Half of all editorial teams fail to meet their deadlines because they lack an established editorial workflow process. However, editorial teams that have an established process produce 40% more work without exhausting themselves.

The process of editorial workflow is simply the step-by-step system you use to take an idea from concept to published article. It includes planning, writing, editing, reviewing, and publishing. Without this, you’ll have writers wondering what’s next, editors redoing work, and nobody knowing who’s responsible for what. This guide shows you exactly how to build an editorial workflow process that your team will actually follow.

You will see how each step is organized, which tools help you accelerate the workflow, and which mistakes to avoid. 

What an Editorial Workflow Process Actually Is

An editorial workflow process is your roadmap from content idea to published piece. It’s not complicated, but it needs to be clear.

Think of it like a factory assembly line. Content moves through stages: ideation, assignment, writing, editing, fact-checking, approval, and publishing. Each stage has a person or team responsible for it. Each stage has clear criteria for moving to the next step. Without this structure, work piles up and deadlines slip.

When I worked with a digital marketing agency, they had no editorial workflow process. The authors had no submission deadlines; editors were confused about which manuscripts needed priority; some works would take 3 weeks to be published, while others would take 3 months. Once we established our workflow, everything changed. The average turnaround time was cut from 32 to 11 days.

The best editorial workflow process fits your team’s size and resources. A solo blogger needs something different from a ten-person newsroom. But the core stages remain the same across all types.

The Five Core Stages of an Editorial Workflow Process

In your editorial workflow process, there should be five major steps: planning, assignment, writing, editing, and publishing. There are some cases where other steps can be added to this list, but these are all that will be needed to complete all of the necessary tasks.

The planning stage involves developing an idea into an actual project and deciding who will be involved and when everything is expected to take place. The assignment phase entails assigning writers to specific articles or other written materials.

Let me show you what each stage looks like in practice:

• Planning: Your team meets to generate ideas. You conduct research on keyword possibilities or industry trends. You select your ideas and create a timeline. Your editor makes a calendar showing what will be done in the coming month.
• Assignment: Your editor assigns specific pieces to specific writers. The writer knows the deadline, the topic, the target audience, and the word count. They get access to any reference materials or research they need.
• Writing: The writer writes the piece. He/she adheres to the guidelines you set on style and structure. This can involve research, interviewing, data analysis, etc., culminating in a submission of the draft at the deadline.
• Editing: The editor goes through the draft to ensure its coherence and accuracy. She/he may also ask for revisions or changes to the structure. On the editor’s approval, the piece continues.
• Publishing: The publisher formats the piece, adds images, and schedules it for publication. They write the social media posts. They publish at the scheduled time and monitor analytics.

The mistake most editorial teams make is either overlooking or combining processes. If a writer publishes their writing without having to edit, they will not notice any mistakes. When an editor assigns tasks without a brief, the writing comes from the wrong angle.

Building Your Editorial Workflow Process From Scratch

Start with a template. You don’t need anything fancy. A simple spreadsheet or document outlining the workflow steps works well initially.

Here’s what you need to include in your workflow:

• Stage name and what happens in this stage
• Who is responsible for this stage
• What are the entry criteria that need to be true for work to enter this stage
• What are the exit criteria that need to be true for work to leave this stage
• How long does this stage typically take
• What tool or system manages this stage

Google Docs and Sheets can be employed for smaller teams. Asana, Monday.com, or Notion would work better with bigger teams. What’s important is to have a clear plan. There have been perfect processes developed in spreadsheets and dysfunctional systems built in expensive software.

Let me give you a real example. One B2B SaaS company have worked with used this setup:

The content idea moves into the Slack channel. The team votes on which ideas to pursue. The editor picks the top five and schedules them in the content calendar. The writer gets assigned to Asana with a brief document attached. The writer has two weeks to submit a draft. The assigned editor reviews the draft in Asana and leaves comments. The writer revises based on feedback. The editor approves. The marketing person schedules in their publishing tool and creates social copy. Content goes live on the scheduled date.

That whole process took one spreadsheet to track, one Asana project to manage, and one shared brief template. Nothing fancy. But everyone knew exactly what was supposed to happen and when.

Tools That Improve Your Content Workflow

The right tools make a huge difference. You don’t need every tool. Pick the ones that fit your specific situation.

Content planning tools help you see your whole calendar and priorities at once. Asana, Monday.com, and Notion all work well. They let you assign work, set deadlines, leave comments, and track progress. Google Sheets actually works fine for small teams that don’t need anything complicated.

Document and collaboration tools like Google Docs let multiple people edit the same document simultaneously. Track Changes shows exactly what was modified and by whom. This is better than emailing documents back and forth.

Platforms such as Slack organize communication. You could have an exclusive channel to talk about editorials. This would be much more effective than using emails. This way, you can cheer for publication and easily post your link.

Platforms such as WordPress, Medium, or Substack handle the publishing stage. Teams usually utilize other services, such as Buffer or Later, for scheduling posts on all social media simultaneously. This is done to save hours of work every month.

Your workflow doesn’t need all of these. Start with one or two core tools and add more only if you have a specific problem to solve.

Avoiding Common Bottlenecks in Your Content Workflow

Most editorial teams slow down because of the same preventable problems. I’ve seen these happen dozens of times.

Unclear briefs lead writers in the wrong direction. The editor has to request major revisions. The whole timeline gets pushed back. Create a one-page brief template that includes the topic, angle, target audience, word count, deadline, and any specific sources to include.

Long editing cycles occur when an editor provides feedback but the writer doesn’t know what to prioritize. Instead of vague comments, use a system where the editor marks feedback as “must fix,” “should fix,” or “consider.” That helps writers focus.

Without the final review before publication, there is bound to be the publication of embarrassing errors. Include the additional step of having an outside individual perform a final review before the publication of any article.

The lack of publishing deadlines means that the article will be published when it should not have been. Set a publishing deadline when assigning the article. Schedule a reminder the day before the deadline in your project management software.

Too many approval layers slow everything down. If five people need to approve every piece, your editorial workflow will be slow. Try to keep approvals to a maximum of three people.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should each stage of the content workflow take?

The process of planning can take anywhere between a week and two weeks to finish, while writing itself normally takes a period ranging from one week to three weeks. The editing process takes anywhere between three and five days, and the publishing process takes place on the very same day.

Should every piece go through all stages of the editorial process?

Yes. Skipping editing or review creates mistakes. Quick posts need faster editing but still need it. Even one-paragraph pieces should be reviewed by someone other than the writer.

How do we track our workflow so nothing falls through the cracks?

Use a tool that clearly shows status. Every piece should have one home where you can see its current stage. Check this weekly during team meetings. When something stalls, ask why and fix it.

Can freelancers fit into this process?

Absolutely. Freelancers follow the same workflow. They get an assignment, write the draft, and submit it. Your editor reviews and provides feedback. The workflow is the same. You just manage communication differently.

What if writers and editors disagree in the editorial process?

The editor decides what is finally published. The writer can argue and present his/her point of view. However, the responsibility of an editor is to make a decision. Communication plays an essential role in avoiding misunderstandings. Feedback prevents any surprises during the editing process.

Conclusion

The teams that publish consistently and on time aren’t more talented. They have a clear content workflow.

Build your workflow today. Start simple. Pick your five stages. Assign responsibility for each stage. Define your exit criteria. Run one full cycle with your team and see what breaks. Fix it. Then run the next cycle.

That’s your workflow. Document it. Teach it. Follow it. Your team will be faster and less stressed, and your content quality will improve. Now go publish something.