Playbook by MediaBistro | Tools & Software for Creative Professionals
Playbook Build Your OwnGenerated for: “Our website is at about 100K visits per month and I want to develop a strategy to bring us to 1M/month. Very interested in a silo strategy, or maybe you call this a pillar content strategy.”
You're building a systematic content architecture to capture search demand at scale. This workflow maps research, planning, and execution of pillar pages with supporting cluster content, then measures what's working to optimize for the next 10X.
Identify high-opportunity pillar topics by analyzing what competitors rank for, search volume, and keyword gaps. Map out 5-10 pillar topics that align with your business and have room to dominate. Use tools to find the keywords worth fighting for at scale.
Ahrefs gives you the backlink index and keyword research to see exactly what's ranking, what's searchable, and where your competitors have gaps.
MarketMuse uses AI topic modeling to show you content gaps and cluster-worthy subtopics under each pillar so you know what to write.
Design your pillar pages (cornerstone content: 3000+ words, comprehensive, authoritative) and map 15-30 cluster articles per pillar (800-2000 words, each targeting a sub-topic and linking back to the pillar). Document the internal linking strategy and keyword targets for each piece.
This step is all you - your skill, your judgment, your creative voice.
Write or generate pillar pages with deep authority and nuance (your voice, your strategy). Use AI for first drafts, cluster outliers, and repurposing angles to move faster. Each pillar anchors 15-30 cluster pieces that provide depth and internal link juice.
Jasper can help you generate cluster content drafts and repurpose pillar ideas into multiple angles quickly while maintaining brand voice.
Copy.ai workflows let you batch-create cluster content briefs and variations at scale to feed your writing pipeline.
Grammarly keeps your tone consistent across your pillar and cluster content, especially important when scaling output.
Optimize each pillar and cluster article for target keywords, readability, internal linking (cluster to pillar, pillar to topic hub). Publish on a consistent schedule that prioritizes pillars first, then cluster content in waves. Track publish date, keyword targets, and link structure.
Surfer SEO shows you exactly how to optimize each article to compete for your target keywords—structure, word count, semantics, all covered.
Frase combines keyword research with AI content writing to ensure each piece is both discoverable and well-written for your target audience.
Monitor traffic, rankings, and conversion performance for each pillar and its cluster articles. Identify which pillars are winning, which clusters drive the most internal engagement. Refine topic clusters, add new pillars, and double down on what's moving the needle toward 1M visits.
Google Analytics tracks how each pillar and cluster article drives traffic, engagement, and conversions so you know what's working.
Moz tracks keyword rankings and domain authority gains as your pillar strategy compounds—essential for seeing 10X growth over time.
Pi Datametrics tracks your content performance across search and AI discovery channels—growing channels your competitors might miss.
Once pillar pages are live and winning, systematize cluster content production. Use automation to schedule publishing, distribute updates to internal links, and keep momentum. Prepare to add new pillars as you prove the model works and approach 500K visits.
Make (Integromat) automates content workflows—publishing schedules, CMS updates, link insertion, analytics reporting—so you scale without manual work.
Notion manages your pillar and cluster roadmap, tracks progress by topic, and coordinates your editorial calendar across the team.
Published February 27, 2026
