A couple of years ago, I made the call to go all in with content management. That’s the work that made me feel most excited, most energized.
It’s been almost two years since I made the jump — so how’s it been going?
I had the chance to sit down, reflect and fully share my experience on a recent episode of the PR Talk Podcast with Amy Rosenberg.
Amy asked me a little bit of everything — from what content management means to how I fared last year during the pandemic. I thought I’d share a few highlights with you.
What content management means (to me)
So what have I been up to the past two years? A whole lot of content management.
Different people have different definitions of content management, but, most simply, here’s how I defined it for Amy: Content management is helping a brand, business or blog manage their content.
The role of a content management company really varies from client to client, but typically I’m guiding editorial strategy, helping with content planning (you all know I live for an editorial calendar) and hiring qualified writers. Oftentimes, my team is also writing, editing, optimizing, publishing and promoting the content.
Where does content management begin?
Because I work with content from its ideation to execution, the process often starts with a content brainstorm. For me, that’s opening up a blank Google Doc and dumping ideas.
I write down anything that could become a piece of content, whether that’s a blog post, a case study, an ebook, a social post — anything. I also like to involve the client as well as my team.
I’ll admit: The doc gets messy, but it’s a good starting point. From there, I can take a step back, get more strategic and develop an editorial calendar.
Next step: Creating good content
In addition to leaning on my team to write content, I also field a lot of pitches from both writers and PR pros.
Because many of Amy’s listeners are in the PR world, I shared a few things I look for when sifting through pitches. I think these tips are also helpful for writers as well as content managers who are still learning how to spot that winning pitch.
- Do your homework. It’s important I feel like the person pitching me has a good understanding of what the publication is all about. Have they read the blog or subscribed to the newsletter? Are they pitching a topic we’d never cover? Or maybe a topic we’ve already covered extensively.
- Keep it short and simple. Let me break down the elements of a good pitch: A strong subject line, a sample headline and one to two sentences about the proposed post. No need to get overly detailed — and no need to send a full-blown draft. I feel bad if someone has dedicated the time, but the piece just isn’t a fit.
Amy asked me specifically about receiving pitches through Twitter. I don’t hate it, but I’ll likely just ask you to send me more details via email!
All right, let’s talk about 2020…
Do we have to? I know. I don’t love rehashing 2020, but I think we can learn a lot from the year.
When the pandemic hit, I was worried my clients would want to pull back on content, conserve their budgets. But I found there was an even larger appetite for content — and some of the clients even wanted to increase our work together.
For instance, with Muck Rack, my first and longest-running client, we immediately shifted our strategy to discuss remote PR work. Muck Rack has been a remote-first company for years and years, so it was the perfect opportunity to offer an expert, insider perspective to our readers.
Keep listening!
If you want to hear more about what I’ve been up to lately, listen to the PR Talk Podcast with Amy Rosenberg. In our 30-minute conversation, we cover a lot of ground!
You can also keep tabs on me more regularly by signing up for my content newsletter. Every two weeks, I’ll give you the lowdown on what I’ve been up to and share some of my favorite articles, resources and gigs in the content world.
