Content Strategy

---
name: content-strategy
description: When the user wants to plan content strategy or decide what topics to cover — "what should I write about," "blog strategy," "topic clusters," "editorial calendar," "content pillars," "content roadmap," "I don't know what to write." For writing individual pieces, see copywriting. For SEO audits, see seo-audit. For social media, see social-content.
category: marketing
tier: on-demand
---

# Content Strategy

Plan content that drives traffic, builds authority, and generates leads by being searchable, shareable, or both.

## Before Planning

**Product context:** If `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` in older setups), read it first and tailor output to it; only ask for what it doesn't cover.

Gather (ask if not provided):

1. **Business Context** — what the company does; ideal customer; problems the product solves; primary content goal (traffic, leads, brand awareness, thought leadership)
2. **Customer Research** — questions customers ask before buying; objections in sales calls; recurring support-ticket topics; the language customers use for their problems
3. **Current State** — existing content and what's working; resources (writers, budget, time); producible formats (written, video, audio)
4. **Competitive Landscape** — main competitors; content gaps in the market

---

## Searchable vs Shareable

Every piece must be searchable, shareable, or both — prioritize in that order; search traffic is the foundation. **Searchable** content captures existing demand from people actively looking for answers. **Shareable** content creates demand by spreading ideas.

**Searchable:** target a specific keyword or question and match search intent exactly; clear titles matching search queries; headings that mirror search patterns; keywords in title, headings, first paragraph, URL; comprehensive coverage (leave no questions unanswered) with data, examples, links to authoritative sources; optimize for AI/LLM discovery (clear positioning, structured content, brand consistency across the web).

**Shareable:** lead with a novel insight, original data, or counterintuitive take; challenge conventional wisdom with well-reasoned arguments; tell stories that make people feel something; share vulnerable, honest experiences others can learn from; create content people share to look smart or help others; connect to current trends or emerging problems.

---

## 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)
```
Hub first, then spokes; interlink strategically.

**Note:** `/blog/post-title` is sufficient for most posts; reserve dedicated hub/spoke URL structures for major topics with layered depth (e.g., Atlassian's `/agile` guide).

**Template Libraries**
High-intent keywords + product adoption: target searches like "marketing plan template," provide immediate standalone value, show how the 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** — Challenge → Solution → Results → Key learnings.

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

For programmatic content at scale, see **programmatic-seo** skill.

---

## Content Pillars and Topic Clusters

Content pillars are the 3-5 core topics your brand will own; each spawns a cluster of related content. Most content can live under `/blog` with good internal linking — dedicated pillar pages with custom URLs (like `/guides/topic`) are only needed for comprehensive multi-layered resources.

### How to Identify Pillars

1. **Product-led**: What problems does your product solve?
2. **Audience-led**: What does your ICP need to learn?
3. **Search-led**: What topics have volume in your space?
4. **Competitor-led**: What are competitors ranking for?

### Pillar Structure

```
Pillar Topic (Hub)
├── Subtopic Cluster 1 → Articles A, B, C
├── Subtopic Cluster 2 → Articles D, E, F
└── Subtopic Cluster 3 → Articles G, H, I
```

### Pillar Criteria

Good pillars align with your product/service, match what your audience cares about, have search volume and/or social interest, and are broad enough for many subtopics.

---

## Keyword Research by Buyer Stage

Map topics to the buyer's journey using keyword modifiers:

### Awareness
Modifiers: "what is," "how to," "guide to," "introduction to"
Example (project management basics): "What is Agile Project Management," "Guide to Sprint Planning," "How to Run a Standup Meeting"

### Consideration
Modifiers: "best," "top," "vs," "alternatives," "comparison"
Example (evaluating tools): "Best Project Management Tools for Remote Teams," "Asana vs Trello vs Monday," "Basecamp Alternatives"

### Decision
Modifiers: "pricing," "reviews," "demo," "trial," "buy"
Example (pricing in sales calls): "Project Management Tool Pricing Comparison," "How to Choose the Right Plan," "[Product] Reviews"

### Implementation
Modifiers: "templates," "examples," "tutorial," "how to use," "setup"
Example (support tickets show struggles): "Project Template Library," "Step-by-Step Setup Tutorial," "How to Use [Feature]"

---

## Content Ideation Sources

### 1. Keyword Data

If user provides keyword exports (Ahrefs, SEMrush, GSC), analyze for: topic clusters (group related keywords), buyer stage, search intent (informational, commercial, transactional), quick wins (low competition + decent volume + high relevance), and content gaps (keywords competitors rank for that you don't).

Output as prioritized table:
| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Buyer Stage | Content Type | Priority |

### 2. Call Transcripts

From sales or customer call transcripts, extract: questions asked (→ FAQ content or blog posts), pain points (problems in their own words), objections (content to address proactively), language patterns (exact voice-of-customer phrases), competitor mentions. Output content ideas with supporting quotes.

### 3. Survey Responses

Mine survey data for: open-ended responses (topics and language), common themes (30%+ mention = high priority), resource requests (what they wish existed), content format preferences.

### 4. Forum Research

Use web search:

**Reddit:** `site:reddit.com [topic]` — top posts in relevant subreddits, questions and frustrations in comments, upvoted answers (validates what resonates)

**Quora:** `site:quora.com [topic]` — most-followed questions, highly upvoted answers

**Other:** Indie Hackers, Hacker News, Product Hunt, industry Slack/Discord

Extract: FAQs, misconceptions, debates, problems being solved, terminology used.

### 5. Competitor Analysis

**Find their content:** `site:competitor.com/blog`

**Analyze:** top-performing posts (comments, shares), repeatedly covered topics, uncovered gaps, case studies (customer problems, use cases, results), content structure (pillars, categories, formats).

**Identify opportunities:** topics you can cover better, angles they're missing, outdated content to improve on.

### 6. Sales and Support Input

From customer-facing teams: common objections, repeated questions, support ticket patterns, success stories, feature requests and underlying problems.

---

## Prioritizing Content Ideas

Score each idea on four factors:

### 1. Customer Impact (40%)
Frequency in research; percentage of customers facing the challenge; emotional charge of the pain point; potential LTV of customers with this need.

### 2. Content-Market Fit (30%)
Alignment with problems your product solves; unique insights from customer research; supporting customer stories; natural path to product interest.

### 3. Search Potential (20%)
Monthly search volume; competitiveness; related long-tail opportunities; growing vs. declining interest.

### 4. Resource Requirements (10%)
Expertise to create authoritative content; additional research needed; assets required (graphics, data, examples).

### Scoring Template

| Idea | Customer Impact (40%) | Content-Market Fit (30%) | Search Potential (20%) | Resources (10%) | Total |
|------|----------------------|-------------------------|----------------------|-----------------|-------|
| Topic A | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8.0 |
| Topic B | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7.1 |

---

## Output Format

### 1. Content Pillars
3-5 pillars with rationale, subtopic clusters for each, and how pillars connect to product.

### 2. Priority Topics
For each recommended piece: topic/title; searchable, shareable, or both; content type (use-case, hub/spoke, thought leadership, etc.); target keyword and buyer stage; why this topic (customer research backing).

### 3. Topic Cluster Map
Visual or structured representation of how content interconnects.

---

## Task-Specific Questions

1. What patterns emerge from your last 10 customer conversations?
2. What questions keep coming up in sales calls?
3. Where are competitors' content efforts falling short?
4. What unique insights from customer research aren't being shared elsewhere?
5. Which existing content drives the most conversions, and why?

---

## Related Skills

- **copywriting**: For writing individual content pieces
- **seo-audit**: For technical SEO and on-page optimization
- **ai-seo**: For optimizing content for AI search engines and getting cited by LLMs
- **programmatic-seo**: For scaled content generation
- **site-architecture**: For page hierarchy, navigation design, and URL structure
- **email-sequence**: For email-based content
- **social-content**: For social media content