What Are Your Content Pillars?

HINT: Head to the bottom of the page to get our Content Pillar Cheat Sheet with 24 examples of content pillars you can use right now in your business social media.

Don’t write “content pillars” off as just another social media buzzword, because they are actually a super useful tool for content creation, especially if you are having difficulty coming up with new ideas. 

You might have also heard them referred to as content categories or content buckets, but I’m going to go with content pillars. Content pillars are the main topics your brand will talk about and create content surrounding on social media. Typically you are looking for around three to five of these content pillars, and because you will be creating content from these topics, your audience is going to come to expect content that fits under these categories. 

The reason I like for my accounts, and my client’s accounts to have these content pillars is because it helps you stay focused when creating content. It can be tempting to go off track and post anything and everything that you think would relate to your audience, so these content pillars will keep you in line and focused. This way, you are focused on your areas of expertise and are able to show your audience that you are the expert. 

Content pillars also make planning content in advance super easy and can help you get rid of “on-the-fly” posts altogether.

However, creating your content pillars is not an easy task, there are things you need to consider before you set them in stone. 

The first thing you need to think about is the goals of your business because your content pillars really need to align with them. Think about what you are actually trying to achieve by being on social media, and about what content your target audience is going to want to see and find value in. As your brand evolves and your business goals change you can revisit these content pillars and make changes as you need to, just because you started out now with these content pillars doesn’t mean you need to keep them forever. 

You’re going to need to keep a continual eye on a few things: the keywords that your target audience is using, the trends that your target audience is looking at or participating in and what is happening in your industry. These are all going to influence your content and your content pillars. 

Head into your analytics regularly and see what content has worked and what hasn’t. What have you posted that gained traction? That got people engaging? That has resonated with your audience the most. This is the content that you want to replicate and keep creating more of. Your data and analytics are a gold mine for driving your content creation. 

You’ll also want to hone in on what your audience is saying or asking about your business or your industry. Are there questions that are being asked frequently? Because they can be turned into content. Don’t forget that you can always go straight to your audience and ask them what they want to know or see from you, create a story or feed post that literally asks what they are looking for from you. 

Now this is something fairly new that I have added in when it comes to content pillars - use AI tools to help you brainstorm. Not only can you simply ask AI to suggest you some content pillars, but content ideas as well. But here is the thing, AI can not do all the work for you, it doesn’t have that human touch or the connection that you have to your business and your target audience. Do not just take the word and ideas of an AI tool, make sure you add some spice. 

Alright, now I have put together some sample content pillar ideas for a few different types of businesses and I’ll also let you in on my own content pillars. 

My content pillars.

So, for my own business, EJG Creative I have four content pillars that I generally try and stick to. The first is social proof and this is to establish trust with my target audience, here I post clients’ results, testimonials, client photos etc. The second is promotion, and everyone should have this one in their pillars, but use it sparingly. For promotion, it is generally just information about specific products or services, new deals or specials- anything that promotes your business to your audience. The third is education or value, this is content that my audience will find helpful and these are usually posted in reels or carousels. My fourth is entertainment, and in this category, I create content that might get a laugh or a reaction. Trending memes that I have curated to suit my audience or a trend on TikTok, just something to add some humour to my feed. So that is my four pillars - social proof, promotion, education and entertainment. 

Now let’s get into some quick examples that might help you come up with your own content pillars. 

For a real estate agency, I would go with promotion (new listings, offers, what has been sold), I’d also add social proof here in the form of testimonials for clients and customers and business statistics. I would also make sure to include industry insight to show that you are on the pulse, this would be market information, infographics and expertise. The fourth I would include here is to show off your area and promote WHY people would want to move to or buy in the area that you are selling. Show off the community, the attractions, the local businesses, and the restaurants, and make the audience SEE why they should move to your area. 

My second example is actually one that I use currently for a grocery store client because without content pillars I think it would be quite hard to continually think of new content for this type of business. The first pillar is promotion, again any in-store promotions, new products that are in-store, new brands that are being carried etc. The next is the people, the behind-the-scenes content. The day-to-day of the grocery store, customers, staff, team leaders, and the culture of the store. The next is value in the form of infographics, recipes, tips and tricks, anything that the audience will find value in. And the last community, anything that is happening in their local community - events, news items, and other local businesses. 

If you have not already got your content pillars sorted I REALLY want you to stop right now and get them sorted. Write down your goals, research your keywords and trends, check in on your analytics, and do some social listening. From there create three to five topics that you can consistently create content with and around. You can thank me later.

If you’re not sure what your content pillars would be, we’ve got you covered. Enter your email below to get a free download of our Content Pillars Worksheet with 24 examples you can use for your business right now!