Content Strategist

Content Strategist

Purpose

Develop and execute multi-format content strategies that drive traffic, build authority, nurture audiences, and support conversion goals. Covers ideation, planning, brief creation, SEO optimization, distribution, and performance measurement across all content formats.

When to Use

• Building a content calendar or editorial plan
• Creating content briefs for writers
• Developing a blog or newsletter strategy
• Planning social media content across platforms
• Writing video scripts or podcast outlines
• Optimizing content for SEO
• Designing content distribution and repurposing workflows
• Analyzing content performance and iterating

Before You Start

1. Understand the business and audience — Who is the target audience? What problems do they have? What does the business sell?
2. Content goals — Is the goal traffic, leads, authority, SEO, nurture, or sales enablement?
3. Existing content — What content already exists? What has performed well?
4. Resources — Who will create the content? What is the publishing cadence?
5. Competitive landscape — What content are competitors publishing? Where are the gaps?
6. Distribution channels — Blog, newsletter, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok, podcast?
7. Look for context — Check project docs, AGENTS.md, brand guidelines, tone of voice documentation

Content Strategy Frameworks

The Content Pyramid

Organize content production around a pyramid structure:

Copy code
         [Pillar Content]              1x/month — deep, comprehensive
        /       |       \
   [Supporting Articles]               4x/month — targeted topics
      /    |    |    \
[Distribution Content]                 Daily — social, email, repurposed

Pillar content: 2,000-5,000 word comprehensive guides, original research, or definitive resources. These target high-volume head keywords and serve as link magnets.

Supporting articles: 800-1,500 word focused pieces that target long-tail keywords related to the pillar. Each links back to the pillar.

Distribution content: Social posts, newsletter snippets, threads, carousels, short videos — all derived from pillar and supporting content.

The Content-Market Fit Framework

Before creating content, validate it against:

1. Audience demand — Are people searching for this? Is there social discussion?
2. Business relevance — Does this topic lead toward our product?
3. Competitive gap — Can we say something better, different, or more specific?
4. Creator advantage — Do we have unique expertise, data, or perspective?

A piece of content must score well on at least 3 of 4 to be worth producing.

The RICE Content Prioritization

Rank content ideas by:

• Reach: Estimated monthly search volume or audience size
• Impact: How closely does this topic connect to our product/offer?
• Confidence: How strong is the evidence this will perform?
• Effort: How much time/resources to produce?

Score = (Reach x Impact x Confidence) / Effort

SEO Content Strategy

Keyword research workflow:

1. Seed keywords from product features and customer problems
2. Expand with related terms, questions, and long-tail variations
3. Analyze search intent for each keyword (informational, commercial, transactional)
4. Map keywords to content types (blog post, landing page, comparison, guide)
5. Prioritize by volume, difficulty, and business relevance

On-page SEO checklist:

• Primary keyword in title, H1, first 100 words, meta description
• Related keywords naturally throughout (semantic SEO)
• Clear heading hierarchy (H1 > H2 > H3)
• Internal links to related content and product pages
• External links to authoritative sources
• Optimized images with alt text
• Meta title under 60 characters, meta description under 155
• URL slug matches target keyword

Content structure for SEO:

• Hook/intro that answers the query immediately (featured snippet potential)
• Table of contents for long posts
• Clear sections with descriptive headings
• Lists, tables, and structured data where appropriate
• FAQ section targeting People Also Ask queries
• Strong conclusion with CTA

The Newsletter Framework

Format options:

• Curated: Best links and insights from the week
• Educational: One topic, taught in depth
• Personal: Story-driven with lessons
• Hybrid: Mix of original insight + curated links

Newsletter structure:

1. Hook — Open with something unexpected, relevant, or valuable in the first line
2. Main content — One core idea, framework, or story (300-600 words)
3. Supporting points — 2-3 sub-sections or examples
4. CTA — One clear action (reply, click, try something)
5. PS — Secondary offer or personal note

Subject line formulas:

• Number + outcome: "5 ways to double your signup rate"
• Question: "Is your pricing page losing you customers?"
• Curiosity gap: "The landing page mistake everyone makes"
• Specificity: "How we increased conversions 34% with one change"

Social Media Content Strategy

LinkedIn:

• Hook in the first line (this appears before "see more")
• Personal stories with professional lessons
• Frameworks and mental models
• Contrarian takes backed by evidence
• Carousel posts for step-by-step content
• Post 3-5x/week for growth

Twitter/X:

• Threads for educational content (7-12 tweets)
• Single tweets for observations and hot takes
• Quote tweets for commentary
• Visual tweets (screenshots, charts) outperform text
• Post 2-5x/day for growth

Short-form video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts):

• Hook in the first 2 seconds
• One idea per video
• Talk to camera or screen recording with narration
• 30-60 seconds optimal length
• Trending sounds boost discovery
• Post 3-5x/week minimum

Video Script Framework

Structure for educational video (3-10 min):

1. Hook (0-15s): Bold claim, question, or visual interrupt
2. Context (15-45s): Why this matters, who this is for
3. Content (1-7 min): 3-5 key points, each with example
4. Recap (15-30s): Summarize the key takeaway
5. CTA (10-15s): Subscribe, link in description, next video

Script format:

Copy code
[HOOK - on screen]
"Did you know that 96% of visitors leave your site without converting?"

[B-ROLL: analytics dashboard showing bounce rate]
NARRATION: "Most businesses focus on driving more traffic..."

[TALKING HEAD]
"But the real leverage is in converting the traffic you already have."

Content Brief Template

For every piece of content, create a brief:

Copy code
Title: [working title]
Format: [blog post / newsletter / video / social / carousel]
Target keyword: [primary keyword] (volume: X, difficulty: Y)
Secondary keywords: [2-5 related terms]
Search intent: [informational / commercial / transactional]
Target audience: [specific ICP segment]
Goal: [traffic / leads / nurture / SEO / sales enablement]
Word count: [target length]
Outline:
  H1: [title]
  H2: [section 1]
    - Key points
  H2: [section 2]
    - Key points
  H2: [section 3]
    - Key points
Competitors to beat: [top 3 ranking URLs]
Unique angle: [what makes our take different]
Internal links: [related content to link to]
CTA: [what action should the reader take]

Content Repurposing Workflow

One pillar piece becomes 10+ distribution pieces:

1. Blog post (pillar) → 2. Newsletter (summarized) → 3. LinkedIn post (key insight) → 4. Twitter thread (framework) → 5. Carousel (visual steps) → 6. Short video (hook + one tip) → 7. Long video (full walkthrough) → 8. Podcast talking point → 9. Email sequence (drip the lessons) → 10. Slide deck (for webinar/presentation)

Output Format

When creating a content strategy, deliver:

1. Content Audit Summary — What exists, what is performing, gaps
2. Content Pillars — 3-5 thematic pillars aligned with business goals
3. Content Calendar — Specific pieces planned by week with format, topic, keyword, and goal
4. Content Briefs — Detailed briefs for priority pieces
5. Distribution Plan — How and where each piece gets amplified
6. Measurement Framework — KPIs per content type (traffic, engagement, conversions)

Related Skills

• copywriting — Write the actual content once strategy is set
• marketing-strategist — Align content with broader marketing and funnel strategy
• ad-expert — Amplify top content with paid promotion
• page-cro — Optimize content pages for conversion