Creating content material takes a number of planning, manufacturing, and publishing exercise. From the individuals creating it to the instruments they use and the processes they comply with, manufacturing schedules can go from manageable to chaos in a matter of days.

Content material operations templates and methods provide help to outline processes, decide schedules forward of time, handle duties, and finally make it simpler to scale.

Listed here are the perfect free templates that received’t really feel like a waste of time.

monday.com: Artistic processes template

monday.com is a versatile relational database instrument for work administration and group collaboration. As soon as you identify fundamental content material operations, you need to use it to handle your full content material manufacturing cycle.

Whether or not it’s weblog posts, customized photos, podcasts, movies, or a combo of all of them, you’ll haven’t any drawback managing manufacturing schedules with monday.com.

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monday.com’s inventive processes template is a good possibility as a result of it acts as a single supply of fact for each operations and manufacturing.

Due to built-in undertaking administration options, you’ll get Kanban boards, Gantt charts, calendar views, timelines, and extra. This offers everybody in your group the chance to see all the pieces in a approach that makes essentially the most sense for them.

This template additionally features a full digital asset administration (DAM) part that makes it straightforward to connect directions and specs to every merchandise.

Except for the template itself, monday.com provides a variety of configurable automations so you may simply streamline each step of the method. For instance, you may robotically connect related directions and course of documentation to a job primarily based on its content material sort.

ClickUp: Content material operations template for SOPs

Whether or not you’re working with a number of individuals or a number of dozen, normal working procedures (SOPs) are an important piece of your content material manufacturing machine. With out them, it’s possible you’ll sacrifice high quality, effectivity, price, or all the above.

This content material creation SOP template from ClickUp comes with all you’ll want to create and retailer your documentation.

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Not like different SOP templates, this one is constructed particularly for content material. You received’t need to make many adjustments earlier than including your content material operations framework and documentation.

It permits you to outline the aim of your processes, the scope of your tasks, and step-by-step directions for all the pieces you’re producing.

The template works rather well for explaining learn how to do issues inside a selected instrument, like Canva or WordPress, in addition to pointers, stylesheet data, and finest practices. There’s additionally a spot so that you can hyperlink to different sources as wanted.

Wrike: Full content material operations system

In the event you handle a number of tasks concurrently, Wrike makes it straightforward to plan and execute these plans throughout the identical platform. It’s notably helpful for undertaking portfolio administration and tying undertaking particulars into higher-level enterprise targets.

Though Wrike’s free plan is proscribed in comparison with different platforms, groups utilizing it are doubtless in a position to justify paying for it.

That stated, a lot of its templates can be found on the free plan, together with its content material operations template.

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Not like different templates, this one’s a whole system with a number of modules that will help you streamline operations.

To begin, you may add your group and set roles, making it clear who’s liable for what.

There’s additionally a piece request type others can fill out after they want one thing from the content material group. It’s totally customizable to match your workflow and helps management how requests are added to your backlog.

Except for that, you need to use the system to create content material briefs, distribute them, and handle approvals with big-picture information a number of clicks away.

Every consumer has a personalised productiveness dashboard that outlines their to-do checklist, vital paperwork, and progress on owned tasks.

Airtable: Content material monitoring and operations template

Airtable is one other nice possibility to think about when dealing with content material operations at scale.

As a robust relational database resolution, it’s nice for organizing advanced content material methods that don’t match into different templates. It has a sturdy automation engine and loads of customization alternatives to show it into precisely what you want.

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From summarizing campaigns and filling your content material pipeline to monitoring workload and monitoring key metrics, this template has a little bit of all the pieces.

Not like different Airtable templates you’ll have seen, this one consists of pre-built interfaces with modular entry controls. As a substitute of accessing your entire base information, customers can solely see and work together with the weather you need them to.

It additionally comes with content material request kinds, content material marketing campaign administration capabilities, a calendar view for big-picture operations, and AI-powered instruments that will help you make data-driven selections.

I personally use Airtable for managing a lot of the workflows throughout my enterprise and might actually say it’s a greater match for individuals who prefer to get their fingers soiled.

Stackby: Content material operations template

Like Airtable, Stackby is a no-code on-line spreadsheet and database resolution for companies. It’s similar to Airtable in a number of methods, albeit a bit extra user-friendly for individuals who don’t wish to customise each single component.

The platform has greater than 500 templates for nearly each use case you may think about.

Stackby’s content material operations template is an all-in-one resolution for planning, administration, and content material creation.

What’s distinctive about this template is the truth that you may sync information from completely different campaigns, instruments, and job boards for high-level outcomes monitoring in a single view.

Say you’re managing content material in your weblog. In a single click on, you’ll have the ability to see crucial KPIs like the typical time guests spend on the web page, estimated variety of guests, and precise guests when you’ve hit publish.

There’s additionally a pre-built tab for outlining and monitoring advertising and marketing targets, together with which kinds of content material you’re going to make use of to realize them.

The actual-time information syncing is a key part of this template, making it an awesome alternative if you need that degree of element at your fingertips.

Smartsheet + Excel: Fundamental operational plan template

Smartsheet has practically a dozen content-specific templates in addition to operational planning templates that you may both use straight inside Smartsheet or obtain for Excel.

Excel is the best way to go for those who don’t wish to pay for Smartsheet as there isn’t a free plan.

Nonetheless, you’ll have the ability to simply create a high-level operational plan throughout your content material group, division, or complete enterprise with both model.

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Though this template is fairly generic, it’s straightforward to customise it and make it work for content material operations. You can even simply adapt it to incorporate content material operations as part of a bigger operational plan.

It leaves loads of room so as to add your personal contact to match your wants. The draw back of utilizing it with Excel is that you just’ll miss out on Smartsheet’s built-in undertaking administration instruments.

However you may nonetheless handle fundamental duties and tasks in Excel for those who choose.

SmartSuite: Advertising and marketing plan and useful resource administration template

SmartSuite is a collaborative work platform that’s versatile sufficient to assist groups maintain monitor of absolutely anything. Along with having undertaking administration options, you can even use it to handle customers, bills, plans, sources, and extra.

It ought to come as no shock that SmartSuite has some helpful content material operations templates that mix many of those parts collectively.

Extra on SmartSuite: SmartSuite evaluation. 

The advertising and marketing plans and sources template is among the finest due to its clear and intuitive dashboard. It offers an at-glance-look at your most vital data. You can even see what’s lively, the duties completely different groups are engaged on, what’s full, and work within the pipeline.

There are separate areas for roles, picture requests, social media account data, instruments and login information, model property, company contacts, and extra.

Each sort of merchandise allows you to set an proprietor, connect hyperlinks and different sources, monitor the standing, and take notes.

Not solely do you get high-level stats, you additionally get all the pieces you’ll want to handle the small print.

Asana: Excessive-level operational plan template

Asana is a extra conventional undertaking administration instrument, making it nice for people or companies searching for one thing easier with much less room for error and customization.

As an added bonus, it has top-of-the-line free plans available on the market. You’ll get limitless duties, tasks, and messages plus the power to collaborate with as much as ten group members for free of charge. Each plan additionally consists of Kanban view, calendar view, and checklist view of all of your duties.

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Asana’s free operational plan template is nice for goal and strategic alignment. You possibly can take it a step additional and monitor targets, tasks, and duties, multi functional place. The most effective half is that you may join all of those parts collectively for a completely synced content material operations system.

Constructed-in kinds make it straightforward to standardize content material requests, manufacturing, and data sharing throughout your group too.

Past content material, this template consists of instruments for KPI reporting and common opinions, making a real operational plan resolution for groups that want to remain organized from the highest down.

BONUS Template (Paid): Notion content material operations for businesses

This Notion template is constructed particularly for businesses. In the event you’re managing content material for a number of purchasers, you may simply create a brand new area for every one and customise their client-specific wants from there.

Then your group can rapidly confirm the precise operational necessities primarily based on which content material they’re producing content material for.

For instance, one among your purchasers may need you to quote sources a selected approach and solely use information from the previous 12 months. One other consumer could particularly ask you to publish three new posts on LinkedIn per week, and a 3rd consumer will not be tremendous explicit about something.

Regardless of how massive you get or what number of purchasers you begin working with, your group can proceed counting on this template as their centralized supply of fact for any particular necessities.

You can even use the template to plan targets and measure KPIs in your purchasers. There’s even a spot so that you can maintain monitor of upcoming conferences and handle timesheets for hours spent engaged on completely different tasks.

Not like the opposite templates, this one isn’t free. It comes with way more options and capabilities than all the opposite templates and the $75 price ticket is definitely justified if that is one thing you want. This template can be commonly maintained, which may’t be stated about most free choices.

How to decide on the precise content material operations template

There’s a number of variation from one template to the subsequent. Some are easy and light-weight, others are extremely customizable methods with dozens of views and tables to maintain monitor of various kinds of gadgets.

Maintain the next standards in thoughts as you make your last determination:

• Operations complexity: Easy content material operations can doubtless be outlined in a one or two-page template, whereas advanced flows want one thing extra superior.
• Constructed-in undertaking administration: Decide for those who simply wish to use a one-off template to stipulate your operations or if you wish to proceed managing content material manufacturing from the identical platform.
• Workforce measurement and scalability: Some templates are high quality for people and small groups, and others are constructed for a number of departments that collectively work on content material at a excessive quantity with a number of transferring components.
• Consumption requests and content material briefs: Not each template comes with consumption kinds and/or undertaking briefs, each of that are good to have — particularly for those who commonly get content material requests from outdoors groups or purchasers.

One of the best ways to be sure to have the precise one is to shortlist a number of, obtain them, and take a look at them out. A number of the choice comes down to non-public desire, so it’s a good suggestion to see them in motion earlier than selecting.

What’s the distinction between content material operations and content material technique?

Operations and technique are vital items of creating an efficient advertising and marketing plan. Though they sound comparable and are intently associated, they’re not the identical factor.

A content material technique identifies big-picture targets and plans in your content material itself. Content material operations refers to the way you’ll get the work achieved. Going after natural site visitors to drive conversions may very well be a part of your content material technique whereas operations consists of the group, instruments, and sources you’ll must make that occur.

What’s the content material operations lifecycle?

The content material operations lifecycle defines your course of for all of the content material you produce. It’s sometimes damaged down into 5 levels:

• Planning: Aligning ideas together with your general technique.
• Creation: Processes for writing, recording, designing, filming, and modifying.
• Distribution: Channels you’ll use to get your content material in entrance of the precise individuals.
• Evaluation and optimization: Monitoring key metrics and iteratively making updates.
• Archiving: How and the place you’ll retailer outdated, legacy content material.

Content material operations templates provide help to streamline and manage enterprise processes all through your entire operations lifecycle. Some could deal with particular levels whereas others are all encompassing.

The most effective for you is determined by how detailed you wish to get, how superior your operations are proper now, and the place you wish to go from there.

Tips on how to create a content material operations framework

A content material operations framework — additionally referred to as ContentOps — outlines official documentation for creating, managing, and distributing content material for what you are promoting. It covers all the pieces from the individuals concerned to the instruments you utilize to execute your technique.

Utilizing a proper content material operations framework ensures your group is aligned and your processes are simply repeatable, irrespective of who performs them.

I’ve constructed and scaled content material operations for a number of companies, and that is how I strategy a ContentOps framework.

Roles and obligations

Step one is defining roles for each individual concerned. A great place to begin is answering the next questions:

• The place are new content material concepts coming from?
• Who’s liable for creating what kinds of content material?
• Who owns your entire course of from begin to end?
• What’s the chain of command?

It’s vital for everybody to know their roles and obligations. This additionally means realizing how content material flows by your system and what they need to or shouldn’t be doing at each step of the best way.

For instance, can a author request a customized picture from a designer? Is the individual filming your movies liable for modifying them and importing them to YouTube?

All of these items ought to clearly be communicated and simply accessible to your group.

Processes and workflows

There must be a transparent, linear path for all the pieces you produce.

An editor ought to know precisely what to do with an article as soon as they’re achieved with it, for instance. They need to additionally know learn how to edit it, together with fashion information necessities and different parts they should search for.

Writers ought to know the way a lot time they’ve to jot down a publish as soon as it’s been assigned.

The identical is true for whoever handles content material when it’s prepared. What occurs after it’s printed? Does it should be added to your weekly electronic mail or promoted on social media? What about content material updates? Who decides when these occur?

There are a number of completely different workflows you must clearly outline. It’s okay for those who miss some — for those who’re doing issues proper, you most likely will.

When you attain a second of uncertainty, you must doc it and make clear what your group ought to do.

Expertise stack

Your group must know what instruments you’re utilizing to provide content material and talk with one another.

For instance, your ContentOps tech stack may look one thing like this:

• Slack for inside communication.
• ClickUp for undertaking administration.
• Airtable for monitoring income.
• Google Workspace for cloud storage.
• Notion for sustaining your SOPs.
• WordPress for distributing weblog posts.

Rinse and repeat for each instrument you utilize and anticipate your group to make use of as effectively.

Ideally, a content material operations template helps you consolidate your tech stack. Switching to a sturdy undertaking administration instrument will help you handle your workflows, facilitate inside communications, and retailer paperwork in a single place.

Ensure you maintain this up to date and keep on prime of customers so that you don’t find yourself paying for a bunch of seats you by no means use.

Governance mannequin

This facet of the framework is usually missed, but it surely’s arguably an important — particularly for bigger organizations with a number of decision-makers.

Executives and division leaders ought to commonly come collectively and agree on high-level technique, your strategy to content material, the way you deal with discrepancies, and the way typically you evaluation all the pieces collectively.

This ensures your group doesn’t need to have each piece of content material accredited. As a substitute, they’ve a set of finest practices they’re anticipated to comply with.

So long as these necessities are met, execs and leaders shouldn’t be questioning micro-level selections. It’s a win-win for everybody.