A content strategy is your plan to create, publish, and manage content. This plan helps you achieve your content creation goals, including gaining visibility, building trust, or converting your audience.
It also helps you stand out among the competition. This is useful whether you’re a personal brand or a business owner.
Content Strategy Illustration
Let’s say you’re travelling a long distance by road (maybe you splurged your airfare on a JP2025 outfit).
Identify:
Where you’re going - Cameroon
Why you’re going there - For vacation, to meet the president, or to host an event
How to get there? By road
What others traveling to Cameroon by road do and how they satisfy their audience
What you’ll do or talk about when you get there
Who the journey will benefit - Your audience
What you’ll do for your audience
How you’ll consistently show up in Cameroon (for the same reason you went there in the first place)
Then:
Make changes to your travel plans or activities when necessary
How do you Create a Content Strategy?
1. Start with Purpose
Your content shouldn't just be another thing on the internet. Start by defining your goal. Do you want to educate, sell, entertain, or build authority? A clear purpose shapes the topics you choose. Without it, your content will feel scattered.
2. Know Your Audience
Understand who you’re creating for, their challenges, the value expected, and the language they use. You can use keyword research tools, audience feedback, or polls to identify your audience’s needs. Competitor analysis can also help you know what attracts your audience.
3. Map Out Your Core Topics
Strong content strategies are built around pillars—core topics that you want to be known for. Let’s say you’re a healthcare practitioner; you can create three content pillars: nutrition, fitness, and mental health.
4. Choose the Right Formats & Channels
Create content tailored to your audience's location. If they’re on LinkedIn, a combination of text posts, carousels, and videos can be effective. On Instagram, videos and carousels are great. As you create, monitor your analytics to identify which format your audience gravitates to more and what to tweak.
5. Optimize and Improve
There is no single solution to achieving success at content creation. Look at your metrics. What’s failing or succeeding? Analyze the numbers and refine your strategy. For instance, I noticed that people interact with my post more when I go full-on humorous.
Note: You need to create with consistency
Resist the temptation to push out content for volume. Show up with high-quality content at scheduled times.
Strategy first, Content next
Writing before creating a strategy is putting the cart before the horse. If this has been your approach, you can fix it. As you run with your strategy, never forget to make adjustments when necessary.
If you want us to work together on creating your next content strategy? You can send a DM.
See you in the next one.
I’m Oluwatosin Ajayi, a content writer passionate about creativity and innovation. I spend most of my time strategizing and thinking of valuable solutions for fellow writers and business owners. Send a message if you need assistance creating workable strategies to elevate your writing career or business.