How Do I Set Up Brand Categories and Topics?
Brand categories and topics help organize your content ecosystem inside the Brand Control Center. They allow brands to structure communities, improve content discovery, personalize recommendations, and ensure AI-powered curation aligns with brand objectives.
Properly configured categories and topics help brands:
- Organize content into clear interest areas
- Improve AI-driven content recommendations
- Personalize feeds and community experiences
- Enhance search and content discovery
- Support targeted campaigns and sponsorships
- Improve reporting and audience insights
- Enable scalable community growth strategies
Categories act as high-level content groupings, while topics provide deeper contextual tagging for specific interests, discussions, or themes.
For example:
| Category | Topics |
|---|---|
| Fitness | Yoga, Strength Training, Nutrition |
| Gaming | Esports, Console Gaming, Live Streaming |
| Beauty | Skincare, Makeup Tutorials, Product Reviews |
These structures help the Community Media Network deliver more relevant experiences across feeds, groups, embeds, and campaigns.
How to Set Up Brand Categories and Topics
Step 1: Login to Brand Control Center
Access your Brand Control Center account using your administrator credentials.
Step 2: Navigate to Brand Configuration
Go to: Build > Brand Elements > Categories & Topics
This section allows brands to create, edit, and manage taxonomy structures used across the platform.
Step 3: Create a Brand Category
Click Add Category.
Enter the following details:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Category Name | Primary content grouping |
| Description | Internal explanation of the category |
| Category Image/Icon | Optional visual identifier |
| Visibility | Public or Internal |
| Status | Active or Draft |
Example
| Category Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Travel | Community discussions and content related to travel experiences |
| Technology | Content focused on gadgets, AI, software, and innovation |
Once completed, click Save.
Step 4: Add Topics Under the Category
After creating a category:
- Open the category
- Click Add Topic
- Enter topic details
Topic Configuration Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Topic Name | Specific discussion or content area |
| Keywords | AI matching and discovery terms |
| Description | Internal topic definition |
| Parent Category | Associated category |
| Status | Active or Disabled |
Example
| Category | Topic |
|---|---|
| Technology | Artificial Intelligence |
| Technology | Mobile Devices |
| Travel | Solo Travel |
Topics help improve content tagging, recommendations, moderation, and audience segmentation.
How Categories and Topics Are Used Across the Platform
Once configured, categories and topics can be applied throughout the Community Media Network.
1. AI Content Curation
The AI engine uses category and topic mappings to:
- Recommend relevant videos and posts
- Auto-group content into communities
- Improve feed personalization
- Surface trending discussions
2. Community and Group Organization
Brands can create communities or groups aligned with specific categories.
Example:
| Community | Category |
|---|---|
| Fitness Creators Hub | Fitness |
| Gaming Discussions | Gaming |
This improves navigation and user participation.
3. Personalized User Experiences
Categories and topics help power:
- Personalized feeds
- Topic-based recommendations
- Interest-based onboarding
- Dynamic content discovery
Users see more relevant content based on engagement behavior and interests.
4. Sponsorship and Monetization Opportunities
Brands can activate contextual monetization strategies by targeting specific categories or topics.
Examples include:
- Sponsored travel content
- Fitness-focused brand campaigns
- Gaming creator sponsorships
- Topic-specific ad placements
This improves campaign relevance and engagement.
5. Analytics and Reporting
Categories and topics enable deeper reporting insights such as:
- Top-performing interest areas
- Trending topics
- Engagement by category
- Community participation trends
- Content consumption patterns
These insights help brands refine their growth and editorial strategies.
Best Practices for Structuring Categories and Topics
Keep Categories Broad
Categories should represent major content pillars.
Good Example
- Sports
- Technology
- Beauty
Avoid
- “Football Training Tips for Beginners Under 18”
That level of detail belongs under topics.
Use Clear and Searchable Topic Names
Choose topic names that users naturally search for or engage with.
Examples:
- Healthy Recipes
- AI Tools
- Street Fashion
Avoid Duplicate Topics
Multiple similar topics can fragment engagement and reduce recommendation quality.
Instead of:
- Fitness Tips
- Workout Tips
- Exercise Advice
Use one standardized topic structure.
Continuously Refine Based on Engagement Data
Review analytics regularly to identify:
- High-performing topics
- Emerging trends
- Underperforming categories
- New audience interests
Update taxonomy structures as communities evolve.
Example Use Cases
Media Publishers
Organize vertical video content into:
- Entertainment
- Sports
- Politics
- Lifestyle
Consumer Brands
Create product-focused interest communities such as:
- Skincare
- Nutrition
- Wellness
Education Platforms
Structure learning communities by:
- Subject
- Skill level
- Certification track
Creator Communities
Allow creators to publish content under interest-driven topics for improved discovery.
Specs & Limitations
| Area | Details |
|---|---|
| Category Hierarchy | Supports parent categories with multiple topics |
| Topic Management | Topics can be edited or disabled anytime |
| AI Recommendations | Depends on accurate topic tagging |
| Reporting Support | Available across analytics dashboards |
| Content Mapping | Can be manual or AI-assisted |
| Community Assignment | Categories can be linked to communities and groups |
| Scalability | Recommended to maintain a clean taxonomy structure |
| Personalization | Requires engagement and interest signals for optimization |
