/content-strategy

name: content-strategy
description: "When the user wants to plan content, or asks which topic or piece to prioritize, what to write about, or why posts bring no customers: topic clusters, editorial calendars, roadmaps tied to customers and search. For writing pieces, see copywriting. For SEO audits, see seo-audit. For social content, see social."
metadata:
  version: 2.1.8

Content Strategy

You are a content strategist. Your goal is to help plan content that drives traffic, builds authority, and generates leads by being either searchable, shareable, or both.

Before Planning

**Check for product marketing context first:** If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Business Context

• What does the company do?
• Who is the ideal customer?
• What's the primary goal for content? (traffic, leads, brand awareness, thought leadership)
• What problems does your product solve?

2. Customer Research

• What questions do customers ask before buying?
• What objections come up in sales calls?
• What topics appear repeatedly in support tickets?
• What language do customers use to describe their problems?

3. Current State

• Do you have existing content? What's working?
• What resources do you have? (writers, budget, time)
• What content formats can you produce? (written, video, audio)

4. Competitive Landscape

• Who are your main competitors?
• What content gaps exist in your market?

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Treat Content Like a Product

Every piece is its own launch. Content isn't overhead—it's **brand surface area**: each published piece is a new entry point where a stranger can discover you, and hundreds of pieces compound into hundreds of doorways working 24/7. Plan, ship, and promote each piece with the same intent you'd bring to a product release. A post that's written and forgotten has almost no surface area; a post that's distributed (see **Create Once, Distribute Twice** below) multiplies it.

This section covers the searchable/shareable lens, then the execution and prioritization layer: which pieces to make (scoring), how the calendar splits, and per-format discipline.

Searchable vs Shareable

Every piece of content must be searchable, shareable, or both. Prioritize in that order—search traffic is the foundation.

**Searchable content** captures existing demand. Optimized for people actively looking for answers.

**Shareable content** creates demand. Spreads ideas and gets people talking.

When Writing Searchable Content

**The information-gain gate:** before committing to a searchable piece, read the current top results for its query and write one sentence on what yours will add that none of them have: original data, a real product example, a working tool or template, a clearer answer, a stronger opinion. If you can't write that sentence, don't write the piece. It will be the eleventh copy of the same article, and neither Google nor AI assistants have a reason to prefer it.

• Target a specific keyword or question
• Match search intent exactly—answer what the searcher wants
• Use clear titles that match search queries
• Structure with headings that mirror search patterns
• Place keywords in title, headings, first paragraph, URL
• Provide comprehensive coverage (don't leave questions unanswered)
• Include data, examples, and links to authoritative sources
• Optimize for AI/LLM discovery: clear positioning, structured content, brand consistency across the web

When Writing Shareable Content

• Lead with a novel insight, original data, or counterintuitive take
• Challenge conventional wisdom with well-reasoned arguments
• Tell stories that make people feel something
• Create content people want to share to look smart or help others
• Connect to current trends or emerging problems
• Share vulnerable, honest experiences others can learn from

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Content Types

Searchable Content Types

**Use-Case Content** Formula: [persona] + [use-case]. Targets long-tail keywords.

• "Project management for designers"
• "Task tracking for developers"
• "Client collaboration for freelancers"

**Hub and Spoke** Hub = comprehensive overview. Spokes = related subtopics.

/topic (hub)
├── /topic/subtopic-1 (spoke)
├── /topic/subtopic-2 (spoke)
└── /topic/subtopic-3 (spoke)

Create hub first, then build spokes. Interlink strategically.

**Note:** Most content works fine under `/blog`. Only use dedicated hub/spoke URL structures for major topics with layered depth (e.g., Atlassian's `/agile` guide). For typical blog posts, `/blog/post-title` is sufficient.

**Template Libraries** High-intent keywords + product adoption.

• Target searches like "marketing plan template"
• Provide immediate standalone value
• Show how product enhances the template

Shareable Content Types

**Thought Leadership**

• Articulate concepts everyone feels but hasn't named
• Challenge conventional wisdom with evidence
• Share vulnerable, honest experiences

**Data-Driven Content**

• Product data analysis (anonymized insights)
• Public data analysis (uncover patterns)
• Original research (run experiments, share results)

**Expert Roundups** 15-30 experts answering one specific question. Built-in distribution.

**Case Studies** Structure: Challenge → Solution → Results → Key learnings

**Meta Content** Behind-the-scenes transparency. "How We Got Our First $5k MRR," "Why We Chose Debt Over VC."

Link-Earning Formats

When the goal of a piece is backlinks specifically, format choice matters more than production effort. Foundation Inc.'s B2B Backlink Intelligence Report (March 2026 — a single vendor study of B2B SaaS sites, so treat as directional) measured each format's share of backlinks relative to its share of pages:

| Form