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4 Misconceptions About Editorial Workflows

Posted at 11:26 am on Apr 26, 2015
editorial workflow

Photo by Nic Mcphee https://www.flickr.com/photos/nics_events/

We all know that content is king. If creating content is part of your business or marketing strategy, creating content is only half the battle. Finding a system that helps you create, edit, and distribute is just as important as actually creating the content. Yet, groups and organisations are still reluctant about creating an editorial workflow to manage their writing process.

An editorial workflow can help you save time and reduce the chaos of the editorial process. Investing in a tool to help you plan, edit, and revise content is valuable to many websites. Here are four misconceptions, and the counter facts, about editorial workflows:

1. I only need to use a workflow if I have a big team.  Even small teams have multiple contributors and editors. If you have more than one person involved in your content creation a workflow can help you keep the process clear.  Even the most talented writer can use an extra set of eyes to review and give feedback on their content before publishing. Online publishing has also opened up the opportunity to update and refine old pieces. If you would like to keep your old content up to date with new information, using a workflow will help you keep track of old articles.

2. I only need to use a calendar if I am publishing a lot of content. Most websites are not putting out daily, or even weekly content. Editorial calendars aren’t just for people posting a lot of content. Anyone posting regular content can benefit from an editorial workflow. Workflows help you create high-quality content, no matter how often you publish.

3. I don’t need an editorial process. Many people think that by hiring great writers, an internal editorial process can be eliminated. But, even the most talented writers can benefit from review and feedback. Further, editors are often experts on a particular topic. This gives them better insight into what information readers are looking for. A review process can help add valuable content to an article.

4. My industry is too boring to create interesting content. For some, the reluctance is not about organising a workflow but about content creation in the first place. A great content strategy  can help build your business. Find what your customers are passionate about, and create content around that. Every topic has an interesting peripheral or niche to it. By getting to know your customers better, you will be able to find out what their needs, passions, and interests are and can create helpful content using your expertise.

Do you have any other concerns about using an editorial workflow? What other misconceptions have you come across?