Content Workflow Software Explained (+6 Tools to Know)

What is content workflow software?

Content workflow software helps teams create and manage content — efficiently, automatically, and at scale. By providing tools for ideation, planning, editing, and publishing, content workflow systems function like a project manager, researcher, or editor, depending on your teams’ needs and its ability to integrate with other tools.

For instance, with an AI-empowered content workflow software solution, you could:

• Plan a month’s worth of SEO-optimized content
• Generate 20 article headlines in a matter of seconds
• Construct a content creation workflow that autonomously summarizes articles for your newsletter
• Formulate meta descriptions, social media posts, and snippets without manual effort
• Confirm that your AI-generated content is brand-coherent and incorporates the most contemporary company information

What’s the difference between content workflow software and a CMS?

Content Management Systems (CMS)—tools like Wordpress and Webflow—act as repositories and alleviate the challenge of storing, organizing, and disseminating content.

In contrast, content workflow tools zero in on the content creation process and are designed to be integrated with project management tools and CMS platforms. They uncomplicate planning, promote innovation and brainstorming, and supply AI-enhanced tools to conquer the blank page.

Project managers find this integration particularly crucial in maintaining a consistent and efficient content strategy.

Selecting the best content workflow software allows for optimal use of workflow automation features, fostering a well-organized content workflow management system. When employed appropriately, this becomes pivotal for teams aiming to improve their content creation processes.

Here are a few types of content workflow software and what you can expect to accomplish with them:

Project Management Tool

• Assign writers,  editors, reviewers to projects.
• Create workback/timelines.
• Plan out publishing schedules and social sharing.
• Use analysis tools to further inform your marketing.

Content Workflow System

• Brainstorm topic clusters with AI.
• Automate meta descriptions, image details, and SERP information.
• Create outlines.
• Generate social posts.
• Align brand and tone.
• Research competitors.
• Generate blog posts in various voices.

Content Management System

• Upload images and other supporting files.
• Upload content.
• Link to other content on site.
• Publish content and graphics.

Now, most teams need a mix of these systems integrated together to maximize content output and minimize busywork. But often, they’ll only have access to project management and CMS tools without the power of a content workflow tool.

Adding a content workflow tool to your arsenal can help eliminate a lot of that busywork, especially when it’s integrated with other solutions (like project management tools). 

Let’s take a look at the benefits, features, and options available for project management tools that become even more handy when integrated with AI. 

What to look for in a content workflow software 

Here’s what to look for when considering content workflow tools: 

• Enhanced collaboration features like comments, mentions, and task assignments that increase visibility of work between team members.
• Customizable workflow templates that work for your team and projects.
• Ability to automate repetitive tasks, like generating SEO blog posts, meta descriptions, social media posts, and other content. 
• Integrations with your tech stack, like your project management tool, CMS, design tools, communication tools, and more.

Top content workflow software options 

1. Copy.ai 

Copy.ai is the ultimate content workflow platform, because of its complementary built-in tools, its ability to integrate with key third-party software, and its proprietary Workflows functionality. 

Copy.ai’s Workflows are designed to streamline your content generation process. By chaining together multiple tools and AI-driven steps, Workflows let you quickly and efficiently automate complex tasks and repetitive processes with ease.

Take SEO research, for example. With Workflows, you can:

• Search: Use a Search step to quickly find information on a specific keyword and discover what websites are ranking for it.
• Analyze: Use AI to study the relevant websites to understand their strategy and draw inspiration.
• Synthesize: Leverage AI capabilities to generate multiple comprehensive SEO content briefs.
• Export: Use Zapier to send these briefs straight to a project management tool, assign writers, and (if your project management tool allows for this) notify folks that a new assignment is on their plate.

But hey, different projects call for unique workflows.

The Workflow you use for creating an eBook from start to finish is very different from the one you need to write 5+ SEO-optimized articles and automatically turn them into social media posts. Copy.ai lets you create virtually any Workflow that you can imagine to fit the needs of your team. 

What sets Copy.ai apart is its capacity to help you not just plan your content, but create and automate it with support at every step of the way. With Copy.ai’s tools, you can improve your productivity and create high-quality content that aligns with your goals. 

Features

• Ready-made templates for sales, marketing, and all your long/short-form content needs.
• Brand Voice: Ensure consistent brand identity across every piece of content, every time.
• Infobase: Train the AI to reference and reuse your brand's information for better outputs.
• Improve: Automatically improve your prompts in seconds.
• Integrations: Connect to popular platforms like GoogleDocs and Wordpress with Zapier

Pricing:

Copy.ai has two pricing plans:

• Free Forever: $0
• Pro: $36/user/month (billed annually)

There are also custom plans for enterprise needs.

Try Copy.ai workflows today!

2. Monday.com

Monday.com is a robust project management platform with features like task management, progress tracking, and automation to streamline the content creation process.

Integration with various apps and platforms enables collaboration and resource sharing among team members. But keep in mind, Monday.com can be complex to learn in the beginning, and doesn’t provide any AI-powered tools to help with the content ideation or creation process. Thankfully, with APIs and Zapier’s “zaps”, you can take your Workflows that you build with Copy.ai, then integrate them with the project management capabilities of Monday.com 

Features

• User-friendly interface: Monday.com is praised for its intuitive interface, making it easy for teams to adopt and use effectively.
• Customization: It offers high levels of customization, allowing you to adapt workflows to your content team's specific needs.
• Automation: Users appreciate the robust automation features that streamline repetitive tasks and enhance productivity.
• Integrations: A variety of third-party tools are supported.

Limitations

• Pricing: Some reviewers mention that the pricing can be on the higher side, especially for larger teams or enterprises.
• Learning curve: While it's user-friendly, some users report a learning curve when setting up complex workflows and automations.
• Slow Automations

Pricing:

They have three plans you can choose from:

• Basic Plan: $8/user/month (billed annually) or $10/user/month (billed monthly)
• Standard Plan: $10/user/month (billed annually) or $12/user/month (billed monthly)
• Pro Plan: $16/user/month (billed annually) or $20/user/month (billed monthly)

3. Clickup

ClickUp provides content marketing teams with a versatile and feature-rich project management platform that keeps your content production organized, plus a variety of collaboration tools that help you stay on top of the team’s workload. 

With Zapier, you could easily connect a content workflow tool like Copy.ai to Clickup to either trigger or respond to a particular Workflow. For example, you could use Copy.ai to summarize recently published blogs on a weekly basis and then use Clickup to alert your newsletter writer that the summaries are available.

Features

• Versatile task views: ClickUp is lauded for its multiple task views, including List, Board, Calendar, and Gantt chart, allowing content teams to choose the view that suits their workflow.
• Customization: It provides extensive customization options, enabling teams to tailor processes precisely.
• Collaboration: Users appreciate its robust collaboration tools, including comments, file attachments, mentions, and chat. 

Limitations

• Complexity: Some users find that ClickUp's extensive feature set can be overwhelming, especially for new users. (And too many features have led to many bugs when using!)
• Pricing: While it offers a free plan, advanced features may require a higher-tier subscription.

Pricing

Clickup offers two plans:

• Free Plan: $0/user/month
• Unlimited Plan: $5/user/month (billed annually) or $9/user/month (billed monthly)

4. Trello

Trello is a user-friendly task management system that helps teams track and manage the progress of their work — with a visual and intuitive interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy to create boards, lists, and cards.

Trello integrates with various other tools and platforms such as Slack and Google Drive, providing a seamless content creation experience. However, if you have a bigger team, Trello has limitations that make collaborating more difficult than with other tools. 

Tip: If you need to get more done in less time, integrating a tool like Trello with a content workflow system could be the key you need to unlock massive productivity. Imagine popping SEO keywords into Copy.ai, auto-generating SEO briefs and drafts, and sending them straight to your CMS, all while Trello alerts the assigned writer that a draft is available and due: Game-changer. 

Features

• Simple Kanban boards: Trello is known for its straightforward and easy-to-use Kanban board system.
• Card-based system: Allows for task tracking within cards, which is great for content ideas and editorial calendars.
• Integration: Integrates with a variety of third-party apps.

Limitations

• Limited automation: Users often mention that Trello's automation capabilities are more basic compared to other tools.
• Scalability: Some users find Trello less suitable for complex or larger-scale projects.

Pricing:

Trello offers two plans:

• Free Plan: $0/user/month
• Business Class Plan: $12.50/user/month (billed annually) or $17.50/user/month (billed monthly)

5. Gathercontent

Gathercontent is a team-specific content planning and collaboration tool specifically for content marketing teams. It provides customizable templates for various content types, from website builds and marketing content to documentation and more, which can be a massive time-saver. Its collaboration capabilities are also quite robust, with content approval and review workflows appreciated by users as some of the best out there. 

There’s a caveat, though.he whole platform is mainly geared towards content creation, so it might lack some broader project management capabilities that marketing teams need. 

Features

• Content-centric: Gathercontent is specifically designed for content teams, making it well-suited for content creation, collaboration, and approvals.
• Templates: Users like the availability of customizable templates for different content types.
• Content approval workflow: It offers content approval and review workflows, crucial for content teams.

Limitations

• Focused use: It is primarily tailored for content creation and may lack broader project management capabilities.
• Pricing: Pricing may be considered high for smaller teams or solo content creators
• Integrations: APIs, content distribution, and version control are lowest ranked features on G2, which spells an issue for content teams. 

Pricing:

Gather content has three plans:

• Freelancer Plan: $93/month (billed annually) or $118/month (billed monthly)
• Team Plan: $249/month (billed annually) or $299/month (billed monthly)
• Agency Plan: Custom pricing based on the organization's size and needs.

6. Teamwork

Teamwork is a comprehensive platform for managing projects, tasks, and content production — specifically for client services businesses. In other words, it's a workflow management tool that can help keep your processes efficient.

Their key features align with their clientele in comparison to the other tools on the list: time tracking features, timesheets, expenses, workload management, and project health reports.

Copy.ai’s Infobase and Brand Voice features are pretty handy if you use Teamwork — for example,  with content creation for a client services business, an account manager can upload company-specific information and brand voices for a number of different clients — and make sure that the AI-generated content aligns with each client’s brand. 

Features

• Project and task management: Teamwork offers comprehensive project and task management features suitable for various team sizes.
• Time tracking: Users appreciate the built-in time tracking features for tracking content creation time.
• Integration: It integrates with various apps for enhanced functionality.

Limitations

• Complexity: Similar to ClickUp and Monday.com, it can be complex for beginners, and some users may require additional training.
• Pricing: Pricing tiers may not suit smaller teams or freelancers.

Pricing

Teamwork has 3 plans to choose from:

• Free Plan: $0/user/month
• Pro Plan: $10/user/month (billed annually) or $12/user/month (billed monthly)
• Premium Plan: $18/user/month (billed annually) or $22/user/month (billed monthly)

What’s the best content workflow management software? 

Your choice of project management and content workflow tools depend on your content marketing team's specific needs and preferences.

Whether you’re a larger in-house team, a smaller agency, or a business somewhere in between, you can build Workflows with Copy.ai that make it easy to leverage any of these tools.

Workflows is an innovative content workflow management platform that revolutionizes the way businesses create and manage content. With Workflows, complexity becomes simplicity, and content production becomes an efficient, seamless operation.

Here's what makes Workflows the software of choice to keep your team on the same page:

1. Simplicity: It begins with your idea. Describe what you want to build in straightforward language. No coding, no technical jargon, just your vision. It's that simple.
2. Automation: Tired of repetitive, time-consuming tasks? #Workflows takes these on so you can focus on strategic initiatives. From generating blog posts to creating social media content, automate myriad tasks at the click of a button.
3. Scalability: Whether it's one piece of content or thousands, #Workflows grows with you. Upload a CVS file and watch as your content is generated in bulk, all at once.
4. Versatility: It's not just for blog posts. Whether it's text-based content or valuable insights, #Workflows can handle it. Generate whatever you need to expand your business.
5. Driven by AI: Behind #Workflows is a state-of-the-art AI that enables rapid, simultaneous content creation. Imagine creating a blog post, LinkedIn post, Facebook post, and tweet, all at the same time!
6. Infobase integration: Accompanying #Workflows is the Infobase feature. Store important company data or editorial guidelines for easy recall, making your content creation process even smoother.

Copy.ai gives you power and control over your content workflows like never before. Harness the advantages of AI and watch as your content strategy transforms into an efficient, streamlined operation.

There’s one thing we know for sure: without the AI to streamline, simplify, and automate your busywork, none of the project management systems really minimize your time spent on content—just your time spent organizing.

Try Workflows today and experience a platform that truly works for you.

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