content-marketing

name	content-marketing
version	0.1.0
description	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.
tags	["content-marketing","blog","seo-content","editorial","content-strategy","workflow","strategy","writing","marketing"]
category	marketing
recommended_skills	["copywriting","absolute-seo","email-marketing","social-media-strategy"]
platforms	["claude-code","gemini-cli","openai-codex"]
license	MIT
maintainers	[{"github":"maddhruv"}]

Key principles

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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Core concepts

Content funnel - TOFU / MOFU / BOFU

Match content type to where the reader sits in their decision journey:

Stage	Name	Intent	Examples
TOFU	Top of Funnel	Awareness - broad problem discovery	How-to guides, listicles, explainer posts, trend reports
MOFU	Middle of Funnel	Consideration - evaluating solutions	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)
• Earned - Backlinks, press mentions, shares, guest posts (high credibility)
• Paid - Sponsored posts, content amplification (speed, reach on demand)

Owned channels compound; paid channels stop working the moment you stop paying.

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Common tasks

Build a content strategy

Use this framework to define or audit a content strategy:

1. Define the audience - Job title, company size, key pain points, content they already consume. Build 1-3 audience personas maximum.
2. Audit existing content - Inventory all published pieces: URL, topic, funnel stage, monthly traffic, ranking keywords, backlinks. Identify gaps and cannibalization.
3. 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").
4. Map content to funnel - For each pillar, plan TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU content.
5. Set goals and KPIs - Organic sessions, leads from content, keyword rankings for target terms, email subscribers, backlinks earned.
6. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. Write the introduction - Hook (relatable problem or surprising stat), bridge (why this matters), thesis (what the post covers). Under 150 words.
5. 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.
6. Conclusion - Summarize the 3 key takeaways. Include a clear CTA (subscribe, download, start a trial).
7. 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:

1. Choose the pillar topic - Broad enough to support 10+ subtopics, specific enough to be relevant to your product (e.g., "Content Marketing for SaaS").
2. Research subtopics - Use keyword tools to find related queries. Group them into 8-15 cluster themes.
3. Audit existing content - Map existing posts to cluster slots. Identify gaps.
4. 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.
5. Write or update cluster articles - Each cluster article goes deep on one subtopic. Every cluster article links back to the pillar page.
6. 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:

1. Brief - Writer receives: target keyword, audience persona, funnel stage, target length, outline skeleton, internal links to include, deadline.
2. 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.
3. Editorial review - Editor checks: accuracy, structure, voice, SEO (keyword placement, headings, meta), and CTA clarity. Single round of feedback.
4. Revisions - Writer addresses all feedback. Marks items resolved.
5. Final QA - Check images have alt text, all links work, CMS fields are complete (category, tags, author, featured image).
6. Schedule / publish - Publish or schedule. Add to distribution queue.
7. 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).

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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	Audit quarterly; consolidate thin posts, update outdated ones, redirect cannibalized URLs
No content-to-product connection	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

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Gotchas

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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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.

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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:

npx skills add AbsolutelySkilled/AbsolutelySkilled --skill <name>

Skip entirely if recommended_skills is empty or all companions are already installed.