Content pillars give an advice firm a stable way to organise ideas. Weak pillars mirror the service menu. Strong pillars connect a chosen audience with recurring decisions that the firm can explain with depth.
Use three tests for every pillar
Audience relevance
Does this subject help the priority reader make sense of a real decision?
Credible authority
Can advisers contribute useful evidence, examples and judgement over time?
Commercial connection
Is there a natural route from understanding the subject to a worthwhile planning conversation?
Make pillars distinct
Each pillar should do a different job. For a firm focused on owners approaching exit, the pillars might cover testing exit assumptions, connecting business and personal planning, and coordinating professional advice.
- Avoid pillars that overlap so heavily that every idea fits all three.
- Give each pillar a one-sentence purpose.
- List subjects that are explicitly out of scope.
- Review the balance quarterly rather than changing pillars every week.
Turn pillars into a working brief
- Name the audience question behind each pillar.
- Choose one anchor topic for the quarter.
- Record existing pages that can be reused.
- Assign an intended call to action and measure.
