Equip includes more than 100 tools to help ministries streamline the production of all kinds of content, from blog posts to press releases to sermon outlines. This article explains the basic function of creating content using a Tool, regardless of the end result.
Equip employs a workflow (or wizard) that automatically generates a sophisticated AI prompt behind the scenes, eliminating the need for users to understand complex prompting or to experiment to achieve reliable results.
The Basic Content Creation Workflow
Generally, Tools follow a consistent cadence:
- Select Source - Choose existing content from your local computer or in-app Content Library, or enter the specifics of the topic manually
- Configure Options - Set the proper tone, audience, length, style, and other tool-specific options
- Generate - The Equip program creates new content, using the source materials and options from previous steps
- Edit & Refine - The content will open in a dedicated Workspace appropriate for the output for you to customize and edit to fit your needs more closely
- Export & Share - Download the content in multiple formats, depending on the specific tool.
Details on Content Creation Steps
Creating a piece of content starts with clicking the Create Content button. This button can be found within a new or existing Project, or in the Content Library.
You will be asked if you want to Create from Tool or Create from Toolkit. Tools, generally, create a single piece of content. A Toolkit is a group of related tools that create multiple pieces of content. For the purposes of this tutorial, we'll generate content using the Sermon Outline tool.
Select Source
- Choosing a Source from the Content Library isn't necessarily required.
- If a Source is not chosen, some content types will require additional information to provide context.
- Sources are used as reference material when creating content.
- Content generated by a Tool/Toolkit will be available as a Source for future content.
- Source files can be in formats like MP4, MOV, AVI, MP3, WAV, M4A, JPG, PNG, GIF, WEBP, PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, or TXT.
- Source content cannot be uploaded while creating content from a Tool or Toolkit. If you know you will want to use Source content, add it to the Content Library prior to clicking the Create Content button.
Pro Tip: Use the search field to find a particular source file.
Configure Options
Once the Source Material is selected or defined, one or more Configure steps will add additional details and output options to tailor it to the Tool's purpose. Because these can vary widely, here are three examples:
- For a Bulletin Insert, the service date, speaker, series name, bulletin sections to include, an optional QR code URL, and available output formats can be specified.
- For Care Cards, the recipient's name, relationship to the organization, occasion for the card, tone and feel, personal details, and card features can all be edited in a single step.
- For a Staff Meeting Agenda, specify the meeting type, duration, standing items, discussion topics, and meeting sections to include.
As you can see, the configuration settings differ for each Tool. These settings transform a simple idea into something tailored and specific for its intended purpose.
Generate
Once all configuration options are set, the Generate button will be available. The cost in credits for generating your request using the Tool will be displayed on the Generate button. Once clicked, Equip will generate the request. This activity can run in the background, allowing you to continue your other work outside the program or use other Equip Tools while you wait.
Because of the high level of customizability, most Tools are not instant. Some time will need to pass for Equip to produce something of value for you to continue to work with in the next steps.
Edit & Refine
Once the Tool has generated your starting point, Equip will display an editor for you to make the content truly your own. Additionally, an Assistant tool is available to help with improvements, identifying weak spots, adjusting tone, shortening or lengthening, or finding points of interest for the audience. Of course, these are just starting points. Ask it anything.
The Editors are fully featured and save your work within Equip. All your work can be done within the program, including creating multiple versions of your content.
Export & Share
There is never an expectation that your work is done alone. The ability to share content with other Amplify and Equip users is central to your experience. You can generate a Share Link to send to other users.
If you are working within a Project, other project users can see the content and can be assigned Contributor or Editor rights to it.
When the work is finished, there are three options for what to do next. First, the content can be Exported to multiple file formats or published directly to a connected Amplify application like Streaming or Web. Next, if the content is text-based, Print it directly to your local connected printer. Finally, the content can be Presented directly from within Equip for certain content types.
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