Video: Introducing Bleacher Report’s new publishing tool

As we’ve mentioned, the Bleacher Report product team is working on an overhaul of the content management system. The new publishing tool is in testing now and should be ready for release later this month, so we want to get you ready.

We’ve made a video that briefly explains what’s new, but more importantly, why we’re making these improvements. You can view it below.

“What we’re trying to do is give our writers the tools to allow them to create this really snackable, digestible and ultimately shareable content,” says Senior Manager of Programming Bennett Spector. “The way we’re going to do that is to make it really visual.”

The new interface will be much more intuitive than the current one. As you create content, you’ll be able to see how it’s going to look on the site. Searching for photos will be a lot better too, with the tool returning 100 pictures from your initial search, rather than eight, and then loading more in an infinite scroll as you browse through them.

Videos and tweets will be searchable within the tool, so you won’t have to open another browser window to find them. And, as with the photos, once you know what you want, you’ll be able to just drag it into your story. Creating a poll will be easier and smoother as well.

As Spector says, these improvements are designed to help you create the visually compelling content that sports fans want. We are officially past the era of straight text articles being the default format, and the publishing tool will be up to the task of joining you in this new age.

The new tool has been in the hands of a few testers. It will be rolled out first to a wider test group and then to everyone within the next week. The first phase of the rollout will be for standard articles, but the new tool should be in place for slideshow creation by the end of the month.