Content Strategy

Why most content strategy fails

I’ve spent 25 years watching organisations confuse content production with content strategy. They hire a head of content, buy a scheduling tool, and start publishing. Six months later, they’ve got 200 pieces of content, no measurable impact, and a team that’s burned out.

The issue is almost always the same: they started with outputs instead of outcomes. What are we trying to change? Who are we trying to reach? What does this person need to believe before they’ll take the action we want?

That’s content strategy. Everything else is just production.

What I actually do

I build content frameworks that connect business objectives to audience behaviour. Not theoretical models - practical architectures your team can execute against.

Audience & insight work - Understanding who you’re actually talking to, what they care about, and where they pay attention. This often reveals that the audience your team has been targeting isn’t the one that converts.

Content architecture - The structural layer between “we need content” and “here’s what we’re publishing.” Campaign frameworks, channel strategies, content hierarchies, and editorial guidelines that scale.

Content operations - How your team actually produces, approves, distributes, and measures content. I’ve built and restructured content operations for agencies, in-house teams, and production companies. The workflow matters as much as the creative.

AI-augmented content - Where AI genuinely helps with content production and where it doesn’t. I help teams integrate AI into their content workflows without losing quality, voice, or strategic intent.

Who this is for

Brands that produce a lot of content but can’t connect it to commercial outcomes
CMOs and marketing directors who need a framework their team can actually execute
Agencies restructuring their content offering for an AI-native market
In-house teams building content capability from scratch or scaling what exists

What makes this different

I’m not an agency pitching a retainer to produce your content. I’m a strategist who builds the framework, trains your team to execute it, and gets out of the way.

I’ve worked on both sides - agency and in-house, brand and production company. That means I understand the incentives, the politics, and the practical constraints that most content strategies ignore.

Common questions

Do you produce content as well? No. I build the strategy and framework. If you need production support, I can recommend partners - but keeping strategy and production separate usually produces better outcomes.

How is this different from what an agency does? Agencies have an inherent incentive to create more work. I have an incentive to build something your team can run independently. The goal is always to make myself redundant.

What does a content strategy engagement look like? Typically 6-8 weeks for the strategic framework, followed by an optional retained period to support implementation. I’ll tell you upfront what I think you need.