Content Strategy

Content Strategy & Ideation

Before You Start

1. Check for existing brand context: Read brand/VOICE.md and brand/VISUAL.md if they exist. Strategy work must align with the established brand identity. If no brand files exist, the strategy phase is a good time to define them -- suggest the user run content-setup first, or build foundational voice/visual decisions into the strategy output.

2. Understand the distinction between strategy and tactics:

   • Strategy answers: Who are we talking to? What do we want them to think/feel/do? What is our unique position? What themes define our content?
   • Tactics answer: What specific pieces do we publish? When? Where? In what format?
   • This skill handles strategy first, then translates it into tactical briefs that other skills (content-blog, content-twitter, content-video, etc.) can execute.

3. Gather context: Before strategizing, you need to understand the user's situation. Use the questions in questions.md as a starting framework. Not every question applies to every situation -- use judgment about which to ask and which to infer.

Ideation Flow

Follow these four stages in order. Each stage builds on the previous one.

Stage 1: Audience Analysis

Define who the content is for. Use the audience persona framework from frameworks/audience-persona.md.

For each target audience segment, document:

• Demographics: Role, seniority, company size, industry
• Psychographics: Values, beliefs, worldview, identity markers
• Information diet: Where do they currently get information? Who do they follow? What formats do they prefer?
• Pain points: What problems keep them up at night? What frustrates them about existing solutions or content?
• Aspirations: What do they want to become or achieve? What does success look like for them?
• Current beliefs: What do they already believe about your topic? What misconceptions exist?
• Desired beliefs: What should they believe after consuming your content?

The gap between current beliefs and desired beliefs is where your content strategy lives.

Stage 2: Pillar Definition

Define 3-5 content pillars using the framework in frameworks/content-pillar-model.md. Each pillar is a core theme that:

• Aligns with the brand's expertise and authority
• Addresses a real audience need or interest
• Is broad enough to sustain dozens of content pieces
• Is specific enough to differentiate from competitors
• Connects to the brand's product, service, or mission

For each pillar, document:

• Pillar name: A clear, memorable label
• Why it matters: To the audience and to the brand
• Core thesis: The central argument or perspective the brand brings to this theme
• Example topics: 5-10 specific content ideas that fall under this pillar
• Interconnections: How this pillar relates to the other pillars

Stage 3: Idea Generation

Generate specific content ideas organized by pillar. For each idea, capture:

• Working title: A specific, compelling title (not generic)
• Pillar: Which content pillar it belongs to
• Format: Blog, thread, video, newsletter, LinkedIn post, etc.
• Angle: What makes this take unique or interesting
• JTBD: What job does the audience hire this content to do? (See frameworks/jobs-to-be-done.md)
• Key points: 3-5 main arguments or sections
• Effort: Low / Medium / High
• Priority: Must-have / Nice-to-have / Backlog

Aim for 3-5 ideas per pillar in the initial brainstorm. Prioritize ideas that:

• Address the belief gap identified in Stage 1
• Can be executed with available resources
• Have clear distribution channels
• Can be repurposed across multiple formats

Stage 4: Brief Creation

For each prioritized idea, create a structured content brief that can be handed off to an execution skill. The brief format:

## Content Brief: [Working Title]

**Pillar**: [Content pillar]
**Format**: [Blog / Thread / Video / Newsletter / etc.]
**Target audience**: [Specific segment from Stage 1]
**Goal**: [What should the reader think, feel, or do after consuming this?]

**Angle / Hook**:
[One paragraph describing the unique angle and why someone would click/read/watch]

**Key Points**:
1. [First key argument or section]
2. [Second key argument or section]
3. [Third key argument or section]

**Evidence / Examples**:
- [Data point, case study, or example to include]
- [Another supporting element]

**CTA**:
[What action should the audience take after consuming this content?]

**Distribution Plan**:
- Primary: [Main platform/channel]
- Repurpose: [Secondary formats -- e.g., "Extract 3 tweets, 1 LinkedIn post"]

**Success Metrics**:
- [How will you know this content worked?]

**Notes for Writer**:
- [Voice/tone guidance specific to this piece]
- [Things to avoid]
- [References or inspiration]

Frameworks Reference

This skill includes three strategic frameworks in the frameworks/ directory:

Use one or more frameworks depending on the user's needs. Not every engagement requires all three.

Strategy vs. Execution

This skill produces strategy and briefs. It does not produce finished content. The output of this skill feeds into execution skills:

When handing off a brief, include enough context that the execution skill can work independently -- the brief should be self-contained.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

When developing strategy, watch for these common failures:

1. Strategy without specificity: "We should create thought leadership content" is not a strategy. Name the audience, the angle, and the differentiation.
2. Pillar sprawl: More than 5 pillars means you have not made hard choices. Three focused pillars beat seven vague ones.
3. Audience of everyone: If your target audience is "developers," narrow it. Which developers? What experience level? What domain?
4. Ideas without angles: "Write a blog about Kubernetes" is a topic, not an idea. "Why your Kubernetes cluster is wasting 40% of your compute budget" is an idea.
5. Ignoring distribution: A content strategy without a distribution plan is a content graveyard. Every piece needs a specific path to its audience.
6. Copying competitors: Strategy should find the gap, not fill the same space. Ask: "What is nobody else saying about this topic?"

Output Checklist

Before delivering the strategy, verify:

• At least one audience segment is defined with specifics (not generic)
• Belief gap is identified (current beliefs vs. desired beliefs)
• 3-5 content pillars are defined with clear theses
• Each pillar has 3-5 specific content ideas
• Priority ideas have full content briefs
• Distribution plan exists for each brief
• Strategy clearly differentiates from what competitors are publishing
• All frameworks used are referenced with specific findings
• Output is actionable -- another skill or human can execute it immediately