{"id":176430,"date":"2024-06-27T08:52:57","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T13:52:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=176430"},"modified":"2024-06-27T08:53:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T13:53:05","slug":"content-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Content Automations Used by Real Content Pros"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">Content marketing can become complicated and effortful very quickly.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Content teams need to manage ideation, writing, editing, proofing, publishing, promotion, analytics, and reporting across a team of writers, reviewers, and dozens of articles each month. Smart content leads find ways to automate some of these processes to let them focus on what really matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, to inspire you and show you not only what\u2019s possible but also the kind of things that are really worth automating, we asked three experts to share their favorite workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/edoty\/\">Eric Doty<\/a>, Content Lead at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dock.us\/\">Dock<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tommyismyname\/\">Tommy Walker,<\/a> founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecontentstudio.com\/\">The Content Studio<\/a> and host of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecontentstudio.com\/the-cutting-room\/\">The Cutting Room<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/caitlin-burns-75a879a7\/\">Caitlin Burns<\/a>, Content and SEO Lead at <a href=\"https:\/\/dovetail.com\/\">Dovetail<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"1. Use Airtable to manage the entire content production workflow\" data-section=\"one\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_ge9050n3f1q\"><\/a>1. Use Airtable to manage the entire content production workflow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You can\u2019t automate everything, but you can automate your entire content production workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My interviewees use Airtable as a \u201ccentral base of operations,\u201d as Tommy Walker puts it. A base like that controls everything:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Topic ideas with keywords and their <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-data\/\">SEO data<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Briefs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outlines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Articles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tasks with their statuses and different ways to view them (calendar, kanban, etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Contributors and their&nbsp;roles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Notifications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2004\" height=\"1122\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sample-base-in-airtable-.jpg\" alt=\"Sample base in Airtable.\" class=\"wp-image-176458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sample-base-in-airtable-.jpg 2004w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sample-base-in-airtable--680x381.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sample-base-in-airtable--768x430.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sample-base-in-airtable--1536x860.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2004px) 100vw, 2004px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Airtable, base&nbsp;view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The general idea behind this is the use of triggers and actions. A complete set of a trigger and at least one action is often referred to as a Zap (coined by one of the automation tool providers Zapier).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"899\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/how-automation-works-triggers-and-actions-.jpg\" alt=\"How automation works: triggers and actions. \" class=\"wp-image-176459\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/how-automation-works-triggers-and-actions-.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/how-automation-works-triggers-and-actions--680x382.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/how-automation-works-triggers-and-actions--768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/how-automation-works-triggers-and-actions--1536x863.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>All of our experts have this kind of central base, and I guess it\u2019s hard to resist having one once you start automating things. So here\u2019s one of those systems by Eric&nbsp;Doty:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:ugcPost:7037181405109358592?compact=1\" height=\"399\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen title=\"Embedded post\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>Eric mentioned using Ahrefs as his source of keywords. If you\u2019re going to do the same, here\u2019s a quick tip for you \u2014 use automated <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/keyword-clustering\/\">keyword clustering<\/a> right inside Ahrefs, so you won\u2019t need to figure it out later&nbsp;on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">Tip<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">Keyword clustering allows you to group keywords with the same intent \u2014 and you\u2019ll come across these a lot (e.g., \u201ccar insurance\u201d and \u201cauto insurance)\u201d.\n\n\n\n<p>All you need to do is click the <strong>Cluster by Parent Topic<\/strong> tab in the <strong>Matching terms<\/strong> report in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Ahrefs\u2019 Keywords Explorer<\/a>. You can also export the list and use it in Airtable, Notion, or similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1240\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/clustering-by-parent-topic-in-ahrefs-.jpg\" alt=\"Clustering by Parent Topic in Ahrefs. \" class=\"wp-image-176460\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/clustering-by-parent-topic-in-ahrefs-.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/clustering-by-parent-topic-in-ahrefs--680x412.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/clustering-by-parent-topic-in-ahrefs--768x465.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/clustering-by-parent-topic-in-ahrefs--1536x930.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Returning to our central content base, it\u2019s important to note that not everyone will need to visit it regularly. As Tommy pointed out, a content automation system can integrate with processes your teammates follow (and possibly even other automation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, some stakeholders need real-time notifications about status changes, while others only require a weekly digest of content output. Automation handles this excellently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also have people fill out forms that will feed into system. For instance, sales team could use a form like that to request new content without needing to enter your Airtable setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"2. Assign articles to writers, editors, and SMEs\" data-section=\"two\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_3k2kpl9gy66b\"><\/a>2. Assign articles to writers, editors, and&nbsp;SMEs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Caitlin showed me how she automates assigning tasks to three types of contributors based on the work progress: writers, subject matter expert reviewers, and editors. All this is to maintain the output of 20 - 30 published articles per month, without leaving Airtable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Caitlin was very generous, so you\u2019re about to see not only what this workflow does but also copy the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.airtable.com\/conditional-logic-for-automations\/\">conditional logic<\/a> for Airtable and ready-made Zaps!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The whole process starts when Caitlin assigns the status of an article to \u201cWriting\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This triggers an Airtable automation that adds the brief to the writer\u2019s Google Sheet. A Zap is then triggered by the new row in Google Sheets, which adds the assignment date and sends an email to the writer, notifying them of their new assignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what the setup of this part looks like in Airtable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1940\" height=\"1060\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-brief-to-the-write.png\" alt=\"Automation example: sending the brief to the writer.\" class=\"wp-image-176461\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-brief-to-the-write.png 1940w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-brief-to-the-write-680x372.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-brief-to-the-write-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-brief-to-the-write-1536x839.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1940px) 100vw, 1940px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When the writer finishes their part, Caitlin gets an automated notification in&nbsp;Slack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"472\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-.png\" alt=\"Automated notification in Slack.\" class=\"wp-image-176462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-.png 2000w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack--680x160.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack--768x181.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack--1536x362.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, the article goes to the expert for a review. This is crucial for Caitlin\u2019s strategy because it enhances the content with unique expertise and real-life experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to automation, all Caitlin needs to do is change the status to \u201cReviewing\u201d. This adds the article link, brief, and word count to the reviewer\u2019s Google Sheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1940\" height=\"1089\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-to-the-rev.png\" alt=\"Automation example: sending the article to the reviewer. \" class=\"wp-image-176463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-to-the-rev.png 1940w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-to-the-rev-680x382.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-to-the-rev-768x431.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-to-the-rev-1536x862.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1940px) 100vw, 1940px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On top of that, this automation sends an email to the reviewer notifying them of the assignment. And here\u2019s the cool part: the email will differ depending on whether article is a completely new one or a second review. Here\u2019s how you can set this up in Zapier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1594\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zapier-workflow-.jpg\" alt=\"Zapier workflow. \" class=\"wp-image-176464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zapier-workflow-.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zapier-workflow--533x425.jpg 533w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zapier-workflow--768x612.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/zapier-workflow--1536x1224.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When the reviewer is finished, they check \u201cDone\u201d and select a field in a \u201cNext steps\u201d dropdown in their sheet to reflect whether the article is approved or needs changes made by the writer. Then Caitlin gets a message like this in&nbsp;Slack:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"860\" height=\"435\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-1-1.png\" alt=\"Automated notification in Slack. \" class=\"wp-image-176465\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-1-1.png 860w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-1-1-680x344.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-1-1-768x388.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If the writer needs to make changes, there\u2019s a special status for that, too. When Caitlin changes the status from \u201cReviewing\u201d to \u201cWriter is updating\u201d, this automatically changes the status in the writer\u2019s Google Sheet. And to make sure the writer won\u2019t miss that status change, there\u2019s an automated email notification, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, we have the editing stage. Now Caitlin changes the status to \u201cEditing,\u201d which adds a row in the editor\u2019s Google Sheet, just like it did for the writer and the expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1940\" height=\"1124\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-back-to-th.png\" alt=\"Automation example: sending the article back to the writer for revisions.\" class=\"wp-image-176466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-back-to-th.png 1940w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-back-to-th-680x394.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-back-to-th-768x445.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automation-example-sending-the-article-back-to-th-1536x890.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1940px) 100vw, 1940px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When an article is done, the editor changes the status in their sheet, and adds any comments if they want to, Caitlin receives this message:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-1-2.png\" alt=\"Automated notification in Slack.\" class=\"wp-image-176467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-1-2.png 2000w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-1-2-680x145.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-1-2-768x164.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/automated-notification-in-slack-1-2-1536x327.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can copy the exact Zaps Caitlin used&nbsp;here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/shared\/63ac628fc62f6ba9d017d463b210411d5b9deb42\">Send new article to writer&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/shared\/ea2e265fecf56e8134225e00104d9625da02a78a\">A writer has submitted an article&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/shared\/547958115112fa68909a3b79856eb45c0b67055d\">Send an article back to the writer for changes&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/shared\/editor-new-article-added\/f849d2e8c0baf5bc7da0796ae29a0ca956d6d2f7\">Assign articles out from Airtable to an editor<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/shared\/edited-article-alert\/ea1649677c4802b20fba18c0429f117caa60e9b7\">Send a Slack update when the editor checks an article as edited<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"3. Share content internally and make it accessible\" data-section=\"three\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_1o1i3051zy4u\"><\/a>3. Share content internally and make it accessible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The more you publish, the more people in your organization, the more you\u2019re going to need this type of automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, Eric will show you how to set up Airtable so that whenever a new blog post is published, it triggers an email to the writer, a message on Slack, and a status change in Airtable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:ugcPost:7111017913494487040?compact=1\" height=\"399\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen title=\"Embedded post\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let\u2019s say you\u2019ve a big content inventory and want to help other teams access it for use in prospect calls or newsletters. You can use another of Caitlin\u2019s workflows, which <a href=\"https:\/\/zapier.com\/shared\/a33a471c584956a59149561b5b7b9b99702bc643\">adds an AI-generated summary of all published articles<\/a> to Airtable through a&nbsp;Zap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"815\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ai-summary-embedded-into-an-automation-workflow-.jpg\" alt=\"AI summary embedded into an automation workflow. \" class=\"wp-image-176468\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ai-summary-embedded-into-an-automation-workflow-.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ai-summary-embedded-into-an-automation-workflow--680x271.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ai-summary-embedded-into-an-automation-workflow--768x306.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ai-summary-embedded-into-an-automation-workflow--1536x611.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/automated-seo-reporting\/\">Automated SEO Reporting (The Easy&nbsp;Way)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"4. Quickly save your best content ideas\" data-section=\"four\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_vfm82d3hhmze\"><\/a>4. Quickly save your best content ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re like Eric (and me), you get content ideas in various, often random, situations, and it\u2019s not always quick or easy to pull up your content dashboard to jot them down. Luckily, you can set up a Zap to handle that,&nbsp;too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this example, Eric explains how he created a nifty workflow to send content ideas noted in a Slack channel straight to Airtable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eric notes down a keyword idea in a Slack channel with a predefined hashtag.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A Slack bot confirms adding the keyword to Airtable, appended with a link to the Airtable base.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Now that the keyword is in the keyword list, Eric can add SEO data when he\u2019s&nbsp;ready.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:ugcPost:7037479701107400705?compact=1\" height=\"399\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen title=\"Embedded post\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"5. Automatically create content briefs\" data-section=\"five\"><a id=\"post-176430-_xtldcmin0bbz\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Automatically create content briefs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re creating briefs for other people or outlines for yourself using the same document format, time and again, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll appreciate this workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The trigger has two conditions<\/strong>: the topic must reach the \u201cbrief needed\u201d status and a brief must not have already been created.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The action<\/strong>: a Google doc is created which acts as the template for the content brief. The document already includes some information from Airtable passed down through variables such as the keyword, topic, and format.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:ugcPost:7110661879739404288?compact=1\" height=\"399\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen title=\"Embedded post\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">Tip<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">Help make your content more relevant in Google\u2019s eyes by including important subtopics. You can find those by identifying the keywords the top articles rank&nbsp;for.\n\n\n\n<p>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Ahrefs\u2019 Keywords Explorer<\/a>, enter your target keyword, and scroll down to the <strong>SERP overview<\/strong>. Select a few top-ranking articles, and click <strong>Open in Content gap<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1544\" height=\"780\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/serp-overview-in-ahrefs-.png\" alt=\"SERP overview in Ahrefs. \" class=\"wp-image-176470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/serp-overview-in-ahrefs-.png 1544w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/serp-overview-in-ahrefs--680x344.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/serp-overview-in-ahrefs--768x388.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/serp-overview-in-ahrefs--1536x776.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1544px) 100vw, 1544px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll see a list of keywords that your selected articles rank for. Keywords with more articles rankings in the top three will likely be the most important subtopics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1678\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-gap-tool-in-ahrefs-.png\" alt=\"Content gap tool in Ahrefs. \" class=\"wp-image-176471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-gap-tool-in-ahrefs-.png 1678w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-gap-tool-in-ahrefs--680x304.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-gap-tool-in-ahrefs--768x343.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-gap-tool-in-ahrefs--1536x687.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1678px) 100vw, 1678px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re optimizing an existing article, you can add topics worth expanding on using the AI <strong>Content Grader<\/strong> in Ahrefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1712\" height=\"1166\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-grader-tool-in-ahrefs-.jpg\" alt=\"Content Grader tool in Ahrefs. \" class=\"wp-image-176472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-grader-tool-in-ahrefs-.jpg 1712w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-grader-tool-in-ahrefs--624x425.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-grader-tool-in-ahrefs--768x523.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/content-grader-tool-in-ahrefs--1536x1046.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1712px) 100vw, 1712px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-briefs\/\">How to Create Content Briefs (with 6 Templates)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"6. Manage guests for a podcast show\" data-section=\"six\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_8wdbycw6cnzf\"><\/a>6. Manage guests for a podcast show<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s inspiration from Tommy Walker, sharing how you can automate podcast production by connecting a few different tools to Airtable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the&nbsp;steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tommy sends out an invitation to book a time slot for an episode via Calendly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When the guest books a time, this creates a new record in Airtable with status \u201cBooked\u201d and their details filled.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This also triggers Google Drive to create a new folder and two subfolders within in (one of them is for the guest to upload their headshot).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uploading a headshot into the folder notifies the designer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Next, an Email goes out to book a precall with the&nbsp;guest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Now, Tommy can click the \u201cCreate page\u201d button right inside Airtable which creates a page and a blog post in WordPress (how cool is&nbsp;that!).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Once the broadcast is complete on YouTube, it goes into the RSS feed in Castmagic. This allows Tommy to use the tool to create a transcript and use an AI chatbot on&nbsp;it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"917\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/example-of-content-automation-from-tommy-walker-.jpg\" alt=\"Example of content automation from Tommy Walker. \" class=\"wp-image-176473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/example-of-content-automation-from-tommy-walker-.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/example-of-content-automation-from-tommy-walker--680x304.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/example-of-content-automation-from-tommy-walker--768x344.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/example-of-content-automation-from-tommy-walker--1536x688.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The tick sign is the button to create a page in WordPress.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"7. Send an email when a contributor drops a new file in Google Drive\" data-section=\"seven\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_eaywv3ptcivt\"><\/a>7. Send an email when a contributor drops a new file in Google Drive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You know how there\u2019s no notification when someone uploads a new file to Google Drive for you? You still need to manually notify that person about the file which feels <em>very manual<\/em>; it feels like doing the same thing&nbsp;twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until Google fixes that, Eric will show you how to make a Zap to save you time and peace of mind. Use this when working with designers, writers, and your video&nbsp;team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Trigger<\/strong>: a contributor drops a file in a designated folder in Google Drive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Action<\/strong>: an email goes out to the Eric with the name of the contributor and the link to the&nbsp;file.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:ugcPost:7113199285860499458?compact=1\" height=\"399\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen title=\"Embedded post\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"FAQs\" data-section=\"faq\"><a id=\"post-176430-_m5ho2luxlynb\"><\/a>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve answered a handful of common questions for those just starting out with content automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_ukoxqguqzjer\"><\/a>What\u2019s the difference between content automation and automated (AI) content?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s easy to confuse these two terms because they\u2019re quite similar, and one is a subset of the&nbsp;other:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Automated content is generated mainly by AI without human&nbsp;input.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Content automation uses tools to streamline content creation, management, and distribution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, you can have content automation without automated content. Moreover, it\u2019s advisable not to fully automate your content if you want to rank well on Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_fsmb40ighwij\"><\/a>Is automating content good for&nbsp;SEO?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>TLDR; if you want to fully automate content, as in not even look at it before publishing, it will most likely be bad for SEO, even though <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/blog\/2023\/02\/google-search-and-ai-content\">Google is not against AI content per se<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Various SEO experiments and case studies have proven one thing beyond doubt: gaming the system can bring only short-term gains. Google catches up to bad content and <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies#scaled-content\">spam<\/a> sooner or later, whether that\u2019s automated content or not. And when this happens, your traffic charts will look like&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1052\" height=\"379\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/word-image-176430-16.png\" alt class=\"wp-image-176474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/word-image-176430-16.png 1052w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/word-image-176430-16-680x245.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/word-image-176430-16-768x277.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1052px) 100vw, 1052px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You could disclose making content with AI, as Google suggests. But paradoxically, trying to adhere to the guidelines can compromise the user experience (especially for <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/pl\/seo\/glossary\/ymyl-pages\">YMYL topics<\/a>). Although consumers don\u2019t seem to be against AI content in general (<a href=\"https:\/\/prod.ucwe.capgemini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Final-Web-Version-Report-Creative-Gen-AI.pdf\">study<\/a>), they are likely to be cautious about it (<a href=\"https:\/\/kpmg.com\/xx\/en\/home\/insights\/2023\/09\/trust-in-artificial-intelligence.html#:~:text=Trust%20and%20acceptance%20depend%20on%20the%20AI%20application.,in%20healthcare%20is%20the%20most%20trusted%20and%20accepted.\">study<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It\u2019s funny how everyone wants to use AI to write content but at the same time no one wants to read content written by&nbsp;AI.<\/p>\u2014 Andrea Bosoni (@theandreboso) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theandreboso\/status\/1615688300160847873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 18,&nbsp;2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, the content automation experts I talked with don\u2019t use AI for content generation. Given their experience, I wasn\u2019t expecting a different answer. They might use AI for other things like generating outlines, finding content gaps (check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/whats-new-at-ahrefs-mar-2024\/#general\">AI Content Grader<\/a>), or looking for relevant subtopics, but not for actual writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_9ss7syiy05ul\"><\/a>Is content automation for all team&nbsp;sizes?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Our experts agree: big, or small, every team can benefit from content automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">&nbsp;\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s honestly for everyone. I use it for every level of content creation \u2014 from 10 articles\/month to 100. At HealthMatch, we published between 150-200 articles per month, so I very quickly had to figure out how to use automation to make that scale possible. Sending an email to one or two writers a week with new assignments is doable. Sending emails to 20 writers is&nbsp;not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Caitlin Burns\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/caitlin_burns-425x425.jpeg\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Caitlin Burns,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Content and SEO Lead, <a href=\"https:\/\/dovetail.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Dovetail<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, Tommy Walker has a unique take on&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">&nbsp;\n\n\n\n<p>The value proposition for big companies is going to be different based on the size. For bigger companies, it\u2019s more about automating information exchange so that it happens effectively and efficiently. For small companies, it\u2019s more about time savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Tommy Walker\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/tommy_walker-425x425.jpeg\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Tommy Walker,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Founder, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecontentstudio.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Content Studio<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to use AI for SEO effectively yet safely, we\u2019ve got <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/ai-seo\/\">fourteen tried and tested ideas<\/a> for&nbsp;you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_c5hwl8ypyvmk\"><\/a>What are the common pitfalls of content automation?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>According to our experts, you should watch out for two things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first pitfall is creating infinite loops. This is when a task runs over and over again until you max out your automation tool\u2019s plan. If you\u2019re using Zapier, <a href=\"https:\/\/help.zapier.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/8496232045453-Zap-is-stuck-in-a-loop#h_01HQ8MXQ2DB2GB6RY77ZRT3CK2\">here\u2019s how to avoid it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another pitfall is automating everything just because it\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow Eric\u2019s advice: automate tasks you\u2019ve handled manually a few times. Avoid automating new processes immediately; first, do them manually to see if they\u2019re worth automating. Otherwise, you might waste time on ineffective workflows or overwhelm yourself with too many automated tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-176430-_bamylxx1d1m8\"><\/a>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019d like to wrap this up with the number one content automation tip for beginners from each of our experts. They all seem to agree: smart&nbsp;small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>If you attack automation with a particular problem that you want to solve rather than trying to become a content automation expert, then you\u2019ll learn by trial and error, you\u2019ll learn much quicker, and you\u2019ll solve problems for yourself rather than learning the abstract. So start small, and start with a manual process that you do all the time but would love to stop&nbsp;doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Eric Doty\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/eric_doty-425x425.jpeg\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Eric Doty,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Content Lead, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dock.us\/\" target=\"_blank\">Dock<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Got questions or comments? Let me know on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/m_makosiewicz\">X<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mateusz-makosiewicz-38154b67\/\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Content teams need to manage ideation, writing, editing, proofing, publishing, promotion, analytics, and reporting across a team of writers, reviewers, and dozens of articles each month. Smart content leads find ways to automate some of these processes to let them<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"coauthors":[412],"class_list":["post-176430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-content-marketing","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>7 Content Automations Used by Real Content Pros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to automate away the worst parts of content marketing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Content Automations Used by Real Content Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to automate away the worst parts of content marketing.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-27T13:52:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-27T13:53:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sample-base-in-airtable-.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mateusz Makosiewicz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@m_makosiewicz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mateusz Makosiewicz\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c7e64c851ecc4eabb77eaefae90a440c\"},\"headline\":\"7 Content Automations Used by Real Content Pros\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-27T13:52:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-27T13:53:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/\"},\"wordCount\":2610,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/7-content-automations-used-by-real-by-mateusz-makosiewicz-content-marketing.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Content Marketing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/\",\"name\":\"7 Content Automations Used by Real Content Pros\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sample-base-in-airtable-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-27T13:52:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-27T13:53:05+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn how to automate away the worst parts of content marketing.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-automation\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sample-base-in-airtable-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/sample-base-in-airtable-.jpg\",\"width\":2004,\"height\":1122,\"caption\":\"Sample base in Airtable.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\",\"description\":\"Link Building Strategies &amp; 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