How to create a content roadmap (with examples!)

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As an independent content strategist, I help clients identify the best approach to content for their business. In other words, I help them build their content strategy.  

Yes, these content strategies are critical.

But the roadmaps that come after? Those are what make my projects so valuable to clients. 

That’s because a client’s first thought after seeing a content strategy is, “This is great. Now how exactly do we DO it?”

This is the moment where all that hard strategic work comes to fruition. It’s time to activate and get started creating content! 

Having that content plan will give most teams a big sigh of relief — they’ll know what to expect and when to expect it.

I’ve shared a comprehensive overview to building a content roadmap below. You can also:

WHAT IS A CONTENT ROADMAP?

A content roadmap is a document with a detailed plan for activating your content strategy. It shows what content to create and the timeline of each step along the way. For example, it would include when to expect a blog article’s 

  • first draft

  • second draft

  • visual assets

  • publication date

A content roadmap also provides a detailed plan for content operations that need to be undertaken. For example, when to sign up for a CMS or when to start designing a newsletter.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN EDITORIAL CALENDAR AND CONTENT ROADMAP?

An editorial calendar is more straightforward. It lists or shows content to expect on a certain date. It’s a static document that various teams can reference. 

A content roadmap, on the other hand, may show the deliverables. But the bigger focus is on how to get there. It entails more detailed steps to show how to complete the process. It’s a live, working doc that the marketing team will use to track progress.

WHY IS A CONTENT ROADMAP SO IMPORTANT?

Put yourself in one of my client’s shoes. They’re likely a high-growth startup that has received a detailed content strategy outlining things like:

  • Goals 

  • Measures of success

  • Topics to cover

  • Formats to create

  • Channels to market in

This is all very exciting. But these teams are busy. They’re not content marketers — that’s why they hired me! It feels overwhelming to know where to start. More often than not, I see companies in this predicament ultimately do nothing. 

A content roadmap gives companies a plan. It shows them, step by step, what to do to bring their strategy to life. Every week, they can check into the roadmap and see exactly what they need to work on. 

WHAT DELIVERABLES DO YOU INCLUDE IN A CONTENT ROADMAPPING PROJECT?

Before you build your content roadmap, you’ve got to do some strategic thinking. That way, you can trust that the tasks your roadmap includes are on-point. 

So before I deliver a roadmap, I first create these deliverables for my clients:

RESEARCH & LEARNING

  • Immersion into ALL THE THINGS! Look through every document, every report, every existing piece of content you can find.

  • Editorial workshop with team stakeholders to brainstorm and align on the editorial approach.

  • Content analysis that could include:

STRATEGY SETTING

Once I’ve absorbed the learnings from the research I’ve done, I’ll either deliver:

  • Insights document with the 3-5 strategic focuses the client’s content should reflect

(OR)

  • A full content strategy that identifies:

    • Goals and KPIs to measure

    • Content pillars, or the core topics to address

    • Content types, or the core formats that best support your marketing goals

    • Channels that best position you to distribute content

ROADMAPPING

Then, and only then, do I start to create the content plan.

HOW DO YOU CREATE A CONTENT ROADMAP? (WITH EXAMPLES)

I’m a big fan of using Google Sheets for my content roadmaps. 

The content roadmaps I deliver in my content strategy projects include three tabs: 

  1. An editorial library tab

  2. A roadmap tab

  3. A published links tab

I’ve outlined how I build this document below. If you’re short on time, check out my content strategy toolkits. They include templates for all the deliverables I offer clients — including my content roadmap. 

1. Editorial library tab

I’m sure you’ve been in the position where you’re fielding content ideas from all directions. Your boss Slacks you with a quick thought. Your colleague tells you the article topic they’ve always wanted to write at a team happy hour. 

Having an editorial library means you can store all those ideas in one place. This is where you put the ideas you like — that support your strategy — but that you’re not creating just yet.

Then, when you’re building your roadmap, you can pull from the ideas you already have. 

Here’s an example of the editorial library I create. I like to mark ideas we’ve used in green. I also like to rank ideas so, when I’m planning the next month, I can jump right to the prioritized concepts. 

When creating a content roadmap, include an editorial library to store ideas. You can pull from those ideas each time you're planning the roadmap.

2. Roadmap tab

This tab lays the foundation for the content creation process. For each task, I include the

  • Task name

  • Owner

  • Status

I include two types of tasks: Content creation tasks and content operations tasks.

Content creation: First, I outline every step to get to a finished piece.

Will we have one round of revision on an asset, or two? Are there specific rounds for copy first, then design? How long will turnaround time be? 

Listing every step and its timeline is so important. It sets expectations to prevent misunderstanding or to constantly have to push deadlines back. Generally, the steps I include for any content fall into these categories:

  • Create

  • Feedback

  • Design

  • Production

Timelines will change, and that’s ok. But you’re putting a stake in the ground here to get started with. 

Content operations: Second, I outline what to set up to create content efficiently.

To build a smooth creation process, a company should have the below set up: 

  • Reporting in a tool like Google Analytics

  • Content Management System (CMS) like Wordpress

  • Customer Relationship Management tool (CRM) like Hubspot

  • Blog or resources center that is live on the site

  • Social publishing tool like Hootsuite or admin access to all social platforms

  • Visual assets to use or access to a designer to build them

Again, I list every step and its timeline for the operational tasks we need to tackle. 

Here’s an example of the roadmap I like to create.

Content roadmap example

This formatting option above lists each task’s sub-items in a new row

Content plan example

This option above formats each task’s sub-items in the calendar, so one task equates to just one row.

How often have you been asked “Hey, have we published anything on…” or “I would love to show customers a video on… oh, we already have that?” 

The solution is simple. Add a tab to your Roadmap document that stores all published content. 

Here is an example of what I create. I like to include a column for the format. That way, someone can filter for the format they’re looking for.

When creating a content roadmap, include a tab for the content you've published in the past

And that’s that! If you’d like to use content roadmaps but don’t have the time to build one yourself, download my template in my Complete or Ultimate toolkit.