| name | content-gap-finder |
| description | Identifies content gaps by analyzing competitor content, search intent mismatches, and audience questions. Use when planning what content to create next based on strategic opportunities. |
| allowed-tools | Read Write Glob |
| metadata | {"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"} |
Content Gap Finder
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when you need to:
- Identify topics your competitors cover that you do not
- Find audience questions that have no good content answering them
- Discover search intent mismatches where existing content falls short
- Prioritize your next batch of content based on strategic gaps
DO NOT use this skill for keyword research, content auditing (use content-audit skill), or writing content. This is for identifying and prioritizing content opportunities.
Core Principle
A CONTENT GAP IS NOT JUST A MISSING TOPIC — IT IS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY WHERE YOUR AUDIENCE IS LOOKING FOR ANSWERS AND FINDING NOTHING (OR NOTHING GOOD).
Phase 1: Brief
Required Inputs
| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|---|
| Your website / content | "Share your website URL or a list of your published content." | No default — must be provided |
| Competitors | "List 3-5 competitors or similar brands in your space." | No default — must be provided |
| Target audience | "Who are you creating content for?" | Solopreneurs and business owners |
| Business goals | "What should your content drive? Traffic, leads, sales, authority?" | Organic traffic and leads |
| Content channels | "Where do you publish? Blog, YouTube, podcast, social?" | Blog |
GATE: Confirm brief before analysis.
Phase 2: Analysis Framework
Gap Categories
Analyze across five gap types:
1. **Topic gaps** — topics competitors cover that you do not
2. **Depth gaps** — topics you cover but not deeply enough
3. **Format gaps** — topics covered in text but not video (or vice versa)
4. **Audience gaps** — content that serves one segment but ignores another
5. **Intent gaps** — content that targets informational queries but misses commercial/transactional intent
GATE: Confirm analysis scope before full report.
Phase 3: Write
Gap Analysis Report
1. Topic Gaps
## Topics Your Competitors Cover That You Don't
| # | Topic | Competitor Covering It | Search Intent | Priority |
|---|-------|----------------------|---------------|----------|
| 1 | [Topic] | [Competitor A, B] | [Informational/Commercial] | High |
| 2 | [Topic] | [Competitor A] | [Informational] | Medium |
...
For each high-priority gap:
### Gap: [Topic]
**Why it matters:** [1-2 sentences on audience demand and business relevance]
**Competitor coverage:** [What competitors have published and what quality level]
**Your opportunity:** [How to cover this better — angle, format, depth]
**Suggested content:** "[Working title]" — [format] — [estimated word count/length]
**Target keyword:** [Primary keyword suggestion]
2. Depth Gaps
## Topics You Cover but Not Deeply Enough
| Your Content | What's Missing | Competitor's Better Version | Action |
|-------------|----------------|---------------------------|--------|
| [Your post title] | [Missing element] | [Competitor post] | Update / Expand |
3. Format Gaps
## Format Opportunities
| Topic | You Have | You're Missing | Opportunity |
|-------|---------|---------------|-------------|
| [Topic] | Blog post | Video explainer | Create a companion video |
| [Topic] | Nothing | Competitor has a podcast episode | Create a blog post + video |
4. Audience Gaps
## Underserved Audience Segments
| Segment | What They Need | What You Have | Gap |
|---------|---------------|---------------|-----|
| [Segment, e.g., beginners] | [Content need] | [Nothing / too advanced] | [Specific content to create] |
5. Content Priority Matrix
## Priority Matrix
| Priority | Topic | Type | Effort | Potential Impact |
|----------|-------|------|--------|-----------------|
| 1 | [Topic] | New content | Medium | High (competitor gap + search volume) |
| 2 | [Topic] | Update existing | Low | High (depth gap on top-performing page) |
| 3 | [Topic] | New format | Medium | Medium (video for popular blog post) |
...
Phase 4: Polish
1. Gap Analysis Checklist
## Checklist
- [ ] At least 3 competitors analyzed
- [ ] Topic gaps identified with priority ratings
- [ ] Depth gaps flagged with specific missing elements
- [ ] Format gaps noted where applicable
- [ ] Each high-priority gap has a suggested content piece
- [ ] Priority matrix ranks all opportunities by effort vs impact
- [ ] Recommendations are specific (title, format, target keyword)
- [ ] Analysis connects gaps to business goals (traffic, leads, sales)
2. 90-Day Content Roadmap
Based on the gaps, suggest a 90-day plan:
- Month 1: Address the top 3 highest-impact gaps
- Month 2: Update depth gaps on existing content
- Month 3: Experiment with new formats and audience segments
Example: Gap Analysis for a Freelance Business Blog
Competitor blogs analyzed: Freelancers Union, Millo, Careful Cents
Topic gaps found:
1. "Freelance contract templates" — 3 competitors cover it, you don't → High priority
2. "How to fire a client" — 2 competitors, high engagement → Medium priority
3. "Freelance tax deductions guide" — seasonal topic, no competitor does it well → High priority
Depth gaps:
- Your "Freelance Pricing Guide" is 800 words. Top competitor's is 3,200 with examples and a calculator. Update to 2,500+ words with tools and templates.
Priority #1: Create "Freelance Contract Templates (Free Downloads)" — high search volume, no existing content, strong lead magnet potential.
Anti-Patterns
- Copying competitors — the goal is to identify gaps, not replicate competitor content. Cover the topic better, not the same.
- Chasing every gap — not every gap is worth filling. Prioritize by business impact, not completeness.
- Ignoring depth gaps — sometimes the biggest opportunity is improving existing content, not creating new pieces.
- No prioritization — a list of 50 gaps without a priority framework is overwhelming and useless.
- Assuming gaps mean demand — a competitor covering a topic does not prove your audience cares. Validate demand before creating.
Recovery
- No competitor data available: Analyze audience questions from forums, social media, and "People Also Ask" results instead.
- Too many gaps identified: Narrow to the top 10 by applying the effort-vs-impact filter. Focus on high-impact, low-effort gaps first.
- All gaps are high-effort: Look for "quick win" depth gaps — updating existing content is almost always lower effort than creating new pieces.
- User's niche has few competitors: Expand the competitor list to include adjacent niches or larger industry publications.
- No existing content to compare: Start with the top 20 questions your audience asks and check whether any competitor answers them well.
