/content-strategy

name: content-strategy
description: When the user needs to plan, prioritize, or structure a content program -- including identifying content pillars, mapping content to the buyer journey, choosing content types, or building an editorial calendar.
related: [seo-technical, social-content, email-marketing]
reads: [startup-context]

Content Strategy

When to Use

• Building a content program from scratch for a startup.
• Deciding what content types to invest in first.
• Identifying content pillars and topic clusters.
• Planning an editorial calendar for the next 30/60/90 days.
• Evaluating whether existing content is working and what gaps exist.
• Choosing between searchable (SEO) and shareable (social) content investments.

Context Required

• **From startup-context:** product description, ICP, value proposition, competitive positioning, stage, existing traction, team capacity.
• **From the user:** current content assets (if any), distribution channels in use, business goals for content (traffic, leads, brand awareness, thought leadership), team capacity (who writes, how often), target topics or keywords of interest, customer research available (sales calls, surveys, support tickets).

Workflow

1. **Gather context before planning** -- Assess four dimensions: (a) business context -- what the company does, who it serves, what problems it solves; (b) customer research -- pre-purchase questions, sales objections, support patterns, customer vocabulary; (c) current state -- existing content performance, available resources, production capabilities; (d) competitive landscape -- what competitors publish, market content gaps. 2. **Classify the content need** -- Is the goal searchable content (SEO-driven, captures existing demand) or shareable content (social-native, creates demand)? Most startups need both but should weight based on stage:

• Pre-PMF: lean toward shareable (faster feedback, builds audience)
• Post-PMF: lean toward searchable (compounds over time, captures demand)

3. **Identify 3-5 content pillars** -- Each pillar is a core topic your brand owns, spawning related content clusters. Use four identification methods:

• **Product-led:** Problems your product solves
• **Audience-led:** What your ICP needs to learn
• **Search-led:** Topic volume in your space
• **Competitor-led:** What competitors rank for (and gaps they miss)
• Pillar criteria: aligns with product, matches audience interests, has search volume or social interest, broad enough for multiple subtopics.

4. **Map content types to pillars** -- Select from proven content formats:

• **Use-case content:** "[Persona] + [use-case]" targeting long-tail keywords -- bottom of funnel, high intent
• **Hub-and-spoke:** Comprehensive pillar page with linked subtopic articles -- SEO authority play
• **Templates and tools:** Downloadable resources that solve a micro-problem -- lead generation
• **Thought leadership:** Contrarian takes, original data, founder stories -- brand and trust
• **Case studies:** Customer transformation stories (Challenge, Solution, Results, Learnings) -- proof
• **Comparison pages:** "[Product] vs [Competitor]" -- captures switching intent
• **Data-driven content:** Product data analysis (anonymized), public data analysis, original research
• **Expert roundups:** 15-30 experts answering one specific question -- built-in distribution

5. **Score and prioritize** -- Rate each content idea on four weighted dimensions:

• **Customer impact (40%):** Frequency in research, percentage of customers affected, emotional charge
• **Content-market fit (30%):** Problem-solution alignment, unique insights available, natural path to product
• **Search potential (20%):** Monthly volume, competition level, long-tail opportunities, growth trajectory
• **Resource requirements (10%):** Internal expertise, research needs, required assets

6. **Map to buyer journey** -- Ensure coverage across awareness stages using keyword modifiers:

• **Awareness:** "what is," "how to," "guide to" -- thought leadership, educational content
• **Consideration:** "best," "top," "vs," "alternatives" -- comparison pages, how-to guides
• **Decision:** "pricing," "reviews," "demo," "trial" -- case studies, use-case content
• **Implementation:** "templates," "examples," "tutorial," "setup" -- onboarding content, feature deep-dives

7. **Build the editorial calendar** -- Assign content to a realistic publishing cadence. For early-stage: 1-2 high-quality pieces per week beats daily low-effort posts. 8. **Define distribution plan** -- Every piece needs a distribution path. Budget 50% of effort for distribution. A great article with no distribution plan underperforms a good article with a strong distribution plan.

Output Format

• Content pillars (3-5) with rationale and subtopic clusters per pillar
• Prioritized content backlog with scores and buyer stage mapping
• Topic cluster map showing content interconnections
• If building a calendar: 30/60/90 day editorial calendar with titles, content types, target keywords, funnel stage, and distribution channels

Frameworks & Best Practices

• **Searchable vs. Shareable.** Searchable content (SEO articles) compounds over time but is slow to start. Shareable content (social posts, hot takes) gets immediate distribution but decays fast. Blend both. The 80/20 split: 80% serves existing demand, 20% creates demand.
• **Content-market fit before scale.** Test topics in lightweight formats (social posts, community discussions) before investing in long-form. Just like product-market fit, content needs to resonate with a specific audience.
• **Topic authority over breadth.** Better to own 3 topics completely than write one article about 30 topics. Search engines and audiences reward depth.
• **Searchable content guidelines.** Target specific keywords matching search intent. Use titles that mirror search queries. Place keywords in title, headings,