Predicate | Exploring Editorial Strategy

Exploring Editorial Strategy Jeﬀrey MacIntyre Content Strategy Forum 2010 Predicate, LLC Paris

Hello, France; Hello, World. I’m an independent content strategist in New York City. In France. Credit: theirisnetwork, ﬀfound!

Hello, France; Hello, World. But. How did I get here? How did you? Credit: HotVVheels Peter Nidzgorski, x818, ﬀfound!

Hello, France; Hello, World. Most importantly, why are we here?

Hello, France; Hello, World. Most importantly, why are we here? Credit: 96dpi, ﬂickr

Hello, France; Hello, World. Most importantly, why are we here?

I Can Only Speak for Myself.

I Can Only Speak for Myself. Credit: batescreativegroup.com

Why I’m Really Here. +

Why I’m Really Here. = “Content strategy is about publishing.” Erin Kissane, incisive.nu

Why We’re Really Here.

Content Strategy Today

Introductions I’m an independent content strategist in NYC. My practice focuses on editorial product strategy. ‣ Jeﬀ MacIntyre, Principal @jeﬀmacintyre

What is Editorial Strategy?

The Primacy of Content Strategy Simply put, editorial strategy begins with content strategy. The second explains the ﬁrst. Credit: Blogger.com circa 1999

Content Strategy is a Lifecycle “Content Strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.” --Kristina Halvorson “If information architecture is the spatial design of information, I see content strategy as the temporal side of that same coin.” --Louis Rosenfeld

The Content Strategy Gospel ‣ The web is a publishing medium. ‣ Content is integral (to experience). ‣ Content producers = de facto publishers. ‣ To users, the web is awash in content. Site owners feel the ﬂoodwaters, too. So, sink or swim. Filter or be ﬂooded.

What’s a Content Strategist?

Editors + Editorial Strategy? “We don’t hire editors, we hire content strategists.” CEO Jack Griﬃn 21 February 2008

“As a Content Strategist Working with Editorial...” Credit: Adam Taplin, Content Strategy Google Group

Editorial is Ongoing Content What is it? A publishing asset. ‣ Repeatable and repeatedly published content in a recognizable form (article, podcast, etc.) and packaged (e.g., edited) for consumption; ‣ Made valuable to an audience by: being newsworthy or original; through subject matter expertise or authority; by voice or other brand attributes.

Example: Slate’s “Today’s Papers” 12 years ago, Slate.com pioneered a daily form of content aggregation for news consumers. Now, everyone does “roundups.” It evolved from novel convenience to meta-digest to spin-oﬀs to modular, near- realtime editorial.

Introducing Editorial Strategy ‣ What? Product development for content. ‣ Why? “The Day 2 Problem.” ‣ How? Content strategist, like product developers, work between “product” and “plumbing.”

Why EDITORIAL STRATEGY?

“The Day 2 Problem” Postlaunch is a project phase. (It’s called operations.) Editorial content is ongoing content publishing. Editorial strategy is about caring for content after launch day. Credit: Flickr Commons

Your website isn’t a magazine.

“[G]etting better at publishing is the only way you’re going to get better at content.” Gerry McGovern Content Critical

Your website isn’t a magazine!

Publishing is Pivotal ‣ Everything I know about content strategy I learned from being a web editor.

Publishing is Pivotal ‣ Maybe you did, too?

Louis Rosenfeld: Kill Redesign ‣ “Redesign must die” ‣ “Every large website is a complex Credit: “Redesign Must Die “, louisrosenfeld.com adaptive system.”

Your website isn’t a magazine. But it should be.

Crafting an EDITORIAL STRATEGY

Do You Have One? Editorial strategy is ... ‣ a set editorial mix Credit: Jessica Hagy ‣ scheduled release of ongoing content ‣ packaged as a bundle of like content ‣ supported via masthead workﬂow ‣ guided by a product strategy

Key Debates in Editorial Strategy ‣ “Free v. paid” (rev. models: licensing, etc.) ‣ Editorial mix: stock & ﬂow ‣ Production model: factory v. atelier ‣ Bundling: curation v. aggregation ‣ Original content: longform/shortform

Editorial as Product? ‣ More common than you think.

Designers on Editorial Credit: Jason Santa Maria, SVA presentation Credit: Luke Hayman, Pentagram.com Credit: Dan Hill, cityofsound.com

The Value of Curation Credit: Clinton Forry, content-ment.com Credit: Erin Scime, dopedata.com Credit: Robin Sloan, snarkmarket.com Credit: Jonathan Maziarz Credit: Prasanna Lal Das, prasannalaldas.blogspot.com

The Role of Analytics

Editorial Strategy Toolkit: Product, Platform, Process Credit: Muriel Vandermeulen, wearethewords.com Credit: Erin Kissane, incisive.nu

Delivering an Editorial Strategy

A Simple Content Strategy Philosophy ‣ Product ‣ Platform ‣ Process

A Simple Content Strategy Philosophy ‣ Product (content) ‣ Platform (publishing) ‣ Process (organization)

Our Methodology 1. Audit 2. Plan 3. Build 4. Grow content content editorial content audit strategy speciﬁcation calendar content migration plan copy deck style guide inventory metadata content gap analysis schema development

Our Editorial Strategy 1. Audit 2. Plan 3. Build 4. Grow content editorial strategy calendar style guide content development

Content Strategy ! ! !

Content Strategy Think product lifecycle: ‣ A plan for content publishing. ‣ Iterating distinctive content products, integrating with business and competitive analysis. (E.g., content revenue modelling.) ‣ Blueprint for each content type’s lifecycle. Programming framework for editorial calendar. ‣ Support technology recommendations and guidelines. ‣ Organizational design (process, workﬂow, roles and responsibilities).

Style Guide Editorial Calendar !

Style Guide Think postlaunch: ‣ Reboot the model. ‣ More show bible (TV) or functional speciﬁcation (functional analysis). ‣ A training document, with publishing walkthroughs for each content module.

Editorial Calendar Think big, think small: ‣ The killer app of content strategy. ‣ An exhaustive programming resource. Credit: Rural Doctoring ‣ Macro: Swimlane visibility across sites and channels, enhancing collaboration and crosspromotion, increasing lead times. ‣ Micro: Asset-level tracking of all content production to reduce LOE, and increase content quality (streamlining “roundtrips”). ‣ The foundation for benchmarking production--and further optimization via analytics. Basis for proof points of CS ROI?

Content Development Credit: Webbmedia Group

Cui Bono?

The Big Idea: Ubiquitous Publishing Credit: Denis Pelli & Charles Bigelow, seedmagazine.com.

Why We’re Really Here.

What Problems Will You Solve? Credit: laughingsquid, ﬂickr

Because Your Rooftop is Ready. Further Reading: Credit: Joel Bedford, ﬂickr ‣ Content Strategy, the Knol ‣ Content Strategy, the Google Group ‣ Notes on Content (predicate-llc.com) ‣ #contentstrategy on Twitter

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Predicate | Exploring Editorial Strategy

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