Inside Our Updated Notion-Based Content Engine

Content creation can be a time-consuming process for businesses of all sizes. From ideation to publishing, each step requires careful attention and coordination across multiple platforms. That's why we've developed a comprehensive content engine built entirely within Notion that automates and simplifies this process from start to finish.

In this article, we'll take you through our recently updated content engine, showing how it transforms content ideation into published material across multiple platforms with minimal manual intervention.

The Core Components of Our Notion Content Engine

Our content engine consists of several interconnected components that work together to create a seamless content creation workflow:

1. Content Ideation System

The ideation system pulls from three primary sources:

• RSS Feeds: The system automatically checks selected RSS feeds daily for new, relevant content that aligns with your brand's interests.
• Content Pillars: These are connected to an AI system with a vector database containing company information. The AI generates specialised search queries based on the target platform—using long-tail keywords for Google and shorter queries for platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
• Ad Hoc Form: This allows team members to manually input content ideas or URLs they discover, providing flexibility alongside the automated systems.

All these sources feed into a central table of content ideas, creating a consistent pipeline of potential topics.

2. Content Generation

Once you have content ideas in your pipeline, the system makes it easy to transform them into actual content:

• Multi-Platform Support: Generate content for different platforms simultaneously, including LinkedIn posts and blog articles.
• Customisable AI Prompts: All prompts live directly in Notion, eliminating the need to access external tools for updates or modifications.
• Image Generation: Automatically create images using AI (GPT Image) with platform-specific dimensions—square for LinkedIn, landscape for website posts, etc.

3. Publishing and Scheduling

After content generation, the system offers several options for distribution:

• Direct Publishing: Publish content immediately to platforms like LinkedIn with a single click.
• Scheduling: Set specific dates and times for content to be published automatically.
• Calendar View: Visualise your content calendar to ensure consistent posting and avoid scheduling conflicts.

Overcoming Notion's Limitations

One significant challenge we faced was Notion's 2,000 character limit for API uploads. We developed an intelligent looping system that bypasses this limitation, allowing for longer-form content to be processed and stored without issues.

Performance Tracking and Analytics

The content engine doesn't just create and publish content—it also helps you understand how that content performs:

• Google Search Console Integration: Track website post performance with metrics like position, impressions, and click-through rates.
• Social Media Analytics: Monitor the performance of content across LinkedIn and other platforms.
  These analytics help inform future content decisions by identifying which topics and formats resonate most with your audience.

Practical Applications

This content engine is particularly valuable for:

• Marketing teams looking to maintain consistent content output across multiple channels
• Small businesses without dedicated content creators who need to maximise efficiency
• Content strategists who want data-driven insights to guide their planning

The Benefits of a Notion-Based Content Engine

Building this system in Notion offers several advantages:

1. Centralisation: Everything from ideation to analytics lives in one place.
2. Accessibility: Team members can access and contribute to the content process without specialised technical knowledge.
3. Flexibility: The system can be easily modified and expanded as needs change.
4. Automation: Repetitive tasks are handled automatically, freeing up time for creative work.

Looking Forward

We continue to refine and expand this content engine with new features and integrations. The current version represents a significant step forward in automating the content creation process while maintaining quality and strategic alignment.

If you're interested in implementing a similar system for your team or organisation, this approach can be customised to fit your specific content needs and workflow requirements.

A well-designed content engine doesn't just save time—it creates space for more strategic thinking about your content. By automating the mechanical aspects of content creation and distribution, your team can focus on developing the ideas and insights that truly connect with your audience.