Key Takeaways
1. Content strategy is the art of planning, creating, and managing content that meets user needs and business goals
Content strategy is to copywriting as information architecture is to design.
Defining content strategy. Content strategy involves planning for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content. It helps organizations understand and produce content their target audiences need, develop sustainable publishing plans, cut costs by reducing redundant efforts, and align communication across channels. Content strategists act as a combination editor-in-chief and air traffic controller, overseeing all aspects of content from ideation to long-term management.
Value of content strategy:
- Aligns content with user needs and business objectives
- Develops realistic, sustainable publishing plans
- Reduces costs by eliminating redundant efforts
- Improves effectiveness of existing content assets
- Prevents project delays due to content issues
2. Good content is appropriate, useful, user-centered, clear, consistent, and concise
Publish content that is right for the user and for the business.
Principles of good content. Effective content must be appropriate for the business, users, and context. It should help users accomplish their goals while also meeting business objectives. Good content is user-centered, adopting the cognitive frameworks and language of the audience. It strives for clarity in all things, maintaining consistency in language and presentation to reduce cognitive load.
Characteristics of quality content:
- Appropriate for business goals and user needs
- Useful in helping users accomplish tasks
- User-centered in language and structure
- Clear and easy to understand
- Consistent in terminology and style
- Concise, omitting unnecessary information
3. Content strategy draws from editorial work, curation, marketing, and information science
Content strategy is what happens in the spaces between.
Multidisciplinary roots. Content strategy incorporates expertise from various fields. From editorial work, it adopts principles of storytelling, audience focus, and publishing processes. Curation influences content selection and organization. Marketing contributes persuasion techniques and channel strategies. Information science provides frameworks for storing, retrieving, and disseminating information effectively.
Key influences on content strategy:
- Editorial: Storytelling, audience focus, publishing workflows
- Curation: Content selection, organization, and presentation
- Marketing: Persuasion, channel strategies, performance analysis
- Information Science: Information architecture, content management systems
4. Effective content strategy begins with thorough research and assessment
To do our jobs well, we must balance an understanding of the context in which content is created with an understanding of the context in which it is read and used.
Research and assessment process. Content strategists must conduct comprehensive research to understand project goals, user needs, and existing content. This includes stakeholder interviews, user research, content audits, and competitive analysis. The insights gained from this research form the foundation for developing effective content strategies.
Key research and assessment activities:
- Project definition and stakeholder interviews
- User research and persona development
- Content inventory and audit (quantitative and qualitative)
- Competitive analysis
- Resource assessment (people, tools, time)
5. Content strategists must advocate for both users and content throughout the project
Acting as a user advocate doesn't make you an impractical idealist.
Dual advocacy role. Content strategists must balance the needs of users with business goals, often acting as user advocates in the face of internal pressures. They must also champion the importance of content itself, ensuring that content requirements are considered in all project decisions and that resources are allocated appropriately for content creation and management.
Advocacy responsibilities:
- Represent user needs in content decisions
- Ensure content aligns with business objectives
- Highlight content implications of project changes
- Secure resources for content creation and management
- Educate stakeholders on content best practices
6. Successful content creation requires balancing expertise, resources, and user needs
There are only three ways to produce content. You can get it from dedicated creators, from internal experts, or you can avoid the issue entirely by aggregating someone else's content.
Content creation strategies. Organizations must carefully consider their approach to content creation, weighing the pros and cons of different methods. Dedicated creators bring expertise in communication but may lack subject knowledge. Internal experts have deep knowledge but may struggle with effective communication. Content curation can be efficient but requires editorial skill and may not fully meet user needs.
Content creation approaches:
- Dedicated creators: Professional writers/producers
- Internal experts: Subject matter specialists
- Content curation: Aggregating and contextualizing external content
Best practices for content creation:
- Designate an editorial lead with strong organizational skills
- Facilitate collaboration between creators and subject experts
- Develop clear content templates and guidelines
- Secure leadership support for content priorities
- Plan for factual reviews and editorial oversight
7. Ongoing content management is crucial for long-term success
As more organizations realize that they must think of themselves as publishers, the world of ongoing internal editorial leadership is becoming ever more integrated into the practice of content strategy.
Content management importance. Long-term success requires ongoing attention to content management. This includes regular content reviews, performance analysis, community moderation, and editorial planning. Organizations need dedicated resources, typically an in-house editor or content strategist, to oversee these ongoing efforts.
Key content management tasks:
- Scheduled editorial reviews of all content
- Traffic and findability analysis
- Community moderation and social media management
- Editorial planning for new themes and campaigns
- Translation and localization efforts
- Content archiving and removal
Establishing effective management:
- Develop clear publishing workflows and approval processes
- Create and maintain editorial calendars
- Implement regular content performance assessments
- Allocate resources for ongoing content maintenance
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement in content quality
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FAQ
1. What is "The Elements of Content Strategy" by Erin Kissane about?
- Foundational guide to content strategy: The book distills the core principles, competencies, and practices of content strategy, focusing on planning, creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.
- Not a how-to manual: It is not a step-by-step tutorial or exhaustive compendium, but rather a concise reference for understanding the discipline’s essentials.
- Three-part structure: The book is organized into “Basic Principles,” “The Craft of Content Strategy,” and “Tools and Techniques,” providing a holistic overview.
- For all web professionals: It’s written for anyone involved in web projects—designers, writers, editors, marketers, and developers—who want to improve their approach to content.
2. Why should I read "The Elements of Content Strategy" by Erin Kissane?
- Clarifies a complex field: The book demystifies content strategy, making it accessible and actionable for professionals at any level.
- Practical, real-world advice: It offers concrete principles and methods that can be applied immediately to web projects of any size.
- Bridges multiple disciplines: Kissane draws on editorial, curatorial, marketing, and information science traditions, making the book relevant across roles.
- Advocates for better content: It helps readers understand why good content matters and how to advocate for it within organizations.
3. What are the key takeaways from "The Elements of Content Strategy"?
- Content must be appropriate: Good content is right for both the user and the business, considering context, goals, and sustainability.
- User-centered and purposeful: Content should be clear, useful, user-centered, consistent, concise, and always supported by a maintenance plan.
- Content strategy is multidisciplinary: The field draws from editing, curation, marketing, and information science, requiring cross-training and collaboration.
- No one-size-fits-all: There is no generic playbook; content strategy is about applying core principles to unique situations and evolving needs.
4. How does Erin Kissane define content strategy in "The Elements of Content Strategy"?
- Strategic planning for content: Content strategy is the planning and leadership of content projects and online publishing endeavors.
- Beyond copywriting: It is to copywriting what information architecture is to design—focused on structure, purpose, and governance, not just creation.
- Holistic approach: It encompasses creation, publication, and ongoing management, ensuring content is useful, usable, and sustainable.
- Alignment with business and user needs: The discipline ensures that content serves both organizational goals and user requirements.
5. What are the core principles of content strategy according to "The Elements of Content Strategy"?
- Appropriateness: Content must be right for the user, the business, and the context in which it appears.
- Usefulness and purpose: Every piece of content should have a clear, specific purpose and be evaluated against that purpose.
- User-centeredness: Content should adopt the cognitive frameworks and language of its users, not just internal jargon.
- Clarity, consistency, and conciseness: Content must be clear, consistent in style and presentation, and free of unnecessary information.
- Support and maintenance: No content should be published without a plan for its ongoing support and management.
6. What is the role of a content strategist as described by Erin Kissane?
- Project leadership: The content strategist leads content projects, acting as a point person who anticipates and manages risks.
- Cross-functional collaboration: They work with designers, developers, marketers, and stakeholders to align content with broader project goals.
- User and content advocacy: Content strategists advocate for both user needs and the requirements of content throughout the project lifecycle.
- Resource management: They assess available resources, plan for sustainable content creation, and ensure ongoing maintenance is feasible.
7. How does "The Elements of Content Strategy" explain the origins and influences of content strategy?
- Editorial roots: The discipline borrows heavily from editorial work, emphasizing serving the reader, storytelling, and publishing processes.
- Curatorial influence: Content strategists act as curators, caring for collections of content, ensuring quality, and respecting context.
- Marketing and rhetoric: The field incorporates principles of persuasion, messaging, and channel strategy from marketing and rhetoric.
- Information science: It draws on information architecture and content management, focusing on structure, taxonomy, and findability.
8. What methodologies and deliverables does Erin Kissane recommend in "The Elements of Content Strategy"?
- Three-phase methodology: Kissane’s approach involves Evaluate (research and assessment), Design (strategy and planning), and Execute (implementation).
- Key deliverables: These include content audits (quantitative and qualitative), user research, personas, communication briefs, editorial calendars, style guides, content templates, and workflow recommendations.
- Audience-focused documentation: Deliverables should be tailored to their intended audience—internal teams, clients, or stakeholders.
- Iterative and flexible: Methodologies and deliverables should be adapted to the project’s needs, not rigidly applied.
9. How does "The Elements of Content Strategy" advise on user research and content audits?
- User research first: Begin with interviews and develop user proxies (personas, scenarios) to ground content decisions in real needs.
- Content inventory: Conduct a quantitative audit to catalog all existing content, noting titles, formats, URLs, types, and owners.
- Qualitative audit: Assess content quality based on user needs and core principles—appropriateness, usefulness, clarity, etc.
- Synthesis and reporting: Summarize findings to inform strategy, identify quick fixes, and guide future content planning.
10. What guidance does Erin Kissane provide for content creation and management in "The Elements of Content Strategy"?
- Content creation options: Content can be produced by dedicated creators, internal experts, or through curation/aggregation.
- Editorial leadership: Assign an editorial lead to manage the process, facilitate information transfer, and maintain quality.
- Templates and guidelines: Use content templates and style guides to standardize and streamline content development.
- Ongoing management: Plan for regular reviews, updates, and maintenance, ensuring content remains accurate and effective.
11. What are some of the most important quotes from "The Elements of Content Strategy" and what do they mean?
- “Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.” — Kristina Halvorson; underscores the comprehensive scope of content strategy.
- “Good content is appropriate for your business, for your users, and for its context.” — Erin Kissane; highlights the central principle of appropriateness.
- “An editor’s only permanent alliance is with the audience, the readership.” — Arthur Plotnik (quoted); emphasizes the user-centered nature of content work.
- “Content is expensive.” — Erin Kissane; reminds readers that quality content requires investment in people, time, and resources.
12. How can someone get started in content strategy, according to Erin Kissane?
- No single path: Most content strategists arrive from related fields—editing, design, marketing, or information management.
- Start doing the work: The best way to enter the field is to begin applying content strategy principles in your current role.
- Cross-disciplinary skills: Develop knowledge in information architecture, design, user experience, and communication.
- Engage with the community: Read content strategy blogs, attend events, and connect with practitioners to learn and find opportunities.
Review Summary
The Elements of Content Strategy receives mixed reviews. Many praise it as a concise, informative primer on content strategy, highlighting its usefulness for beginners and its practical advice. Readers appreciate the book's dense information and its ability to make them better at their work. However, some criticize it for being dry, lacking depth, and not offering enough new information for experienced professionals. The book's brevity is seen as both a strength and a weakness, with some finding it too basic and others valuing its concise nature.
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