nhouseholder/content-pillars

Content Pillars That Convert

Build 5 content pillars for a brand that consistently attract new followers, establish credibility, and drive leads or sales.

When This Fires

• "Build my content pillars"
• "What should I post about?"
• "Content pillar strategy"
• "Define my content themes"
• Before building a content calendar (pillars should exist first)

Prerequisites

1. Read brand-context.md — Required.
2. Read audience-profile.md if it exists — pillars must address audience psychology.
3. Read authority-positioning.md if it exists — pillars must reinforce positioning.
4. Read social-strategy.md if it exists — pillars must fit the overall strategy.

Workflow

Phase 1: Pillar Selection

Select 5 pillars that balance the content funnel:

| Pillar Role | Purpose | Funnel Stage | |------------|---------|-------------| | Pillar 1: Expertise | Demonstrate deep knowledge in your niche | Trust | | Pillar 2: Results/Proof | Show outcomes, case studies, data | Conversion | | Pillar 3: Process/Behind-the-Scenes | Show how you work, build transparency | Interest | | Pillar 4: Industry Commentary | Hot takes, trends, analysis | Reach/Awareness | | Pillar 5: Personal/Relatable | Human side, journey, lessons learned | Connection |

Customize pillar names and focus areas to the specific brand. These are starting templates, not final.

Phase 2: Deep Pillar Definition

For each pillar, provide:

PILLAR [N]: [Name]
───────────────────
PURPOSE: [What this pillar does for your brand]
AUDIENCE CONNECTION: [Why your specific audience cares about this]
CONTENT RATIO: [What % of total content this should be]

EXAMPLE TOPICS (10 each):
1. [Specific topic with headline]
2. [Specific topic with headline]
...10. [Specific topic with headline]

PLATFORM FORMATS:
- Twitter/X: [Best format — thread, single tweet, poll, etc.]
- Instagram: [Best format — carousel, reel, story, etc.]
- YouTube: [Best format — long-form, short, community post]
- TikTok: [Best format — trend, tutorial, talking head, etc.]
- LinkedIn: [Best format — article, post, document, etc.]

HOOKS THAT WORK FOR THIS PILLAR:
- "[Hook template 1]"
- "[Hook template 2]"
- "[Hook template 3]"

CONTENT-TO-CONVERSION BRIDGE:
[How posts in this pillar lead toward monetization]

Phase 3: Pillar Interaction Map

Show how pillars feed each other:

[Industry Commentary] → catches attention
         ↓
[Expertise] → proves you know your stuff
         ↓
[Results/Proof] → shows it actually works
         ↓
[Process] → reveals the "how" (creates desire)
         ↓
[Personal] → builds trust for the purchase decision

Customize the flow to the specific brand.

Phase 4: Weekly Content Mix

Recommend a weekly posting schedule using pillar ratios:

| Day | Platform | Pillar | Format | Goal | |-----|----------|--------|--------|------| | Mon | Twitter | Expertise | Thread | Trust | | Tue | Instagram | Results | Carousel | Proof | | Wed | Twitter | Commentary | Hot take | Reach | | Thu | YouTube | Process | Tutorial | Interest | | Fri | Twitter | Personal | Story tweet | Connection | | Sat | Instagram | Expertise | Reel | Trust | | Sun | Twitter | Commentary | Thread | Reach |

Adjust frequency to what the user can sustain.

Phase 5: Evergreen vs. Timely

For each pillar, identify:

• Evergreen topics (5 each) — can be posted anytime, repurposed, recycled
• Timely triggers — events/news that activate this pillar (e.g., "New season starts → Results pillar activates")

Phase 6: Stage-Aware Lead Pillar

Based on the brand's current growth stage, recommend which pillar to lead with THIS month:

| Stage | Lead Pillar | Why | Ratio Shift | |-------|------------|-----|------------| | NEW (0-500 followers) | Awareness/Commentary | Need eyeballs first | 40% awareness, 25% expertise, 20% personal, 10% proof, 5% conversion | | GROWING (500-5K) | Expertise/Authority | Converting attention to trust | 30% expertise, 25% awareness, 20% proof, 15% personal, 10% conversion | | MONETIZING (5K+) | Results/Conversion | Trust exists, time to convert | 25% conversion, 25% proof, 20% expertise, 20% awareness, 10% personal |

Phase 7: Repurposing Engine

Show how ONE piece of content becomes posts across all pillars:

ORIGINAL: [One deep-dive piece of content]
         ↓
AWARENESS: [Extract the hot take / contrarian angle]
TRUST:     [Pull the process / how-I-did-it angle]
AUTHORITY: [Highlight the data / results angle]
CONVERSION:[Frame as proof that your offer works]

Provide a concrete example using one topic from each pillar.

Output

Save to content-pillars.md in the project root. Structure:

1. Pillar overview table (4-5 pillars at a glance, mapped to funnel stages)
2. Deep pillar definitions (all pillars)
3. Pillar interaction map
4. Weekly content mix schedule
5. Stage-aware lead pillar recommendation
6. Repurposing engine with example
7. Evergreen topic bank (25+ topics total)
8. Timely trigger calendar

Rules

1. 5 pillars max — more than 5 dilutes focus. Exactly 5.
2. 50 example topics minimum — 10 per pillar. Specific, not vague.
3. Platform-specific formats — carousel advice for Twitter is useless. Match format to platform.
4. Conversion path — every pillar must connect to revenue, even indirectly
5. Anti-slop — no "valuable content" or "engage your audience" filler. Specific topics, specific hooks.
6. Brand-aligned — every pillar must trace back to something in brand-context.md