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, or small business owner, getting clear on your content pillars can make all the difference in creating intentional, on-brand and on-message content.

Knowing your content pillars makes it way easier to create content.

Here's the mistake I see all the time 👀

❌ People think "Educate, Entertain, Inspire" are content pillars.

I get it. This advice is everywhere on social media. You probably have heard this advice before and it misses a critical point.

Let me explain why this is wrong advice. 🚫

Those aren't topics—they're approaches.

Here's the difference:

• You educate about a topic.
• You inspire through a story or experience on a topic.
• You entertain about a topic.

These are aspects of your content pillars, but there's always a core topic. ✏️

So you can always make something educational, inspirational or entertaining, right?

But it's done within a main topic in mind.

🏛️ Here's what you need to understand about your content pillars:

Being entertaining is not the main topic.

You're being entertaining about a certain topic.

This advice online is misguided because it misses the point that you still need a topic to discuss.

For example, if one of your content pillars is wellness, you might:

• Teach about getting started with managing your macros (educate)
• Share a personal story about your wellness journey (inspire)
• Post a meme about a wellness topic your audience relates to (entertain)

You need to center your content around a content pillar.

The core topic stays the same, the style changes.

So instead of asking yourself:
“Is this educational or entertaining?”

Start with asking yourself: What’s the actual topic I'm talking about?

That’s your pillar. 🏛️🏛️🏛️

So it's your approach to it, but you still ground yourself on one main topic.

This shift alone can help you organize your ideas, stay consistent with your message, and make content creation feel less chaotic. Yes, you can apply your content pillars to your content series as well.

What do you think?

Have you ever been told to use "educate, entertain, inspire" as your pillars?

I'd love to hear your thoughts—just hit reply and let me know. I read every message!

Looking for more support? 💬

I'm currently building a course that dives deep into content pillars—how to choose them, how to use them, and how to make your content strategy less overwhelming. If you'd like to be the first to hear when it's ready, join the waitlist here.

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Keep creating,

Nancy

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Nancy Casanova Specializing in content strategy, graphic design and workflows. Helping you simplify and streamline your content marketing. ​ ​​​​​

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