An introduction to content strategy 

All organisations need a content strategy to plan, produce and publish successful content. For charities, it’s essential to make sure that the content you create is aligned with your organisation’s goals and user needs.

The word ‘strategy’ can make it feel daunting but getting started might be easier than you think. Content strategy is used to solve complex problems, but that doesn’t mean that it needs to be complex itself.

This guide will give you a basic understanding of:

• What content strategy is
• How it can help charities and the people you make content for
• What it’s for and how to get started

What a content strategy is

In her 2015 book The Content Strategy Toolkit, Megan Casey says:

“Content strategy helps organisations provide the right content, to the right people, at the right times, for the right reasons.”

The statement succinctly captures the 4 main areas that content strategy covers: 

• What: themes, topics, formats, voice and tone
• Why: user needs, organisational goals
• Where: structure, channels
• How: people, processes, tools, governance

When people think about content strategy, they often focus mostly on the what,