Your Content Is Attracting Attention — But Is It Building the Audience You Actually Need? (The Power of Content Pillars)

If your content suddenly went viral… would it attract the people you want to work with?

Would it bring in aligned customers? Supporters? Donors? Volunteers?Or would it just flood your inbox with people who liked the joke, but missed the point?

Imagine this:

You’ve been posting regularly. You’re finding a groove — content is going out consistently, and your numbers are climbing.Maybe you’re sharing helpful advice, inspiring messages, or behind-the-scenes moments. Regardless, you’re building something.

But then, you ask the audience to do something — show up to an event, sign up for a webinar, donate to a cause, buy a product, download a freebie… and you get crickets.

You analyze your online interaction and realize…

• The comments are friendly, but the questions miss the mark.

• The messages roll in — but they’re not from the kind of people you’re trying to serve.

• They love your vibe.

• They appreciate your insight.

• They’re just... not the right audience.

This isn’t a failure. It’s a signal.

You’re building an audience — just not the right one. And that’s fixable.

Attention is easy. Building trust and connection takes real strategy.

If you want your business, nonprofit, or mission to actually go somewhere meaningful, you need more than flash.

You need clear, consistent content pillars — the foundation that keeps your message focused, your audience aligned, and your content working toward real outcomes.

What Are Content Pillars?

Content pillars are the big themes that organize your message, guide your content creation, and build trust over time.

They help you:

• Stay consistent and clear about what you stand for

• Connect every piece of content to your larger mission

• Build the right kind of audience — the kind that moves with you toward your goals

Without pillars, it’s like shouting into a crowd and hoping the right people hear you.

With pillars, you’re laying down paths that invite the right people to move closer — post by post, story by story.

The Problem: You Can Hit Something Without Aiming — But It's Probably Not What You Want

…and it can do more harm than good.

The point is, you don't have to aim carefully to hit something.

This makes me think of the scene in “Garden State” where the character Jesse fires a flaming arrow straight into the air and then everyone runs to avoid it.

The arrow is launched. There’s no real target, but everyone is engaged and running around actively participating by trying not to get hit. There’s no real target or goal. It’s just excitement for the sake of excitement.

Building content without clear pillars works the same way:

• You might go viral.

• You might pick up followers.

• You might even feel like you’re succeeding.

But if your audience isn’t aligned with your mission, your offers, and your vision, you’re just getting busier — not building momentum.

What I Do Differently

Most people stop at the category level. They grab a generic list — educate, inspire, promote — and try to fill in the blanks.

That’s not a strategy. It’s just keeping the content machine running.

I help people build something better:

• We clarify your big-picture goals

• Define your audience and what they need

• Build personalized pillars that connect your ideas to your audience’s reality

Then we go further. We translate those pillars into real systems:

• A messaging plan you can actually follow

• A content calendar in Google Sheets

• An AI tool (trained on your brand and voice) to generate ideas, write drafts, and help you stay consistent without burning out

The result? A plan that works with your voice and your goals — not just another thing on your to-do list.

Example: What This Looks Like (Choose Your Story)

Business Example: Saige owns a local, sustainable outdoor gear store

She's passionate about protecting natural spaces and promoting ethical manufacturing.

Her Instagram is filled with stunning mountain shots, adventurous hiking reels, and the occasional viral camping meme.

Engagement is strong — but most followers are casual outdoor fans who like the vibe but don’t necessarily care about sustainability enough to invest in ethical gear.

Saige’s content is attracting outdoor lovers — but not building the mission-driven customer base she needs.

Nonprofit Example: Open Hands Collective is a nonprofit focused on food security for families

Step-by-Step: How to Create Your Strategic Content Pillars

Building your content pillars isn’t complicated — but it does take focus.

Here’s the simple process — and you’ll see how Saige and Open Hands Collective apply it at each step.

Step 1: Start With the Big Picture

Before you can figure out what kind of content to make, you have to know where you're trying to take people.

That means getting clear on a few core things:

• What are you actually trying to accomplish right now? Are you trying to book more clients? Build awareness? Shift your audience’s perspective? Grow a list? Sell a specific offer?

• Who exactly do you want to reach — and why? It’s not just about demographics. It’s about fit. What do they care about? What kind of people do you actually want to be in conversation with?

• What’s the bigger reason you’re doing this work? Why does it matter? What kind of change are you trying to be part of? And how does your content help move that forward?

When you take the time to write that out — even in a few rough sentences — it becomes a filter. It helps you say no to what doesn’t belong, and it gives your content some direction, so you’re not just creating to stay busy.

How Saige Clarifies Her Big Picture

Saige’s goal is to grow her ethical outdoor gear brand’s subscription program and increase direct-to-consumer sales by 25% this year.

She wants to attract eco-conscious outdoor adventurers who are willing to invest in sustainability, not just casual weekend hikers.

Beyond selling gear, Saige’s bigger mission is protecting wild spaces and promoting responsible consumption.

How Open Hands Collective Clarifies Their Big Picture

Step 2: Understand the Journey Your Audience Is On

Once you’re clear on where you’re going, the next step is figuring out where your audience is starting.

What are they thinking?What are they frustrated with?What’s confusing, overwhelming, or keeping them stuck?

This is the part where most people make assumptions. They skip past it and jump straight to sharing what they know — but if you’re not meeting your audience where they are, your content won’t land.

A few good questions to ask:

• What do they believe right now that might be holding them back?

• What are they hoping for, even if they haven’t said it out loud?

• What bad advice have they been exposed to?

• What kind of content would actually help them feel seen and supported — not just sold to?

The goal here isn’t to manipulate or manufacture pain points.It’s to build empathy — and create content that actually helps move them forward.

Once you understand their perspective, you can start building content that bridges the gap between where they are now… and what you want to help them do next.

Make a short list of common struggles, fears, myths, and dreams your audience has.

How Saige Understands Her Audience’s Journey

Her audience worries about greenwashing — they’ve seen "eco-friendly" brands that are anything but.They fear paying more for products that don’t live up to the ethical claims.They dream of adventuring in ways that protect the wild places they love.

How Open Hands Collective Understands Their Audience’s Journey

Step 3: Pick 3–5 Basic Pillars

Now that you’ve got your big picture and a clearer sense of your audience, it’s time to shape the framework your content will live within.

Content pillars act like anchors. They hold your strategy in place. They help you show up consistently without reinventing the wheel every time.

But the anchor isn’t what your audience sees. What they connect with is the buoy — your personalized name for each pillar. It should sound like something you would say, and something they would recognize.

Start With a Solid Anchor

Here are some solid foundational themes most people can build from:

Anchor (Theme)	Purpose
Educational	Teach, explain, simplify
Relational	Share values, stories, human moments
Promotional	Invite people to act — buy, donate, sign up
Community	Celebrate your people — clients, donors, customers
Process or Philosophy	Show how you work and why it matters
Myths & Misconceptions	Challenge common beliefs in your space
Vision or Inspiration	Cast a bigger picture of what’s possible
Practical Tools & Tips	Offer bite-sized, actionable advice

🔎 Ask yourself:

• Which 3–5 pillars help me guide my audience through their journey?

• Where do I need to educate, encourage, or invite action?

How Saige Picks Her Starter Pillars

Saige chooses:

• Educational Content (Foundational content — explain ethical gear sourcing)

• Inspirational Content (Connection content — share real adventures and conservation wins)

• Promotional Content (Campaign content — feature product launches and subscriptions)

How Open Hands Collective Picks Their Starter Pillars

Step 4: Make Each Pillar Specific to You

Then Personalize Them

To raise the buoy, give each anchor a name that sounds like you. Something simple, memorable, and clear.

Some prompts that help:

• What language do you naturally use around this topic?

• What tone fits your brand? Casual? Professional? Playful? Grounded?

• What words or phrases would your audience instantly understand?

Anchor	Personalized Pillar (Buoy)	Why It Works
Educational	Wellness Wisdom	Makes the topic accessible and grounded in care
Promotional	Open Invitations	Frames offers as opportunities, not pressure
Relational	Behind the Business	Builds connection through transparency
Community	Real People, Real Wins	Celebrates others without sounding salesy
Myths	Things We Don’t Talk About	Draws curiosity while addressing real tension
Tips	The Back Pocket Guide	Signals helpfulness and ease of use
Process	How We Work	Prepares people to understand and engage
Inspiration	Imagining Better	Aligns vision with values without hype

Each personalized pillar becomes a signal — something your audience can recognize and trust, and something you can use to keep your content clear and intentional.

Once these are in place, content planning becomes more like filling in the blanks and less like guessing what to say next.

For each pillar, build:

🔹 Pillar Title

🔹 Pillar Purpose

🔹 Key Messaging Themes

🔹 Example Content Ideas

How Saige Personalizes Her Pillars

Pillar Title: Gear Up Responsibly

Purpose: Educate outdoor adventurers on how choosing ethical gear protects the wild places they love.

Key Messaging:

• What ethical sourcing actually means

• How Sierra’s gear reduces impact

• Adventure stories featuring responsible gear choices

Example Content:

• "3 questions to ask before buying your next hiking boots"

• "How we source our materials (and why it matters)"

• "Weekend adventure gear checklist — eco-friendly edition"

How Open Hands Collective Personalizes Their Pillars

Want to Make This Easier?

When your content pillars are clear — and aligned with your goals and your audience — everything else starts to get easier.

You’re not staring at a blank screen wondering what to say.You’re not switching gears every time you post.And you’re not wondering whether any of this is actually working.

Once the foundation is in place, you can use tools like Google Sheets and AI (trained on your voice, values, and audience) to help generate ideas, fill out a calendar, and keep things moving — without burning yourself out.

This is what I do with clients.We spend about two weeks building a full business profile — one that clearly defines your voice, your audience, and your goals — and we use that to create a plan that actually works.

Once that’s set up, I can usually knock out a month’s worth of content in about three days.Not because I’m rushing — but because the system is clear.

Starting With The End In Mind

Content pillars are an incredible tool for ensuring that your messaging remains consistent, relevant, and engaging to the right audience. It’s a strategic approach that builds trust while simultaneously curating a loyal and connected audience.

Saige didn’t have to stop posting beautiful mountain photos.Open Hands Collective didn’t have to stop sharing inspiring garden stories.

They just needed pillars — clear, strategic paths that connected their creativity to their bigger mission.

Same voice.Same energy.More purpose.More momentum.

Why This Matters (And Why You're Still Here)

If you’re still reading this, it’s because this idea works.

You’re not just here for quick wins or easy hacks.You’re building something real — and you’re serious about doing it right.

By taking the extra step to dive deeper, you’re showing the exact mindset it takes to actually build meaningful growth.

Final Thought: Build With the End in Mind

Here’s the thing:

Viral moments come and go, but real traction — the kind that leads to trust, transformation, and growth — only happens when you consistently speak to the right people.

The future clients who see themselves in your work.The donors who are ready to fund you offer.The volunteers who see themselves in your mission.

That’s why content pillars matter.

They’re not just for staying “on brand,” they help you make sure the next post, the next story, the next opportunity — leads your audience down a path that truly matters.

If you want help building your own content pillars — or if you want to learn how to use ChatGPT or another AI to brainstorm ideas or a custom AI to help you create and implement your pillars to build a fully aligned content calendar — I’d love to connect.

Let's build content that does more than get attention.Let’s build content that actually matters.

Want Help?

If this sounds like the kind of structure you’ve been missing — but you’re short on time or brain space to do it all yourself — I offer free consults.

No pitch. No pressure. Just a conversation to help you get clarity and figure out what makes sense for your business.

Click here to schedule a FREE strategy consult