Content marketing

Content Marketing

Developers trust useful content, not ad copy. This skill produces long-form pieces that teach something real, demonstrate the product honestly, and end with a clear next step. Content compounds — a good tutorial ranks for months; a generic promo dies in hours.

Chains from [[growth-strategy]] (brief, pillars, ICP) and feeds [[social-distribution]] (snippets), [[seo-growth]] (optimized pages), and [[community-engagement]] (discussion starters).

When to Use

• Writing a launch blog post or product announcement
• Creating tutorials, guides, or "how to" articles
• Drafting newsletter editions or email sequences
• Producing case studies or user success stories
• Writing landing page copy (hero, features, FAQ)
• Repurposing one pillar into multiple formats

Skip for short social posts only — use [[social-distribution]] instead.

Process

1. Start from the brief

Load inputs from [[growth-strategy]] or gather:

• Topic / working title
• Target reader (ICP persona)
• Goal — educate, convert, retain, announce
• Primary keyword (if SEO matters)
• Message pillar this piece supports
• CTA — sign up, try feature, join community, read docs
• Format — blog (800–2000 words), tutorial (step-by-step), case study, newsletter

If the topic doesn't serve the ICP or a message pillar, reject or reframe it.

2. Outline before writing

Structure every piece:

Hook — specific pain or surprising stat (2–3 sentences)
Problem — why this matters to the reader
Insight — your angle (not generic advice)
Solution / walkthrough — steps, examples, screenshots placeholders
Product tie-in — natural, ≤20% of piece; show don't pitch
Proof — data, quote, mini case, or demo
CTA — one clear action

For tutorials: numbered steps, code/commands where relevant, expected outcome per step.

3. Write for developers

Rules:

• Lead with value — reader learns something even if they never sign up
• Be specific — "connect with 3 mentors in your stack" beats "grow your network"
• Show the product — describe what happens on screen; mark [SCREENSHOT] or [GIF] placeholders
• No fluff — cut "in today's fast-paced world" and empty superlatives
• Honest scope — say what the product doesn't do yet
• Scannable — H2/H3, bullets, short paragraphs, code blocks where useful

Voice: peer explaining something useful, not a brand shouting.

4. Optimize for engagement and conversion

• Title — benefit or curiosity; include keyword if SEO piece
• Meta description — 150–160 chars, includes CTA verb
• First 100 words — hook + promise of what they'll get
• Internal links — related posts, docs, sign-up page
• One primary CTA — repeated once mid-article and once at end max
• Social snippets — draft 3 pull quotes or thread bullets for [[social-distribution]]

5. Repurpose plan

From one article, extract:

Asset	Format	Channel
Thread	5–8 tweets	X
Carousel outline	5 slides	LinkedIn
Reddit post	Problem + link	Subreddit (value-first)
Newsletter blurb	2 paragraphs	Email
Community question	Discussion prompt	Discord / forum

List these in the deliverable even if another agent publishes them.

6. Review before publish

Self-check:

• Would I share this if I didn't work on the product?
• Every claim is true or marked [VERIFY]
• CTA matches the campaign goal
• No jargon without explanation
• Screenshots/demo placeholders noted

Common Rationalizations

• "SEO will fix a weak article" — Thin content doesn't rank or convert. Quality first.
• "The whole post should be about our product" — 80% value, 20% product. Invert and readers bounce.
• "We need more posts, not better posts" — One strong tutorial beats five announcements.
• "Developers read long docs" — They read long useful docs. Cut everything else.

Red Flags

• Title promises what the body doesn't deliver
• No concrete examples, steps, or screenshots
• CTA missing or buried
• Reads like a press release
• Copied from a competitor with names swapped
• [VERIFY] tags left in published copy

Verification

Content is done when:

• Outline matches brief (ICP, pillar, goal, CTA)
• Full draft with hook, problem, insight, solution, proof, CTA
• Title + meta description written
• 3 social snippets / pull quotes for repurposing
• Repurpose table filled (thread, LinkedIn, Reddit, newsletter)
• Self-review checklist passed; claims verified or flagged