Staring at a blank screen, wondering what to post today?
You are not alone. Idea generation is one of the most challenging tasks when working with social media. In fact, generating fresh ideas tops the list of daily marketer struggles.
Here’s the good news…
There’s an easy framework that solves this issue once and for all. They’re known as content pillars and once you establish them you’ll never struggle with what to post again.
Here’s how it works.
In this guide:
- What Are Content Pillars?
- Why Content Pillars Fix Your Social Media Problem
- How To Build Your Own Content Pillars
- Turning Pillars Into Endless Post Ideas
What Are Content Pillars?
Content pillars are your 3-5 big themes that everything you post revolves around.
Instead of racing to come up with some wacky idea every morning, you already know your topics. All you do is write something that falls under one of your pillars. Easy-peasy!
This is how you build a solid social media strategy. Without pillars, you toss out miscellaneous content lacking focus. With pillars in place, everything you post furthers your larger objectives and reaches your ideal customer.
Crafting a content pillar strategy is what a great Our Own Brand (OOB) social media team does when building a social media strategy for the brands they serve. They layout the pillars first. Then they create content that moves the needle within those pillars. This ensures everything posted is on-brand while eliminating endless hunting and pecking.
Here’s a quick example. A coffee shop might use these four pillars:
- Behind the scenes: Show how the coffee is made and roasted.
- Educational: Teach followers about beans, brewing, and flavour.
- Community: Feature regulars, staff, and local events.
- Promotional: Highlight new drinks, deals, and menu items.
See how easy that is? Every post idea now has a home.
Why Content Pillars Fix Your Social Media Problem
Content pillars address several problems simultaneously. Here’s how.
They End The “What Do I Post?” Panic
This is the big one.
Once you establish your pillars you are never building from nothing. You see your themes and choose one. Making that choice eliminates 90% of the pressure.
And it’s important than you might realize. Close to half of content teams struggle to provide consistent experiences for their customers. Why? Because they don’t have a process. Content pillars ARE that process.
They Keep You Consistent
Facebook (and other social sites) rewards consistency. If you post sporadically, the algo will forget you. Post consistently and it will begin amplifying your posts to more users.
Here’s the thing though…
Consistency doesn’t mean blasting 10 posts a day. It means posting on a schedule that you can actually maintain. When you have pillars to draw content from, consistency is much easier because you will never run out of ideas.
They Make Your Brand Recognisable
The more consistent your content is with the same subjects being discussed, the more recognizable you become.
Think of it like this:
Lets say one of your followers sees three of your posts. If all three posts teach them something valuable, they will think of you as that go-to expert in your niche. And when they need that problem solved, they’ll trust you. When they trust you, they become customers.
Tip: Content that appears consistently communicates that you’re organized and on top of things. People are MUCH more likely to buy from you as a result.
How To Build Your Own Content Pillars
Now for the fun part. Let’s build your content pillars from scratch.
Relax, it’s much simpler than you think. Just take these steps and you’ll have your pillars whipped up in no time.
Step 1: Know Your Audience
You can’t create content pillars without knowing who you’re talking to.
Ask yourself:
- What problems does my audience have?
- What do they want to learn?
- What kind of content do they enjoy?
Audience research is #1 reason why content marketing efforts succeed. Nail this and the rest will follow.
Step 2: List Your Themes
Write down all possible topics of conversation around your brand and your audience.
Don’t filter. Brain dump. DUMP EVERYTHING. You’ll see repetition. Group like items together and you have pillars.
Step 3: Pick Your Final Pillars
Narrow your list down to 3-5 solid themes.
Why three to five? Well too many pillars gets cluttered and overextends yourself. Too little and you start losing focus and reusing content. Three to five pillars gives you room to grow.
A good mix usually includes:
- Educational content that teaches your audience something.
- Entertaining content that makes them smile.
- Promotional content that sells your product.
- Community content that builds relationships.
It maintains balance in your feed. Close to half of companies spend most of their posts trying to entertain, educate, or inform users as opposed to hard selling. That’s how you keep people engaged.
Turning Pillars Into Endless Post Ideas
Here’s where the magic happens.
By generating pillars you can brainstorm dozens of post ideas from each pillar. Here’s how you’ll never run out of blog topics again.
Here’s exactly how to do it.
Break Each Pillar Into Sub-Topics
Take one pillar and list all the smaller topics inside it.
Say your pillar is “educational.” Under that, you might have:
- Beginner tips
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Step-by-step tutorials
- Myth-busting posts
- Answers to FAQs
So that’s five sub-topics just from one pillar. And remember each sub-topic can turn into multiple posts. Already see how this snowballs?
Reuse Content Across Formats
Take one idea. Turn it into multiple posts. It’s the easiest way to work smart, not harder.
Take a single tip and turn it into:
- A short video
- An image carousel
- A text post
- A story
Video is also worth the extra effort. Approximately 35% of marketers report short-form videos have the highest ROI of any format.
Build A Content Bank
The last step is to keep a running list of ideas.
Whenever you get an idea of something to create, throw it in your content bank under the appropriate pillar. That way when you’re ready to create, you’ll have a WHOLE list to work from.
No more blank screens. No more panic. Just pick an idea and go.
Bringing It All Together
The easiest way to solve your social media content idea problem permanently is with content pillars.
Establishing 3-5 main themes ensures each article has a reason to exist and a place to live. You maintain consistency, build a recognizable brand, and never suffer from writer’s block again.
Here’s a quick recap:
- Research your audience and what they want
- List every topic you could talk about
- Group them into 3-5 solid pillars
- Break each pillar into sub-topics
- Build a content bank you can pull from anytime
Fact: Posting on social media shouldn’t feel like an everyday battle. Once you have content pillars established, you will never run out of things to post. The more you stay on track, the more the algorithm favors you.
Alright, get out a notebook, sketch out your pillars and see how simple content will become.
