How do you turn scattered publishing into compounding authority?
Job Summary
| |
|---|
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Input | Audience definition, market signals, content inventory, competitive landscape |
| Output | 3-5 published pieces that drive measurable action |
| Key judgement | Thesis selection, quality bar, kill decisions |
| Deterministic | Scheduling, formatting, metric collection, attribution tracking |
Pre-Flight (Once, Then Revisit Monthly)
| # | Check | Pass |
|---|
| 0.1 | Target audience defined — who, what they need, where they are | Specific segment, not "everyone" |
| 0.2 | Narrative arc defined — 3-5 rotating positions, each with name, job, tone | Documented and shared |
| 0.3 | Quality bar defined — what "publish-worthy" means for each channel | Written standard per channel |
| 0.4 | Competitor shortlist — 3-5 accounts or publications you benchmark against | List with URLs |
| 0.5 | Attribution model — how you track depth page visits from social content | Tracking confirmed working |
Weekly Checklist
1. SCAN
| # | Check | Pass |
|---|
| 1.1 | External signals collected (news, social, industry, regulation) | Min 5 from 3+ sources |
| 1.2 | Each signal tagged: what happened, who it affects, why this week | All tagged |
| 1.3 | Competitor audit — best 3 pieces published in your space this week | 3 pieces reviewed |
| 1.4 | Internal signals collected (shipped work, new assets, learnings) | Min 3 linked to depth pages |
| 1.5 | Content inventory — what's published, what's high-value but undistributed | Inventory current |
2. FRAME
| # | Check | Pass |
|---|
| 2.1 | Each signal assigned to a narrative arc position | All tagged or cut |
| 2.2 | ONE thesis selected — a specific claim, not a topic | 7 words or fewer |
| 2.3 | Thesis tested: would the audience disagree or be surprised? | Yes — if not, sharpen it |
| 2.4 | Competitor check: has someone already said this better? | No — if yes, find the angle they missed |
| 2.5 | Arc position declared and rotation checked (no 3+ week repeats) | Position confirmed |
| 2.6 | 3-5 pieces planned: title, channel, day, linked depth page | Each has all 4 fields |
| 2.7 | Anchor piece identified (highest effort, carries the thesis) | One anchor, rest orbit |
| 2.8 | Schedule verified — max 2 posts per day, optimal times per channel | Schedule clean |
Judgement: Pick the thesis carefully. A weak thesis wastes every step after it. If you can't surprise anyone, distribute existing depth pages instead of creating new ones.
3. CREATE
| # | Check | Pass |
|---|
| 3.1 | Anchor drafted — thesis in first 3 sentences | Reader knows the claim immediately |
| 3.2 | Anchor links to depth page | Link present and page exists |
| 3.3 | Quality bar: would you share this personally? | Yes without hesitation |
| 3.4 | Quality bar: would it embarrass you if your smartest competitor read it? | No |
| 3.5 | Quality bar: does it say something only you can say? | Yes — generic = kill |
| 3.6 | Orbit pieces drafted (2-4) | Each connects to anchor without repeating it |
| 3.7 | Every piece links to depth content | All linked |
| 3.8 | Brand voice consistent across all pieces | Cross-checked |
| 3.9 | Channel-specific formatting applied (dimensions, character limits, hashtags) | All formatted |
| 3.10 | Kill gate: is every piece better than not publishing? | Any "no" = cut it |
Orbit logic:
| Anchor type | Orbits |
|---|
| Long-form article | Social extractions — one key insight per post |
| Framework or depth page | Social posts that pose the question the page answers |
| Standalone social post | Thread, follow-up, counter-argument, related angle |
4. DISTRIBUTE
| # | Check | Pass |
|---|
| 4.1 | Posting sequence: anchor first or second, never last | Sequence confirmed |
| 4.2 | Optimal posting times per channel used | Times verified |
| 4.3 | Each piece posted | URL recorded |
| 4.4 | Attribution tracking confirmed (UTM, referral, or pixel) | Tracking live |
| 4.5 | Planned vs posted: any slip documented with reason | All accounted for |
5. MEASURE
| # | Check | Pass |
|---|
| 5.1 | Ideal vs actual compared for every planned piece | Each scored |
| 5.2 | Per-piece metrics: impressions, engagement rate, saves, shares | Recorded |
| 5.3 | Attribution: did any piece drive a measurable action (click, sign-up, reply) | Action count per piece |
| 5.4 | Best piece identified — what made it work | Hypothesis stated |
| 5.5 | Worst piece identified — what failed | Hypothesis stated |
| 5.6 | Weekly scores recorded (see scoring below) | All three scored |
| 5.7 | Next week seeded: arc position, carry-forward items, top signal | Seed planted |
| 5.8 | One process improvement from this week's experience | Change logged |
Weekly scoring (0-5):
| Score | Measures | 5 | 1 |
|---|
| Consistency | Planned vs posted | All pieces on schedule | Less than half |
| Quality | Every piece passed the three quality bars (3.3, 3.4, 3.5) | All passed | Bars skipped |
| Compounding | This week builds on prior weeks | Clear thread across 4+ weeks | Disconnected |
| Category | Purpose | Selection criteria |
|---|
| Scheduling | Queue and time posts across channels | Multi-channel, bulk scheduling |
| Analytics | Per-piece performance and attribution | Tracks action, not just impressions |
| Editorial | Voice and quality enforcement | Style guide integration |
| Competitive monitoring | Track what competitors publish | Automated alerts or feeds |
| Asset management | Images, video, templates | Version control, reuse across channels |
| Project tracking | Plan vs actual per cycle | Ideal/actual comparison with history |
Abort Criteria
Stop the cycle and reassess if:
- Thesis cannot be stated in 7 words (scope unclear — distribute existing pages instead)
- Competitor already said it better and you have no unique angle (don't publish noise)
- Anchor fails the three quality bars and cannot be fixed this cycle (kill, don't ship weak)
- Less than 50% of planned pieces posted two weeks running (process broken, fix upstream)
- Zero attribution to depth pages for three consecutive weeks (distribution isn't working)
- Compounding score below 2 for three consecutive weeks (no narrative thread — restart arc)
Context
Questions
What separates a content calendar that compounds authority from one that just fills a schedule?
- How do you measure whether the audience trusts you more this month than last month?
- When is the right decision to publish nothing rather than publish something average?
- What ratio of original insight to curated signal produces the highest engagement per piece?
- How do you know your quality bar is calibrated — too low ships noise, too high ships nothing?