Content governance framework definition
A content governance framework defines roles, standards and workflows to keep content consistent, compliant and on-brand—reducing chaos, improving collaboration, scaling quality across channels and teams.
What is a content governance framework?
A content governance framework is a documented system of policies, roles, and workflows that guides how content is planned, created, approved, published, maintained, and retired. It aligns content with business goals and brand voice, reduces risk, and ensures quality and consistency across channels. By clarifying who does what and when, it prevents “content chaos” and keeps teams coordinated.
Typical elements include style guides, approval paths, ownership rules, content calendars, accessibility and compliance standards, and metrics for ongoing reviews. Platforms such as Sanity can help centralize assets, automate checks, enforce templates, and maintain a single source of truth for content operations.
Key elements: roles, standards, workflows, and policies
Roles & responsibilities assign clear ownership for creation, review, approval, publishing, and maintenance (often captured in a simple RACI). Use role-based permissions to control who can edit or approve. Standards define how content looks and sounds: tone of voice, style guides, taxonomy and metadata, accessibility (WCAG), and legal/compliance rules (e.g., GDPR, brand claims, disclaimers).
Workflows map each step—from brief to archive—with approval gates, due dates, and SLAs. Automate routine checks (links, spelling, policy flags) and keep an audit trail. Policies set the guardrails: content eligibility, accuracy and fact-checking, review cadence and expiration, versioning, permissions, and retention. Together, these elements ensure consistent, compliant, on-brand content at scale.
Steps to build and maintain your framework
Align objectives and KPIs with business goals, then inventory and audit current content to spot gaps and risks. Define roles and a RACI across marketing, legal, and product. Document policies and standards (tone, taxonomy, accessibility, compliance) and design workflows with clear stages and SLAs. Use platforms like Sanity for custom workflows.
Pilot and iterate with one content type, then train and document for editors and approvers. Create a governance committee to oversee changes and exceptions. Automate checks (links, metadata, expirations) and maintain an audit trail. Finally, measure and refine using KPIs (quality, time-to-publish, accuracy) and schedule regular content reviews to update, republish, or retire items.
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