Marketing content review process

All marketing content we create should:

  • Be free of typos and grammatical errors
  • Be technically precise, accurate, and easy to understand
  • Resonate with devs

To ensure all content meets this bar, we’ll follow a review process for important external comms and content, including:

  • Blog posts
  • Email campaigns
  • Landing pages/major web updates
  • Videos
  • Case studies

Tips for drafting content

Having a review process does not mean that we should wait to get feedback or share drafts until the content is “final.” Throughout the content creation process:

  • Collaboration and getting feedback early is encouraged. Ask questions, run ideas past teammates, etc.
  • Share drafts with teammates, your manager, etc., and ask for 20% feedback before finalizing the content:
    • 20% feedback: Feedback on the strategy, approach, and overall direction.
    • 80% feedback: Feedback on the specific content (words, design, etc.).
  • Save drafts in public folders so other teammates can contribute.

Review process

  1. Self-review: Before sharing content with others for a formal review, review your content and make sure it meets our high bar. Here are some tips:
    1. Typos and grammatical errors
      1. Use Grammarly
      2. Give yourself time between writing content and editing content
      3. Read your content out loud
    2. Technical precision and accuracy + dev-first writing
      1. Check the handbook and docs to understand how Engineering and Product describe our product
      2. Research how other companies or devs write about a given subject
      3. Spend time reading content by devs/for devs
      4. Get feedback from Engineering and Product (#product, #ask-a-dev, etc.)
      5. Ask your PM/EM counterpart questions to help you understand the product
  2. Marketing peer review: Once you feel good about your content, share it with another member of the marketing team for a peer review.
  3. EM/PM review: Share a draft with your Engineering or Product counterpart. If you aren’t working directly with an EM/PM, then post in #marketing-eng-content-review. To make this as productive as possible:
    1. Give the reviewer at least 72 hours to review (sometimes this won’t be feasible)
    2. Flag specific questions and areas of confusion/concern.
    3. For headlines and other key sections, provide a few alternatives to give the EM/PM something to respond to.
    4. Be clear about who the audience is.

Expectations for the EM/PM:

  • Ensure the content is technically precise and accurate
  • Help ensure the content will resonate with devs
  1. Final review: Once Marketing and Eng/Product feel the content meets our high bar, share with a marketing leader (Amie, Nick, Andy) for final review. By this stage, the content should be:
    1. Be free of typos and grammatical errors
    2. Be technically precise and accurate
    3. Resonate with devs
  2. Exec review (optional): Exec review should be included for:
    1. Highly visible content: email campaigns, homepage updates
    2. Controversial content
    3. Major launch content

Work with your manager if you aren’t sure whether or not exec review is required.

Additional resources

  • Ritza: Technical copywriters and editors; great for drafting new content, reviewing/editing content, etc.