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Content Strategy

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When the user wants to plan a content strategy, decide what content to create, or figure out what topics to cover. Also use when the user mentions "content strategy," "what should I write about," "content ideas," "blog strategy," "topic clusters," "content pla

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Frontmatter — 3 properties
namecontent-strategy
descriptionWhen the user wants to plan a content strategy, decide what content to create, or figure out what topics to cover. Also use when the user mentions "content strategy," "what should I write about," "content ideas," "blog strategy," "topic clusters," "content planning," "editorial calendar," "content marketing," "content roadmap," "what content should I create," "blog topics," "content pillars," or "I don't know what to write." Use this whenever someone needs help deciding what content to produce, not just writing it. For writing individual pieces, see copywriting. For SEO-specific audits, see seo-audit. For social media content specifically, see social.
metadata version: 2.1.1
1---
2name: content-strategy
3description: When the user wants to plan a content strategy, decide what content to create, or figure out what topics to cover. Also use when the user mentions "content strategy," "what should I write about," "content ideas," "blog strategy," "topic clusters," "content planning," "editorial calendar," "content marketing," "content roadmap," "what content should I create," "blog topics," "content pillars," or "I don't know what to write." Use this whenever someone needs help deciding what content to produce, not just writing it. For writing individual pieces, see copywriting. For SEO-specific audits, see seo-audit. For social media content specifically, see social.B1Line is 672 characters — unreadable by eye
4metadata:
5 version: 2.1.1
6---A5No allowed-tools declared — no way to tell what this skill may touch
7 
8# Content Strategy
9 
10You 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.
11 
12## Before Planning
13 
14**Check for product marketing context first:**
15If `.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.
16 
17Gather this context (ask if not provided):
18 
19### 1. Business Context
20- What does the company do?
21- Who is the ideal customer?
22- What's the primary goal for content? (traffic, leads, brand awareness, thought leadership)
23- What problems does your product solve?
24 
25### 2. Customer Research
26- What questions do customers ask before buying?
27- What objections come up in sales calls?
28- What topics appear repeatedly in support tickets?
29- What language do customers use to describe their problems?
30 
31### 3. Current State
32- Do you have existing content? What's working?
33- What resources do you have? (writers, budget, time)
34- What content formats can you produce? (written, video, audio)
35 
36### 4. Competitive Landscape
37- Who are your main competitors?
38- What content gaps exist in your market?
39 
40---
41 
42## Treat Content Like a Product
43 
44Every 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.
45 
46This 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.
47 
48## Searchable vs Shareable
49 
50Every piece of content must be searchable, shareable, or both. Prioritize in that order—search traffic is the foundation.
51 
52**Searchable content** captures existing demand. Optimized for people actively looking for answers.
53 
54**Shareable content** creates demand. Spreads ideas and gets people talking.
55 
56### When Writing Searchable Content
57 
58- Target a specific keyword or question
59- Match search intent exactly—answer what the searcher wants
60- Use clear titles that match search queries
61- Structure with headings that mirror search patterns
62- Place keywords in title, headings, first paragraph, URL
63- Provide comprehensive coverage (don't leave questions unanswered)
64- Include data, examples, and links to authoritative sources
65- Optimize for AI/LLM discovery: clear positioning, structured content, brand consistency across the web
66 
67### When Writing Shareable Content
68 
69- Lead with a novel insight, original data, or counterintuitive take
70- Challenge conventional wisdom with well-reasoned arguments
71- Tell stories that make people feel something
72- Create content people want to share to look smart or help others
73- Connect to current trends or emerging problems
74- Share vulnerable, honest experiences others can learn from
75 
76---
77 
78## Content Types
79 
80### Searchable Content Types
81 
82**Use-Case Content**
83Formula: [persona] + [use-case]. Targets long-tail keywords.
84- "Project management for designers"
85- "Task tracking for developers"
86- "Client collaboration for freelancers"
87 
88**Hub and Spoke**
89Hub = comprehensive overview. Spokes = related subtopics.
90```
91/topic (hub)
92├── /topic/subtopic-1 (spoke)
93├── /topic/subtopic-2 (spoke)
94└── /topic/subtopic-3 (spoke)
95```
96Create hub first, then build spokes. Interlink strategically.
97 
98**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.
99 
100**Template Libraries**
101High-intent keywords + product adoption.
102- Target searches like "marketing plan template"
103- Provide immediate standalone value
104- Show how product enhances the template
105 
106### Shareable Content Types
107 
108**Thought Leadership**
109- Articulate concepts everyone feels but hasn't named
110- Challenge conventional wisdom with evidence
111- Share vulnerable, honest experiences
112 
113**Data-Driven Content**
114- Product data analysis (anonymized insights)
115- Public data analysis (uncover patterns)
116- Original research (run experiments, share results)
117 
118**Expert Roundups**
11915-30 experts answering one specific question. Built-in distribution.
120 
121**Case Studies**
122Structure: Challenge → Solution → Results → Key learnings
123 
124**Meta Content**
125Behind-the-scenes transparency. "How We Got Our First $5k MRR," "Why We Chose Debt Over VC."
126 
127### Link-Earning Formats
128 
129When 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:
130 
131| Format | Backlinks vs. page share |
132|---|---|
133| Statistics / data roundups | **4.25x** |
134| Glossary / definition pages | 1.47x |
135| Interactive tools / calculators (see **free-tools**) | 1.38x |
136| How-to / tutorials | 1.36x |
137| Original research / reports | 0.80x |
138| Ultimate guides | 0.77x |
139| Thought leadership | 0.74x |
140| Templates / frameworks | 0.68x |
141 
142The counterintuitive read: **curating statistics earns ~5x the links of producing original research.** Writers link to whatever makes citation easiest — a maintained stat-roundup page is citation infrastructure, while original research often gets cited *via* the roundups that aggregate it. Implications: (1) publish a stats page for your category and keep it fresh — it's cheap and compounds, and citable one-line stats are also what LLMs lift, making it an AI-visibility play (see **ai-seo**); (2) when you do run original research, pair it with your own stat-roundup page that presents the findings as citable one-liners, so you capture the links your data generates. The formats at the bottom aren't dead — guides, templates, and thought leadership earn their keep on rankings, conversions, and brand. Judge each piece by the job it's for, and don't expect links from formats that don't earn them.B1Line is 901 characters — unreadable by eye
143 
144For programmatic content at scale, see **programmatic-seo** skill.
145 
146---
147 
148## Content Pillars and Topic Clusters
149 
150Content pillars are the 3-5 core topics your brand will own. Each pillar spawns a cluster of related content.
151 
152Most of the time, all content can live under `/blog` with good internal linking between related posts. Dedicated pillar pages with custom URL structures (like `/guides/topic`) are only needed when you're building comprehensive resources with multiple layers of depth.
153 
154### How to Identify Pillars
155 
1561. **Product-led**: What problems does your product solve?
1572. **Audience-led**: What does your ICP need to learn?
1583. **Search-led**: What topics have volume in your space?
1594. **Competitor-led**: What are competitors ranking for?
160 
161### Pillar Structure
162 
163```
164Pillar Topic (Hub)
165├── Subtopic Cluster 1
166│ ├── Article A
167│ ├── Article B
168│ └── Article C
169├── Subtopic Cluster 2
170│ ├── Article D
171│ ├── Article E
172│ └── Article F
173└── Subtopic Cluster 3
174 ├── Article G
175 ├── Article H
176 └── Article I
177```
178 
179### Pillar Criteria
180 
181Good pillars should:
182- Align with your product/service
183- Match what your audience cares about
184- Have search volume and/or social interest
185- Be broad enough for many subtopics
186 
187---
188 
189## Keyword Research by Buyer Stage
190 
191Map topics to the buyer's journey using proven keyword modifiers:
192 
193### Awareness Stage
194Modifiers: "what is," "how to," "guide to," "introduction to"
195 
196Example: If customers ask about project management basics:
197- "What is Agile Project Management"
198- "Guide to Sprint Planning"
199- "How to Run a Standup Meeting"
200 
201### Consideration Stage
202Modifiers: "best," "top," "vs," "alternatives," "comparison"
203 
204Example: If customers evaluate multiple tools:
205- "Best Project Management Tools for Remote Teams"
206- "Asana vs Trello vs Monday"
207- "Basecamp Alternatives"
208 
209### Decision Stage
210Modifiers: "pricing," "reviews," "demo," "trial," "buy"
211 
212Example: If pricing comes up in sales calls:
213- "Project Management Tool Pricing Comparison"
214- "How to Choose the Right Plan"
215- "[Product] Reviews"
216 
217### Implementation Stage
218Modifiers: "templates," "examples," "tutorial," "how to use," "setup"
219 
220Example: If support tickets show implementation struggles:
221- "Project Template Library"
222- "Step-by-Step Setup Tutorial"
223- "How to Use [Feature]"
224 
225---
226 
227## Content Ideation Sources
228 
229### 1. Keyword Data
230 
231If user provides keyword exports (Ahrefs, SEMrush, GSC), analyze for:
232- Topic clusters (group related keywords)
233- Buyer stage (awareness/consideration/decision/implementation)
234- Search intent (informational, commercial, transactional)
235- Quick wins (low competition + decent volume + high relevance)
236- Content gaps (keywords competitors rank for that you don't)
237 
238Output as prioritized table:
239| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Buyer Stage | Content Type | Priority |
240 
241### 2. Call Transcripts
242 
243If user provides sales or customer call transcripts, extract:
244- Questions asked → FAQ content or blog posts
245- Pain points → problems in their own words
246- Objections → content to address proactively
247- Language patterns → exact phrases to use (voice of customer)
248- Competitor mentions → what they compared you to
249 
250Output content ideas with supporting quotes.
251 
252### 3. Survey Responses
253 
254If user provides survey data, mine for:
255- Open-ended responses (topics and language)
256- Common themes (30%+ mention = high priority)
257- Resource requests (what they wish existed)
258- Content preferences (formats they want)
259 
260### 4. Forum Research
261 
262Use web search to find content ideas:
263 
264**Reddit:** `site:reddit.com [topic]`
265- Top posts in relevant subreddits
266- Questions and frustrations in comments
267- Upvoted answers (validates what resonates)
268 
269**Quora:** `site:quora.com [topic]`
270- Most-followed questions
271- Highly upvoted answers
272 
273**Other:** Indie Hackers, Hacker News, Product Hunt, industry Slack/Discord
274 
275Extract: FAQs, misconceptions, debates, problems being solved, terminology used.
276 
277### 5. Competitor Analysis
278 
279Use web search to analyze competitor content:
280 
281**Find their content:** `site:competitor.com/blog`
282 
283**Analyze:**
284- Top-performing posts (comments, shares)
285- Topics covered repeatedly
286- Gaps they haven't covered
287- Case studies (customer problems, use cases, results)
288- Content structure (pillars, categories, formats)
289 
290**Identify opportunities:**
291- Topics you can cover better
292- Angles they're missing
293- Outdated content to improve on
294 
295### 6. Sales and Support Input
296 
297Extract from customer-facing teams:
298- Common objections
299- Repeated questions
300- Support ticket patterns
301- Success stories
302- Feature requests and underlying problems
303 
304---
305 
306## Prioritizing Content Ideas
307 
308Score each idea on four factors:
309 
310### 1. Customer Impact (40%)
311- How frequently did this topic come up in research?
312- What percentage of customers face this challenge?
313- How emotionally charged was this pain point?
314- What's the potential LTV of customers with this need?
315 
316### 2. Content-Market Fit (30%)
317- Does this align with problems your product solves?
318- Can you offer unique insights from customer research?
319- Do you have customer stories to support this?
320- Will this naturally lead to product interest?
321 
322### 3. Search Potential (20%)
323- What's the monthly search volume?
324- How competitive is this topic?
325- Are there related long-tail opportunities?
326- Is search interest growing or declining?
327 
328### 4. Resource Requirements (10%)
329- Do you have expertise to create authoritative content?
330- What additional research is needed?
331- What assets (graphics, data, examples) will you need?
332 
333### Scoring Template
334 
335| Idea | Customer Impact (40%) | Content-Market Fit (30%) | Search Potential (20%) | Resources (10%) | Total |
336|------|----------------------|-------------------------|----------------------|-----------------|-------|
337| Topic A | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8.0 |
338| Topic B | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7.1 |
339 
340Score 1-10 per factor, multiply by the weight, sum for the total. Rank the list; make the top-scoring pieces first.
341 
342---
343 
344## Calendar Split: 60/30/10
345 
346Balance the editorial calendar so search compounds while shareable pieces keep you visible:
347 
348- **60% searchable** — the foundation. Demand you can capture predictably (use-case content, hub/spoke, how-tos).
349- **30% shareable** — thought leadership, original data, opinion. Creates demand and earns links/mentions.
350- **10% experimental** — new formats, channels, or bets. Cheap insurance against a stale mix.
351 
352This is a starting ratio, not a rule. A brand-new blog may over-index on searchable to build a base; an established brand chasing category leadership may push shareable higher.
353 
354---
355 
356## Per-Format Execution Discipline
357 
358Treating content like a product means each format has a production standard, not just a topic:
359 
360- **Blog post** — write **10 title options** before drafting (the title does most of the work; pick the strongest). Plan **~5 editing passes** (structure, clarity, evidence, line edit, headline/SEO). For the writing itself, see **copywriting**.
361- **Long-form guide** — the flagship of a pillar. Comprehensive enough to be *the* resource; structured with a table of contents and internal links to spokes. Build the hub before the spokes.
362- **Video** — script the hook first; front-load the payoff. Repurpose into short-form clips at creation time (see **social**).
363- **Podcast** — one interview yields a transcript, quote graphics, short clips, and a written recap. Design the episode knowing it will be atomized.
364- **Email** — one idea per send; the subject line is the title—write several and pick. For sequences and lifecycle, see **emails**.
365 
366---
367 
368## Create Once, Distribute Twice
369 
370Creating content is half the job—distribution is the other half, and most teams skip it. The philosophy: **one exceptional piece, reformatted and repurposed across every channel, not a fresh piece per platform.** Pouring effort into a single flagship and then distributing it everywhere beats spreading thin effort across many mediocre platform-native posts.
371 
372Build **distribution hooks into the piece at creation time**, not after: write subheads that stand alone as social posts, structure sections to be lifted out modularly, and pull quotes/stats you already know you'll graphic-ify. A well-designed guide is a distribution kit in disguise.
373 
374**The ORB Framework as a funnel** — route attention from borrowed → rented → owned, which maps to discovery → engagement → conversion:
375 
376- **Borrowed** (other people's audiences: podcasts, guest posts, partnerships) — discovery / breakthrough reach.
377- **Rented** (social platforms, ad networks) — engagement, but you don't own the audience or the algorithm.
378- **Owned** (email list, blog, community) — conversion and the only durable asset. Everything upstream should funnel here.
379 
380ORB mechanics live in the **launch** skill (channel-type playbook) and content atomization/repurposing lives in **social**; the value here is consolidating the *distribute* half of content strategy so it has a home.
381 
382**Failure modes to avoid:**
383- **Spray-and-pray** — posting everywhere with no flagship and no repurposing plan. Effort scatters, nothing compounds.
384- **Platform dependency** — building on rented land. Facebook organic reach fell from ~20% to under 2%; any rented channel can throttle you overnight.
385- **The ownership paradox** — teams spend ~90% of effort on channels they don't control (rented/borrowed) and neglect the owned assets that actually convert and can't be taken away.
386 
387For the full distribution spine—the Content Distribution Flywheel, platform half-lives, and the atomization checklist—see the reference below.
388 
389---
390 
391## Output Format
392 
393When creating a content strategy, provide:
394 
395### 1. Content Pillars
396- 3-5 pillars with rationale
397- Subtopic clusters for each pillar
398- How pillars connect to product
399 
400### 2. Priority Topics
401For each recommended piece:
402- Topic/title
403- Searchable, shareable, or both
404- Content type (use-case, hub/spoke, thought leadership, etc.)
405- Target keyword and buyer stage
406- Why this topic (customer research backing)
407 
408### 3. Topic Cluster Map
409Visual or structured representation of how content interconnects.
410 
411---
412 
413## Task-Specific Questions
414 
4151. What patterns emerge from your last 10 customer conversations?
4162. What questions keep coming up in sales calls?
4173. Where are competitors' content efforts falling short?
4184. What unique insights from customer research aren't being shared elsewhere?
4195. Which existing content drives the most conversions, and why?
420 
421---
422 
423## References
424 
425- **[Content Distribution Spine](references/content-distribution.md)**: Create Once Distribute Twice, ORB as a funnel, the ownership paradox, platform half-lives, the Content Distribution Flywheel, and the per-flagship atomization checklist
426- **[Headless CMS Guide](references/headless-cms.md)**: CMS selection, content modeling for marketing, editorial workflows, platform comparison (Sanity, Contentful, Strapi)
427 
428---
429 
430## Related Skills
431 
432- **copywriting**: For writing individual content pieces
433- **seo-audit**: For technical SEO and on-page optimization
434- **ai-seo**: For optimizing content for AI search engines and getting cited by LLMs
435- **programmatic-seo**: For scaled content generation
436- **site-architecture**: For page hierarchy, navigation design, and URL structure
437- **emails**: For email-based content
438- **social**: For social media content, content atomization, and repurposing execution
439- **launch**: For the ORB channel-type playbook and launch-day distribution
440 

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