Use this skill when creating content strategy, writing SEO-optimized blog posts, planning content calendars, or repurposing content across channels. Triggers on blog strategy, content calendar, SEO content, content repurposing, editorial workflow, content pillars, topic clusters, and any task requiring content marketing planning or execution.
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Use this skill when creating content strategy, writing SEO-optimized blog posts, planning content calendars, or repurposing content across channels. Triggers on blog strategy, content calendar, SEO content, content repurposing, editorial workflow, content pillars, topic clusters, and any task requiring content marketing planning or execution.
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Content Marketing
Content marketing is the practice of creating and distributing valuable, relevant
content to attract, engage, and convert a defined audience - rather than interrupting
them with ads. Done well, it compounds over time: a single pillar page drives
organic traffic for years, a repurposed webinar becomes ten assets, and a consistent
editorial calendar builds brand authority that paid media cannot buy.
This skill covers content strategy, SEO-driven editorial planning, pillar-cluster
architecture, cross-channel repurposing, and performance measurement - giving an
agent the judgment to plan, write, and distribute content the way a seasoned content
strategist would.
When to use this skill
Trigger this skill when the user:
Wants to build or audit a content strategy for a product, brand, or niche
Needs to create or redesign a content calendar (weekly, monthly, quarterly)
Asks for help writing, structuring, or optimizing an SEO blog post
Wants to design a pillar page and topic-cluster architecture
Needs a playbook for repurposing one piece of content across channels
Asks how to set up an editorial workflow (briefing, drafting, review, publish)
Wants to define or track content marketing KPIs and attribution
Do NOT trigger this skill for:
Paid advertising copy or media buying (ad copy is a different discipline)
Technical SEO implementation - crawl budgets, structured data, site speed (use technical-seo-engineering)
Key principles
Audience first - Every content decision starts with the reader. Who are they,
what question are they asking, and what do they need to do after reading? Content
that serves the audience earns trust; content that serves the brand earns nothing.
Pillar-cluster model - Organize content around broad pillar pages that cover
a topic comprehensively, supported by cluster articles that go deep on subtopics.
Internal links between them signal topical authority to search engines and guide
readers through a logical journey.
Consistency beats virality - One viral post does not build an audience.
Publishing two quality pieces per week for a year compounds into a moat. Establish
a cadence you can sustain, then optimize for quality within that constraint.
Repurpose everything - Every long-form piece contains a dozen shorter assets.
A 2,000-word blog post becomes a LinkedIn thread, a tweet storm, a short-form
video script, an email newsletter section, and three social graphics. Maximize
the return on every research hour invested.
Measure and iterate - Content marketing ROI is real but lagging. Measure
organic traffic, keyword rankings, scroll depth, email signups, and pipeline
influenced. Use data to double down on what works and prune what does not.
Core concepts
Content funnel - TOFU / MOFU / BOFU
Match content type to where the reader sits in their decision journey:
Comparison posts, case studies, webinars, whitepapers
BOFU
Bottom of Funnel
Decision - ready to buy or sign up
Pricing pages, demos, customer stories, ROI calculators
A healthy content program publishes across all three stages. Over-indexing on TOFU
drives traffic but no pipeline; over-indexing on BOFU limits reach.
Pillar pages and topic clusters
A pillar page is a long-form (2,000-5,000 word) comprehensive guide on a broad
topic (e.g., "The Complete Guide to Email Marketing"). It links out to cluster
articles - focused posts on subtopics (e.g., "How to Write a Subject Line That
Gets Opened", "Email List Segmentation Strategies"). Each cluster article links back
to the pillar.
Benefits: topical authority, improved crawlability, longer time-on-site, and a
natural internal linking structure that distributes page rank.
Content types and formats
Type
Best for
Typical length
Blog post / article
SEO, thought leadership, TOFU
1,000-3,000 words
Pillar page
Topical authority, TOFU/MOFU
3,000-6,000 words
Case study
Social proof, MOFU/BOFU
800-1,500 words
Whitepaper / report
Lead gen, MOFU
2,000-8,000 words
Email newsletter
Retention, nurture
300-800 words
Social content
Distribution, reach
Platform-native
Video / podcast
Awareness, trust
Format-dependent
Distribution channels
Content does not distribute itself. Plan distribution at the time of creation:
Owned - Blog, email list, social profiles, community (highest ROI, builds assets)
Paid - Sponsored posts, content amplification (speed, reach on demand)
Owned channels compound; paid channels stop working the moment you stop paying.
Common tasks
Build a content strategy
Use this framework to define or audit a content strategy:
Define the audience - Job title, company size, key pain points, content they
already consume. Build 1-3 audience personas maximum.
Audit existing content - Inventory all published pieces: URL, topic, funnel
stage, monthly traffic, ranking keywords, backlinks. Identify gaps and
cannibalization.
Choose 3-5 content pillars - Broad themes that sit at the intersection of
your audience's needs and your product's expertise (e.g., "Developer Productivity",
"API Design", "Engineering Culture").
Map content to funnel - For each pillar, plan TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU content.
Set goals and KPIs - Organic sessions, leads from content, keyword rankings
for target terms, email subscribers, backlinks earned.
Define publishing cadence - Sustainable frequency comes first. Start with
two posts per week before aiming for daily.
Create a content calendar
A content calendar prevents gaps, enables planning, and aligns stakeholders. Minimum
required fields per entry:
Field
Description
Title / working title
Clear enough for a writer to start from
Target keyword
Primary keyword the piece will rank for
Funnel stage
TOFU / MOFU / BOFU
Content pillar
Which strategic theme this belongs to
Format
Blog post, case study, video, etc.
Target persona
Who is this written for
Publish date
Committed date, not aspirational
Owner
Writer responsible for the draft
Status
Idea / Brief / In progress / Review / Scheduled / Published
Recommended cadence: plan 6-8 weeks ahead, review and adjust monthly.
Write an SEO-optimized blog post
Follow this structure for every long-form blog post:
Keyword research first - Identify a primary keyword (target: 500-5,000 monthly
searches, low-to-medium difficulty). Find 5-10 semantically related secondary
keywords to weave in naturally.
SERP analysis - Read the top 5 ranking pages. Note: content format, headings
used, questions answered, length. Your post must cover everything they cover and
add unique value (original data, deeper examples, better structure).
Outline with H2/H3 structure - Mirror the mental model of someone searching
the keyword. Lead with "what" before "how". Use questions as headings when the
keyword is question-form.
Write the introduction - Hook (relatable problem or surprising stat), bridge
(why this matters), thesis (what the post covers). Under 150 words.
Body - Use the inverted pyramid: most important information first in each
section. Short paragraphs (3-5 lines max). Use bullet lists for scannable points.
Include code examples, screenshots, or data where relevant.
Conclusion - Summarize the 3 key takeaways. Include a clear CTA (subscribe,
download, start a trial).
On-page SEO - Primary keyword in title (near the front), first 100 words,
one H2, meta description (under 160 chars). Alt text on all images. Internal
links to 2-4 related posts.
Design a pillar-cluster content model
Steps to build a pillar-cluster architecture for a topic area:
Choose the pillar topic - Broad enough to support 10+ subtopics, specific
enough to be relevant to your product (e.g., "Content Marketing for SaaS").
Research subtopics - Use keyword tools to find related queries. Group them
into 8-15 cluster themes.
Write or update the pillar page - Comprehensive coverage of the main topic.
Dedicate a section to each cluster theme with a paragraph of context and a link
to the cluster article.
Write or update cluster articles - Each cluster article goes deep on one
subtopic. Every cluster article links back to the pillar page.
Build internal links - Each cluster article also links to 2-3 sibling cluster
articles where relevant.
Repurpose content across channels - playbook
For every long-form piece, extract the following derivative assets:
Source asset
Derivative
Channel
Blog post
Key insight thread (5-8 posts)
X / Twitter, LinkedIn
Blog post
Short-form video script (60-90 sec)
YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok
Blog post
Email newsletter section
Email list
Blog post
Infographic (stats + process)
Pinterest, LinkedIn, blog embeds
Webinar / podcast
Audiogram clips
Social, YouTube
Webinar / podcast
Transcript cleaned into blog post
Blog, SEO
Data report
Press release + stat soundbites
PR, social
Repurposing rule: change the format, not just the words. A blog post copy-pasted to
LinkedIn is not repurposing - a thread that distills the 5 key insights is.
Set up an editorial workflow
A minimal but complete editorial workflow prevents quality regressions at scale:
Draft - Writer submits first draft in the CMS or shared doc. Draft includes
meta title, meta description, slug, and at least one internal link suggestion.
Editorial review - Editor checks: accuracy, structure, voice, SEO (keyword
placement, headings, meta), and CTA clarity. Single round of feedback.
Revisions - Writer addresses all feedback. Marks items resolved.
Final QA - Check images have alt text, all links work, CMS fields are
complete (category, tags, author, featured image).
Schedule / publish - Publish or schedule. Add to distribution queue.
Promotion - Post to social, include in next email newsletter, notify internal
stakeholders.
Measure content performance - KPIs and attribution
Track these metrics per content piece and in aggregate:
KPI
Tool
What it tells you
Organic sessions
Google Analytics / Search Console
SEO reach
Keyword ranking position
Ahrefs / Semrush
Search visibility
Scroll depth / time on page
GA4 / Hotjar
Engagement quality
Email signups from content
GA4 goals / HubSpot
Lead gen efficiency
Backlinks earned
Ahrefs
Authority building
Content-influenced pipeline
CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce)
Revenue impact
Social shares / engagement
Native analytics
Distribution reach
Attribution model recommendation: use first-touch for awareness KPIs (which content
introduced leads to your brand) and multi-touch for pipeline KPIs (which content
appeared in the journey of closed deals).
Anti-patterns / common mistakes
Mistake
Why it's wrong
What to do instead
Publishing for publishing's sake
Thin, low-effort content dilutes topical authority and earns no backlinks or shares
Set a quality bar: every piece must be the best resource on the web for its target keyword
Ignoring distribution
Great content with zero promotion reaches no one
Plan distribution before writing; dedicate as much time to promotion as to creation
Targeting only high-volume keywords
High-volume terms have high competition; new domains cannot rank for them
Target long-tail keywords (low volume, high intent) first; build authority before pursuing head terms
Skipping the content audit
Creating new content while duplicating or cannibalizing existing posts
Content that never mentions your product cannot generate pipeline
Include a relevant product CTA in every MOFU/BOFU piece; link TOFU content to problem-aware landing pages
Measuring only vanity metrics
Pageviews and social likes do not pay salaries
Track email signups, demo requests, and pipeline influenced alongside traffic
Gotchas
Content calendar without deadlines is fiction - A calendar with "aspirational" publish dates is not a calendar. Dates must be committed and tied to an owner. Without a hard publish date, work expands to fill all available time and cadence collapses.
Repurposing means format change, not copy-paste - Copying a blog post into LinkedIn as-is is not repurposing - it performs poorly and signals low effort. Format must change: a 2,000-word post becomes a 7-post thread that distills the key insights, not a wall of text.
Pillar pages without cluster links don't work - A pillar page with no internal links to spoke articles is just a long article. The SEO benefit comes from the bidirectional link structure. Build the cluster first, then wire the links.
Targeting high-volume keywords too early - New domains cannot rank for head terms (10K+ monthly searches) regardless of content quality. Begin with long-tail, low-competition keywords (<1K searches/month) to build domain authority before competing for volume.
Publishing without a distribution plan reaches no one - Great content without promotion earns zero traffic. Treat distribution as a production step, not an afterthought. Plan social, email, and outreach before writing begins.
References
For detailed templates and structures, read the relevant file from references/:
references/content-templates.md - Blog post, case study, and whitepaper templates
Only load a references file if the current task requires detailed templates or
structural scaffolding.
Companion check
On first activation of this skill in a conversation: check which companion skills are installed by running ls ~/.claude/skills/ ~/.agent/skills/ ~/.agents/skills/ .claude/skills/ .agent/skills/ .agents/skills/ 2>/dev/null. Compare the results against the recommended_skills field in this file's frontmatter. For any that are missing, mention them once and offer to install:
