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A Guide to Social Media Content Pillars
sproutsocial.com
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Step 3: Choose 3-5 repeatable content pillar themes “Define around three to five core themes that can serve as your main content pillars.” Try to strike a balance between your brand’s priorities and what your audience is interested in. To do this, map out the main goals of each pillar and determine how aligned they are with both your audience personas and your core social media objectives.
Step 2: Audit your existing content for themes and performance “Audit everything you’ve posted until now, and track what’s worked well.” Look for patterns among your top-performing posts; these can help you define your future content pillars.
Look for patterns among your top-performing posts; these can help you define your future content pillars. “This will determine which of your pillars is performing well, and which need to be optimized.” Step 3: Choose 3-5 repeatable content pillar themes
“social media content pillars: the core themes that keep your content focused, purposeful and aligned to your goals.” Authenticity plays a major role in this. According to The 2026 Social Media Content Strategy Report™, consumers want brands’ primary focus on social to be human-generated content. Personalized service and meaningful engagement in smaller digital spaces also rank in the top five priorities.
“It requires diverse content that captures your audience’s attention and keeps it.” Authenticity plays a major role in this. According to The 2026 Social Media Content Strategy Report™, consumers want brands’ primary focus on social to be human-generated content. Personalized service and meaningful engagement in smaller digital spaces also rank in the top five priorities.
Every brand should establish a set of content pillars. Ideally, these will overlap across all your platforms, though some may be more important for certain networks based on its audience and features. For example, a trendspotting pillar might be used more often on TikTok than on LinkedIn. “As a general rule, you should have at least around 3-5 pillars at any one time.” If you’re a food and beverage brand, for example, your main social media content pillars might be:
What are content pillars in social media? “Each pillar typically aligns to a specific purpose, audience or content format.” They’re called “pillars” because they act as structural support for your strategy, like the columns of a Greek temple. They’re used to keep your content consistent and relevant across each of your accounts.
“A strong social media marketing strategy relies on more than just consistent posting.” Authenticity plays a major role in this. According to The 2026 Social Media Content Strategy Report™, consumers want brands’ primary focus on social to be human-generated content. Personalized service and meaningful engagement in smaller digital spaces also rank in the top five priorities.
Brands play a key role in their communities, and people want them to underscore that role on social. “Whether it’s an image carousel from a recent community event or videos showcasing real customer stories, there are various ways to place your community at the forefront of your content.” Bank of America uses LinkedIn to highlight its commitment to its community. Rather than focusing on its products or services, it often showcases its initiatives that give back to community members. An example is the Golf with Us program, which provides nearly 100,000 young golfers with affordable access to courses around the nation.