Content Tools

Content Tools — Research + AI-Text Patterns

Reusable knowledge skill for content workflows. Topic research methodology, fact-gathering procedures, content brief template, and AI text-generation prompt templates. Used by /content-creation and /marketing operations that produce blog posts, page content, landing pages, or email copy.

Image-generation workflows live in the companion file image-and-integration-workflows.md in the legacy /content-creation/ directory; load that file when generating visuals.

Content Research Workflows

Systematic research phase before content creation. Applies to blog posts, articles, landing pages, and other public-facing content.

Topic Research

Goal: Understand the topic landscape before writing.

Steps:

1. Web search — find 3-5 top-ranking articles for the target keyword. For each, note:
   • Angle and depth (surface-level vs deep-dive)
   • Content gaps (what they miss, what they get wrong)
   • Word count and structure
   • Publication date (freshness)
2. Competitive content audit — search competitor blogs for the same topic. Identify:
   • What angle competitors take
   • What unique data or perspective you can add
   • Content format differences (listicle vs guide vs case study)
3. Keyword research — identify search intent and related terms:
   • Primary keyword (main topic)
   • Secondary keywords (2-3 related terms for H2 headings)
   • Search intent: informational ("how to"), commercial ("best tools for"), transactional ("buy/sign up")
   • Long-tail variations for FAQ or subsections

Data and Fact Gathering

Goal: Collect citable data points to strengthen the content.

Steps:

1. Find statistics — search for recent studies, surveys, benchmarks:
   • Prefer primary sources (original study) over secondary (blog citing a study)
   • Note publication date — discard data older than 2-3 years unless it's a foundational study
   • Save exact citation: author, organization, year, URL
2. Fact-check — verify every claim before including it:
   • Cross-reference with at least 2 independent sources
   • Check if the stat is used in correct context (not cherry-picked)
   • If a stat seems too good to be true — verify the methodology
3. Expert quotes — find relevant quotes from industry experts:
   • Conference talks, podcasts, published interviews
   • Always attribute with name, title, context

Existing Content Audit

Goal: Identify cross-linking opportunities within the project's blog.

Steps:

1. Scan blog directory — list all existing posts with titles and topics
2. Map relevance — for each existing post, rate cross-link potential (high / medium / none)
3. Plan bidirectional links:
   • From new post → existing posts (minimum 3 internal links)
   • From existing posts → new post (update old posts to link to the new one)
4. Identify content gaps — topics the new post references that don't exist yet (future post ideas)

Blog Content Brief Template

Use this brief specifically for blog posts (the general Content Brief Template applies to landing pages — see page-content-patterns.md in /content-creation):

# Blog Content Brief: [Working Title]

## Research Summary
- **Top competing articles**: [3-5 URLs with one-line summaries]
- **Content gap identified**: [what competitors miss]
- **Unique angle**: [what makes this post different]

## Audience
- **Who**: [target reader persona]
- **Knowledge level**: [beginner / intermediate / expert]
- **Search intent**: [informational / commercial / transactional]

## Keywords
- **Primary**: [keyword] — [monthly search volume if known]
- **Secondary**: [keyword 2], [keyword 3]
- **Long-tail**: [question-based keyword for FAQ]

## Outline
1. [H2 section] — [what this covers, estimated word count]
2. [H2 section] — [what this covers, estimated word count]
3. [H2 section] — [what this covers, estimated word count]
...

## Data Points
- [Stat 1] — [source, year, URL]
- [Stat 2] — [source, year, URL]

## Cross-Links
- **Outbound to existing posts**: [post 1], [post 2], [post 3]
- **Inbound from existing posts**: [post A → update to link here]

## Visual Needs
- **Cover image**: [description, style, mood]
- **Inline visuals**: [diagrams, screenshots, illustrations]

## Target
- **Word count**: [range]
- **Reading time**: [X min]

AI Text Generation Workflows

Headline Generation

Goal: Generate multiple headline variants for A/B testing.

Prompt template:

You are a conversion copywriter. Write 10 headline variants for [page type].

Product: [product name and one-sentence description]
Target audience: [who they are, what they care about]
Primary benefit: [the #1 outcome for the user]
Tone: [professional/friendly/bold/playful]
Constraints: Max 10 words. No jargon. Specific > clever.

Format: Number each variant. After all 10, mark top 3 with rationale.

Quality filter: Discard headlines that are vague, use clichés ("revolutionize", "game-changer"), or don't communicate a specific benefit.

Value Proposition Writing

Prompt template:

Write a value proposition for [product] following this structure:

1. Headline: What is the end benefit? (max 10 words)
2. Sub-headline: Who is it for and what does it do? (1-2 sentences)
3. Bullet points: 3 key benefits (outcome-focused, not feature-focused)
4. CTA: Action-oriented button text (3-5 words)

Context:
- Product: [description]
- Target user: [ICP description]
- Key differentiator: [what makes this unique]
- Competitor alternatives: [what users do today without this product]

Tone: [brand voice description]

Feature-to-Benefit Translation

Prompt template:

Convert these product features into user benefits.

For each feature:
1. State the benefit (what the user gets)
2. Add emotional hook (why they should care)
3. Write a one-liner combining both

Features:
- [Feature 1]
- [Feature 2]
- [Feature 3]

Audience: [who they are]
Format: Table with columns: Feature | Benefit | Emotional Hook | One-liner

FAQ Generation

Prompt template:

Generate FAQ entries for [product/feature page].

Context:
- Product: [description]
- Page purpose: [what the page covers]
- Target audience: [who visits this page]
- Common objections: [list known objections]

For each FAQ:
- Question: Written from the user's perspective (natural language)
- Answer: 2-3 sentences. Direct answer first, then context. No marketing fluff
- Generate 8-10 questions covering: pricing, features, security, onboarding, support, comparison, limitations

Format as structured FAQ suitable for JSON-LD schema markup.

Social Proof Copy

Prompt template:

Write social proof copy based on these customer results:

Customer: [name, title, company]
Results: [specific metrics or outcomes]
Quote context: [what problem they had, what they tried before]

Generate:
1. Short testimonial quote (2-3 sentences, first person)
2. Case study headline
3. Metric callout (e.g., "80% faster deployments")
4. Social proof one-liner for near-CTA placement

Tone: Authentic, specific, not salesy. Include real numbers where available.

When each pattern applies

Integration

• Used by: /content-creation (blog + page workflows), /marketing (email, social-post, content-repurpose operations)
• Companion knowledge: @geo-writer (structure pass after drafting), @humanizer (voice cleanup pass)
• Image workflows: see plugin/skills/content-creation/image-and-integration-workflows.md (image-generation tools and external service integration live alongside /content-creation; not in this knowledge skill)