Content Strategy

From Thought Leadership to System

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, we created thought leadership content using five formats—framework, lesson, contrarian, observation, and teaching posts. Now we turn occasional content creation into a sustainable system that keeps your brand visible without burning you out.

The #1 reason personal brands stall isn’t bad content—it’s inconsistency. People post enthusiastically for two weeks, then disappear for a month, then try again. A content strategy makes consistency automatic.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to:

• Define 3-5 content pillars that anchor all your content
• Build a content repurposing workflow that multiplies your effort
• Create a monthly content calendar using AI

Content Pillars: Your Territory

Content pillars are the 3-5 topics you consistently create content about. They define your territory—what people come to you for.

How to Choose Pillars

Your pillars sit at the intersection of three factors:

1. Your expertise — What do you know deeply?
2. Audience interest — What does your target audience care about?
3. Differentiation — What do competitors NOT cover, or what’s your unique angle?

Example Content Pillars

For a product marketing manager:

1. Product launch strategies
2. Competitive positioning
3. Cross-functional team leadership
4. Metrics that actually matter
5. Career growth in product marketing

For a freelance UX designer:

1. UX research methods
2. Design systems
3. Freelancing business tips
4. Accessibility in design
5. Client communication

✅ Quick Check: Based on your brand brief from Lesson 2, what are 3 topics you could own? Topics where your experience gives you a unique perspective?

How AI Helps

“Here’s my brand brief: [paste brief]. Suggest 5 content pillar options based on my expertise, target audience, and market gaps. For each pillar, give me 5 specific content topic ideas.”

The Content Repurposing Machine

Creating fresh content daily is unsustainable. Instead, create one substantial piece per week and repurpose it across formats:

The Repurposing Waterfall

Week 1 Monday: Write one in-depth LinkedIn article or blog post (800-1,200 words)

From that one piece, extract:

• 3-4 LinkedIn posts (pull key points, each becomes standalone)
• 1 Twitter/X thread (break the argument into tweet-sized points)
• 1 infographic or carousel (visual summary of key framework)
• 1 newsletter section (behind-the-scenes of the idea)
• 1 comment prompt (question from the piece to spark discussion)

One core idea → 7+ pieces of content.

How AI Helps

“Here’s a LinkedIn article I wrote: [paste article]. Repurpose it into: (1) 3 standalone LinkedIn posts under 300 words each, (2) a Twitter thread of 7-10 tweets, (3) a carousel outline with 8 slides, and (4) a newsletter blurb with a personal angle. Maintain my brand voice: [attributes].”

The Content Calendar

A content calendar removes the daily “what should I post?” anxiety. Here’s the framework:

Weekly Content Cadence

The 80/20 Content Mix

• 80% value content: Teaching, frameworks, stories, insights
• 20% promotional: Your services, achievements, case studies, calls to action

This ratio builds trust. If 4 out of every 5 posts give your audience something valuable, they won’t mind when the fifth mentions your consulting services.

How AI Helps

“Create a 4-week content calendar for LinkedIn based on these content pillars: [list pillars]. Use this weekly cadence: Monday teaching, Wednesday story, Friday hot take. For each post, provide: title, pillar, format (framework/lesson/contrarian/observation/teaching), key angle, and a one-sentence hook. Include 2 promotional posts across the month.”

Batch Creation: The Productivity Secret

Creating content in batches is dramatically more efficient than creating one piece at a time:

Monthly batch session (2-3 hours):

1. Brainstorm — Generate 12-15 topic ideas with AI (15 min)
2. Outline — Create brief outlines for each post (30 min)
3. Draft — Write 4-5 core pieces with AI assistance (60-90 min)
4. Repurpose — Extract derivative posts from core pieces (30 min)
5. Schedule — Load content into your scheduling tool (15 min)

You now have a month’s worth of content created in a single focused session.

How AI Helps

“Help me brainstorm 15 content ideas for next month across my pillars: [pillars]. For each idea, give me: working title, pillar, format, target audience resonance, and a 2-sentence outline. Prioritize ideas that address trending topics in my industry: [industry].”

Try It Yourself

Build your first content calendar:

“Based on these content pillars: [your 3-5 pillars] and my target audience: [audience], create a complete 2-week content calendar for LinkedIn. Include:

• 6 posts total (3 per week)
• Mix of formats (teaching, story, contrarian)
• Full draft for one teaching post
• Hook and outline for the other 5
• Suggested engagement prompts for 2 discussion posts”

Key Takeaways

• Content pillars (3-5 core topics) define your brand territory and build topical authority
• Repurpose aggressively—one core idea generates 7+ pieces of content
• The 80/20 rule ensures most content provides value, earning you the right to promote occasionally
• Batch creation (monthly 2-3 hour session) is more efficient than daily scrambling
• AI is your content production partner—brainstorm, draft, repurpose, and calendar in hours

Up Next

In Lesson 6: Strategic Networking, we’ll cover how to build relationships that amplify your brand. Content gets you noticed; networking turns attention into opportunities.