What is content operations?

The Sanity Content Operating System goes beyond storage and delivery of content. It provides the computational infrastructure and developer tools to build content workflows and applications supporting your business processes. That's a fancy way to say "content operations."

In the real world, content operations are not linear processes. They are cyclical, with each stage informing and feeding back into the others. For example, analytics from content distribution might influence your governance policies, or AI-powered creation tools might change how you approach content planning.

You can think of these content operation processes in the following five stages.

Defining your content model, setting up workflows, establishing roles and permissions, and creating governance policies that ensure content quality and consistency. This stage is about building the foundation for how your organization thinks about and structures content.

The actual content production, from writing and editing to asset creation and organization. This includes collaborative workflows, version control, and the tools that make content creation efficient. Sanity provides structured editing environments like Studio and Canvas that adapt to your content model while maintaining the integrity of your structured data.

Getting your content to where it needs to go, when it needs to be there. This includes publishing workflows, content delivery networks, and automated processes that ensure content reaches its intended audience across all channels. The Content Operating System provides APIs, SDKs, and serverless functions that automate distribution while maintaining content integrity. This stage is where your structured content proves its value. Flowing seamlessly to websites, apps, digital displays, and other touchpoints.

Understanding how your content performs across channels and using those insights to improve. This includes analytics, A/B testing, and performance monitoring that help you make data-driven decisions about your content strategy. The Content Operating System provides tools to track content performance and integrate with analytics platforms, giving you visibility into how your audience engages with your content and its impact on your business goals.

Connecting your content system with other tools and platforms in your tech stack. This includes building custom integrations, extending functionality with plugins, and creating specialized applications that address specific business needs. The Content Operating System provides APIs, SDKs, and serverless functions that make it easy to connect with other systems while maintaining the integrity of your content model. This stage is where the programmable nature of Sanity truly shines, allowing you to build exactly the content ecosystem your organization needs.