The Content Pipeline: Make Your Content Work Smarter, Not Harder
You were only today-years old when your manager dropped a set of product updates on your lap that needed to be added to the product documentation. And not just one document. Three – the admin guide, the set-up guide, and the user manual.
You know what you’re in for. Those guides are available as downloadable PDFs, and HTML web pages on the website. You may also need to update some knowledge base articles for support, but you aren’t sure yet.
The work looms ahead. It’s not difficult, it’s just pretty darn time consuming.
We’ve got a question for you:
Are you tired of playing copy-paste with your content yet?
Structured content stops the madness.
Think of it as LEGO for content.
Instead of one giant block of text (like a Word doc), you create reusable pieces that snap together wherever you need them.
Structured content is not just for big teams, either. It works for teams of all sizes, especially those with huge documentation sets and multiple delivery channels.
It’s a lifesaver for anyone managing content at scale.
Why?
✔ Scalability: Update once, apply everywhere. Magic!
✔ Consistency: No more “which version is correct?” debates.
✔ Efficiency: Less grunt work, more time for strategic thinking.
So, how do you get started?
So how do you get started?
The best way is to pick one piece of technical documentation and map out its structure. Start with something you’re continually updating or a popular content asset. Don’t try to do all your documentation at once – you'll never get anything done.
A few tips:
1️⃣ Find Repeat Offenders: Got content you’re always tweaking? Start there.
2️⃣ Break It Down: Small, reusable chunks are the way to go. But everything doesn’t need to be chunked – be strategic in your approach.
3️⃣ Use the Right Tools: If you are publishing documentation to multiple channels, a headless CCMS can help keep things tidy and push content to each channel as needed.
4️⃣ Tag Like a Pro: Metadata = your secret weapon.
Still need some help?
You can also ask AI to help analyze the content and create a structured model and migration plan.
Here’s a prompt to get you started:
“You are a technical writer tasked with migrating your unstructured technical documentation to a structured content model. Review the following technical document and suggest the most appropriate structure. Then create a detailed migration plan.”
Now you’re ready to get started. If you’d still like some help, drop us a note. We’ll talk through your situation and provide some guidance to move forward.
Until next time!
