Most founders who stop posting don't run out of time first. They run out of ideas. Each week starts with the same blank page and the same question: what should I write about? After a few weeks of guessing, the posts get random, readers can't tell what the account is for, and the habit fades.
Content pillars fix the blank page. They are a short list of themes you return to again and again, chosen on purpose. This lesson explains what they are, why they work, and how to choose yours in one afternoon.
What are content pillars?#
Content pillars are the three to five themes a brand publishes about again and again, each tied to a problem its buyer has and something the brand knows well. They sit one level above single posts. A pillar is a shelf; posts are the books you put on it.
Take a founder who sells bookkeeping software to freelancers. Their pillars might be "getting paid on time", "taxes without panic" and "running a one-person business". Every post fits on one of those shelves. A post about invoice reminders goes under the first. A post about saving for quarterly taxes goes under the second. A post about their favourite movie doesn't fit anywhere, which is a useful signal.
Random topics
- Pick a topic each morning
- Posts jump between unrelated ideas
- Readers can't tell what you're about
- Every week starts from zero
Content pillars
- Pick a topic from a short list of themes
- Posts build on each other
- Readers learn what to expect from you
- Ideas pile up under each pillar
Why do content pillars work?#
Content pillars work because repetition is how people learn what you stand for. A reader who sees five useful posts about getting paid on time starts to think of you when that problem comes up. A reader who sees five posts on five unrelated subjects remembers nothing in particular.
Pillars help you too. Ideas stop being one-off sparks and start collecting under a theme. When a customer asks a question, you know which pillar it belongs to and can save it for later. Over time each pillar becomes a small library, and a library is far easier to write from than a blank page.
The best pillars all circle one core: the main problem your product solves. Some pillars sit right next to it. Others sit a little further out and build trust, such as your story or how you work. Together they cover the ground your buyer walks on before they are ready to buy.
- Your buyer's main problem
- How-to lessons
- Common mistakes
- Behind the build
- Customer stories
The core is the problem your product solves. Each pillar circles it from a different angle, so every post still points back to the same place.
How do you choose your content pillars?#
Choose content pillars where three things overlap: a problem your buyer has, something you know well, and a path that leads toward your product. A theme with only one or two of those is weaker. A theme your buyer cares about that you know little about will be hard to write well. A theme you love that your buyer ignores will be easy to write and hard to grow.
- Frame 01Collect
Write down 30 real questions from customers, replies and support chats.
- Frame 02Group
Sort them into piles that share a theme. Name each pile in the buyer's words.
- Frame 03Score
Rate each pile: how often asked, how well you know it, how close to your product.
- Frame 04Pick
Keep the top three or four. Write one sentence on what each pillar promises the reader.
Start from your buyer, not from your own interests. If you have written an ideal customer profile, read it first: the problems listed there are your best pillar candidates. If you haven't, use the questions people already ask you. They are free research, and they are written in the exact words your readers use.
Scoring sounds formal, but a quick one-to-five rating is enough. You are not looking for a precise answer, only for the piles that clearly stand out from the rest.
- 1Getting paid on timeAsked often, close to the product14 points
- 2Taxes without panic12 points
- 3Running a one-person business10 points
- 4Productivity appsEasy to write, far from the buyer's problem6 points
- 5Founder's travel diary3 points
Illustrative example, not measured data
In this example the top three become pillars. "Productivity apps" is tempting because it is easy to write about, but it is far from the problem the product solves, so it would attract readers who never need bookkeeping. The travel diary can live as an occasional personal post, not as a pillar.
How many content pillars should you have?#
Most solo founders and small teams should have three or four content pillars. Fewer than three gets repetitive quickly. More than five spreads a small team too thin, and readers lose the thread of what you are about.
A useful test is your weekly rhythm. If you publish three times a week, three pillars let each one appear every week. If you publish once a week, three pillars still work: each comes back once every three weeks, which is often enough for readers to remember it.
How do you turn pillars into posts?#
Turn pillars into posts by giving each pillar a slot in your week and a few formats that suit it. That way, when you sit down to write, you are not choosing from everything. You are choosing one topic inside one pillar, in one format.
| Pillar | Good formats | Example post |
|---|---|---|
| Getting paid on time | How-to, checklist | "Three invoice reminders that don't sound rude" |
| Taxes without panic | Common mistakes, short video | "Four tax mistakes freelancers make in their first year" |
| Running a one-person business | Behind the build, a thread | "How we plan a week with no team" |
Some formats suit some pillars better. Step-by-step lessons fit a thread well; our guide on how to write an X thread people read to the end shows how. Mistakes and quick tips often work as short videos. Stories fit a newsletter. Keep a running list of topics under each pillar, and add to it whenever a customer asks something new.
Two common mistakes to watch for. The first is choosing pillars that are too broad, such as "marketing" or "business". A pillar should be narrow enough that a reader knows what they will get. The second is choosing pillars and then ignoring them. If you notice you have not posted about a pillar in a month, either schedule it or replace it.
Summary#
Content pillars are the three or four themes you publish about again and again. Choose them where your buyer's problems, your knowledge and your product overlap, name them in your buyer's words, and give each a regular slot in your week. Keep a list of topics under each pillar so you never start from a blank page. If you want help turning your pillars into a steady weekly plan of drafts you review, OpenCMO drafts posts you approve and publish.