How long does this process take?
For one brand and a few channels: a few weeks. More markets or brands take longer. The first steps — data and themes — can already be used before the whole plan is done.
InsightsContent strategy
How to create a content strategy
Creating a content strategy starts with data, not a brainstorm. Demand first, then choices, then the calendar.
This is the seven-step process Palan uses in practice.
Which step comes first?
Map what people already search and watch around your brand and category. Without that, every later step is a guess.
Group questions by intent: explore, compare, decide. That later becomes your theme set.
How do you make your strategy measurable?
Pick one signal per theme that matters: search visibility, watch time, reuse, or whether AI names you. Not everything at once.
Measurement belongs in the strategy, not in a dashboard afterwards. If you cannot say what success is, you cannot steer.
How do you create a content strategy?
You create a content strategy by turning search and audience data into choices: themes, formats, channels and sequence. Only then a calendar. Palan does that in seven steps, from mapping demand to preparing the first formats for production.
The process in 7 steps
- 01Collect search, viewing and platform data.
- 02Group questions by intent and topic.
- 03Choose the themes where your brand should show up.
- 04Match each theme to a format and a channel.
- 05Set a sequence: what first, what later.
- 06Decide how you will measure success.
- 07Make the first formats, so the plan does not sit in a drawer.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to do all seven steps myself?
You can. Many teams stall between data and choices, or between plan and production. Palan takes that handoff. The steps stay the same.
Where does the content calendar sit?
At the end, not the start. Choices first, then dates. A calendar without themes is a list of deadlines.
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