Plan content

Plan to define the end-to-end content task so the broader team has clarity about user needs and business goals.

Build relationships with clients, content requesters and contributors for a joint understanding of the content’s purpose. It also helps to understand the context of the digital ecosystem. You will come away knowing what skills, people and checks you need to ensure quality

Contents

Who to involve in planning

Find out which specialists you need. For example, communications/marketing, subject expertise, product/strategy, and content experts, usability testers and publishers.

Clarify what you need them to contribute. Work out what they are responsible for, and who has final sign off. Aim to discover and validate the purpose of the content for the user.

Typical roles and skills

Subject experts

Contribute specialist knowledge, business perspectives and requirements

Communications

Plan for strategic communications across multiple channels

Content strategist/ content leads/ information architect

  • align with content strategy and advise on content types
  • review and advise on information architecture
  • identify related content in your website’s information architecture and related - identify related content across other agency websites

Content specialists

  • contribute a user-focused perspective
  • apply metadata knowledge
  • put a maintenance process in place

Tools and templates

Content production template

Transfer the main messages from your planning workshop to the content production template. This will give context for content authors when writing and for reviewers when checking content quality.

Content decision tree

Use the content decision tree as a guide to help decide if your content is right or ready to publish.

Methods