Content Strategy

Single Source Publishing

In today’s digital-first world, content drives customer engagement, shapes brand identity, and fuels marketing strategies. But managing content across multiple platforms can become chaotic, inefficient, and inconsistent. This is where single source publishing steps in as a game-changing solution for companies seeking to streamline their content strategy.

At its core, single sourcing is the process of creating and storing content in one centralized location, from which it can be repurposed and distributed across multiple channels—websites, apps, emails, social media, or print. It ensures that every version of the content stays consistent and up-to-date, reducing duplication and errors.

The concept of single sourcing emerged in the 1990s alongside the rise of content management systems (CMS) and technical communication. It was initially adopted by industries like aerospace and manufacturing, where creating consistent, reusable documentation across various formats was crucial. As technology evolved, the approach expanded beyond manuals to marketing, e-commerce, and digital media.

The Benefits

Efficiency: With a single source, content teams avoid reinventing the wheel for every platform. Edits made in one place update everywhere, saving countless hours of work. This speeds up content creation and enables faster time-to-market.

Consistency: Brands thrive on consistency. A centralized repository ensures that tone, style, and messaging align across channels, building trust and clarity for audiences. No more conflicting versions or outdated information.

Scalability: As businesses grow, managing content becomes exponentially complex. Single sourcing provides a scalable solution, enabling teams to expand content libraries or target new markets without logistical headaches.

The Process

In general, single sourcing involves:

Content Centralization: Start by housing all assets—text, images, videos—in a single repository, often within a CMS or component content management system (CCMS) like MadCap Flare.

Structure Content: Break down the information into reusable content blocks (e.g. drawings, paragraphs, tables, etc.) that can be adapted to different contexts. Use the DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture) topic classification system to organize content.

Content Modeling: create and inventory of your content files. Conduct an audit by referring to original content to categorize each topic file using DITA information types (concept, task, or reference). Assign taxonomy and metadata (keywords/tags) to enable search and filtering.

Leverage CCMS: Create structured topic templates within your system for topic-based authoring. Establish clear style guides and formatting standards and apply them to your topic templates. Consult the Heretto Technical Content Development Guide for requirements.

Publishing Content: Use your CCMS’ automated publishing processes to publish content simultaneously across multiple platforms in different output formats (e.g., PDF, HTML) based on the defined templates.

Review the adjacent Single Source Proof-of-Concept Project that provides an outline of the process and links to actual deliverables.

Single Source Proof-of-Concept Project