Whether you call it core content, anchor content or pillar content, the concept is the same. It’s the long-form content that feeds all the other content you create. Having one main type of pillar content is really effective, because you can focus on perfecting it and distributing it consistently. You also free up time and expertise to repurpose it, meaning nothing goes to waste.
Here we discuss the benefits of choosing one type of pillar content, how to choose the medium that best suits you and your team and how to make it really stand out!
What is pillar content?
It could be a podcast or a video series, a blog or research papers — a type of long-form content that is high value and can feed lots of additional content that you create.
We have The Content 10x Podcast. It’s the original piece of content that we repurpose into videos for social media and YouTube, posts for LinkedIn and other social media platforms as well as this blog post. Each episode provides us with many weeks of content. If we really went to town, a single podcast episode could provide us with months of content. We’re experts in repurposing after all, so if there’s one thing we can do well, it’s extract the value from content to create new content!
One mistake brands can make is publishing anchor pieces of content all over the place, with no consistency. We believe it’s better to focus in on one medium and be consistent.
Why? Because if you are constantly pumping out core content, chances are you’re not repurposing any of the content you’ve created, or you are repurposing it but you’re not getting to lay down systems and processes to repeatedly get the most out of it — meaning so much goes to waste.
How do you choose a type of pillar content?
There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer to this question as there are many factors at play.
However, we believe video is a great anchor medium because one can result in a podcast episode, blog posts and social media videos, images, text posts and lots of other content — you can end up with content for months.
A video interview provides the opportunity to reach out to members of your target audience and invite them onto your show, creating fantastic networking opportunities.
If you create live video interviews, you also add audience interaction and engagement into the mix as well as all the benefits of video content.
However, livestreaming, creating video content and podcasting isn’t for everyone. The key is to choose an anchor medium that works for you and your team.
What type of pillar content works for your team?
Do your team’s interests and skill sets lie in producing audio and video content, or are they researchers or writers?
Because you can always tell something that’s been produced just because it has to be there. For example, keyword-driven content that’s just checking off SEO targets, or YouTube videos that are created only for organic, or a podcast where the host doesn’t want to be hosting a podcast! It comes across as forced, inauthentic and ultimately, boring!
However, content that’s produced by a team that is invested in the outcome and skilled at producing it?! That’s what we want!
So, look at your current team. What should your medium be, based on your skills and interests? What types of content do they love to create? What are they best at?
Another option is to hire for the content that you want to create. So if you want it to be a podcast, but at the moment you don’t have anyone in your team with the skills, abilities or desire to launch and host a podcast, then hire with that in mind.
So, look at your current team. What should your medium be, based on your skills and interests? What types of content do they love to create? What are they best at?
Another option is to hire for the content that you want to create. So if you want it to be a podcast, but at the moment you don’t have anyone in your team with the skills, abilities or desire to launch and host a podcast, then hire with that in mind.
Align your pillar content with your team’s skills and interests
Ultimately, the key is to align your pillar content with your team, because by doing that it’s so much easier to gain traction, build the kind of audience you want, and get in front of your ideal customer.
However, if you don’t have the budget or capacity to create, produce, repurpose and distribute your pillar content, getting agency support might be the best option. It’s what we do! If you want to get started then drop us a message and we can start a conversation about how we can help maximize your content and get it in front of the right people!
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