Content Workflow SOP Template

The difference between a content team that consistently publishes quality content on schedule and one that's always scrambling comes down to documented workflows. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) aren't bureaucracy — they're what let you scale without constant supervision, onboard new team members without losing momentum, and catch errors before they go live.

This SOP template covers the end-to-end content production workflow: from idea to published piece. Adapt it to your tools and team size.

What This SOP Covers

This document defines the standard content production process for [Company Name]. It covers:

1. Content ideation and prioritization
2. Brief creation
3. Content research
4. Drafting
5. Editorial review
6. SEO review
7. Design and asset creation
8. Final approval
9. Publishing
10. Distribution
11. Post-publish tracking

Applies to: All long-form content (blog posts, guides, case studies, landing pages) Revised: [Date] Owner: [Content Lead / Head of Marketing]

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Roles and Responsibilities

Role	Responsibilities	Current Owner
Content Strategist / Lead	Topic selection, brief creation, pillar oversight, quality standards
Writer (in-house or freelance)	Research and first draft
Editor	Structural review, voice check, revisions
SEO Specialist	Keyword optimization, technical SEO review
Designer	Featured image, diagrams, visual assets
Publisher / Ops	CMS upload, formatting, scheduling
Distribution Lead	Promotion across channels

For small teams: many of these roles will be held by the same person. The key is that each function is explicitly owned.

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Stage 1: Content Ideation and Prioritization

Trigger: Weekly or monthly content planning meeting, or backlog review

Process:

1. Collect ideas from multiple sources:

   • Keyword research (Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Search Console)
   • Customer conversations and support tickets
   • Sales team feedback ("what questions do prospects keep asking?")
   • Competitor content gap analysis
   • Industry news and trends
   • Content audit findings (topics to update or expand)

2. Log ideas in the content backlog (Notion/Airtable/Averi queue). Minimum fields required:

   • Working title
   • Target keyword
   • Estimated search volume
   • Content pillar
   • Funnel stage
   • Proposer name

3. Score and prioritize ideas using the Content Priority Score: (Search Volume × Business Relevance Score) ÷ Keyword Difficulty Business Relevance: 1 (low) to 3 (high)

4. Advance top ideas to "Approved" status in the backlog

Criteria to advance: Priority score above [threshold], confirmed search intent match, fits within quarterly pillar focus

Owner: Content Strategist Frequency: Weekly review Time Required: 30-60 minutes

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Stage 2: Brief Creation

Trigger: Piece is approved and has a target publish date within 3 weeks

Process:

1. Pull the approved idea from the backlog
2. Run SERP analysis for the target keyword:
   • Review top 5 ranking pages
   • Note format, depth, unique angles
   • Identify gaps and differentiation opportunity
3. Write the brief using the Content Brief Template (see separate SOP)
4. Include in brief:
   • Proposed outline (H2/H3 structure)
   • SERP analysis summary
   • Required internal links
   • Tone guidance
   • CTA requirements
   • Word count target
5. Review brief — content lead must sign off before assigning
6. Assign to writer with brief + deadline in the project management tool

Brief Checklist Before Assigning:

• Target keyword confirmed and included
• Search intent analyzed
• Outline includes all required sections
• Internal links listed
• Tone and voice notes included
• CTA specified
• Word count and deadline included

Owner: Content Strategist Time Required: 45-90 minutes per brief SLA: Brief must be ready 10 business days before target publish date

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Stage 3: Research and Drafting

Trigger: Writer receives brief and brief review is approved

Process:

1. Writer reviews brief and flags any questions or concerns within 24 hours
2. Writer researches the topic:
   • Reviews top 5-10 existing articles on the topic
   • Gathers statistics and data from credible sources
   • Identifies examples and case studies to include
   • Notes gaps and unique angles to pursue
3. Writer drafts following the brief outline
4. Writer self-reviews against the brief before submitting:
   • Does every H2 serve the reader's goal?
   • Is the primary keyword in the title, H1, and first paragraph?
   • Are all secondary keywords used naturally?
   • Is the word count within range?
   • Are all internal links included?
   • Is the CTA in place?
5. Writer submits draft via [project management tool / Google Docs / Averi]
6. Writer completes the Draft Submission Checklist (see below)

Draft Submission Checklist (Writer to complete):

• Word count: ___ (target range: –)
• Primary keyword in title: ✅/❌
• Primary keyword in H1: ✅/❌
• Primary keyword in first paragraph: ✅/❌
• Meta description written: ✅/❌
• All internal links from brief included: ✅/❌
• CTA included: ✅/❌
• FAQ section included: ✅/❌
• All claims sourced: ✅/❌
• Spellcheck complete: ✅/❌

Owner: Writer SLA: Draft due 5 business days before target publish date

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Stage 4: Editorial Review

Trigger: Writer submits completed draft

Review Process:

Structural Review (Editor, 60-90 minutes):

1. Does the piece match the brief's intent?
2. Is the structure logical and easy to navigate?
3. Are there sections that are too thin or need expansion?
4. Are there sections that are off-topic and should be cut?
5. Is the introduction strong? Does it immediately address the reader's problem?
6. Is the conclusion/CTA appropriate?

Voice and Quality Review (Editor, 30-45 minutes):

1. Apply the Content Quality Scoring Rubric (see separate doc)
2. Flag passive voice, jargon, and filler phrases
3. Check brand voice consistency
4. Verify all facts and statistics are accurate and linked
5. Confirm no legally problematic claims

Outcome:

• Score ≥ 80: Minor edits by editor, advance to SEO review
• Score 70-79: Return to writer with specific revision notes
• Score < 70: Schedule call with writer to discuss gaps; do not publish until revised

Owner: Editor SLA: Editorial review complete within 2 business days of draft submission

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Stage 5: SEO Review

Trigger: Piece passes editorial review

SEO Review Checklist:

• Title tag is 50-60 characters, includes keyword, is compelling
• Meta description is 150-160 characters, includes keyword
• H1 includes primary keyword
• Primary keyword appears in first 100 words
• Secondary keywords used naturally throughout
• URL slug is clean, includes keyword, no stop words
• Internal links: minimum 3 links from this piece to relevant existing content
• Inbound links identified: at least 2 existing pages that should link TO this new piece
• Image alt text written for all images
• No keyword stuffing (keyword density < 2%)
• Schema markup type identified (Article, HowTo, FAQ)
• FAQ section formatted for featured snippet potential

Owner: SEO Specialist (or Content Lead if no dedicated SEO role) SLA: SEO review within 1 business day of editorial approval

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Stage 6: Design and Asset Creation

Trigger: SEO review complete

Required Assets (Standard Blog Post):

• Featured image: 1200×630px, PNG or JPEG under 200KB
• Social share image (if different from featured image)
• In-article diagrams or infographics (if specified in brief)
• Author photo and bio (for new authors)

Asset Specifications:

• Featured image: [Brand color palette], [Style guidance], include article title if text overlay used
• Use brand fonts: [Font names]
• File naming convention: [slug]-featured.jpg, [slug]-social.jpg

Owner: Designer SLA: Assets delivered within 1 business day of SEO review completion

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Stage 7: Final Approval and Publishing

Trigger: All previous stages complete

Final Approval Checklist (Publisher):

• Draft has passed quality rubric (score ≥ 80)
• SEO review complete
• All assets received
• CMS entry complete (title, meta, featured image, body copy)
• URL slug set correctly
• Internal links from existing articles pointing to this piece are added
• Schema markup added
• Preview checked on desktop and mobile
• Publish date/time scheduled

Publishing Steps in CMS:

1. Create new post/page in [CMS name]
2. Paste formatted content (H2s, H3s, bullet points preserved)
3. Add featured image and set alt text
4. Set title tag and meta description
5. Set URL slug
6. Add internal links (outbound from this piece)
7. Add schema markup
8. Set author
9. Set publish date/time
10. Preview post
11. Schedule or publish

Owner: Publisher / Content Ops SLA: Publishing complete at least 24 hours before scheduled publish time

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Stage 8: Distribution and Promotion

Trigger: Post goes live

Day 1 Distribution Checklist:

• Email newsletter (if applicable — check send day)
• LinkedIn company post
• Founder/executive LinkedIn post
• Twitter/X post or thread
• Internal Slack notification with talking points for sales team
• Notify anyone mentioned or quoted in the piece

Week 1 Distribution:

• Reddit (relevant subreddit)
• Slack communities / Discord
• Quora answer (if relevant question exists)
• LinkedIn carousel (to be created from piece)

Owner: Distribution Lead / Content Lead Reference: See Content Distribution Checklist SOP

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Stage 9: Performance Tracking

Trigger: 30 days after publication

30-Day Check-in:

• Pull organic sessions from GA
• Pull impressions and clicks from Search Console
• Log any conversions tracked
• Compare to pillar/topic average performance
• Flag for update if ranking on page 2 for target keyword
• Add to content performance database

90-Day Check-in:

• Full performance review
• Content update decision (keep / refresh / consolidate)

Owner: Content Strategist Reference: Content Performance Report Template

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SOP Maintenance

This SOP should be reviewed quarterly and updated whenever:

• A new tool replaces an existing one in the stack
• Team structure changes
• A recurring process issue is identified
• Publishing volume changes significantly

Last Reviewed: ___ Next Review Due: ___

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How Averi Automates This Workflow

Averi's content workflow connects all of these stages in a single platform. When a piece enters the queue, it follows a defined workflow: brief → create → review → publish → track. Each stage is visible across the team, handoffs happen in-platform, and performance flows back into the queue so your next planning decision is always informed by data.

Run your content workflow in Averi →

Further Reading

• 7 marketing workflow fixes that save hours every week
• the exact content workflow to rank on Google and get cited by LLMs
• how to escape the workflow death spiral
• Averi's Strategy Map to give your content workflows a strategic foundation

Frequently Asked Questions

How detailed should a content SOP be?

Detailed enough that a new team member could execute it on day one without hand-holding, but not so granular that every minor decision is prescribed. Focus on inputs, outputs, quality gates, and who owns each stage. Trust your team to use judgment within those guardrails.

How do I enforce SOP compliance without micromanaging?

Build the SOP into your tools — make the checklist part of your project management system (Notion, Airtable, or Averi), not a separate document. When checklists are embedded in the workflow, compliance happens naturally.

What if our team is too small for all these roles?

Combine roles — one person can be the Writer, Editor, and SEO Specialist. The important thing is not having distinct people for each role, but having each function explicitly owned and not skipped. Even a solo content creator can follow a simplified version of this SOP.

How often should we update our content SOP?

Review quarterly, update as needed. Major tool changes, team changes, or recurring quality issues should trigger an immediate update. Minor improvements can be batched quarterly.

Should the SOP cover social media content separately?

Yes. Long-form content and social content have different production cadences and quality requirements. Create a lighter SOP for social content that covers ideation, creation, approval (if needed), scheduling, and engagement monitoring.