Part 2 - Identifying Atoms and Molecules in Sitecore CMP
👋 Continuing from Part 1, in the first part, we explored how to access and navigate the Content workspace inside Sitecore Content Hub and understand its purpose in managing upstream content creation.
Now, we move one step further, identifying the smallest reusable content elements (atoms and molecules) and how they translate into Content Types inside CMP.
Understanding How CMP Structures Content
In Sitecore CMP, everything revolves around Content Types.
A content type determines the structure of the content you can create in CMP, defining the fields, formats, and relationships of your marketing content.
Unlike other modules in Content Hub, CMP is entirely content-type driven.
Each Content Type acts as a reusable blueprint and when you create a new content item, you’re simply instantiating that blueprint and filling in the defined fields (also known as members).
Think of it like this:
- The Content Type defines what data exists.
- The Content Item represents an instance of that structure filled with actual content.
This design makes CMP extremely flexible, the same content type can power multiple use cases, whether it’s a website section, an email snippet, or a campaign block.
Default Content Types in CMP
When you open Sitecore Content Hub → Manage → Content Types, you’ll find several predefined content types that come out of the box. These act as starting templates for different kinds of marketing content (as seen in your screenshot).
Out-of-the-box content types
- 3D Asset
- Advertisement
- Blog
- Recipe
- Webinar
- White paper
- Social media
- Prompt
Each of these represents a different kind of marketing content your organization might manage.
For example, the 3D Asset content type defines fields such as:
- Product Name
- Category
- Material Type
- Texture Resolution
These fields are called members, and they define what data each item of that type will hold. So when you create a new “3D Asset” item, CMP automatically provides these members for you to fill in.
Creating a New Custom Content Type
While the default content types serve common use cases, most projects will require custom definitions tailored to your organization’s content needs, such as structuring a website section or marketing campaign component.
To create a new custom content type in Sitecore CMP, go to Manage → Content Types and click on Add type.
A popup window will appear where you need to provide the necessary details for your new type.
First, in the Label field, enter a clear and descriptive name, for example, Generic Site Block. As soon as you start typing the label, the Identifier will auto-populate based on it. The Prefix will also be automatically generated, following the pattern M.ContentType.Identifier. You can adjust it if you want a more meaningful name.
Next, move to the Icon field and choose an icon that best represents the type of content this will be used for, something visual that helps authors recognize it easily. Then, select a Color (for example, Cyan) to visually distinguish this content type in the interface whenever new items are created from it.
Once all the details are filled out, click Save. Your new content type will now appear in the list under Content Types.
From here, you can start defining its structure by adding members (fields) such as Title, Subtitle, Description, CTA Text, and CTA URL, these fields determine the data that authors will input when creating content from this type.
Adding Members (Defining Atoms)
After saving your new content type, open it and start defining its members, the atomic fields that authors will use to enter content.
Each member represents a single data element, such as text, link, or asset reference.
For example, for your Generic Site Block content type, you can add:
- Title – Short text field for the section heading.
- Subtitle – Short text for supporting information.
- Description – Rich text for the main paragraph or body.
- CTA Text – Short text for the call-to-action label.
- CTA URL – Link field for the destination URL.
- Image Asset – Asset link field to pull media directly from DAM.
These atomic members can be combined and reused across multiple content types, enabling you to build a consistent library of molecules and organisms.
You can further organize your members into groups, such as Content, CTA, and Media, to improve authoring clarity.
Each member can have validation conditions, display names and help text for guidance.
From Atoms to Molecules
Once atomic fields are defined, the next step is conceptual, grouping related members into molecules.
For example:
- A Hero Block could combine Title, Subtitle, Image, and CTA fields.
- A Content Block could combine Title, Description, and Image.
- A Footer Block might reuse Links and Social Media References.
Instead of creating separate content types for every design variation, you can reuse your Generic Site Block across multiple pages, each instance configured differently based on content, not structure.
This reuse-first strategy aligns with Sitecore’s recommendation to design for scalability and governance rather than presentation.
This step is where you define not just data fields, but also governance and usability, ensuring content authors work with structured, meaningful forms.
Best Practices
When designing content types in CMP:
- Keep definitions generic and reusable.
- Avoid creating new content types for every layout component.
- Use clear naming conventions.
- Organize members logically for better authoring experience.
- Add help text and validation rules early, it improves governance at scale.
Conclusion
In Sitecore CMP, there everything revolves around Content Types and their members.
By identifying the smallest meaningful data elements (atoms) and grouping them intelligently (molecules), you create a sustainable content model that supports consistency, reuse, and omnichannel readiness.
Your Generic Site Block now serves as the foundation for structured content creation, enabling authors to produce consistent, validated, and publish-ready items.
In Part 3, we’ll take this one step further, using this content type to create actual content items, explore the CMP Flow (To Do → In Progress → In Review → Ready to Publish → Archived), and see how content governance works from creation to publication.