02 / Decide what to make and why
The Playbook
The decisions that come before production: who you are for, what you’ll be known for, which formats to use, and what to make in what order for the next 90 days. Built on research into what already works in your space, and written around the team you actually have. Your team makes the content. This tells them what to make and how to judge it.
The difference
What changes afterwards
- You know what you’re making, who it’s for and why it should work, before money goes into production
- Your team can judge ideas against a written standard instead of bringing every one to you
- Less guesswork: the plan starts from what has already worked for audiences like yours
- You know which numbers to watch, so you can tell early whether it’s working
Fit
Who this is for
This is for you if
- You know you need to be publishing, but not what, or why, or in what order
- Your content is competent and forgettable, and you want a point of view
- You have people who can execute but nobody setting the direction
- You’re about to launch a media company and want the strategy settled before you start spending
- You’re entering a new market, channel or category
This isn’t for you if
- You want someone to make the content. Your team, freelancers or agency do that; if you need help building that team, see The Content OS.
- You already have a strategy you believe in and want someone to lead it week to week. That’s The Head of Content.
Scope
Exactly what’s included
- 01Audience researchWho you are actually for, what they already believe, and what they need to hear before they act.
- 02Market and competitor analysisThe landscape you’re publishing into, what is already working there, and where the gaps are.
- 03Strategic positioningThe thing you can say that your competitors can’t, written clearly enough that your team can apply it.
- 04Content pillars and formatsThe few topics you’ll be known for, and the formats that suit each one.
- 05Creative directionTone, visual language and the standard a piece has to meet before it’s published.
- 06Topic and packaging strategyHow ideas get chosen, titled and framed.
- 07Testing prioritiesWhat to deliberately experiment with first, and how you’ll know whether it worked.
- 0890-day roadmapSequenced, realistic, and written for the team you actually have.
- 09Performance measurement frameworkThe small number of metrics that matter for your goal, and the ones to deliberately ignore.
- 10Strategy walkthroughA recorded walkthrough of the whole thing so your team hears the reasoning first-hand.
Boundaries
What this doesn’t include
- Producing the content in the roadmap
- Building the team and process to run it, which is The Content OS
- Ongoing leadership once the strategy is delivered, which is The Head of Content
Example
What the work looks like
PILLAR 02: The cost of being wrong
Topic: the money people lose to confident bad advice.
Why you: you have the trade records to prove it. Few others will publish theirs.
Formats: long-form teardown, 3 shorts per teardown, one newsletter.
Written to show the format and level of detail, not taken from a client project. For the experience behind it, see About.
Timing
How it runs
Week 1
Intake, access, research. Audience and market work.
Week 2
Positioning and pillars drafted and shared for your reaction.
Week 3
Formats, packaging, testing plan and roadmap built.
Week 4
Final strategy and recorded walkthrough delivered.
Your part
What I need from you
- A written brief on commercial goals for the next twelve months
- Analytics access and any existing research you hold
- One decision-maker available for written feedback at two checkpoints
Questions
Before you buy
Why is the price a range?
A single channel in one market is a very different job from four channels across two markets. You complete a short written scope check, I send a fixed price and exactly what it covers, and you decide. The price doesn’t move once you’ve agreed it.
Will our team actually be able to run this?
That’s the test I write it against. If the roadmap needs skills you don’t have, I’ll say so and tell you what it would take.
How is this different from a strategy deck?
Most strategy documents stop at pillars and tone. The decisions that move performance come after that: which ideas get chosen, how they are titled and framed, what the first ten seconds do. That’s where this spends its time.
We haven’t started publishing yet. Is this still right?
Yes, and it’s usually the best moment to do it. Changing direction before you’ve hired a team and built habits is much easier than changing it afterwards.
What happens once it’s delivered?
Your team runs it. If you need the team that will run it, that’s The Content OS. If you want someone senior applying and adjusting it every week, that’s The Head of Content. Neither is required.
How buying works
A written price, then you decide
- 01Short scope checkThe form opposite. Five minutes, in writing.
- 02Written price and termsExactly what is covered and what it costs, usually within a working day.
- 03Accept and payIn your own time. Nothing is booked until you do.
- 04Onboarding, then we startOn the date agreed in the terms.
After payment you get a structured onboarding questionnaire that covers access, goals, context and who to speak to. It tells you exactly what happens next and when.
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