Do You Still Need Content Pillars in 2023?

Content Pillars have been a topic of discussion in the world of social media for many years, and in a time of “unhinged” marketing tactics, reaction videos, and an endless stream of new meme templates, it’s not surprising that you might be wondering if they’re even relevant in 2023. 

Well, we’re here to tell you - they are!

Not only are they a great way to organize your social media strategy, but they can act as a guiding light that will help you to create content truly aligned with your vision as well as your business’ goals. This will ensure that your authentic narrative remains consistently on display for your followers!

We’re going to step off our soapbox for a sec and dive into our handy guide for establishing content pillars for yourself.

You've heard of Content Pillars before... but what are they?

Content pillars are a set of topics, typically 3-5, that you will use as a foundation for all of the content you create. 

They can be subjects that you plan to discuss directly, issues you want to amplify, or areas from which you draw inspiration. The most important thing is that they act as a consistent thread around which your narrative is woven.

These pillars are key to having a meaningful content strategy on any social platform, and in order to create them, you’ll first need to...

Outline Your Business Goals

Why are you on social media? 

• To get clients?

• Promote your course? 

• Grow your following?

• Expand your reach? 

It’s time to get really clear about your purpose, and you may not want to hear this, but… that’s going to require some soul searching. So, dig deep, be honest with yourself about your goals, and decide why it is that you are on social media. That will help to lay a foundation for future content and will almost certainly lead to some inspiration.

Fortunately, it may also help you identify the audience you’re attempting to target, and now that you’ve found your why, it’s time to think about what your audience wants to see. So, you’ll need to…

Identify Your Audience Needs

Are you a psychologist, coaching people through intimacy issues in a clinical setting? You may not prefer to rely on trending Barbie memes to get your point across. Then again, maybe your goal is to reach a new audience and after that thoughtful bout of soul searching, you’ve decided that Barbie memes are exactly what the doctor ordered!

If you remember our last newsletter, we stressed the importance of honing in on your audience’s “problem,” and what you can do to solve it. This same line of internal investigation applies in this context, so if you need a refresher, you can check out the blog version of that newsletter here.

Once you’ve gotten through that refresher, and identified the problem your content can solve, try to conceptualize how your audience may want to digest the information you’re going to present.

These may seem like no-brainers, but walking down this road with us in a methodical fashion will help you construct your pillars.

Now that we’ve gotten through the soul searching and conceptualizing phase, it’s time to do a brain dump of potential pillars. We encourage you to think BIG! Start with large, overarching subjects - you can then narrow them down later! 

Not quite sure where to begin? Don’t stress. Here are…

5 Ideas to Jumpstart Your Brainstorm

Inspire - Forge a deeper connection with your audience by showing them what inspired you to begin your journey of content creation and what inspires you to continue on that journey! 

• Why did you get into the sex-positive industry? 

• How did you start your business?

• What motivates you on a daily basis?

• Hint: this is where you share aesthetic photos, motivational quotes, your personal story, etc

Educate - Enlighten your audience about what you do, what you offer, your methods, your successes, your failures, and what’s going on in the wider community! 

• Tips & tricks

• How-to guides

• Case studies

• Lessons learned 

• News and goings on in the SXP industry

• Think Roe v Wade, SESTA-FOSTA, new toys, new techniques etc.

Entertain - If you know Queen Media, you know that we prioritize offering our audiences tangible value, but what is life without a little levity! Even the most educational account can benefit from some fun from time-to-time. 

• Transition videos

• Before-and-afters

• Memes

• Pop culture references

• Day-in-the-life

Ok, pause! The previous three sections are focused on the content you're releasing out into the world, but content pillars can also be inward-facing. These next two ideas are intended to motivate you, the creator, in the background.

Research - While it’s important to stay true to your vision, it’s important to keep an eye out for what’s going on around you and remain open to switching things up a bit. Here are a few ways that you can stay ahead of the trends in your sector and continue to deliver fresh, timely content.

• Keyword research

• See where the traffic is going on Google, Instagram & TikTok!

• Stay up to date with current events

• Google news alerts can be huge help

• Follow and engage with other creators in your wider community

Reach out - This one isn’t for everyone, but if you already have an established community—even a small one!—try asking your followers and your peers what they want to hear from you. This might sound obvious, but trust us, you’ll appreciate this reminder down the road. 

…

There you have it, folks! A solid foundation from which you can build your own content pillars.

Hungry for more? Join us over at The Queen’s Court for further deep dives on this subject and a slew of others!