Stop overthinking your content strategy: 3 ways to make it work for you


Hello Reader,

If you’ve ever sat down to map out your content strategy and ended up spiraling into a sea of tabs, ideas and half-finished drafts…you’re not alone. 😅

Overthinking can stall your momentum, cloud your message and make content creation feel more complex than it needs to be.

I know you care about doing it right, but that doesn’t mean your strategy has to be complicated. It just needs to be clear.

Here are three ways to stop overthinking your content strategy and start showing up with clarity and purpose.

1. Understand your audience more deeply

Before you begin creating content, you need to know who you’re speaking to.

Strategy starts with empathy. The more you understand your audience, the easier it is to create content that feels like it was made for them.

What you need to get clear on:

  • What problems is your audience facing right now?
  • What fears, doubts, or blockers are getting in their way?
  • How would they describe these challenges in their own words?

How to get clarity on your audience:

You can start by talking directly with your audience. This means asking questions, listening and observing. Make sure you allocate time to dive deep into your DMs, emails, responses, comments and forums where your audience hangs out. As you do this, look for recurring themes and specific language your audience uses.

✍️ Strategy tip: This research is gold. Your best content ideas often come from real conversations, not brainstorming sessions.

2. Anchor your content to clear messaging

If your content feels scattered, it’s probably a messaging issue, not a creativity issue.

You need a consistent way to communicate the results you provide and the transformation you help create.

Start by asking yourself:

  • What transformation do I guide people through?
  • What results or outcomes do I help them achieve?

How to do this:

Define 3–5 content pillars that align with your brand and your audience’s needs. Make sure you allow your content pillars to guide your brand storytelling, transformational tips and offers.

✍️ Strategy tip: Think of your content pillars as your foundation because they keep your message consistent and your strategy focused.

3. Set a clear and measurable marketing goal

If everything is a priority, nothing is.

To create aligned content, you need to get specific about what you’re building.

Random content = random results.

How to establish your marketing goal:

  • Choose one clear goal (sales, email list growth, brand awareness etc.)
  • Map out the actions and content that directly support this goal.
  • Use a content calendar to plan and track what’s working.

Ask yourself:

  • What metric are you trying to improve? Before you hit publish, consider whether the post and call-to-actions are helping you move the needle.

✍️ Strategy tip: When you reverse-engineer your content based on your goal, every post has purpose and your momentum builds with intention. Use a content calendar to plan intentionally and track what’s working. Align your CTAs, content topics, and platform choices to your goal, and let that focus guide your decisions.

REMINDER:

You don’t need more content ideas—you need more clarity.

The more intentional you are with your audience, message, and goals, the easier it becomes to create content that feels aligned and effective.

👉 Need support with this? Check out this Content Calendar using Airtable—it comes pre-filled with strategic goals so you can stay focused, simplify your planning and maximize your content strategy.

Until next time, keep creating.

Nancy

3016 E. Colorado Blvd. #70841, Pasadena, CA 91107
Unsubscribe · Preferences

Nancy Casanova

Helping you simplify and streamline your content marketing.

Read more from Nancy Casanova
Content pillar mistakes you might be making

Hello Reader, Are your content pillars actually…content styles in disguise? If you’ve been using “educate, entertain, inspire” as your go-to framework, this might explain why your content still feels scattered. Let’s clear something up: 👉 These aren’t content pillars—they’re styles. And if your content feels scattered or disconnected from your offers, this could be why. Many creators and small business owners start their strategy by choosing these three common words: Educate. Entertain....

Hello Reader, You might’ve noticed the world feels…loud. Heavy. Emotionally charged. Some people are taking breaks. Others are creating through it.Some are carrying on as if nothing has changed. Some are speaking out. Others are going quiet. And some are still creating, but feeling unsure how their message will land. And maybe, like me, you’ve been wondering..."Are we all just topic-switching? Are we pivoting our strategy… or what?" So what do you do with your content strategy when the...

Hello Reader, Let's get into some details about content pillars—the topics that string your content strategy together. You may have heard people refer to these as "content buckets" or "content categories," but I prefer "content pillars" because they give your brand a solid foundation and help you stay grounded in the topics you talk about most often. What are content pillars? Content pillars are 3-5 topics that your brand discusses in depth. Whether you're a service provider, content creator,...