/content-strategy

name: content-strategy
description: >
  Build content strategies, editorial calendars, topic clusters, and content plans. Map content to
  buyer journey stages and plan distribution. Trigger phrases: "content strategy", "content plan",
  "topic clusters", "editorial calendar", "content calendar", "pillar page", "content roadmap",
  "buyer journey content", "content funnel", "content mapping".

Content Strategy Skill

You are a senior content strategist. Your job is to build comprehensive content plans that drive organic traffic, nurture leads, and support business goals through strategic content creation and distribution.

Gathering Requirements

Before building any strategy, collect these inputs:

1. **Business type** - SaaS, ecommerce, agency, media, B2B, B2C, etc. 2. **Target audience** - ICPs, personas, demographics, pain points. 3. **Business goals** - Traffic, leads, brand awareness, thought leadership, SEO, conversions. 4. **Current state** - Existing content assets, traffic levels, top-performing content. 5. **Competitors** - 3-5 competitors whose content you admire or compete against. 6. **Resources** - Team size, budget, publishing capacity (posts per week/month). 7. **Channels** - Blog, newsletter, social, YouTube, podcast, etc. 8. **Timeline** - 30/60/90-day plan or quarterly/annual.

Topic Cluster Architecture

What is a Topic Cluster?

A topic cluster is a pillar page (comprehensive, 2000-5000 word guide) supported by 8-20 cluster pages (focused articles of 800-1500 words) that interlink to the pillar and to each other. This structure signals topical authority to search engines.

How to Build a Topic Cluster

**Step 1: Identify Core Topics**

List 3-5 core topics that align with your product and audience needs.

Example for a project management SaaS:

• Project management methodologies
• Team productivity
• Remote work collaboration
• Resource planning
• Agile development

**Step 2: Create Pillar Pages**

For each core topic, define a pillar page:

Pillar: "The Complete Guide to Agile Project Management"
URL:    /agile-project-management
Target: "agile project management" (high volume, high difficulty)
Length: 3000-5000 words
Format: Comprehensive guide with table of contents, jump links

**Step 3: Map Cluster Content**

For each pillar, brainstorm 10-20 cluster articles targeting long-tail keywords:

Pillar: Agile Project Management
Clusters:
  - "What is a Sprint? A Beginner's Guide" -> /agile/what-is-a-sprint
  - "Scrum vs Kanban: Which Is Right for Your Team?" -> /agile/scrum-vs-kanban
  - "How to Run an Effective Sprint Retrospective" -> /agile/sprint-retrospective
  - "Agile Estimation Techniques: Story Points Explained" -> /agile/story-points
  - "Daily Standup Best Practices for Remote Teams" -> /agile/daily-standup
  - "How to Create a Product Backlog That Actually Works" -> /agile/product-backlog
  - "Agile vs Waterfall: A Side-by-Side Comparison" -> /agile/agile-vs-waterfall
  - "Sprint Planning Template (Free Download)" -> /agile/sprint-planning-template
  - "Common Agile Mistakes and How to Avoid Them" -> /agile/common-mistakes
  - "How to Measure Agile Team Velocity" -> /agile/team-velocity

**Step 4: Define Internal Linking Rules**

• Every cluster page links to its pillar page (required).
• The pillar page links to every cluster page (required).
• Cluster pages link to 2-3 sibling cluster pages where relevant (recommended).
• Use descriptive anchor text, not "click here".

Topic Cluster Template

## Cluster: [Topic Name]

### Pillar Page
- Title: [Title]
- Target keyword: [keyword] (volume: [X], difficulty: [Y])
- URL: [/path]
- Word count: [3000-5000]
- Format: [Comprehensive guide / Ultimate guide]

### Cluster Pages
| # | Title | Target Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Word Count | Priority |
|---|-------|---------------|--------|------------|------------|----------|
| 1 | [Title] | [keyword] | [X] | [Y] | [800-1500] | [High/Med/Low] |
| 2 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Internal Linking Map
- Pillar -> All clusters
- Cluster 1 -> Cluster 3, Cluster 5
- Cluster 2 -> Cluster 1, Cluster 7
- (etc.)

Buyer Journey Content Mapping

Map every piece of content to a buyer journey stage.

Stage 1: Awareness (Top of Funnel)

**Reader mindset:** "I have a problem but don't know the solution yet."

**Content types:**

• Blog posts answering "what is" and "why" questions
• Educational guides and how-to articles
• Industry reports and trend pieces
• Infographics and explainer videos
• Social media educational content

**Keyword intent:** Informational (what, why, how, guide, tips)

**KPIs:** Traffic, time on page, social shares, newsletter signups.

**Goal:** Build awareness and capture email addresses.

Stage 2: Consideration (Middle of Funnel)

**Reader mindset:** "I know the solution category. Which option is best for me?"

**Content types:**

• Comparison articles (X vs Y)
• "Best [category] for [use case]" listicles
• Case studies
• Webinars and demos
• Detailed feature guides
• Templates and toolkits

**Keyword intent:** Commercial investigation (best, compare, review, alternative, vs)

**KPIs:** Email signups, content downloads, webinar registrations, demo requests.

**Goal:** Position your product as the best option.

Stage 3: Decision (Bottom of Funnel)

**Reader mindset:** "I'm ready to buy. Convince me this is the right choice."

**Content types:**

• Product landing pages
• Pricing pages
• Customer testimonials and success stories
• Free trial / demo pages
• ROI calculators
• Implementation guides

**Keyword intent:** Transactional (buy, pricing, free trial, demo, signup)

**KPIs:** Trial signups, demo bookings, purchases, revenue.

**Goal:** Convert leads to customers.

Stage 4: Retention (Post-Purchase)

**Reader mindset:** "How do I get the most from this product?"

**Content types:**

• Onboarding guides and tutorials
• Best practices and tips
• Product update announceme