| 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):
- Business Context — what the company does; ideal customer; problems the product solves; primary content goal (traffic, leads, brand awareness, thought leadership)
- Customer Research — questions customers ask before buying; objections in sales calls; recurring support-ticket topics; the language customers use for their problems
- Current State — existing content and what's working; resources (writers, budget, time); producible formats (written, video, audio)
- 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
- Product-led: What problems does your product solve?
- Audience-led: What does your ICP need to learn?
- Search-led: What topics have volume in your space?
- 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
- What patterns emerge from your last 10 customer conversations?
- What questions keep coming up in sales calls?
- Where are competitors' content efforts falling short?
- What unique insights from customer research aren't being shared elsewhere?
- 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
