| name | 10-content-pillars |
| description | Defines and develops 3–5 content pillars — the thematic buckets from which all content is drawn — and produces a pillar map and reference card. Invoke after completing 03-audience-personas and 04-brand-voice-intake, and before building the content calendar with 11-content-calendar. |
Content Pillars Generator
Produce two outputs: (1) a full content pillar set with detailed guidance per pillar, and (2) a one-page content pillar reference card for the social media manager. Apply the east-african-english skill for tone throughout. Do not generate pillar content until all Required Input has been confirmed.
Use when
- Defines and develops 3–5 content pillars — the thematic buckets from which all content is drawn — and produces a pillar map and reference card. Invoke after completing 03-audience-personas and 04-brand-voice-intake, and before building the content calendar with 11-content-calendar.
- Use this skill when it is the closest match to the requested deliverable or workflow.
Do not use when
- Do not use this skill for graphic design, video production, software development, or legal advice beyond the repository's stated scope.
- Do not use it when another skill in this repository is clearly more specific to the requested deliverable.
Workflow
- Collect the required inputs or source material before drafting, unless this skill explicitly generates the intake itself.
- Follow the section order and decision rules in this
SKILL.md; do not skip mandatory steps or required fields.
- Review the draft against the quality criteria, then deliver the final output in markdown unless the skill specifies another format.
Anti-Patterns
- Do not invent client facts, performance data, budgets, or approvals that were not provided or clearly inferred from evidence.
- Do not skip required inputs, mandatory sections, or quality checks just to make the output shorter.
- Do not drift into out-of-scope work such as code implementation, design production, or unsupported legal conclusions.
Outputs
- A structured onboarding, strategy, or planning document in markdown, ready to hand off to the next skill in the workflow.
References
- Use the inline instructions in this skill now. If a
references/ directory is added later, treat its files as the deeper source material and keep this SKILL.md execution-focused.
Required Input
Ask for the following before generating:
- Client name — trading name of the business
- Industry — sector the business operates in
- Audience personas — the named personas from
03-audience-personas (minimum two)
- Primary business goal — the single most important business outcome for the next 90 days
- Platforms in scope — list all active platforms (default: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp)
- Brand tone — the three tone words confirmed in
04-brand-voice-intake
- Country/city — defaults to Kampala, Uganda
Frameworks to Apply
Apply both frameworks to every pillar. Cite on first use.
10-4-1 Rule (Bodnar and Cohen, 2012): For every 15 posts across all pillars, 10 must share others' content or provide general value with no brand agenda, 4 must share original brand content, and 1 must be a direct promotional post. This ratio applies across the full content mix — not per pillar individually.
Hero / Hub / Hygiene Model (YouTube/Google): Assign each pillar its dominant content tier:
- Hero — high-effort, high-reach content: campaign launches, major announcements, brand films, milestone celebrations
- Hub — regular, expected content that builds community: weekly series, recurring formats, Q&A, behind-the-scenes
- Hygiene — always-on, search-driven content: FAQs, how-to posts, product information, price lists, service explainers
Most pillars will contain a mix of tiers. Assign the tier that represents the majority of content within that pillar.
Content Type Taxonomy (Handley, 2012)
Within each pillar, use these five content types to vary the tone and purpose of posts. Apply at least three of the five within any pillar to prevent the content from feeling monotonous.
| Type | Metaphor | What it is | When to use |
|---|
| Raisin Bran | The everyday staple | Practical, useful, how-to content the audience reaches for regularly | Daily tips, FAQs, product info, process guides — the backbone of the content mix |
| Spinach | Good for you, earns respect | Thought leadership; authoritative, substantive content that positions the brand as the expert | In-depth guides, data-driven posts, opinion pieces, industry analysis |
| Roasts | Takes effort, worth it | Major research projects, reports, case studies, or in-depth content requiring real investment | Quarterly; anchor pieces that drive shares, press mentions, and backlinks |
| Tabasco | Fires up a reaction | Deliberately controversial or provocative content designed to generate debate | Sparingly — when a clear, defensible position exists on a real industry debate |
| Chocolate Cake | Irresistible and shareable | Fun, light, entertaining content the audience shares for joy — memes, behind-the-scenes, celebrations | Weekly or fortnightly; essential for maintaining audience affection alongside serious content |
Rule of thumb: Most content calendars should be 50% Raisin Bran (useful daily), 25% Spinach (authoritative), 15% Chocolate Cake (entertaining), and 10% split between Roasts and Tabasco.
Step 1: Determine the Number of Pillars
Recommend 3 pillars for small businesses posting 3–4 times per week; 4 pillars for medium businesses posting 5–7 times per week; 5 pillars for brands with a full content team or agency support. Explain the recommendation briefly before listing the pillars.
Step 2: Generate Each Pillar
For each pillar, produce all eight elements below. Use the pillar name as the section heading.
1. Pillar Name
2–4 words. Make it memorable and specific to the client's brand — not generic (avoid names like "Education" or "Tips"). Use the client's industry language.
2. Purpose Statement
One sentence. State why this pillar exists for this specific client — what audience need it meets and how it supports the primary business goal.
3. Hero / Hub / Hygiene Tier Assignment
State the dominant tier and explain in one sentence why most content in this pillar falls there. Note whether the pillar also draws on a secondary tier.
4. Example Post Types
List 5 specific post formats that sit within this pillar. Be precise: do not write "educational posts" — write "a three-slide carousel explaining the difference between [Product A] and [Product B]".
5. Percentage of Content Mix
State the percentage of total posts this pillar should represent. All pillars must total exactly 100%. Explain the weighting logic briefly (e.g., "This pillar carries 35% because the primary goal is lead generation and this pillar drives the most direct enquiries.").
6. Platforms It Suits Best
List 2–3 platforms from the client's active set and explain in one sentence per platform why this pillar works there. Reference Uganda/EA platform behaviour where relevant.
7. Ten Starter Content Ideas
List 10 specific, ready-to-brief content ideas within this pillar. Each idea must include: the format (post, reel, carousel, story, WhatsApp broadcast, etc.), the subject, and the intended action or feeling it creates. These must be specific to the client's industry and audience — not reusable across any client.
8. What NOT to Post
List 4–5 clear boundaries that keep this pillar focused and on-brand. Examples: "Do not turn this pillar into a sales channel — no pricing or CTAs", "Do not share content that has not been fact-checked even if it is topical."
Step 3: Content Pillar Map
After all individual pillar sections, produce a summary table:
| Pillar Name | Dominant Tier | % of Mix | Best Platforms | Primary Purpose |
|---|
| [Name] | Hero / Hub / Hygiene | [%] | [Platforms] | [One sentence] |
All percentages must total 100%.
Step 4: Content Pillar Reference Card
Generate immediately after the pillar map. This is a one-page summary formatted for daily use by the social media manager. Include:
[Client Name] — Content Pillar Reference Card
| Pillar | % | 3 Key Content Ideas | Tier |
|---|
| [Pillar 1 name] | [%] | Idea 1 / Idea 2 / Idea 3 | Hub |
| [Pillar 2 name] | [%] | Idea 1 / Idea 2 / Idea 3 | Hygiene |
| [Pillar 3 name] | [%] | Idea 1 / Idea 2 / Idea 3 | Hero |
Posting ratio reminder (10-4-1 rule): For every 15 posts — 10 share value or others' content, 4 are original brand content, 1 is promotional. Check your mix weekly.
Brand voice reminder: [Tone word 1] · [Tone word 2] · [Tone word 3]
Platforms in scope: [List with primary use note per platform]
This week's check: Before publishing any post, ask: Which pillar does this belong to? Does it match the correct tone? Does it serve the audience, not just the brand?
Consultant note — 10-4-1 rule in practice: The 10-4-1 rule is a ratio, not a rigid weekly schedule. If the client posts 5 times per week, they will not hit 10:4:1 in a single week — the ratio applies across a rolling two-to-three week period. Track it monthly. In Uganda/EA markets, audiences respond strongly to value-first content; skewing toward the "10" (shared value) builds trust faster than promotional content. Reserve the "1" promotional post for the highest-impact offer or announcement that week.
The 8 Imprints Rule — Why Frequency Matters
Pinskey (1997)
A prospect typically needs to encounter a brand or business name 8 times before they will take action.
This is why content pillars and content frequency are not cosmetic — they are the engine of conversion.
What counts as an imprint:
- A social media post seen and processed
- A direct message received
- A referral conversation heard
- A brochure read
- An email opened
- A website visited
- A sign or poster noticed
- A face-to-face meeting held
Implication for content pillars: A single pillar producing once-monthly content is generating roughly 12 imprints per year — just above the minimum threshold. Content pillars that produce weekly content generate 52 imprints per year — making conversion significantly more likely.
When presenting content pillars to a client: use the 8 Imprints Rule to justify frequency recommendations. Posting three times per week is not vanity — it is the minimum required to reliably cross the threshold from awareness to action.
Compatible reference: The 10-4-1 rule (Bodnar and Cohen, 2012) defines the type of content across 15 posts; the 8 Imprints Rule explains why those 15 posts are necessary.
Quality Criteria
- All pillar percentages total exactly 100% — no rounding errors or unexplained gaps
- Every starter content idea is specific to the client's industry and audience; no idea could belong to a different client unchanged
- The 10-4-1 ratio is applied to the full content mix and the consultant note explaining it is included and contextualised for Uganda/EA
- Hero/Hub/Hygiene tier is assigned to each pillar with a one-sentence rationale — not just labelled
- Platform suitability notes reference Uganda/EA platform behaviour (e.g., WhatsApp for trust-building, Facebook for reach, Instagram for aspirational audiences)
- The reference card fits a single page and is immediately usable without reading the full pillar set
- British English spelling is used throughout; no American spellings (programme not program, colour not color, organise not organize)
- What NOT to post boundaries are specific and actionable — not generic advice the team will ignore
