---
name: authority-content-strategy
description: "Plans content strategies for building authority with research pieces, original frameworks, and data studies."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Authority Content Strategy

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Plan a content strategy specifically designed to build authority and expert positioning
- Create original research, frameworks, and data-driven content that gets cited
- Design a content system that elevates you from practitioner to recognized expert
- Build a library of reference-worthy content that attracts media, speaking, and partnerships

**DO NOT** use this skill for general content marketing, social media scheduling, or SEO blog strategies. This is for authority-building content — the kind that gets quoted, shared by peers, and referenced in industry conversations.

---

## Core Principle

AUTHORITY CONTENT IS NOT ABOUT PUBLISHING MORE — IT IS ABOUT PUBLISHING CONTENT SO ORIGINAL AND EVIDENCE-BASED THAT OTHER PEOPLE CITE YOU AS THE SOURCE, TURNING YOUR NAME INTO A REFERENCE POINT FOR YOUR DOMAIN.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Domain** | "What specific topic do you want to be the authority on?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Current authority level** | "Are you currently known in your space? How?" | Unknown — building from scratch |
| **Existing content** | "What content have you already published?" | Blog posts and social media |
| **Data access** | "Do you have access to proprietary data, customer insights, or industry data?" | Customer insights from own business |
| **Content capacity** | "How much time per month can you invest in authority content?" | 10 hours/month |
| **Distribution channels** | "Where will you publish and promote?" | Blog + LinkedIn + email newsletter |

**GATE: Confirm the brief before proceeding.**

---

## Phase 2: Strategy

### Authority Content Hierarchy

```
## Content Tiers (from highest to lowest authority)

### Tier 1: Original Research (quarterly)
- Industry surveys and reports
- Data studies from your own customer or audience base
- Benchmark reports with proprietary data
- Annual "state of" reports
→ These get cited, linked to, and covered by media

### Tier 2: Original Frameworks (monthly)
- Named systems, models, or methodologies
- Visual frameworks (matrices, pyramids, cycles)
- Decision-making tools
- Step-by-step processes with original naming
→ These get adopted and attributed to you

### Tier 3: Deep Analysis (bi-weekly)
- In-depth case studies with real numbers
- Contrarian analysis of industry trends
- Teardowns of successful strategies
- Predictions with supporting evidence
→ These get shared and debated by peers

### Tier 4: Commentary (weekly)
- Hot takes on industry news
- Responses to popular content
- Short-form insights and observations
→ These keep you visible between big pieces
```

### Content Calendar

```
## Quarterly Authority Content Plan

**Month 1:**
- Week 1-2: Publish Tier 3 deep analysis
- Week 3: Tier 4 commentary (2-3 posts)
- Week 4: Tier 2 framework piece

**Month 2:**
- Week 1: Tier 4 commentary (2-3 posts)
- Week 2-3: Tier 3 case study
- Week 4: Tier 4 commentary + promote existing pieces

**Month 3:**
- Week 1-2: Tier 1 original research (data collection + writing)
- Week 3: Publish and promote Tier 1 piece
- Week 4: Tier 4 commentary on the research findings
```

**GATE: Present the content hierarchy and calendar for approval.**

---

## Phase 3: Build

### Original Research Playbook

```
## How to Create Original Research

**Step 1: Choose the question**
What does your industry wonder about but nobody has measured?
Example: "What is the actual email open rate for solopreneur newsletters in 2025?"

**Step 2: Collect data**
- Survey your audience (minimum 100 responses for credibility)
- Analyze your own customer data (anonymized)
- Scrape public data sources
- Partner with a complementary business for larger datasets

**Step 3: Analyze and visualize**
- Find the 3-5 most surprising or useful findings
- Create charts and graphics for each finding
- Write headline-worthy insight statements

**Step 4: Package and publish**
- Full report (PDF, gated behind email opt-in)
- Blog post summarizing key findings (ungated)
- Social media graphics with individual data points
- Press release or pitch to industry publications

**Step 5: Distribute**
- Email to your full list
- Share on all social channels
- Send to journalists and bloggers who cover your space
- Present findings at events and on podcasts
```

### Framework Creation Guide

```
## How to Create a Named Framework

**Step 1: Identify the process you already use**
What do you do repeatedly for clients or in your own business that gets results?

**Step 2: Structure it**
Break it into 3-5 clear steps or components. Name each one.

**Step 3: Name the framework**
Use a memorable name: "The [Adjective] [Noun]" or "The [Number]-[Action] [System]"
Examples: "The Leverage Loop," "The 3-Phase Launch System," "The Authority Flywheel"

**Step 4: Visualize it**
Create a diagram — cycle, pyramid, matrix, or flowchart

**Step 5: Teach it everywhere**
Use the framework in blog posts, talks, social content, and client work until it becomes synonymous with your name
```

### Case Study Template

```
## Case Study: [Title]

**Situation:** [What the client or company was facing — with context and numbers]
**Challenge:** [The specific problem to solve]
**Approach:** [What strategy or framework was applied — reference your own if applicable]
**Results:** [Measurable outcomes with specific numbers]
**Key insight:** [One takeaway that the reader can apply to their own situation]
**Timeline:** [How long it took to achieve these results]
```

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### 1. Authority Indicators Dashboard

```
## Track Monthly
- Content pieces published per tier
- Backlinks earned (especially from industry sites)
- Social shares and saves (quality over quantity)
- Media mentions or interview requests
- Speaking invitations received
- Times your framework or data was cited by others
- Email list growth from authority content
- Inbound leads attributing content as the source
```

### 2. Content Quality Standards

```
## Authority Content Must-Haves
- [ ] Original data, analysis, or framework (not rehashed advice)
- [ ] Specific numbers and evidence (not opinions)
- [ ] Professional visuals (charts, diagrams, graphics)
- [ ] Cite sources for any external data used
- [ ] Include a clear methodology section for research pieces
- [ ] Offer a unique perspective not found in existing content
- [ ] Written for experts and ambitious practitioners (not beginners)
```

### 3. Distribution Amplification

```
## Maximize Each Piece of Authority Content
1. Publish on your owned platform (blog/newsletter)
2. Create 5-10 social posts highlighting different insights
3. Pitch the findings to 3-5 relevant podcasts
4. Send to 5-10 journalists or bloggers who cover your space
5. Present the findings in a webinar or live event
6. Reference in all future content and speaking
7. Update annually with new data (creates a recurring franchise)
```

---

## Example 1: Marketing Consultant Authority Strategy

```
Domain: Content marketing ROI for B2B SaaS
Tier 1: Annual "State of B2B Content Marketing" report (survey of 500 marketers)
Tier 2: "The Content Revenue Framework" — 4-step model connecting content to pipeline
Tier 3: Monthly teardown of a SaaS company's content strategy (with public data)
Tier 4: Weekly LinkedIn commentary on content marketing trends
```

## Example 2: Business Operations Authority Strategy

```
Domain: Systems and automation for solopreneurs
Tier 1: "The Solopreneur Efficiency Report" — survey of 300 solopreneurs on time usage
Tier 2: "The Leverage Stack" — framework for deciding what to automate, delegate, or eliminate
Tier 3: Bi-weekly case study of a solopreneur who reduced hours while growing revenue
Tier 4: Weekly LinkedIn posts challenging hustle culture with data
```

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Publishing rehashed advice** — if your content could have been written by anyone who Googled the topic, it is not authority content.
- **No original data** — opinions without evidence are blog posts. Authority content is backed by numbers.
- **One big piece, no consistency** — a single research report does not build authority. Consistent publishing across all tiers does.
- **No visual framework** — ideas without visual structure are forgettable. Create diagrams people can screenshot and share.
- **Ignoring distribution** — the best research in the world is useless if no one sees it. Spend as much time distributing as creating.
- **Targeting beginners** — authority content speaks to peers and advanced practitioners. If beginners are your only audience, you are not building authority, you are building a following.

---

## Recovery

- **No data access:** Survey your audience. Even 50 responses from a targeted audience produce citeable insights.
- **No original framework yet:** Document what you already do. Every experienced practitioner has a process — naming it and visualizing it creates a framework.
- **No time for research:** Start with Tier 3 (case studies and analysis). They require less data collection and still build authority.
- **Content is not getting picked up:** Improve distribution first. Most authority content fails because of distribution, not quality. Pitch it directly to people who should see it.
