"The Elements of Editorial Strategy" CSNYC Talk 09.08.27

2. The Elements of
Editorial Strategy
Jeffrey MacIntyre Content Strategists of NYC
Predicate, LLC Bond Art + Science

3. Introductions
I’m an independent content strategist and
writer. My practice focuses on:
‣ Editorial product strategy;
‣ Building CS capabilities for clients; and
‣ Contributing to our body of
knowledge.

4. The Story So Far ...
2009 is the breakout
year for content strategy.

5. No. Really.

6. … But Content?
Not so much.
‣ Traditional publishing: circling the drain.
‣ Digital media landscape: shifting rapidly.
‣ Editorial content models: under scrutiny.

7. Trivia!
Name the largest
publisher in this
country today.

8. Trivia!
Name the largest
publisher in this
country today.
Credit: NY Post

9. Content Strategy/Business Strategy
1. What problems can content strategists
solve here?
2.What is our role in assisting the ongoing
digital migration?

10. KA-BOOM !
“We don’t hire editors,
we hire content strategists.”
CEO Jack Griffin
21 February 2008

11. Genius Quip? Gaffe? Both.
“I’m not sure what that means.” -- Jeff Jarvis
“Semantics or fundamental change?” -- Folio
“Hope they teach that at Medill!” -- Gawker

12. Hmmm.

13. Introducing Editorial Strategy
‣ What? Product
development for content.
‣ Why? Because CS is
descended from publishing.
‣ How? CSes, like product
developers, work between
“product” and “plumbing”.

14. Why
Editorial Strategy

15. “Getting better at publishing
is the only way you’re going
to get better at content.”
Gerry McGovern
Content Critical

16. Defining Editorial 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 innovative; through subject
matter expertise or authority; by
voice or other brand attributes.

17. The Value of Editorial
Content?
‣ Ebb and flow.
‣ Susceptible to:
economic
cycles, hype
cycles.
‣ The function
persists, remains
coveted.

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

19. The UX of Editorial Strategy
Effective editorial content:
1. Creates engaging, unique experiences.
2. Drives traffic to related content.
3. Influences user behavior. Forms a bond.
4. Generates revenue, becoming a product.

20. The
Principles
of
EDITORIAL STRATEGY

21. Old Testament
‣ 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.

22. New Testament
‣ Why? Because publishing
is hard. Consider the
masthead. Credit: Jessica Hagy via Elena Melendy
‣ “We may all be publishers, but we are not
all editors.” -- Jonathan Maziarz
‣ Curation is king. The filter on the firehose
as an editorial function.

23. “The Day 2 Problem”
Postlaunch is a
project phase.
Nothing shines a light on the good
faith agreement between client and
consultant than thoughtful aftercare.
Editorial strategy is about caring for
content after launch day. Credit: Flickr Commons

24. The 3 Tools
of Editorial
Strategy

25. 1. Style Guide

26. 1. 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.

27. 2. Editorial Calendar

28. 2. Editorial Calendar
Think big, think small:
‣ The killer app of content strategy.
‣
Credit: Rural Doctoring
An exhaustive programming resource.
‣ 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?

29. 3. Product 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).

30. Case Study*
*Fake

31. The Role of Editorial Strategy in
Real Estate & Hyperlocal?
A crowded house
full of legacy editorial
and data-driven
upstarts. Just one
problem for startups ...

32. Zzzzzzzzz.
Bone-dry data.
Useful, usable and highly
functional. Engaging?
Definitely dull.

33. Times
Editorial Mix
Each week:
‣ “Living In …”
‣ “The Hunt”
‣ “Streetscapes”
‣ “Habitats”
Rich offering,
but suboptimal.

34. Hmmmm.
The story beat and the
audience is becoming
subatomic, street-level.
Elapse 5 years.

35. New York
Editorial
Feature
“Micronabe”
appears
periodically.

36. Print-Native
Editorial
Concept
+
Content
Strategy
=
Editorial
Product Online

37. Conclusion

38. The X-Prize of Content Strategy
Bright minds beg to differ with us:
‣ “Publish, then filter” --Clay Shirky
‣ “A messier web” --David Weinberger
O RLY? This is the challenge of content
strategy.
What problems will you solve?

40. Panel Discussion
IAN Alexander, Eat Media
CRAIG Bromberg, AOL
MATT Geraghty, Razorfish