Shelby R. King / Case Studies

CSG Forte • Editorial operations • Content leadership

Building an Editorial Operating System

How I built the standards, governance, workflows, contributor model, measurement loops, and reuse habits behind a complex B2B payments content function.

150+
Insights articles supported since Feb. 2025
202
article library organized for planning and optimization
30
high-value SEO opportunities mapped

Mandate

When I became the sole content lead for CSG Forte’s Payments business, the challenge was larger than producing a steady stream of content. The business needed a coherent way to decide what was worth making, capture expertise from across the organization, move complex work through review, connect it to commercial priorities, and reuse what proved valuable.

I treated that complexity as an operating-design problem.

What was breaking

Before

  • Content work lived across requests, drafts, meetings, campaigns, and individual memory.
  • Planning was harder to connect across verticals, solutions, SEO priorities, and customer proof.
  • Review paths and reuse opportunities were not always visible early enough.

After

  • A clearer editorial operating model connected planning, production, optimization, governance, and reuse.
  • Content could be prioritized by audience need, business value, source strength, and execution readiness.
  • Briefs, calendars, review paths, and measurement loops made the work easier to repeat and improve.

System I built

I built the connective structure behind the function and made the decision logic visible. Topics could be weighed against audience need, business value, source strength, search opportunity, campaign timing, proof availability, and execution readiness.

SignalCustomer questions, sales friction, search data, product priorities, campaigns, and industry shifts.
IntakeAudience, business goal, source material, deadline, reviewers, intended use, and reuse potential.
PrioritizeBusiness value, audience need, SEO opportunity, proof strength, and readiness.
BriefAngle, evidence, structure, internal links, CTAs, reviewer needs, and handoff items.
ReviewCoordinate SME, product, marketing, legal, brand, SEO, and publishing review paths.
ReuseTurn strong work into proof points, proposal language, sales modules, newsletters, and future briefs.

Scale and outcomes

  • Supported 150+ Insights articles since February 2025.
  • Organized a 202-article Insights library for tracking, prioritization, and optimization planning.
  • Mapped 30 high-value SEO opportunities into an execution roadmap.
  • Expanded the published customer-story proof library from 6 to 11.
  • Built an active optimization workbook used as the source of truth for weekly sprint planning, baseline measurement, reporting, Contentful handoffs, and agent workflow tracking.
  • Created weekly, 4-week, and 12-week reporting structures tied to defined success metrics.

Leadership signal

The result was not merely more content. It was a clearer management system for editorial work: what enters the roadmap, why it deserves resources, whose expertise is required, where review belongs, what success looks like, and how one strong piece can support multiple business needs.

Tools and systems

Asana, Notion, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Semrush Enterprise, Google Analytics 4, GA4 Explorations, Google Search Console, Power BI, Glean, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, Contentful, WordPress, and prompt packets for repeatable handoffs.