Last-minute requests from senior leadership to be done ASAP. Re-reviewing a piece you’ve already reviewed three times previously. An in-box that has reached Mount Everest height. If your content team feels like their work life is a constant Chinese fire drill, it’s probably time to re-evaluate your team’s workflow and create a system. 

A constantly chaotic workload can create costs such as time, budget and burnout. Here are some ideas to tame the content chaos beast.

• Defined goals before working on a piece or project can greatly decrease rework. When a piece comes back for review for the umpteenth time because some component has changed with each review, it is time to develop clear goals for what is being developed. Consider:
  • Who is this piece for?
  • What is the goal?
  • What is the angle?
  • Who has final approval, and when is that approval needed?
  • What does success for this piece look like?
  • What factors are out of scope for this piece? This consideration is overlooked by most teams, but it’s one that can cut the revision cycle in half.
• Ensure a consistent voice. If your content is being developed by various sources (freelancer, agency, product marketer, etc.), it can sound different each time, which can lead to audience distrust. Everyone who creates content should be given a voice “cheat sheet” that defines your brand, provides examples of before and after on-brand and off-brand writing, and gives a short note on what your brand should never sound like. Establish a quarterly voice audit and put it on your calendar. Each audit should look at 10 recent pieces from various formats and authors and score them according to your brand standards and look at patterns.
• Provide a template for content requirements. The template should include non-negotiable requirements for fields and what to capture in each field. Before the writer starts work on this piece, have them confirm in writing their understanding of what is being requested with a couple of short sentences. Consider this:
  • Target audience – who is it being written for?
  • Business goal – what does this piece need to accomplish?
  • Content angle – what is the specific narrative?
  • Primary keyword – what is the SEO target?
  • CTA – what do you want the reader to do after reading this?
  • Tone guidance – how should this piece sound?
  • What not to do – what topics, claims or angles should be avoided? Don’t skip this one!
• No last-minute requests allowed. Establish a 72-hour minimum rule for content requests and stick to it. Be sure all stakeholders are aware of this rule. For absolutely necessary exceptions, develop an exception process. Also, develop a content request form and require it for every content request.
• Work on being proactive rather than reactive. If you’re always reacting, you don’t have time to be strategic. Devote some time each week to strategic thinking – put it on the calendar and consider it just as important as a client deadline. Consider starting a “to be done” log for content ideas – items to be repurposed, trend-reactive pieces to be developed, etc. – and review it periodically. When time is available, take an item from the list and work on it.

Once you have established a clear system, set expectations, and get all stakeholders in line, your content development process should see vast improvement.