Strategic content doesn’t have to mean you’re glued to your phone 24/7 or morphing into a full-time content creator. You just need a system that works, one that lets you show up consistently without burning out or second-guessing every post.
In this episode, I’m breaking down the exact three-step framework I use for myself and my clients to create strategic, brand-led content that actually connects with your audience. We’re talking about how to pick a monthly theme, narrow it down to three core ideas, and then adapt those ideas into multiple content formats so you’re never staring at a blank screen wondering what the hell to post.
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The Three-Step Framework for Content Creation
This is how I approach content for my own business and for every single one of my clients.
Step One: Figure Out Your Business Goals for the Month
What are you selling right now? What needs visibility or momentum? What do you need to warm your audience up for what’s coming next?
Maybe you’re at capacity and just in a nurturing phase. Either way (whether you’re selling, building visibility, or nurturing), you need to get honest about what’s going on in your business right now.
That’s your primary objective.
Step Two: Figure Out Your Audience’s Goals for the Month
Where is their head at? What time of year is it? What’s their emotional state? Their mental bandwidth? What are they dealing with right now?
If you’re thinking, “I don’t know,” then you need to do some more research about your audience.
Let’s say moms are a big segment of your audience. During the summer, when some people might be more relaxed and online, moms are probably juggling a million things like summer camp and family trips. Their mental bandwidth for what they can consume is way different than, say, a college kid on spring break.
Think about end-of-year energy when people are ready to crash and reset in January. Or early spring when people are in “new beginnings” mode and ready to clean house.
People have different mentalities collectively at certain times of year.
Another thing to consider: Are they chasing quick wins right now, or are they playing the long game because nothing short-term has worked?
For example, I teach content as a long game strategy. This isn’t about getting one viral post that changes your life. But that’s what a lot of my competition would lead you to believe because there are people who want that quick dopamine hit.
Typically, my audience has already tried that. It either didn’t work or it did work, and they realized, “Oh, that was it? That’s not actually what I want.”
So my people are playing the long game. If I directed my messaging toward short-term wins, they’d scroll right past because it’s not relevant.
Step Three: Find the Overlap
What’s that sweet spot where your goals and their goals intersect?
That’s where you create content from a good place.
You Literally Need Three Core Content Ideas
That will carry you for an entire month.
Think about the business owners you admire right now, the ones whose content you save, share, and stalk when you need inspiration.
What do you notice about their accounts?
They’re not reinventing the wheel every single week. They have their core foundational ideas, and they share them over and over and over again — just repackaged in fresh ways.
If you want to do the same, here’s how it works…
Pick one theme that sits at the intersection of your goals and your audience’s goals.
Once you’ve locked in that theme, picture brackets in your mind. You’ve got your high overarching theme, and underneath that theme are the subtopics.
So you have:
- One main core theme for the month
- Three subtopics coming down from that theme
- Each subtopic turned into three different content formats for your social platform
Let’s use Instagram as an example since that’s where I hang out.
Those three content formats could be:
- Talking head reel (just you talking to camera with captions)
- B-roll reel (footage in the background with text overlay — could be trending music or a voiceover)
- Carousel post (text-heavy info on graphics)
Boom. Three posts right there. Technically four or five if you mix up the B-roll options!
How to Actually Fill Your Content Calendar
Let’s say you’re posting three times a week on Instagram: Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Week One:
- Monday: Idea 1 in talking head format
- Wednesday: Idea 2 in carousel format
- Friday: Idea 3 in B-roll format
Week Two:
- Monday: Idea 1 (same idea from last Monday’s talking head) now as a carousel
- Wednesday: Idea 2 (same idea from last Wednesday’s carousel) now as a talking head
- Friday: Idea 3 (same idea from last Friday’s B-roll) now as a carousel
Week Three:
- Monday: Idea 1 now as B-roll
- Wednesday: Idea 2 now as B-roll
- Friday: Idea 3 now as talking head
See how they interchange? You’re covering each idea in multiple formats, rotating them so nothing feels repetitive, and you’re not scrambling for new ideas every single week.
PS: You can keep all your content ideas in their various formats and files, organized in my ClickUp Content Calendar System (it’s what I use to manage all my clients’ content and 10/10 recommend it to everyone).
But Wait, Won’t People Notice I’m Saying the Same Thing?
No. And here’s why:
Your audience is never paying that much attention.
Repetition of core ideas is actually a good thing. If anything, it’s building brand trust. If you’re saying different things every single time, nothing sticks and your audience is like, “What do they actually believe in? They keep changing like the wind.”
Your audience consumes content differently.
By adapting the same idea into multiple formats, you’re giving your audience a better chance of absorbing and remembering what you’re sharing. Format variety = higher retention.
Different formats speak to different buyers.
Some buyers need text-heavy details (carousel post). Others want emotional connection (B-roll). Some want to see your face and hear your voice (talking head). You’re hitting all the brackets.
This is evergreen content.
Evergreen content can be recycled again and again. Want to reuse these post ideas in a few months? Go for it. With how fast content formats and algorithms change, you can use the same core idea adapted to whatever’s trending six months or a year from now, and it’ll feel completely new.
I’ve used the same topics for the past five years. People still comment like, “Oh my God, this post was so good. This was everything I needed to hear.”
I’m not saying anything new. I’m saying the same things, just pivoted and repackaged in ways that apply to what’s timely, what’s relevant to my goals, and what my audience needs right now.
Real Example from My Own Content
Let me show you how this plays out in real life.
Back in September, I posted a B-roll reel with trending audio. The text on screen said: “Patiently waiting for all the girlies to realize they don’t need to go viral in order for their content to be used as a tool that builds their service-based business.”
For the caption, I literally copy-pasted it from a B-roll reel I posted a few weeks earlier.
The difference was that the first one (posted September 8th) had text that said: “I wish more business owners knew that copying a content creator strategy is a fast track to burnout and disappointment. They monetize views, you’re trying to sign clients — different game, different scorecard.”
Same caption. Different visual hook. Different people engaged with each one because the messaging spoke to slightly different pain points.
And then on August 19th, I posted another piece about not needing to go viral, but this time it was a voiceover to B-roll, using the fitness metaphor I love. Talking about how content is a long game, you can’t look for quick fixes, and sustainable wins come from continued strategic effort.
If you scroll through my Instagram from June, you’ll notice the theme was about getting people to pay attention to your content — high production vs. native content, why no one’s watching past three seconds, how to hook people immediately.
Then, by September and October, I shifted to talking about why you don’t need to go viral as a service provider. The focus moved from “this is the type of content that works” to “here’s how to apply it strategically because you’re not trying to go viral — you’re trying to build trust.”
Different monthly themes, but all rooted in the same brand foundations!
Evergreen Content = Brand-Led Content
At its core, evergreen content is brand-led content. It’s the foundation that makes you known for what you want to be known for. It draws a line in the sand and says, “This is who I am and why you should trust me.”
You don’t need to chase trends, create 47 different posts every month, or become a full-time content creator.
You need three solid ideas rooted in strategy, said in multiple ways. And you need to show up consistently so your people can find you, trust you, and hire you.
That’s it!
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