Content Development Best Practices: A Comprehensive Guide for Managing Editors

In the world of content creation, the job of managing editor is usually obscure yet paramount. Beyond proofreading or basic content planning, they are the pillars of any content development process, starting from conceptualization to publication. They ensure that their team delivers premium, engaging, and compelling content.

Identifying the audience, generating innovative ideas, ascertaining legal compliance, and adopting sustainable practices, managing editors do it all. They are the backbone of a powerful content development strategy in the educational sector.

Table of Contents:

• Importance of Content Development
• 7 Content Development Best Practices for Managing Editors

1. Ideation: Generating Engaging Content Ideas
2. Content Planning and Organization
3. Content Creation: Crafting Compelling and Inclusive Content
4. Editing and Reviewing
5. Legal Considerations
6. Publishing and Distribution
7. Sustainable Content Practices

• Conclusion

Content development includes planning, creating, distributing, and reviewing content for a set of audiences and goals. It is the foundation of every content marketing strategy.

Simultaneously, it is also helpful for serving other purposes like sales, customer service, etc. A few benefits of a proper content strategy include:

• Saving Time – Planning in advance eradicates the inconveniences of meeting last-minute deadlines and the stress of workload.
• Saving Money – It helps to plan a budget for advertisements or marketing events in advance. It also optimizes the expenditure and ROI.
• Boosts Efficiency – A proper content plan increases the chances of generating content that would meet the goals of the business and reduces the probability of redoing the work all over again.

Knowing your audience is the first step towards creating compelling content. It is essential to understand what the audience wants – their expectations, likes, and pain points. 

With proper surveys, engaging on social media, and analyzing trends, you can determine key insights. You can promote diverse perspectives and creative ideas by fostering brainstorming sessions within the editorial team.

Also, through regular brainstorming sessions, you can take note of various perspectives of team members regarding content strategies. This helps to generate fresh content ideas.

To align all the parties involved in content creation, integrate smart content planning strategies.

By using content management systems (CMS), you can streamline the editing process. Use a content calendar to strategize the content plan. 

Digital textbook platforms like KITABOO simplify eBook publishing with an LTI-compliant interface. It helps to easily integrate with the user’s prevalent LMS.

Once done with the ideation and planning part, it’s time to focus on some serious content creation. Your job is to delegate writers to analyze the needs and mindset of learners to presume an idea of the content. In educational sectors, you can always replicate the content strategies. 

Establishing inclusivity in content creation in terms of language is fundamental. Hence, your content should be in tune with the diverse voices and perspectives of audiences. It helps them to relate to the content easily. 

Digital textbook platforms like KITABOO facilitate enterprise-class publishing and learning platforms for a diverse group of audience. They include publishers, schools, universities, corporate L&D, etc. The platform supports inclusive content creation to cater to the needs of diverse readers. This strategy helps connect well with the users and increase sales.

The objective should be to focus on designing clear, simple, and engaging content by using conversational tones, storytelling techniques, and data-driven insights. Stick to a definite framework for content creation – drafting a content structure, determining the word count, and deciding on the tone of voice.

Utilize tools like Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, or Keyword Density Tools to check grammar and keyword density to enhance the performance of your content. To further boost your content performance use descriptive headlines, add bullets, listicles, and videos.

One of the major challenges while creating content for e-learning platforms is adhering to the guidelines. Stringent editing and proofreading techniques are mandatory.

Formatting tools like ePub formats offered on digital publishing software KITABOO help to automate the process of editing, proofreading, spotting errors, and making other corrections. The file format being hugely versatile, allows you to store numerous data on it such as words, fonts, images, metadata, stylesheets, and content tables.

To improve credibility on the e-learning platforms, it is essential to prioritize the accuracy, clarity, and coherence of the content.

Managing legal aspects is a crucial task in the world of content creation. Make sure your team is aware of all the legal aspects like copyright, plagiarism, fair use, privacy laws, etc., to avoid any kind of legal complications.

The content you publish should adhere to intellectual property rights and data protection regulations. To use third-party content or contributor content, it is vital to acquire requisite permissions.

Content publishing and distribution is an essential part of digital learning platforms. Don’t think your job is completed simply by clicking the ‘publish’ button!

Initiate proper strategies so that the content reaches its desired audience. You can achieve this by selecting the distribution platforms as per your content and objectives.

To publish the content, you must choose the right platforms, but before that, make sure it is properly optimized. How would you do that? By applying the best practices of SEO.

Tools like Google Analytics will help you track the performance of your content and upgrade the strategies as and when needed. You can even use content distribution software to expedite your publishing tasks. 

Digital textbook platforms like KITABOO have secured distribution and offline access, which enables them to extend the reach and reading of their eBooks to places where there is no open internet access.

By embracing sustainable content creation processes, you can showcase your creativity and innovation coupled with a conscious effort to reduce carbon footprints globally. By choosing environmentally sustainable content creation methods, you can save energy, money, and materials.

Implement strategies such as choosing a green hosting service provider. They operate their servers and data centers using renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, or hydropower. 

You can use tools like editors, compressors, or converters to optimize the content images and videos. This enables faster loading of media and consumes less bandwidth. Thus ensuring less energy consumption and lower carbon emissions through your online content.

Interactive K12 digital textbook platforms like KITABOO offer an intuitive interface for educational content and sustainable eLearning programs based on the requirements and goals of the learners and educators.

It is important to embrace the best practices of content development to promote a culture of excellence in the educational sector. However, you must keep adapting and refining these practices as they are not constant. The world of content creation is dynamic, and to get the best result you must tweak now and then according to the trends.

As a K12 managing editor, you have to take care of multiple tasks, and that requires proficiency in various disciplines. By utilizing the strategies mentioned above, you can guide your team toward creating compelling content and simultaneously sailing through the challenges successfully. 

Publishers from online learning platforms can make use of cloud-based digital textbook platforms like KITABOO to enhance their content planning and development process. We offer cutting-edge technology and various plug-ins to make your content creation process easy and seamless.

To know more about KITABOO, write to us now at KITABOO@hurix.com.