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.

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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]

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Frameworks Reference

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

Framework	When to Use	File
Jobs to Be Done	Understanding why audiences consume content	frameworks/jobs-to-be-done.md
Audience Persona	Defining target audience segments	frameworks/audience-persona.md
Content Pillar Model	Organizing content into strategic themes	frameworks/content-pillar-model.md

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

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Strategy vs. Execution

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

Output	Feeds Into
Blog brief	/content blog
Thread brief	/content twitter
Video brief	/content video
LinkedIn brief	/content linkedin
Presentation brief	/content presentation
Calendar plan	/content calendar

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

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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?"

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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