Content Strategy

Content strategy is the intersection of what your audience searches for, what you have authority to say, and what supports your business goals. This skill helps you build a data-driven content plan — not a random blog schedule.

Core Framework

Business Goal → Target Audience → Keyword Research → Topic Clusters → Content Calendar

Step 1: Define Your Content Goals

> Help me define a content strategy for [product/company]:
>
> Product: [what you sell]
> Target customer: [who they are, what they care about]
> Business goal: [increase signups / build authority / retain users / etc.]
> Current content state: [have nothing / have a blog / have docs but no marketing content]
>
> What type of content strategy would best serve these goals?

Content strategy types:

• SEO-led: Target high-volume keywords; build organic traffic at scale
• Authority-led: Publish original research, opinions, and deep expertise
• Product-led: Content that drives product usage (tutorials, use cases)
• Community-led: User-generated content, forums, templates

Step 2: Keyword Research

Seed Keywords

> I'm building a content strategy for [product/niche].
>
> Generate 20 seed keywords organized by intent:
> - Informational (how-to, what-is, learn)
> - Commercial (best, vs, review, alternatives)
> - Transactional (buy, sign up, free trial)
>
> For each keyword, estimate: search volume (rough order: hundreds / thousands / 10k+),
> competition level (low / medium / high), and funnel stage (awareness / consideration / decision)

Long-tail Expansion

> For the seed keyword "[main keyword]":
> Generate 15 long-tail variations that:
> - Have lower competition
> - Address specific use cases
> - Include question-format keywords (who, what, how, why, when)
>
> These should represent real queries your target users would type.

Content Gap Analysis

> Our top competitors in this space are: [Competitor A, B, C]
>
> Based on what I know about their content strategies, what topic areas
> are likely underserved that we could own?
>
> Prioritize by: search demand, our credibility to publish on this topic,
> and strategic differentiation value.

Step 3: Topic Cluster Architecture

Build content clusters to establish authority in a topic area:

> Design a topic cluster for the pillar keyword: "[main topic]"
>
> Include:
> 1. Pillar page (comprehensive 3,000+ word guide on the main topic)
> 2. 8-12 cluster pages (specific subtopics that link to and from the pillar)
> 3. Supporting content (comparison pages, case studies, tools)
>
> For each piece, define:
> - Target keyword
> - Search intent
> - Unique angle (why ours > existing content)
> - Estimated word count
> - Internal link connections

Example cluster for "product analytics":

• Pillar: "The Complete Guide to Product Analytics"
• Cluster: "How to Set Up Funnel Analysis", "Product Analytics vs. Web Analytics", "Best Product Analytics Tools", etc.

Step 4: Content Calendar

> Create a 12-week content calendar based on this strategy:
>
> Publishing cadence: [2x per week / 1x per week / 2x per month]
> Content types: [blog posts / videos / case studies / newsletters]
> Priority order: [highest-value content first]
>
> Format as a Markdown table:
> | Week | Content Title | Type | Target Keyword | Goal | Status |

SQL Content Tracker

CREATE TABLE content_pieces (
    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
    title TEXT NOT NULL,
    target_keyword TEXT,
    content_type TEXT,           -- blog | video | case_study | guide | landing_page
    funnel_stage TEXT,           -- awareness | consideration | decision
    estimated_volume TEXT,       -- hundreds | thousands | 10k+
    competition TEXT,            -- low | medium | high
    priority_score REAL,
    status TEXT DEFAULT 'planned',  -- planned | in_progress | published | updating
    published_url TEXT,
    notes TEXT
);

-- Query by priority
SELECT title, target_keyword, funnel_stage, competition, status
FROM content_pieces
WHERE status = 'planned'
ORDER BY priority_score DESC;

Content Brief Generator

For each content piece, generate a brief:

> Write a content brief for: "[article title]"
>
> Target keyword: [keyword]
> Search intent: [what the user wants]
> Target audience: [who is reading this]
>
> Include:
> 1. H1 and meta description (with keyword)
> 2. Outline with H2/H3 structure
> 3. Key points to cover (must-have vs. nice-to-have)
> 4. Competitor gaps to address (what they miss that we should include)
> 5. Internal links to include
> 6. Call-to-action recommendation

Content Performance Review

> Analyze this content's performance:
>
> URL: [URL]
> Current position: [rank]
> Traffic: [monthly visitors]
> Conversions: [signups/leads]
>
> What should we do:
> A) Update and expand (if ranking 4-15, content is good but needs improvement)
> B) Consolidate (if similar content is cannibalizing)
> C) Deprecate (if no traffic, no conversions, no strategic value)
> D) Leave as-is (if ranking 1-3 and converting well)

Tips

• Pillar pages are your highest-leverage investment: One great 3,000-word guide outperforms ten thin posts
• Update before creating: Refreshing a page ranking #8 to #3 is faster than ranking a new page
• Keyword intent > keyword volume: A 200-search/month "how to migrate from [Competitor]" keyword converts better than a 50,000/month generic term
• Build for both humans and AI: Structure your content to be cited by AI systems (see ai-visibility skill) AND scanned by human readers
• Measure conversion, not just traffic: Content that drives signups is worth 10x content that drives views

AI Writing Pattern Removal

Content co-written with AI frequently contains patterns that signal machine origin. Before publishing, scan for these tells and rewrite.

High-Signal AI Tell Words

The following words appear far more often in post-2023 AI-generated text. Seeing clusters of them is a reliable signal:

additionally, align with, crucial, delve, emphasizing, enduring, enhance, fostering, garner, highlight (as verb), interplay, intricate/intricacies, key (as adjective), landscape (abstract), pivotal, showcase, tapestry (abstract), testament, underscore (as verb), valuable, vibrant

AI Pattern Checklist

Run through each item before publishing:

Pattern	How it reads	Fix
Inflated significance	"marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of…"	State the fact plainly. Cut the significance claim.
Superficial -ing endings	"symbolizing… reflecting… contributing to…"	Remove the participial phrase or replace with a concrete fact.
Promotional language	"nestled in the heart of… breathtaking… vibrant"	Neutral noun + specific detail.
Vague attributions	"experts argue… industry reports suggest…"	Name the specific source or delete.
Copula avoidance	"serves as… stands as… boasts…"	Replace with "is" / "has".
Negative parallelism	"It's not just about X, it's about Y"	Pick one statement and say it directly.
Rule of three overuse	"innovation, inspiration, and industry insights"	Use the minimum needed.
Challenges and future outlook sections	Formulaic closing with vague forward-looking language	Cut or replace with specific next steps.
Em dash overuse	Multiple em dashes per paragraph as rhetorical beats	Use sparingly — one per paragraph maximum.

Personality Check

Avoiding AI patterns is only half the job. Sterile, voiceless prose is also a signal. Check:

• Do any sentences express an opinion or reaction, not just facts?
• Does sentence length vary (short punchy / longer reflective)?
• Is there a first-person perspective where appropriate?
• Are feelings specific ("there's something unsettling about…") rather than generic ("this is concerning")?

If every sentence is the same length, neutral, and opinionless — that is also a tell.

Quick Rewrite Test

Take any paragraph and ask: "Does a human stand behind this?" If not, rewrite until the answer is yes.