• The majority of content creators allocate more than half of their working hours to developing content, and this duration goes up as demand for high-quality content intensifies.
• To avoid being overwhelmed with your tasks, having a content production workflow is crucial.
• Mastering the art of crafting a winning workflow is vital for executing content marketing strategies flawlessly and efficiently.

Are you feeling the pressure of producing top-quality content on a daily basis? I feel your pain.

According to Orbit Media, it takes writers about 4-6 hours to craft a single blog post. That’s a lot of time spent churning out brilliant content!

As the demand for content continues to increase year after year and the time spent to create exceptional content rises, it’s crucial that teams establish an effective workflow to avoid falling into chaos.

When creating content, marketing teams often forget to establish a proper production process. This can lead to wasted effort, time, and resources, which can hurt your business.

Don’t let your hard work go to waste! Take the time to plan and organize your content creation process.

Trust me, it’ll save you time, effort, and resources in the long run.

Let’s work smarter, not harder, and get your content published with ease.

What Is a Content Production Workflow?

Essentially, a content production workflow is a step-by-step guide that outlines everything you need to do to create content.

Imagine you’re the head of a marketing team, and you’re in charge of creating content for your website, blog, and social media channels. It sounds like a lot, right?

To avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed, that’s where a content production workflow comes in.

Having a content production workflow is like having a blueprint for building a skyscraper. 

Just as a blueprint is crucial for constructing a complex and towering structure, a content production workflow is crucial for creating high-quality content on a consistent basis.

With a content production workflow, you receive a concise breakdown of the assignments necessary for your marketing team to produce fresh content.

So, just as a blueprint is an essential tool for an architect, a content production workflow is a critical asset for any content marketing team that wants to achieve success in today’s competitive landscape.

It is recommended to have a clear content workflow when creating various types of content, such as blog posts, website copy, and social media updates.

With a content production workflow, you can assign tasks, define roles, and create timelines, making sure everyone is on the same page. It’s like a recipe for content success!

To achieve better results, a content creation workflow should include strategic planning, collaborative brainstorming by the team, and monitoring.

And depending on what you need, you can have different workflows for different types of content. 

💡KEY TAKEAWAY: A content production workflow is a vital blueprint for consistently creating high-quality content across various platforms. This step-by-step guide helps marketing teams assign tasks, define roles, and establish timelines, ensuring seamless collaboration and content success. Tailoring workflows to specific content types enhances efficiency and achieves better results.

Why Should You Have a Content Production Workflow?

There are a lot of moving parts involved within a content production team, and it can be tough to keep everything straight from brainstorming to writing and publishing, and this is why a detailed content production workflow is important. 

By mapping out every step of the process and assigning tasks to specific team members, you can reap a number of benefits.

Effective delegation of content creation tasks

Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in a sea of content creation tasks? You’re not alone!

A well-defined workflow is like a lifeboat in this situation. It ensures that content tasks are distributed among team members and that everyone knows precisely what is expected of them.

With a workflow in place, you’ll be able to easily track the progress of each piece of content from conception to publication. You’ll feel more in control, and your team will be more productive. 

Ability to break down large tasks

Picture this – you have a looming deadline for a content project, and you’re feeling overwhelmed.

You’re not sure where to start, how to organize your thoughts, or even which direction to take. Well, fear not! That’s where having a content production workflow comes in handy.

By breaking down the larger tasks into smaller, manageable pieces, you can focus on each part of the content without feeling defeated by the whole.

This approach allows you to tackle each step effectively, ensuring that nothing gets missed and everything is done to your standards.

Plus, managing your time better means you’ll have more time to do other operational tasks for your brand.

Pay more attention to deadlines and stick with them

Not only does a content creation workflow give you a bird’s-eye view of the entire process, but it also helps you stay on top of deadlines – because, let’s be honest, who hasn’t had a deadline sneak up on them?

With a workflow in place, you can effectively manage your team’s needs, resources, and deliverables.

Plus, being aware of where you stand in the process means you can offer updates to stakeholders with confidence.

You can say that sweet goodbye to missed deadlines and hello to happy bosses and clients once you have a reliable content production workflow set up!

Keep track of your team’s pace

A highly organized and structured workflow that makes it a breeze to monitor each team member’s progress and overall efficiency.

Having a bird’s-eye view of the entire content creation process helps you spot any potential issues in no time, whether it’s a team member struggling to keep up or the whole team falling short of their goals.

By staying on top of these concerns, you can proactively address them before they snowball into significant problems.

Trust me, it’s a game-changer for maintaining a productive and efficient content production environment!

How to Structure a Winning Content Production Workflow

If you want to create award-winning content without losing your mind, you need a solid workflow in place.

Trust me, without a clear production process, chaos reigns supreme.

Having a content creation workflow is like acquiring a treasure map. With this bad boy, you can identify bottlenecks, streamline your process, and, ultimately, create killer content.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin, don’t worry – I’ve got your back.

Here’s my quick and easy step-by-step guide to planning and organizing your workflow. 

Step 1: Determine who is involved or the roles

When it comes to creating content, it’s essential to know who is involved and what roles they play at each stage of the project.

This helps you define a clear workflow and ensures everyone knows what’s expected of them.

Depending on the type of content you produce, you may have different individuals involved. The follow specialists are typically involved in a content production team:

• Strategists: This role usually requires analyzing a company’s objectives and creating promotional plans that utilize various channels to effectively communicate with the intended audience and meet their needs.
• Copywriters: Copywriters are in charge of crafting written content that resonates with the target audience and aligns with the brand’s messaging and style guidelines.
• Graphic Designers: Graphic designers are responsible for creating visually compelling designs, such as images, infographics, and videos, that complement the written content and enhance its effectiveness.
• Editors: Editors play a crucial role in content marketing by reviewing and revising written content to ensure it is error-free, well-structured, and engaging for the target audience.

Knowing who does what can save you a lot of time and headaches in the long run. 

Step 2: Identify the tasks each role must fulfill

So, you’ve identified the roles needed for a workflow; fantastic!

Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty—identifying the tasks each role must fulfill.

This stage is crucial for ensuring that each vital aspect of the workflow is covered, so buckle up and get ready to create quality guidelines and checklists.

Don’t forget to communicate clearly with your team, share legal requirements, and let them know the essentials to complete a task.

To make life easier, ensure that tasks and subtasks are clearly defined to reduce confusion and save time.

You don’t want to waste your time trying to figure out who’s supposed to do what when you could be making progress on your project.

Here’s an easy example for you: when defining “approve the draft,” spell out what you expect! 

Like a good school teacher, tell your team which aspects of the content need approval, such as grammar, readability, tone, or compliance with policies.

To handle tasks that require a lot of details, suggest providing additional information to help achieve a thorough understanding. 

For instance, advise writers to concentrate on the content’s purpose, the target audience, word-count objectives, and style guidelines for better comprehension.

So, take the time to define tasks and subtasks, and make sure that everyone on your team knows what’s expected of them.

With a bit of planning and a lot of elbow grease, you’ll be on your way to having an efficient and successful content production workflow in no time.

Step 3: Define and map out the flow of the tasks

The next step in the process is to define and map out the flow of the tasks.

This is essential, as it ensures that everything runs smoothly from start to finish.

By arranging the tasks and sub-tasks in a logical sequence, you’ll be able to consider how long each step should take.

This way, you won’t be left rushing around at the last minute trying to get everything done in time.

The main phases of a content production flow typically involve the following:

Ideation: Ideation, or the process of brainstorming and gathering all possible ideas from relevant parties. It’s essential to keep an open mind and store all generated ideas, even if they aren’t immediately developed into content.

Prioritization and Planning: This is where a designated person must be chosen to take responsibility for keeping track of the editorial calendar and liaising with other teams to determine which content should take priority. 

From there, a plan is developed to ensure that all content can be produced and published on time. It might sound like a lot of work, but it’s absolutely necessary if you want to stay on top of things and avoid any unexpected hiccups along the way.

Creation: It’s essential to organize this process effectively since, by creating workflows specific to each type of content, you can map out the stages and ensure that everyone involved knows what is expected of them. 

The creation stage should allow for reviews and iterations, giving creatives ample space to focus on their work without feeling overwhelmed.

Publishing and Promotion: Of course, the actions needed for promoting your content will depend on the type of content you’ve created. If it’s something simpler, then you might not need to invest in paid promotions. But if it’s something gated or more complex, then additional promotion will be necessary.

And don’t forget — monitoring and analyzing content distribution metrics is a crucial part of this process. After all, how else will you know what changes to make to improve your workflow and distribution?

Storage and Organization: By establishing clear guidelines for how to store, name, and organize content, you can avoid the headache of searching for lost files. 

Plus, it makes it super easy to access your content whenever you need it, whether it’s for reusing or modifying it later on. Trust us, keeping things organized will make your life so much easier in the long run.

By mapping out everyone’s roles and responsibilities, as well as the flow of your entire content production process, everyone knows what they need to do to keep the project moving forward.

Plus, it eliminates the need for any excuses—after all, if it’s part of the workflow, it’s everyone’s job!

💡KEY TAKEAWAY: For efficient content production workflow, define and map out the flow of tasks, covering ideation, creation, publishing, promotion, and organization. Proper planning and organization keep everyone accountable, prevent rushes, and improve content quality.

Step 4: Integrate practical content production and management tools

So, you’ve figured out your complete content production flow, and you’re ready to rock and roll.

But wait, there’s a catch – creating and managing content can be a tedious and time-consuming process.

Luckily, there are plenty of tools out there to help make your life easier.

From brainstorming and organizing ideas to optimizing and measuring performance, finding the right mix of tools is key.

Here are some examples of tools that have helped me in my process:

• Trello: This tool enables teams to monitor their workflows and use a built-in calendar to visualize their editorial schedule.
• Wrike: Using this app, you can organize your content creation workflow based on different factors such as the title, theme, assignee, product, delivery date, and others.
• SimilarWeb: The tool can give you valuable information about the traffic on your website and engagement levels and help you improve your digital performance.

And, if you want to take your content production up a notch, you can upgrade your tools with new, cutting-edge apps that are powered by Artificial Intelligence.

But be careful; not all tools are created equal. Before jumping all in, test them out on a smaller scale to avoid any unwanted surprises.

Believe me, you don’t want to end up with a tool that takes more time to manage than it saves.

Go ahead and integrate those practical content production and management tools; just do it smartly.

Final Thoughts

Chaos and disarray may occur when creating content without a streamlined workflow, but don’t be stressed, for a well-crafted plan can transform this process into a smooth, time-saving, and cost-effective experience.

Laying the initial groundwork for your content creation process may involve some heavy lifting, but the workflow is up and running; all you’ll need are a few tweaks and refinements to perfect the system.

There’s a myriad of steps between planning resources and producing stellar content, which is why it’s crucial to master the art of crafting a winning workflow, ensuring your content marketing strategies are executed flawlessly and efficiently.

Get in touch with us at Content Hacker if you’re looking for more information on how you can build an almost flawless content production workflow!

References

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The content workflow you need to build in 2023. (2023, May 22). Planable. https://planable.io/blog/content-workflow/

CoSchedule. (2023, January 9). How to plan an effective content production process in 8 steps. CoSchedule Blog. https://coschedule.com/blog/content-production#steps

Crestodina, A. (2022, September 21). 2022 blogging statistics: Blogger data shows trends and insights into blogging. Orbit Media Studios. https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/blogging-statistics/

Easy to use tools to check the performance of your content. (2019, October 24). Scatter. https://scatter.co.in/tools-content-performance/

How to organize your content production pipeline. (n.d.). Website Magazine. https://www.websitemagazine.com/content/how-to-organize-your-content-production-pipeline

Make the most of your content with a solid content workflow. (2023, March 21). Filestage: The world’s best-rated review and approval platform. https://filestage.io/blog/content-workflow/

Marketing workflow for content production. (n.d.). Content Marketing Institute. https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/define-workflow-content-team/

Top 15 content workflow software to streamline your content processes. (2023, May 23). Narrato. https://narrato.io/blog/top-15-content-workflow-software-to-streamline-your-content-processes/