Content strategy: what it consists of and how to tell it works

What a strategy consists of

1. Business goals and metrics. What should change and how we will see it.
2. Audiences. Not “women aged 25–45” but specific people: where they live, which language they read in, what they watch, what they fear.
3. Insight. What a person thinks and feels but brands do not tell them. An example from the “Life on Ultra” case: we all want healthy habits but do not know how to start without getting injured.
4. Position and creative frame. One sentence that explains why the brand talks about this. “Sport for non-athletes”, “fintech is not about technology, it is about business results”.
5. Content sections. 4–8 regular sections, each with a goal: reach, trust, engagement, sales.
6. Tone and editorial policy. How we speak to each audience, which words we do not use, who approves and how.
7. Channels and formats. Where and in what form content comes out, how often and in which languages.
8. Distribution. How content will reach people: targeted ads, seeding, influencers, PR, search.

How to tell a strategy works

• You can write a monthly content plan from it without further questions.
• It includes what you do not do: topics, formats and channels you gave up, and why.
• The metrics are linked to the business, not just to likes.
• The insight is based on data: interviews, search queries, comment analysis.
• There is a review plan: what we will check and adjust, and when.

Example: one strategy, different audiences

For the fintech company Tarlan Payments, we defined the tone for each audience (entrepreneurs, top managers and IT directors) and an editorial policy based on the JTBD approach for LinkedIn, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube. Every piece addresses the job of a specific audience, and the system scales to new products and countries.