: Stay up-to-date on current trends and news in your industry, and use them as inspiration for your content.
  • Social media: Social media is a great source of inspiration for content ideas. Look for conversations, hashtags, and trends on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
  • Brainstorming: Get your team together and have a brainstorming session to generate ideas for content. This can be a fun and creative way to come up with new and innovative ideas.
  • Competitor analysis: Take a look at what your competitors are doing and see if there are any gaps in their content. This can help you identify opportunities for your own content.

By using these sources and methods, you can generate a wide range of ideas for your content and keep your audience engaged with fresh and relevant material.

tip

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Learn more here: Free Content Ideas Course

Your Content Workflow

If your business intends to create and publish content repeatedly, then it needs an effective content production process to keep moving concepts from ideas to published content.

For example, writing an article for your company’s blog may involve the following steps:

  • Create an outline.
  • Write a draft.
  • Review the draft.
  • Edit the draft.
  • Get changes approved.
  • Publish the article.

These steps form a simple content workflow.

Simple content production workflow.
A simple content workflow.

Creating a content workflow involves defining:

  • The steps involved.
  • Who is responsible for doing each step.
  • What each step involves doing.
  • How and when should a process move to the next step.
  • What formats, guidelines, and procedures need to be followed to ensure that consistent standards are maintained.
  • How and when to deliver each step.
  • etc.

It also involves documenting:

  • How each step should be documented (and who will do this).
  • How and where the documentation should be stored.
  • Who can access and modify the documentation, processes, etc. (and how this should be done.)

While a workflow may define the process for creating one type of content (e.g. blog articles), it may not suit the production of other content types, such as videos, podcasts, slide presentations, ebooks, etc.

Some workflows may be simple, while others can be quite complex. Some projects may also require several different workflows to be assigned to different teams.

It’s important, therefore, to define workflows for all the different content processes that your business will engage in and all the different types of content it will create.

See the lessons below for details on how to create and document a content workflow for your business:

Content Team Roles

Let’s come back to this simple workflow…

Simple content production workflow.
Tasks of a typical content workflow.

The above process may be fine if you are the only person creating and publishing the content. In many businesses and organizations, however, a digital team comprised of multiple roles is often required to oversee and perform various content production tasks.

For example:

When multiple people are involved, the content workflow can look more like the swimlane diagram shown below.

Content workflow example - swimlane diagram
A content workflow with multiple roles involved in content production. Source: Content Marketing Institute.

A key component of the content production process, then, is being able to identify the specific roles required to perform and complete any given workflow, work out all the tasks involved, and assign each task to the respective role in its correct sequence.

Workflow Documentation

Documenting workflows not only helps to define the roles, tasks, processes, and steps involved in the production of content, but it also helps to organize content ideas, prioritize projects, track their execution, determine what happens to the content after its published, and record how and where all the information gets stored.

For more details on all of the above, see this lesson: Workflow Documentation

Content Production Tools

Many excellent tools can assist with content production, from managing the process itself to actually helping you to create the content.

For more details on various tools you can use, see this lesson: Content Production Tools

Content Production Review, Evaluation, And Measurement

To determine if your content production process is efficient and find ways to improve it, you must be able to measure, review, and evaluate it.

There are several ways to do this. For example, you can measure its qualitative and quantitative outputs:

  • Qualitative Outputs – Has the content met its brief? Were content guidelines for structure, style, formatting, etc. followed correctly?
  • Quantitative Outputs – Are content production targets being met? How much new content is being added and coming through the pipeline?
Content Production Efficiency = Qualitative Outputs and Quantitative Outputs
Having measurable outputs can help you evaluate content production efficiency.

You can also measure content production efficiency using time/cost-based metrics, such as:

1. Time to publish – how long it takes to move a piece from ideation to publication.
2. Time to distribute – how long it takes to get published content in the hands of the intended audience(s).
3. Withdrawal time – how quickly can published content with errors be withdrawn from public access or outdated content be reviewed.
4. Production cost – how much a piece costs to create.
5. Distribution cost – how much publishing a piece to each targeted channel costs.

Source: Vodori

A time/cost model for measuring content production efficiency.
A time/cost model for measuring content production efficiency. Source: Vodori

You can also use a combination of metrics to measure B2B content production efficiency, such as those used by Upland:

Measuring content production efficiency
B2B Content Metrics. Source: Upland

For more details on the above metrics, see this article: How To Measure Content Production Efficiency

Once you have a way to measure your content production efficiency, you can review and evaluate it by surveying key project stakeholders and getting their feedback regarding the processes involved.

Your Content Production Plan

Now that you understand the content production process better, it’s time to create your content production plan.

Your content production plan is a document that outlines the strategy and schedule for creating, publishing, and promoting content for your business.

It typically includes the goals and objectives for your content, your target audience, the types of content you will produce, the distribution channels you will use, and the key performance indicators (KPIs) you will use to measure the success of your content production efforts.

Your business needs a content production plan because it helps you to align your content efforts with your overall marketing and business goals and to ensure that you are creating content that is relevant, valuable, and engaging for your target audience.

It also allows your business to allocate its resources and budget more efficiently toward content creation and track your content’s performance over time.

Additionally, a content production plan can help your business to identify and fill gaps in your content offerings, and stay consistent and on-brand with your messaging.

In short, a content production plan is a detailed plan that outlines the specific actions and resources that your business will use to create and publish its content.

It is a more detailed version of your content plan and will help your business stay organized and on schedule when creating content.

Content Production Plan Goals And Objectives

Common content production plan goals and objectives include:

  • Content planning: The goal is to plan and strategize the creation, distribution, and promotion of content. This can be achieved by creating an editorial calendar, identifying a target audience, and defining KPIs.
  • Content creation: The goal is to create high-quality, engaging, and relevant content that meets the needs of your target audience. This can be achieved by writing blog posts, creating videos, and designing graphics and infographics
  • Content optimization: The goal is to improve the quality and performance of your content by ensuring it is well-written, visually appealing, and optimized for search engines and social media. This can be achieved by optimizing headlines, meta descriptions, and images, using keywords and hashtags, and making sure the content is mobile-friendly.
  • Content distribution: The goal is to distribute and promote content through various channels, such as social media, email, and other digital platforms. This can be achieved by publishing content on your website, sharing it on social media, and sending newsletters.
  • Content measurement and analytics: The goal is to track and measure your content’s performance in terms of engagement, conversion, and other key performance indicators (KPIs). This can be achieved by using analytics tools to track website traffic, social media engagement, and conversion rates
  • Content repurposing: The goal is to repurpose your existing content in new and different formats for different channels and audiences. This can be achieved by republishing a blog post as a video, creating an e-book from a series of blog posts, and turning a podcast episode into a transcript
  • Content updating: The goal is to keep your content up-to-date and relevant by updating or removing outdated information. This can be achieved by updating a blog post with new information, removing a broken link, or revising an old video.

How To Create A Content Production Plan

Here are the steps you can follow to create a content production plan for your business:

  • Review your content plan: Review your content plan and make sure that you have a clear understanding of your audience, goals, topics, and distribution channels.
  • Assign roles and responsibilities: Determine who will be responsible for each aspect of the content creation process. This might include research, writing, editing, design, and distribution.
  • Create a content calendar: Use a calendar or scheduling tool to plan out when each piece of content will be created, reviewed, and published. This will help you stay on track and ensure that you have a steady stream of content to share with your audience.
  • Define your workflow: Create a detailed workflow outlining the specific steps that will be taken for each piece of content. This should include research, writing, editing, design, and distribution.
  • Outline your process for creating each type of content: Identify the tools, resources, and steps required to create different types of content, such as blogs, videos, podcasts, infographics, etc.
  • Review and optimize: Regularly review your content production plan and make adjustments as needed. Use metrics to measure the success of your content and make changes that will help improve results over time.

Example Of A Content Production Plan

Here is an example of what a simple content production plan for a fashion e-commerce store might look like:

  • Audience: Women between the ages of 20-35
  • Goals: Increase brand awareness, generate leads, boost sales
  • Competitors: Asos, Zara, H&M
  • Topics:
    • Latest fashion trends
    • Outfit inspiration
    • How to style different clothing items
  • Plan:
    • Blog post: once a week
    • Instagram video: 3 times a week
    • Instagram Reel: Once a week
    • Pinterest Board: Once a month
  • Distribution:
    • Social media: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest
    • Email marketing: Weekly newsletter
    • Paid Advertising: Instagram Ads, Facebook Ads
  • Roles and responsibilities:
    • Research: Marketing team
    • Writing: Marketing team
    • Editing: Marketing team
    • Design: Graphic designer
    • Distribution: Social media manager
  • Workflow:
    • Research: 2 days
    • Writing: 3 days
    • Editing: 2 days
    • Design: 2 days
    • Distribution: 1 day

With a content production plan in place, the e-commerce store will be able to create and distribute a steady stream of high-quality content that resonates with its target audience, aligning with the overall business goals.

Content Creation – Best Practices

Creating high-quality and engaging content is crucial for your content marketing strategy.

Not only will it help you attract and retain an audience, but it will also help build trust and credibility for your brand.

Here are some best practices to follow when creating high-quality and engaging content:

  • Plan your content: Creating a content calendar or editorial plan can help you stay organized and ensure that you have a steady stream of ideas for your content.
  • Use relevant and reliable sources: Make sure to use credible sources when researching and creating your content. This will help you produce content that is accurate and trustworthy.
  • Start with a strong headline: Your headline is the first thing your audience will see, so make sure it’s attention-grabbing and clearly conveys the main message of your content.
  • Use formatting and design elements to enhance readability: Use formatting techniques like headings, bullet points, and bold text to make your content easier to read and scan.
  • Use visuals: Adding visual elements to your content like images, videos, and infographics can help break up text and make your content more engaging and easier for your audience to understand. Just make sure to use high-quality images and optimize your videos for mobile.
  • Know your audience: Understanding who your target audience is and what they are interested in will help you create content that resonates with them.
  • Write for your audience: Your content should be tailored to your target audience. Consider their interests, problems, and needs, and create content that addresses those topics.
  • Keep it simple: Use clear, concise language and avoid unnecessary jargon or complex concepts. This will help your content be more accessible and easier for your audience to read and understand.
  • Optimize for SEO: Use keywords and other SEO best practices to ensure that your content is discoverable by search engines and your target audience.
  • Use data and research to support your points: Including data and research in your content adds credibility and can help you make a stronger case for your points.
  • Edit and proofread: Make sure to edit and proofread your content to ensure it’s error-free and easy to understand.

By following these best practices, you can create high-quality and engaging content that resonates with your audience and helps you achieve your content goals.

Content Production Challenges

While content production is a crucial and necessary part of your content strategy, it can also present some challenges, especially as you try to create unique and original content for your business and website.

Here are some of the main challenges you may experience with content production:

  • Defining your target audience: One of the main hurdles of creating content for a website is defining your target audience and understanding their needs, interests, and pain points. This is crucial for creating relevant and valuable content that will engage them.
  • Content strategy: Another hurdle is to develop a content strategy that defines the type of content you will create, the topics you will cover, and the goals you will achieve.
  • Research and information gathering: One of the main challenges of creating unique and original content is researching and gathering the necessary information. This can take a significant amount of time and effort, and it can be difficult to find reliable and accurate sources of information.
  • Originality: Another challenge is to come up with original ideas and perspectives, as it’s easy to fall into the trap of creating content that is similar to what’s already out there.
  • Writing quality and style: Maintaining a consistent writing style and quality throughout the content is crucial for engaging the audience and building trust, but it can be challenging to achieve without the necessary skills and tools. It requires a good understanding of grammar, punctuation, and the target audience.
  • Formatting and design: Creating unique and original content requires the use of effective formatting and design, which can be challenging to achieve without the necessary skills and tools.
  • SEO and keyword research: Creating unique and original content that is optimized for search engines can be challenging, as it requires a good understanding of SEO and keyword research.
  • Time management: Creating unique and original content can be time-consuming, and it’s important to manage time effectively to ensure that the content is delivered on schedule.
  • Keeping up with trends: Another challenge is to keep up with trends and changes in the industry, which requires staying up to date with the latest developments and news.
  • Meeting the needs of the audience: Creating unique and original content that meets the needs of the target audience can be challenging, as it requires a good understanding of their preferences, interests, and pain points.
  • Measuring success: Measuring the success of your content can be a hurdle, as it requires tracking metrics such as engagement, traffic, and conversion rates.

Content Production Checklist

  • Define the purpose and target audience for the content: Before starting to create any content, it’s essential to understand why it’s being created and who it’s being created for. This will help guide the overall tone and style of the content.
  • Research and gather information: Gather all the information and resources you need to create the content, this includes researching industry trends, competitor content, and audience behavior.
  • Create an outline: Organize the information you’ve gathered into a logical structure, this will be your guide when creating the final piece of content.
  • Write the content: Using the outline as a guide, begin writing the content. Be sure to keep the tone and style consistent with the purpose and target audience defined in step one.
  • Edit and proofread: Once the content is written, read it over several times to catch any errors or inconsistencies. Make sure the content is clear, concise, and easy to understand.
  • Add media: Add any relevant images, videos, or other media to enhance the content and make it more engaging for the audience.
  • Optimize for SEO: Optimize the content for search engines by including relevant keywords, meta descriptions, and alt tags.
  • Publish and distribute: Once the content is final, publish it on your website or other platforms and promote it through social media and other channels to reach your target audience.
  • Track and analyze performance: Use analytics tools to track the performance of the content and gather insights on how to improve future content.

Troubleshooting Common Content Production Problems

Sometimes, problems affecting content creation may not surface until you reach the content production phase.

For example, once your team actually starts to create the content, they may discover an issue with their website that may prevent or limit the content from fulfilling its intended purpose. This can happen if an organization needs to implement a particular content model to achieve its goals and objectives that they did not incorporate during the web design process, leaving the business to try and force “round pegs into square holes”.

Knowing how to quickly identify and troubleshoot any problems or issues in content production ensures the best return on investment for businesses using content as a strategy for growth.

Content production problems may be related to inefficiencies that lead to content marketing waste or to the process itself.

Use the chart below to identify and troubleshoot any problems or issues that need fixing in your content production process.

Content Production - Troubleshooting Process
Troubleshooting Content Production

No Content Pipeline

Creating a content pipeline for content production can be challenging, but there are several strategies that can help you overcome this difficulty, including:

  • Define clear content goals: Having clear goals for the content that is being produced can help to ensure that your content is aligned with the overall objectives of your business. Develop a content strategy that outlines your business’s goals, target audience, and the type of content that will be created. Use this strategy as a guide for all your content creation efforts.
  • Create an editorial calendar: An editorial calendar can help to ensure that content is being produced on a consistent basis and that it aligns with the overall content strategy of your business. Create an editorial calendar that outlines the topics and types of content that will be created, and assign specific individuals or teams to create and publish content on a regular basis.
  • Establish a content creation process: Having a clear process in place for creating and approving content can help to streamline your content creation process. Establish a content creation process that includes stages such as researching, creating, editing, and publishing. Assign specific roles and responsibilities to team members at each stage of the process.
  • Automate tasks: Automating repetitive tasks can help to free up time and resources for more important tasks, such as creating new content. Use tools such as marketing automation software, scheduling tools, and social media management tools to automate tasks such as scheduling posts, creating content, and publishing content.
  • Repurpose and recycle content: Repurposing and recycling existing content can help to reduce the time and resources needed to create new content. Identify existing content that can be repurposed or recycled, such as blog posts or videos, and use them in different formats, such as an infographic or a podcast.
  • Outsource content creation: Outsourcing content creation can help to fill any gaps in the content pipeline and ensure that there is a consistent flow of high-quality content. Hire freelance writers, designers, or other content creators to help with content production. Make sure to set clear guidelines and instructions for the content being outsourced.

By implementing these strategies, your business can create a content pipeline that is efficient, effective, and aligned with your overall content strategy. This also helps to ensure that your business is able to produce high-quality content on a consistent basis and meet your content marketing goals.

Content Output Is Low

Suppose your content plan requires publishing 8 new articles on the company blog each month, but your content team is only delivering 3 or 4.

Check if this low output in content production is caused by one of the following reasons:

Resources

Low content output can be caused by having insufficient resources.

Does your business:

Workload

If your business has sufficient resources but content production output is low, the cause of the problem may be unrealistic workload expectations on individual team members.

For example, let’s say that your business expects a content writer to create well-researched long articles or tutorials (e.g. 1,500 – 2,000+ words) with links to authoritative references, detailed screenshots, charts/tables, and an accompanying video.

While the writer may have the tools and skills to perform all the tasks, the requirements may simply be too complex for one role to take everything on and complete it all within the expected time frame.

Additionally, the writer may be expected to perform other writing tasks for the company or be a shared resource for different departments, so their time and focus are being split into other areas.

In this case, a review of individual workloads may be necessary where an adjustment is either made to the expectations of the role or additional resources are brought in.

tip

If you need new content ideas for your website, blog, or newsletter, subscribe to our FREE Infinite Content Ideas course.

Content Is Late

If your content production metrics show that the content output is on target but the content is frequently being delivered late, then look for issues in areas like delivery rates and workflow bottlenecks.

For example:

  • Has someone been made accountable for meeting project deadlines? If so, start by asking them what they see as causing the issue.
  • If the issue is caused by multiple stakeholders having a say in the content approval phase and not being able to agree on the final version, assign the final call to one person.
  • Are there too many dependencies or too many reviewers in the content workflow? If so, these can significantly extend production times and create delays and holdups in your content pipeline. Look for ways to improve process efficiency and eliminate non-essential decision-makers from your workflow.

Content Is Below Standard

If the content output is fine and the content is being delivered on time but the quality of the finished content is substandard, then look for issues in the following areas:

Content Brief & Guidelines

  • Review your content brief to make sure that it has clearly and concisely set out your expectations and the areas of importance that should have been covered in the content (if you need help creating a brief, read this article).
  • Does your organization have clear and documented guidelines for content creation? If you need help in this area, see the lesson on Workflow Documentation.

Meet With The Content Creator

If the brief and/or content guidelines are not the issue, then schedule a meeting with the content creator to find out why the content was below standard.

Check if:

  • They have read and understood the brief.
  • They have read and are familiar with the content creation guidelines.
  • There were any personal issues involved that affected their work.

Content Production – FAQs

Here are frequently asked questions about content production:

What is content production?

Content production refers to the process of researching, creating, editing, and publishing information in various formats, including text, images, and videos, intended for a specific audience.

Why is content production important for businesses?

Content production helps businesses engage with their audience, improve their brand presence, and drive sales through informed and appealing information dissemination.

What are the key stages of the content production process?

The key stages include:

What skills are essential for content producers?

Essential skills include strong writing and editing capabilities, SEO knowledge, creativity, research proficiency, and technical skills related to content management systems and digital publishing tools.

How can one improve the effectiveness of content production?

To enhance effectiveness, focus on understanding the target audience, utilizing SEO best practices, maintaining a consistent voice and style, and regularly evaluating analytics to refine strategies.

What tools are used in content production?

Common tools include content management systems (CMS), graphic design software, SEO tools, and analytics platforms.

How do content production strategies differ across media types?

Strategies vary significantly; for example, social media content requires brevity and visual appeal, while blog posts might focus more on detailed information and keyword integration.

What trends are currently shaping content production?

Current trends include the increasing importance of video content, personalization, interactive content, and the use of artificial intelligence in content creation.

What is the role of analytics in content production?

Analytics help producers understand what content performs best, who the audience is, and how they interact with the content, thereby guiding future content strategies.

Summary

Creating consistently high-quality content requires an effective content production system with defined and documented workflows and periodic reviews of the content strategy and content plan.

Creating unique and original content also requires a good understanding of your target audience, your topics, and your industry. It also requires having the necessary skills and tools to format and design the content effectively, maintaining a consistent effort to stay up-to-date with the latest developments and trends, and measuring and analyzing the performance of your content.

Action Steps

Review your content plan and create a content workflow with documented workflow processes for each content type that your business needs to create to meet its strategic goals.

Resources

See the following sections for useful tools and resources for content production:

References

Next Steps

The list below contains all the lessons included in this module:

Content Production

Content Production

Learn how to develop an effective content production process that delivers consistently high-quality content on a regular basis. 
Content Workflow

Content Workflow

Learn how to define a content workflow for your organization, from content ideation and creation to scheduling and publishing. 
Workflow Documentation

Workflow Documentation

Learn how to document your content workflow for ease of use and quick access to everything your content team needs for content production. 
Content Production Schedule

Content Production Schedule

This section looks at structuring your team's content production schedule to meet content production targets.
Content Types

Content Types

Learn about the different types of content you can create to help meet your organization's strategic goals.
Content Repurposing

Content Repurposing

Learn how to maximize your content production efforts and resources with content repurposing strategies. 
Content Production Tools

Content Production Tools

Useful tools and resources to help you speed up your content planning and content production.
Content Production Automation

Content Production Automation

Streamline your content production process and optimize your workflow with content production automation.

***

Image: Typewriter

Content Research Tools

Useful content research tools, sites, and resources to help you save time in areas like content planning and content production.

Content Research Tools And Resources

Useful content research tools, sites, and resources to help you save time in areas like content planning and content production.

Content Research Tools

The World Wide Web is a huge library of content research.

In this section, you will find many useful content research tools, sites, and resources to help you in areas like content planning and content production, including:

  • Researching new content topics and ideas
  • Finding new content opportunities
  • Exploring current trends
  • Gathering data and stats to back up your arguments
  • Identifying profitable keywords and niches
  • Researching content for distribution in channels like blogging, social media, email marketing, etc.

***

AI-Powered Content Research

You can use AI technologies for content research and content planning, such as generating content ideas, creating article outlines, etc.

We explore various AI tools that you can use to research and plan your content in this section: AI Content Writing Tools

Additionally:

Google

One of the easiest ways to begin researching content is to Google it.

Content Research Tools - Google Search screen
Just Google it!

Start with a topic or keyword related to your business, niche, or industry and enter it into the Google search bar to begin exploring content ideas.

Additionally, as you type, you’ll notice that Google displays an autocomplete list of search terms below the search field where you have entered your keywords.

You can use the Google Autocomplete tool (formerly called Google Suggest) to explore additional content related to your search, build a list of keywords or topic ideas, etc. (Tip: learn how to manage Google’s Autocomplete predictions).

After you hit enter on any search term, Google displays even more content ideas you can explore.

For example, you have the People also ask tool, which you can use to research content ideas on ways to solve problems your customers may be experiencing…

Google search results: People also ask tool
Google’s ‘People also ask’ tool is great for exploring content ideas on ways to solve problems.

Google also displays the Related searches tool with topic-related content ideas you can research…

Google's Related searches tool
Use Google’s Related searches tool to explore topic-related ideas.

Add additional search terms you can click on for even more content-related research…

Google additional search terms
Explore even more content ideas using these additional search terms.

tip

Don’t forget other search engines like Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc. You might find different answers and additional suggestions there to expand your content research.

Content Research Tools - Microsoft Bing search page
Use other search engines like Microsoft Bing to expand your content research.

Not only can you do a ton of content research using only Google search but there are also other free content research tools that Google offers.

Let’s explore some of these.

Google Chrome Browser Extensions

Chrome browser extensions are small software programs that you can install to add new features or modify existing functionality in the Google Chrome web browser.

These extensions can not only enhance your experience as a user, increase productivity, and provide additional security and privacy measures, but there are many useful extensions that can be used for content research, content planning, content creation, etc.

To access Chrome browser extensions, follow these steps:

1. Open the Google Chrome browser on your computer.

2. Click on the three-dot icon located in the upper right corner of the browser window to open the main menu.

3. Select “More Tools” from the dropdown menu, and

4. Click on “Extensions” from the submenu.

Google Chrome Browser - Extensions
How to access the Extensions menu in Google’s Chrome Web Browser.

5. This will open the Extensions screen where you can view and manage any extensions you have added to your web browser. Click on the Hamburger menu icon in the top-left corner of the screen to access the Main menu.

Google Chrome Web Browser - Extensions screen.
Google Chrome Web Browser – Extensions screen.

Click on the link at the bottom of the menu.

Google Chrome Web Browser - Extensions menu.
Click on the link at the bottom of the menu to visit the Chrome Web Store.

This will take you to the Chrome Web Store, where you can browse and download a variety of Chrome browser extensions.

Chrome Web Store - Main screen
Browse hundreds of extensions in the Chrome Web Store.

Use the search bar to search for specific extensions, or browse through the various categories available.

Chrome Web Store - Search bar
Search for extensions using the search bar.

When you find an extension you want to install, click on the extension to select it.

Chrome Web Store - Selecting an extension.
Click to select an extension.

Click on the “Add to Chrome” button to install the extension.

Chrome Extension - AIPRM for ChatGPT
Click Add to Chrome to install the extension.

A pop-up window will appear, asking you to confirm the installation. Click on “Add Extension” to confirm.

Chrome extension confirmation popup.
Confirm if you want to install the extension.

The extension will then be installed in your Chrome browser and will be visible in your toolbar or in the extensions menu.

To manage your installed extensions, you can access the extensions menu by clicking on the three-dot icon and selecting More Tools > Extensions.

From there, you can enable or disable extensions, remove them, or adjust their settings as needed.

You can also Pin or Unpin extensions from your toolbar by right-clicking on the Extensions icon in the toolbar and selecting your preferred option.

Chrome Extensions screen.
View your extension in the Extensions screen and pin or unpin it from your browser toolbar.

tip

Tip: Use the “Related” tab to find additional extensions related to the functionality you’re searching for.

Chrome Web Store - Related extensions
Find related extensions for your Chrome web browser using the Related tab.

Google Trends

Content Research Tools - Google Trends
Google Trends

Google Trends is another free service from Google that shows you trends in search activity all over the world, with access to maps, charts, and other tools.

Google Trends
Use Google Trends to compare search activity between topics.

You can use Google Trends to compare search volume activity for related topics or similar keywords over a given period of time across different regions or languages, gauge public reaction to real-time events and news stories, monitor trends across different areas of interest (social, political, business, entertainment, sports, etc), optimize SEO for video or local search, glean insights about products and service demand, forecast and predict trends, etc.

Google Trends is also a great tool for identifying the seasonality of topics in your niche or industry. You can use this information to plan your editorial calendar with content promoting those topics during their peak season.

For an excellent article on how to use Google Trends, go here.

You can also download key datasets from Google Trends at the Google Trends Datastore.

Google Trends Datastore
Download datasets from Google Trends at the Google Trends Datastore.

More info: Google Trends

Google Alerts

Google Alerts
Google Alerts

Google Alerts is a free service from Google that lets you keep up-to-date with the latest news about all kinds of topics, stay informed about people and companies, and track what other people are publishing about you and your business online.

More info: Google Alerts

Google Lens

Google Lens
Google Lens lets you do ‘real world’ content research.

Google Lens is an image recognition technology developed by Google and available as an app for Android phones that uses artificial intelligence to identify text and objects in images and in a live view from a phone’s camera.

Google Lens lets you do “real world” content research faster using your mobile phone’s camera.

When you point the phone’s camera at an object with the app installed, it tries to identify the object by reading barcodes, QR codes, labels, and text, and shows you relevant search results, web pages, and information.

For example, here is a photo taken of a tea bag label with Google Lens installed on an Android phone…

Image of a green tea bag label selected with Google Lens
Point your phone’s camera at an object and tap the Google Lens button…

Google Lens immediately identified the object and returned relevant search results…

Google Lens search results
Google Lens brings you search results and lets you do various things with the information.

When you point your phone’s camera at an object, Google Lens gives you the following options:

  • Translate – take a photo of words to translate
  • Text – take a photo of words to copy
  • Search – Search for information related to the object
  • Homework – Take a photo of a homework question
  • Shopping – Take a photo of products or barcodes
  • Places – Identify landmarks, buildings, etc.
  • Dining – Take a photo of food or a menu

You can scan and translate text from a physical document like a book, paper, business card, whiteboard, or with writing on it, then copy that text to your phone’s clipboard, and paste it into anything – a Google Doc, email, note app, Slack chat, etc.

You can also use Google Lens to identify plants and animals, and get information about landmarks, restaurants, and storefronts (e.g. historical facts, ratings, hours of operation), as well as find information about similar clothes, furniture, home decor, or other objects that you come across.

Google lens is an excellent content research tool. You can copy text from objects and send it to your computer, interact with text from images, search for online images that match real-world objects, save contact information, create calendar events, find answers to questions, and a whole lot more.

See this article for more ways to use Google Lens or scan the QR code below with your Android phone to download the app to your phone from the Google Play store:

Google Lens QR Code
Scan this QR Code to install Google Lens on your Android phone.

More info: Google Lens

Google Scholar

Google Scholar
Google Scholar

Google Scholar is another useful tool from Google that lets you expand your content research by searching for information across academic literature from journal websites, university repositories, Google Books, etc.

Google Scholar results
Google Scholar results

The Google Scholar index includes peer-reviewed online academic journals and books, conference papers, theses and dissertations, preprints, abstracts, technical reports, and other scholarly literature, including court opinions and patents.

The video below provides more information on using Google Scholar:

More info: Google Scholar

Looker Studio

Looker Studio
Looker Studio

Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) is a free tool that gives you powerful insights into your website’s performance from various data sources like Google Search, Google Analytics, Google Ads, YouTube, social media platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter, databases, etc.

Looker Studio
Looker Studio demo.

For tutorials on using Looker Studio, go here:

More info: Looker Studio

tip

We recommend using Looker Studio with the free Search Intent Keyword Classifier dashboard template designed for search intent-based content creation developed by Lazarina Stoy.

Search Intent Keyword Classifier
Use the Search Intent Keyword Classifier dashboard template to research search-intent-based content ideas. Source: Lazarina Stoy

To learn more, go here or watch the video below:

To download the template, go here: Search Intent Keyword Classifier Template

For a tutorial on using the template, go here: Supercharge Your Keyword Research Process By Incorporating Search Intent Classification

Exploding Topics

Exploding Topics
Exploding Topics – discover trending topics before they take off.

Exploding Topics helps investors and entrepreneurs find new and upcoming trends before they become popular.

The tool uses a special algorithm to analyze millions of searches, conversations and mentions across the internet to identify under-the-radar industries, products, and categories.

More info: Exploding Topics

Infographiqs

Infographiqs
Infographiqs

Infographiqs is a search engine for infographics.

Simply type in a search term into the search engine field, and its extensive database returns relevant and accurate results on where to find infographics matching your search term.

Infographiqs search results
Infographiqs search results

From there. click on an entry from the results to visit the site with the infographic.

Infographic Directory
Source: Infographic Directory

Use this site to find and review infographics you can cite and add to your content.

More info: Infographiqs.com

Buzzsumo

Buzzsumo
Buzzsumo

Buzz Sumo provides access to comprehensive and data-driven content research.

Use BuzzSumo to:

  • Find the best performing content that will help you get more likes, links, and shares
  • Identify influencers that can help your brand or campaign, and
  • Track comments and trends on social media so you can respond faster and capitalize on opportunities.

We also cover Buzz Sumo in the Search Optimization Tools section.

More info: Buzz Sumo

Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha is an answer engine based on natural language processing and a large library of algorithms.

According to the website:

Wolfram Alpha represents a fundamentally new paradigm for getting knowledge and answers—not by searching the web, but by doing dynamic computations based on a vast collection of built-in data, algorithms, and methods. Bringing broad, deep, expert-level knowledge to everyone… anytime, anywhere.

Wolfram|Alpha aims to make all the world’s knowledge computable by computing expert-level answers using Stephen Wolfram’s breakthrough algorithms, knowledgebase, and AI technology.

Its mission is to collect and curate all objective data; implement every known model, method, and algorithm; and make it possible to compute whatever can be computed about anything.

In terms of helping you with content research, Wolfram Alpha’s website is divided into several categories, like Mathematics, Science & Technology, Society & Culture, and Everyday Life. Each of these areas contains many subcategories.

So, for example, go to Everyday Life > Personal Finance and you will find ways to compute useful answers to thousands of personal finance questions, from computing interest rates to analyzing and projecting returns on stocks and other investments, converting world currencies, and more.

Wolfram Alpha - Examples for Personal Finance answers
Wolfram Alpha lets you find answers by computing whatever can be computed about anything.

The website builds on the achievements of science and other systematizations of knowledge to provide a single source that can be relied on by everyone for definitive answers to factual queries.

Visit the site: Wolfram Alpha

Content Curation

Content curation tools offer a strategic approach to content creation by not only streamlining the process but also inspiring creativity by sourcing, organizing, and presenting relevant content from diverse platforms.

Scoop.it

Scoop.it
Scoop.it – Content curation tool for individuals and businesses.

Scoop.it offers a robust content curation tool designed for individuals and businesses, enhancing your ability to research and publish top-tier content.

For Individuals:

  • Effortlessly publish topic pages featuring curated content in minutes.
  • Automatically distribute curated content within your network to bolster your professional brand.

For Businesses:

  • Curate, share, and read content within private hubs.
  • Publish curated content on websites, blogs, newsletters, and social media platforms.
  • Aggregate curated content seamlessly across multiple WordPress blogs.

Key features of this tool include:

1. Discover, Select & Editorialize, Distribute

  • A powerful content engine that monitors global sources to curate relevant third-party content.

2. Boost Credibility and Brand Awareness

  • Establish thought leadership and strengthen influencer connections.
  • Access diverse sources ranging from mainstream media to niche publications.

3. Create and Share Curated Content Pages

  • Publish topic pages swiftly.
  • Share curated content with your networks to build your professional brand.
  • Automatically feed social channels with curated content.
  • Embed content pages on your website.
  • Leverage curated content in templated newsletters.

4. Monitor and Share Knowledge Privately

  • Facilitate team collaboration with easy content discovery, curation, and sharing.
  • Automate content monitoring.
  • Share curated content privately within your team.
  • Generate internal email newsletters effortlessly.
  • Create private curated content hubs for your team.
  • Seamless integration with SSO, intranet, and enterprise social networks.

5. Publish Curated Content for a Targeted Audience

  • Store, share, categorize, and disseminate curated content.
  • Aggregate curated content on one or multiple websites.
  • Publish content on one or multiple WordPress blogs.
  • Share your team’s content on multiple social media platforms.
  • Generate customized newsletters for Mailchimp or any emailing solutions.

Scoop.it empowers users to streamline content curation, fostering brand credibility, thought leadership, and effective collaboration within teams.

More info: Scoop.it

Curata

Curata
Curata

Curata is a content curation tool that lets you streamline your curation experience.

Curata’s Content Curation Software (CCS) scours the web using keywords, news sources, authors, bookmarked or shared content, etc., and returns relevant published content that you can then curate, add your own summary and brand voice to, embed royalty-free imagery, schedule, and share.

Key features of this tool include:

1. Find

  • Automatically receive the most relevant content from hundreds of thousands of sources.
  • Dynamic adaptation to your content preferences.
  • Enable crowdsourcing across your organization.

2. Discover Fresh Content

  • Curata’s engine employs natural language processing to adapt to your preferences.
  • Fine-tune content flow by refining sources and focusing on preferred platforms like social media.

3. Curate on the Fly

  • Instantly curate content while browsing with a convenient browser plugin.
  • Empower your team through crowd-sourced curation and content suggestions.

4. Quality over Quantity

  • Curata’s engine programmatically filters out outdated, multilingual, or duplicative content.
  • With Curata, transform curation into a seamless three-step process: Find, Curate, Share.

More info: Curata

Pocket

Pocket - Content Curation
Pocket – Content Curation Tool

Pocket is a content curation tool that allows users to save, organize, and manage articles, videos, and web pages from the internet for later consumption.

Its main function is to provide a convenient way to store content that users find interesting but may not have time to read or view immediately. Users can save content directly from their browser or through apps like X (Twitter), Flipboard, Pulse, and Zite, making it accessible from any device with an internet connection.

Once saved, content can be tagged for easy sorting and retrieval, although Pocket does not offer organizational tools such as collections, unlike some other curation tools like Feedly.

It also curates guides to the best of the web, featuring top-saved stories from its user base, which showcases popular and trending content across various topics.

Overall, Pocket serves as a personal content library where users can accumulate a personalized mix of content tailored to their interests and preferences, which they can access and read at their convenience.

Feed Readers

Feed Readers save you time visiting all of the different sites you like to keep up with when searching for new content posted on these sites, by allowing you to view all of the content on your desktop or phone from a single source.

Feedly

Feedly
Feedly

Feedly is a content aggregation and curation tool designed to help users streamline their process of accessing, organizing, and sharing content across various topics. It functions primarily as a news aggregator, allowing users to subscribe to multiple online sources and organize articles into collections based on topics of interest.

This tool is particularly useful for social media content curation, as it enables users to create feeds tailored to specific content themes, making it easier to share relevant content across social media platforms.

Feedly employs AI to enhance its curation capabilities, suggesting content based on the user’s preferences and previous interactions. This AI component helps in discovering and following favorite sources and topics more efficiently, thereby keeping the user’s feed fresh with highly relevant content.

Additionally, Feedly integrates with various other tools and platforms, enabling a smoother workflow for gathering, reading, and distributing content.

Feedspot

Feedspot
Feedspot

As the video below states…“things move fast on the web and it’s hard to keep up with your favorite sites by visiting each of them separately. Feedspot lets you subscribe to websites so new content comes to you when it’s posted.”

Like most feed readers, Feedspot lets you add feeds from different sites to its service, as well as feeds from blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, news sites, and RSS feeds. You then view the aggregated content from the tool’s content reader.

Watch the video below for an overview of Feedspot:

More info: Feedspot

Reports, Case Studies & White Papers

Get valuable insights into the latest trends, research reports, case studies, and white papers by performing a Google search for:

  • Reports: [your industry] + [research report].
  • Case Studies: [your industry] + [case study].
  • White papers: [your industry] + [white paper].

You can also link to tweets, papers, or reports from industry professionals and subject experts.

Subject Matter Experts (SME)

“A subject matter expert is a professional who’s cultivated a deep well of knowledge. They may be knowledgeable about a niche topic, a skill, a process, or a particular set of technologies, machinery, or materials.”

ConstantContent

As part of your content research, you can find and follow influential people, interview subject experts, or reach out to social media influencers in your industry.

Following influential people can provide you with timely news, quotes, and more.

Interviewing subject matter experts is a great way to create content like videos, podcasts, and blog transcripts. Before interviewing a subject matter expert, make sure you’ve prepared your interview questions.

Social media influencers can ask your target audience questions about specific pain points and frustrations that your content can then address.

You can find subject experts and social media influencers on websites, social media platforms, forums, networking events, and many other places.

Let’s explore some of these places…

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an excellent resource for finding subject matter experts and doing content research.

For example, LinkedIn lets you explore trending topics, news, and popular questions in your industry or niche.

Use LinkedIn’s content suggestions feature to research and discover new content ideas from areas like Trending Articles (shows suggested content based on current trends across LinkedIn), and Company News (shows content suggestions based on your organization’s mentions in the news).

LinkedIn's content suggestions feature.
Use LinkedIn’s content suggestions feature to explore new content ideas.

More info: LinkedIn

Twitter

Twitter
Find and follow subject experts on Twitter.

Twitter is another great place to find and follow influential people and reach out to SMEs.

To get the most out of Twitter as a content research tool, make sure to read Twitter’s Getting Started Guide.

More info: Twitter

Hashtagify

Hashtagify
Hashtagify

Hashtagify is an advanced Twitter hashtag tracking tool that lets you find hashtags to enhance your social media strategy through hashtag marketing, reach your audience, get custom suggestions, and analyze influencers’ and competitors’ strategies.

You can search real-time data and gain insights about Twitter hashtags (popularity ranking, related hashtags, trends, etc.), track hashtags, follow and analyze Twitter users and trending hashtags, monitor relevant content, and find influencers.

The tool also provides data in easy-to-read dashboards and charts, so you can audit performance, monitor aggregated analytics, and build custom reports.

Visit the site: Hashtagify

Twitter Polls

Twitter Polls
Use Twitter Polls to gain insights from Twitter users for your content.

Twitter Polls is a feature of Twitter that lets you create polls to research opinions and gain insights from other Twitter users.

You can use Twitter polls to get customer feedback about upcoming events, new content, new product launches, rebranding, new releases, etc., curate industry-relevant discussions, and test how your audience feels about a certain topic before creating your content.

More info: Twitter Polls

Forums

Forums are a great place to research information, especially if you are creating content designed to solve problems or looking for ideas to develop new products or services.

Often, you can find answers on forums that you cannot find by searching on Google. Forums allow you to engage with people, so if you type in your topic and find that an answer doesn’t exist, you can always ask the question.

Here are some popular forums and forum-like sites:

Quora

Quora
Quora

Quora is a question-and-answer social media and research website where users answer each other’s questions about all kinds of topics.

Quora has over 300 million monthly active users and over 400,000 topics to explore, so it’s a great site to research topics and questions people are asking and use the information to develop new content ideas relevant to your industry.

More info: Quora

Reddit

Reddit
Reddit

Reddit is another commonly used platform where you can find answers that will help you with your content research.

Reddit is a social networking site where over 300 million monthly active users (known as Redditors) share, interact with, and consume the latest news and trending topics. If you are unfamiliar with using the platform, see this Beginner’s Guide To Using Reddit before engaging with the community.

More info: Reddit

Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow
Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is a question-and-answer website for professional and enthusiast programmers.

It’s the leading community for developers and a great place to research content related to programming, web development, and emerging technologies.

More info: Stack Overflow

In addition to the above, you can join various social media groups and participate in communities of like-minded people across many different social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.

Content Idea Generation Tools

Below are some tools you can use to help you generate new ideas for content.

Infinite Content Creation Course

We provide a comprehensive 120-lesson FREE content creation email course right here on ContentManagementCourse.com, so make sure to sign up below to learn how to never run out of content ideas for your blog, website, or newsletter:

Keyword Magic Tool

Keyword Magic Tool
Keyword Magic Tool

Keyword Magic Tool lets you find and explore millions of keywords for content ideas and SEO.

Note: You will need to set up an account with SemRush to use this tool.

Simply enter a target keyword related to your product or service into the tool and the Keyword Magic Tool will return a list of related keywords and metrics like average search volume, keyword difficulty, and additional features included on the SERP page for your keyword.

For example, suppose you are looking for content ideas to write about air fryers.

Go to Keyword Magic Tool and search for the phrase “air fryer” …

Keyword Magic Tool - Search Results
Keyword Magic Tool provides detailed keyword search results.

Next, select the “Questions” option in the toolbar to filter the results to questions, and you’ll see a list of the most frequently searched question-based results related to your search that contain your seed keyword.

Keyword Magic Tool - Question-Based Search Results
Keyword Magic Tool returns a list of question-based search results.

In the above example, “how to clean air fryer” is searched 9,900 times per month. This indicates that users searching for this phrase may have a problem cleaning their air fryers or are beginning their buyer’s journey into buying one and are looking for help or solutions.

You could use this information to educate or engage your audience and provide them with advice or a solution. For example, you can create a guide on air fryer maintenance, or an article or video on cleaning air fryers and promote air fryer cleaning equipment or products, etc.

More info: Keyword Magic Tool

AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic
AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic.com is a free tool that you can use to research new topic ideas for content marketing, SEO, etc.

Simply enter 1-2 words to describe a topic, band, or product, and click on the Search button.

The tool then explores autocomplete data from search engines like Google and returns ‘mindmap’-like visualization charts with useful search phrases related to questions people are asking around your keyword (e.g. where, what, how, why, etc.), searches based on your keyword+prepositions (e.g. near, for, with, to, etc.), and even comparisons (great for creating review articles).

AnswerThePublic - Visualization data chart
Use AnswerThePublic’s visualization charts to explore ideas for new content.

The tool also provides a downloadable list of results segmented alphabetically.

AnswerThePublic - Alphabetical search results.
Generate lots of great content ideas quickly with AnswerThePublic’s free tool.

Use this tool to generate and brainstorm useful new content topic ideas, and even to help you develop new products and services based on what consumers are searching for.

More info: AnswerThePublic.com

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is a keyword research and SEO tool that lets you generate content and keyword ideas, track your rank daily, do a competitor analysis, conduct a site audit, and more.

Ubersuggest results screen.
Get useful search results for content ideas.

Ubersuggest’s domain tool lets you reverse engineer your competitors’ SEO, content marketing, and social media marketing strategy, so you can get insight into strategies that are working for others in your market.

The tool’s Top SEO Pages report is an SEO analyzer that lets you see which of your competitor’s pages are ranking for popular organic keyword phrases and getting attention on sites like Facebook.

Use the free keyword research tool to research hundreds of suggestions for keyword ideas, from head terms to long-tail phrases, with analytic results for volume, competition, and seasonal trends for each keyword. You can also generate a list of keywords that let you see what is working for your competitors and what people are typing into Google.

Additional features include results for top-performing content pieces for your searched keywords with social shares and check for backlinks in your niche.

Ubersuggest keyword and content ideas.
Ubersuggest provides keyword and content ideas based on your search.

Additionally, Ubersuggest integrates with an AI content writing tool, allowing you to create AI-generated content from your keyword searches.

Ubersuggest AI content writer
Generate SEO-optimized content from your search results using an integrated AI content writer.

More info: Ubersuggest

Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere
Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere is a browser addon (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) that lets you perform SEO, content marketing, competitor research, PPC and social media marketing while browsing the web.

It adds the following functionality to your browser:

Free version:

  • ChatGPT Prompt Templates
  • Instagram Hashtag Generator (no volume data)
  • Pinterest Insights and Trend widgets (no volume data)

The paid version includes everything in the free version plus accurate monthly search volume, CPC, competition & 12-month trend data.

Additional features of the paid version include:

  • Related keywords on Google & Bing, People Also Search For (PASF) keywords on Google.
  • Trend chart in Google & YouTube.
  • YouTube insights & YouTube Tags.
  • Monthly estimated traffic & the top 10,000 keywords that any URL ranks for
    URL Analysis to get the list of keywords in the content of the page, and the density of those keywords.
  • Historical volume data in the trend charts for Google & YouTube (from 2004).
  • Support for 15+ websites, including Google, YouTube, Amazon, Bing, Google Search Console, Google Analytics.
  • Import keywords for accurate monthly search volume, CPC, and competition analysis.

More info: Keywords Everywhere

For more tools to help generate ideas and topics for your content, go here: Content Idea Generation Tools.

Organizing Your Content Research

Having a huge library of content research tools and resources at your disposal is great, provided you can access these quickly and efficiently.

Here are some tools and resources that will help you save time accessing your content research tools.

Web Browser – Bookmarks

You can speed up your content research simply by organizing and storing access to the URLs of the sites, platforms, services, and tools you regularly use in your web browser’s bookmarks

Chrome Bookmarks
Chrome Bookmarks

tip

We recommend planning your bookmarking folders first so that when you come across content you want to save to research later, you have an organized way to retrieve it.

Example of bookmarking content.
Planning your bookmarking folders will make it easier to find stored bookmarks later.

Additionally, you can edit the bookmark name to suit your own needs.

Edit bookmark example.
You can edit your bookmarks if it helps to improve your content research process.

See these guides to using bookmarks in different web browsers and devices:

We cover using bookmarks in more detail in this section.

Content Organization Tools

You can also use content organization tools or apps to build up a collection of research notes, copy and paste snippets, ideas for blog posts or web pages, etc.

One Note

Content Research Tools - Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is a digital notebook that lets you store and organize all of your notes into sections and pages and share these across all of your devices.

You can also highlight important and “to-do” notes, draw and annotate your notes using a stylus or your finger, record audio notes, insert online videos, add files, save content with one click, and share notebooks with your coworkers.

Simplenote

Content Research Tools - Simplenote
Simplenote

Simplenote is a free cross-platform note-taking tool that lets you organize your thoughts and content ideas, add tags to find notes quickly with instant searching, share to-do lists, post instructions, and publish your notes online.

Your notes automatically stay updated across all your devices,  in real-time, and get backed up with every change you make.

MyInfo

MyInfo
MyInfo – organizer application for Windows.

MyInfo is another tool you can use to collect, store, and organize your content ideas, research notes, lists, links, to-dos, etc.

MyInfo - comiplation of screens from the application
Some screens from the MyInfo application.

The tool lets you collect and organize information in a number of ways, including assigning tags and attributes, using entry forms or typing free text, creating notes from templates or from scratch, and using search filters.

Text Editors

Built-in Plain Text Editor

A plain text editor lets you create draft content without distractions
A plain text editor lets you save content research notes and create draft content without distractions.

Your computer’s built-in plain text editor like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Apple) is a great tool to jot down and save your content ideas, rough notes, snippets, swipe files, research, quotes, link or image URLs, write an outline of topics, and organize your content research.

It also lets you quickly create content drafts without distractions (like formatting or styling text) so you can focus entirely on what you want to say and get your ideas or points across.

NoteTab – Text And HTML Editor

NoteTab Pro - Text And HTML Editor
NoteTab Pro – Text And HTML Editor

While using a plain text editor is great, sometimes you may want to have multiple text files open while you work.

For example, let’s say that you are editing multiple articles or snippets of content on multiple text files and decide that you need to perform a search and replace operation across some or all of these files.

Being able to do one search and replace across all files would be a huge time saver. With your computer’s built-in plain text editor software, however, you can’t do this unless you merge the content of all your files together.

NoteTab is a powerful text and HTML editor tool that lets you edit multiple text files simultaneously, strip HTML from code, and a whole lot more. You can even use it to perform search and replace operations across multiple text files at once.

It’s a great content editing tool that will improve your productivity and help speed things up, especially when working with text or HTML snippets.

NoteTab Features

NoteTab is available in three versions:  NoteTab Pro, NoteTab Standard, and the freeware NoteTab Light.

We recommend downloading and using the PRO version.

 NoteTab Pro offers great features like:

  • Multiple-level undo/redo
  • Fast and flexible search & replace tools
  • Easy-to-use wildcards for searching (like * and ?)
  • An integrated two-pane outliner
  • Real-time word count (NoteTab or Microsoft Word method)
  • Text statistics for SEO (HTML code automatically ignored)
  • Support for HTML5 and CSS3
  • Support for Twitter’s Bootstrap toolkit
  • Syntax highlighting for HTML, XML, and CSS files
  • A multilingual spell checker and thesaurus
  • Customizable menu shortcuts and toolbars

The table of features below shows the differences between the three versions.

NoteTab - Feature Comparison
NoteTab – Feature Comparison

If you need to get more done in less time, NoteTab is fast, handy, reliable, and packed with time-saving productivity tools not found in other text editors.

More Info: NoteTab Pro

tip

To learn how to copy and paste text from images into a text editor, see the Content Management Tips & Tricks section.

Copy and paste text from images
You can copy and paste text from images using image capture tools to speed up your content research.

Swipe File Folders

Electronic folders are great tools for keeping your content research files organized.

By creating a hierarchy of nested folders mirroring your content structure, you can build an effective archive for your content research notes and files. This also lets you quickly locate archived files in the future should you ever need to retrieve these later.

Additional Content Research Tools

Additional Sites For Content Research

The sites below provide additional useful resources for your content research.

Statistics & Data

Visit sites like the ones listed below for statistical data and information to validate your articles when getting your point across and adding credibility to your content:

  • Statista -Statista is one of the leading sites for market and consumer data.
  • Marketing Trends (HubSpot) – The latest marketing trends.
  • Top U.S. Market Research and Data Analytics Companies – Top market research and data analytics companies in the U.S.
  • Marketing Statistics (CoSchedule)- Marketing strategy trend report.
  • Gartner – Technology data
  • IQVIA – Healthcare data
  • NCBI – The National Library of Medicine’s National Center for Biotechnology Information site, which provides access to biomedical and genomic information to advance science and health.
  • JSTOR – JSTOR provides access to more than 12 million journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines.

Idea Sharing Sites

These sites attract subject experts and independent authors willing to share their ideas on a wide range of topics:

  • Ted Talks – TED talks are short, online video talks and presentations designed to inform and educate global audiences by presenting “Ideas Worth Spreading.” TED Talks provide access to new knowledge and innovative research from experts across a wide range of fields, including science, technology, business, art, design, and more.
  • Towards Data Science – a site where independent authors publish work and share concepts, ideas, and codes on data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and programming.
  • Start it up – This site is aimed at the “creator economy” and focuses on all things that help people “get smarter at building their thing” through newsletters, podcasts, self-published books, online courses, social media channels like YouTube, TikTok, Clubhouse, etc.
  • English Language & Usage Stack Exchange – This is a “question and answer” site designed to provide detailed answers to every question about English language and usage. There are no “chit chats” or discussions on this site. Simply ask your question and you’ll get an answer.
  • Substack – Substack is a site where independent writers and podcasters publish directly to their audience and get paid through subscriptions.
  • Codeburst.io – If your content targets developers, coders, or programmers, this site provides an abundance of tutorials and ideas for technical content writers.

Video Courses For Beginners – Content Research

The video courses below cover basic areas of content research and are ideal for beginners (note: you can access all of the video courses below with a single all-access pass):

Keyword Research - WPMasterclasses.comKeyword Research Tools

Learn how to do keyword research using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner.

More info: Keyword Research Tools

Google Tools - WPMasterclasses.comGoogle Tools

Learn how to use Google Tools like Google Analytics & Gmail.

More info: Google Tools

Using Password Managers - WPMasterclasses.comUsing Password Managers

Password Managers provide an easy and secure way to keep track of all your passwords. This video course shows you how to use powerful and FREE password management tools.

More info: Using Password Managers

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For more video courses, see this section: Digital Business Video Courses

Summary

The World Wide Web is a huge library of content research. All you need are the right tools to perform your research effectively. This section provides a list of time-saving content research tools and resources.

Action Steps

Use the content research tools, sites, and resources listed on this page to save time researching content ideas and to help you and your team with your content planning and content production.

Resources

References

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Return To The Main Tools And Resources Section

Images: Laptop

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