A Starter Guide to Content Pillars for Artists

If you don’t define your content pillars then you’ll just be posting random content, and getting frustrated when it doesn’t help move the needle in your business.

Author

Fabiola Lara
June 18, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Hey Content Support Groupies 👋

  • Are you always struggling to come up with content ideas?

  • Are you unsure if posting on social media really helps your business?

  • Does every post feel like a shot in the dark?

If all these questions hit too close to home, then I bet you probably haven’t sorted out your content pillars yet.

In order to create a successful content calendar, you have to define your content pillars that line up with your business goals. If you don’t define your content pillars then you’ll post random content, and get frustrated when it doesn’t help move the needle in your business.

Let’s get into my method for defining and developing my content pillars:

What Is A Content Pillar?

A content pillar is a topic or overarching theme that aligns closely with your brand values, services, or offerings. Content pillars serve as a central theme around which you can easily develop a variety of content to promote your brand goals.

💼 Adobe clarified its user terms after concerns about AI, and will be releasing updated terms soon. TBH, i do think it provides some relief.

👀 The US Government filed a lawsuit against Adobe ‘deceiving’ subscriptions that are too complicated to cancel. People have been complaining about this for a while, so i’m interested to see how this develops.

🧪 YouTube announces the rollout of their thumbnail A/B Testing tool, allowing users to upload up to 3 thumbnail designs to determine which one gets the most clicks. I always think YouTube has the best tools and analytics for creators, and this is just another one!

⚡️ Instagram posts on Threads now preview as image carousels, so they look better and seamlessly redirect back to your Instagram profile.

I suggest having 3-5 content pillars that cover different parts of your creative business and focus on you — the artist. Clearly defining your content pillars will help you easily come up with ideas for content, so you feel less rushed and confused about posting every week.

Do not get content pillars confused with content formats, such as Reels, TikToks, or Instagram Carousels. You can use a wide variety of content formats under any one of your content pillars.

How to Develop Your Content Pillars

(1) IDENTIFY GOALS: Decide 3-5 of your Main Business and Brand Goals. For example, it could be to expand your educational offerings, increase shop sales, increase brand awareness, or build your online audience. These are going to directly influence your content pillars!

(2) DEFINE TOPICS: Come up with 1 topic that aligns with 1 of your business goals, so you have just as many pillars as you have goals. If you have too many goals, just identify 3 themes that encompass MOST of your goals.

(3) GENERATE CONTENT IDEAS: Ideate & create content ideas that fit under each content pillar. That’s why I recommend having 3-5 content pillars max, so it’s manageable and you can always expand later as you get comfortable.

Example of Content Pillars for an Artist:

For an artist, potential content pillars might include:

Creative Tutorials: Educational content that teaches different creative techniques, tools, and processes.

  • Goal: Promote your educational offerings such as classes, guides, and workshops.

Candid Behind-the-Scenes: Content that gives a glimpse into the creative process, studio setup, and daily life of the artist.

  • Goal: Build trust with your audience so they are invested in your creative career success.

Showcase and Portfolio: Featuring finished artworks, exhibitions, and collaborations.

  • Goal: Attract potential buyers and new brands that want to work with you.

These are just 3 broad content pillars that you can establish for your brand, you can always get more specific!

Once you establish your content pillars, you’re ready to come up with content ideas that fall under each pillar. So every week, when you’re working on your content calendar, you can make sure you come up with at least 1 idea for each pillar so your content is well-balanced!

Now that you’re feeling confident about your content pillars, it’s time to start filling in your content calendar. If your current content calendar is more of a hassle to fill out than it actually helps, then you need to try out my new Notion Content Calendar template!

coming soon:

My Notion Content Calendar
Template & Content Creation Workflow

For the past two months, I’ve been working on my Notion content calendar to make it the best tool for planning content and executing every task needed. I’ve been using this content calendar to plan the launch of this content calendar itself, and it has been such a useful tool and tracker. I can’t wait to share it with you!

The main difference between my Notion Content Calendar and others I've seen is that it's specifically designed for artists needs and includes a lot of automation, so you don't have to waste time on repetitive tasks. Plus, it's the exact workflow I use to get my content created and published!

✹ Vote in the poll below to join the waitlist for my Notion template! The waitlist will receive early access and a discount, so be sure to vote to stay updated! ✹

Social Media News
For Artists & Creators

🎥 CREATIVE TREND 🎥

MATCH MY FREAK

If you have something unconventional that you do in your creative practice, you could pair B-roll of you doing that, with this current trend. It’s already popular on TikTok, so this remix will likely gain traction from here! I think you can do it without dancing at all, but if you’re up for it — I’m not gonna stop you!

THINK YOU CAN STOP WHAT WE DO?

Alright, this one is SUPER high energy. Literally the opposite of the weekly lofi beats I usually share here, but I think it would go really well with a variety of studio b-roll with a ton of quick-cuts. Jump on it before it’s too late!

BE DELUSIONAL

I love to include an inspo voiceover in these newsletters whenever I can bc I think they’re generally low lift audios that only require you to add some creative process b-roll. So… here’s this week’s!

JAMMIN’

As always, here’s the latest trending lofi beat for those of you who just want a chill audio to put in the back of your next tutorial or studio vlog.

Edit Inspo: @bebensusan

TALK TALK

BONUS: Talk Talk is currently trending, but I’m sure most of her new music will pick up over the week. There’s not a specific artist/creative tie-in, but you can simply edit to the quick beat and take advantage of the BRAT hype 💚

🌟 READER FEATURE 🌟

I wanted to introduce this new segment so I can highlight content from readers that were inspired by this newsletter!

This week, I’m featuring this IG Reel from @NatsAndMe who decided to be more vulnerable about her down days after reading last week’s newsletter. It’s really cute and opens up a really good convo, go check it out ⤵️

Tag me in your content for the opportunity to be featured next week!

I’m sooooo excited to launch this Notion Template, and if you want to get the details on how I’m prepping and planning content for launch — then follow me on Threads!

👉 Did someone send you this newsletter? 👈

Then be sure to hit subscribe to keep getting the latest content creation trends for artists right in your inbox!

thanks for reading,

Reply

or to participate.