Chapter 11. Scaling Content Like a Production Manager

Assuming that you love Oreos, I’ll bet that you have never questioned why these delicious pieces of heaven must be produced in batches. You understand that this sophisticated production line taking place somewhere in the world guarantees that your cookie will taste consistently crunchy and the cream will have just the right amount of sugar. You are also fully aware that millions of humans just like you expect their chocolate dose to be readily available 24/7. Therefore, no one is asking why a company like Nabisco needs to build sophisticated production and assembly lines to survive. How else could it guarantee the quality, quantity, and overall deliciousness of an Oreo cookie? This begs the question:

Why, then, do we struggle with looking at content as the end result of a standardized production cycle?

Just like baking your favorite chocolate cookie, crafting a content piece demands a certain level of consistency, standardization, and quality control. The problem for many creators, however, is that we remain trapped in the paradigm of viewing content as though it were 100 percent art. Trust me, I understand where you are coming from: writing, drawing, filming, designing, recording, painting, and other endeavors linked to content creation do require a thorough creative process. They emerge from our most genuine forms of inspiration and absolutely contain an element of self-expression. What we are better off staying away ...

Get Powering Content now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.