Content Pipeline Architecture

Content pipelines transform ideas into polished, publishable content through multiple stages. This lesson covers how to design robust content generation workflows.

The Content Pipeline Model

Brief → Research → Outline → Draft → Edit → Review → Polish → Publish

Each stage has specific inputs, outputs, and quality gates.

Pipeline Stages

Stage 1: Brief Expansion

Turn a simple idea into a detailed brief:

Stage 2: Research Integration

Gather relevant information:

async function researchStage(brief) {
  const research = {
    statistics: await findRelevantStatistics(brief.topics_to_cover),
    examples: await findCaseStudies(brief.topics_to_cover),
    quotes: await findExpertQuotes(brief.topics_to_cover),
    competitors: await analyzeCompetitorContent(brief.primary_keyword)
  };

  return {
    ...research,
    gaps: identifyContentGaps(research.competitors),
    opportunities: findDifferentiationOpportunities(research)
  };
}

Stage 3: Outline Generation

Create a structured outline:

Quality Gates

Between Each Stage

const qualityGates = {
  briefToResearch: {
    required: ['target_audience', 'key_messages', 'topics_to_cover'],
    validation: (brief) => brief.topics_to_cover.length >= 3
  },

  researchToOutline: {
    required: ['statistics', 'examples'],
    validation: (research) => research.statistics.length >= 5
  },

  outlineToDraft: {
    required: ['sections', 'word_count_target'],
    validation: (outline) => outline.sections.length >= 5
  },

  draftToEdit: {
    required: ['full_text'],
    validation: (draft) => {
      const wordCount = countWords(draft.full_text);
      return wordCount >= draft.word_count_target * 0.9;
    }
  }
};

Automated Quality Checks

async function runQualityChecks(content, stage) {
  const checks = {
    wordCount: countWords(content),
    readabilityScore: calculateReadability(content),
    keywordDensity: checkKeywordDensity(content, targetKeywords),
    sentenceVariety: analyzeSentenceVariety(content),
    passiveVoice: detectPassiveVoice(content),
    duplicateContent: checkForDuplication(content)
  };

  const issues = [];
  if (checks.readabilityScore > 12) issues.push('Readability too complex');
  if (checks.keywordDensity < 0.5) issues.push('Keyword density too low');
  if (checks.passiveVoice > 0.2) issues.push('Too much passive voice');

  return { checks, issues, pass: issues.length === 0 };
}

Pipeline Implementation

Full Pipeline Flow

async function contentPipeline(idea) {
  // Stage 1: Brief
  const brief = await expandBrief(idea);
  if (!qualityGates.briefToResearch.validation(brief)) {
    return { error: 'Brief incomplete', stage: 'brief' };
  }

  // Stage 2: Research
  const research = await conductResearch(brief);
  if (!qualityGates.researchToOutline.validation(research)) {
    return { error: 'Research insufficient', stage: 'research' };
  }

  // Stage 3: Outline
  const outline = await generateOutline(brief, research);
  if (!qualityGates.outlineToDraft.validation(outline)) {
    return { error: 'Outline incomplete', stage: 'outline' };
  }

  // Stage 4: Draft
  const draft = await generateDraft(outline, research);

  // Stage 5: Edit
  const edited = await editDraft(draft);

  // Stage 6: Quality Check
  const quality = await runQualityChecks(edited.content);
  if (!quality.pass) {
    // Revision loop
    const revised = await reviseContent(edited, quality.issues);
    return revised;
  }

  return { success: true, content: edited };
}

Exercise: Design a Content Pipeline

Key Takeaways

• Content pipelines have distinct stages with clear handoffs
• Each stage should have quality gates before proceeding
• Brief expansion creates a detailed foundation
• Research integration brings data and examples
• Outlines provide structure before drafting
• Automated quality checks catch common issues
• Build in revision loops for continuous improvement

Next, we'll explore from outline to draft techniques.