What Are Content Pillars?
Why do we use them and how do you use them effectively?
First, what are the base pillars?
Entertain
Inspire
Teach
Advocate
These are pretty clear in general, since they are the BASE pillars, but let’s break these down to see what they can mean for your brand.
Starting with, Entertain:
How do we classify entertainment content against other types? This can be pretty simple, but in my opinion, this content is the most fun to create.
Entertaining content can also come in many forms - normal posts, videos, reels, and stories. However, overall, just like it implies, this content is meant to entertain your audience.
Of course, entertainment can mean different things to different people. Not everyone finds the same content that way. But, in general, you would think of this content as grabbing and keeping attention, making people laugh, or dramatizing a topic. Whatever keeps people watching and hopefully even replaying, saving, or sharing.
Next, Inspire:
Again, all pillars will look different for different audiences, companies, brands, and industries. So how do you inspire YOUR community?
Let’s look at some examples.
A hospitality or travel brand probably isn’t going to use information about your gut health to inspire you, right? But, maybe it would talk about mental health or self care with taking a vacation and relaxing.
A fitness coach may share inspiring quotes or a new fitness routine.
Inspiration is often connected to motivational speakers and quotes, but there are many ways to inspire your audience!
A few more examples that align with different industries:
STEM: quotes, new studies, new companies, or awards
Travel: self-care, avoiding burnout, reminders to take time off,or even reassurance that letting yourself get away and visit somewhere new is ok.
Fitness: quotes to keep pushing forward, how to help plateaus, healthy recipes, new products, and new aspirational routines
And there are so many more options! It simply depends on your brand, industry, and audience.
#3 - Teach:
This is the information you are sharing with your community. What are you educating your audience on through your content?
Are you teaching about a brand new discovery? Is there a new study that came out that you’re able to break down?
Is there a hidden gem location you have to tell everyone about?
What about a new protein drink that could help others on their fitness journey?
The teaching pillar is truly about what you have to share and the topics your brand can educate others on.
And last, but not least, is Advocate:
What and/or who are you advocating for?
What are your values? What is your mission? This pillar can line up with your audience getting to know you as a brand.
We’ve mentioned in previous articles, how as society has evolved, now more than ever, people are truly getting to know brands they support. If they can’t support the same things as you do, more than likely, they are not going to be your audience.
However, this isn’t just about what your company values are, but how you demonstrate those values. What this pillar is basically saying is to put your money where your mouth is. This may even sound scary, but truly this can be very empowering! Empowering to your brand AND your audience. When they know you stand behind them, they’ll stand behind you.
We know some people may not think pillars are important. This may just be because it can feel or sound like you’re putting yourself in a box. But, here’s the difference!
Putting yourself in a box is restricting yourself. That is not what pillars are about or meant to do. The goal of this article is to outline how creative pillars can be, how helpful they can be during your creative development process, and especially when it comes to your strategy.
When creating your pillars, research your audience, research your platforms, understand who your brand is and identify what you can share with your community. You should not apply the same pillars to every brand, but you should apply the same CORE pillars to each.
Discover what falls under your core pillars, discover your true values, and discover your target audience.
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