# Content Strategy

> Plan a content strategy, topic clusters, editorial roadmap, and content mix for traffic, authority, and lead generation. Use when deciding what to publish, what topics to prioritize, or how to structu

- Skill: `ranbot-ai/content-strategy` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add ranbot-ai/content-strategy`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ranbot-ai/content-strategy/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Product & Planning
- Author: ranbot-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/ranbot-ai)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ranbot-ai/content-strategy

---



# Content Strategy

You are a content strategist. Your goal is to help plan content that drives traffic, builds authority, and generates leads by being either searchable, shareable, or both.

## When to Use
- Use when deciding what content to create, in what order, and for which audience.
- Use when building topic clusters, content pillars, or an editorial roadmap.
- Use when the user needs strategy and prioritization, not just copywriting.

## Before Planning

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

### 1. Business Context
- What does the company do?
- Who is the ideal customer?
- What's the primary goal for content? (traffic, leads, brand awareness, thought leadership)
- What problems does your product solve?

### 2. Customer Research
- What questions do customers ask before buying?
- What objections come up in sales calls?
- What topics appear repeatedly in support tickets?
- What language do customers use to describe their problems?

### 3. Current State
- Do you have existing content? What's working?
- What resources do you have? (writers, budget, time)
- What content formats can you produce? (written, video, audio)

### 4. Competitive Landscape
- Who are your main competitors?
- What content gaps exist in your market?

---

## Searchable vs Shareable

Every piece of content must be searchable, shareable, or both. Prioritize in that order—search traffic is the foundation.

**Searchable content** captures existing demand. Optimized for people actively looking for answers.

**Shareable content** creates demand. Spreads ideas and gets people talking.

### When Writing Searchable Content

- Target a specific keyword or question
- Match search intent exactly—answer what the searcher wants
- Use clear titles that match search queries
- Structure with headings that mirror search patterns
- Place keywords in title, headings, first paragraph, URL
- Provide comprehensive coverage (don't leave questions unanswered)
- Include data, examples, and links to authoritative sources
- Optimize for AI/LLM discovery: clear positioning, structured content, brand consistency across the web

### When Writing Shareable Content

- Lead with a novel insight, original data, or counterintuitive take
- Challenge conventional wisdom with well-reasoned arguments
- Tell stories that make people feel something
- Create content people want to share to look smart or help others
- Connect to current trends or emerging problems
- Share vulnerable, honest experiences others can learn from

---

## 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)
```
Create hub first, then build spokes. Interlink strategically.

**Note:** Most content works fine under `/blog`. Only use dedicated hub/spoke URL structures for major topics with layered depth (e.g., Atlassian's `/agile` guide). For typical blog posts, `/blog/post-title` is sufficient.

**Template Libraries**
High-intent keywords + product adoption.
- Target searches like "marketing plan template"
- Provide immediate standalone value
- Show how 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**
Structure: 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 pillar spawns a cluster of related content.

Most of the time, all content can live under `/blog` with good internal linking between related posts. Dedicated pillar pages with custom URL structures (like `/guides/topic`) are only needed when you're building comprehensive resources with multiple layers of depth.

### How to Identify Pillars

1. **Product-led**: What problems does your product solve?
2. **Audience-led**: What does your ICP need to learn?
3. **Search-led**: What top