We’ll level with you: content strategy isn’t always fun. It can feel like a lot of researching and planning, and you’re never sure of where to start. Worst of all, you might be left with a content strategy that’s…mundane. You copy-pasted another influencer’s strategy, and it doesn’t feel like it fits your content.
We all need a content strategy shake-up! Including us. We found five unique ways to create a 2026 content strategy. You won’t have to reinvent the wheel; the strategy you’ve been using can be easily adapted to all of these fun options. And at the end, a checklist so you can create your best strategy yet!
1. Content Pillars as Characters 🎭
Instead of just creating content pillars, create distinct content personalities to go along with them! Each type of content you create would be a different kind of character. They’re all you,…just a different version of you assigned to that specific content pillar.
Here are some examples.
- The Older Sibling offers advice, pep talks, and mindset tips…and maybe hard truths.
- The Analyst covers trends, tutorials and how-to’s, breakdowns, and “why this worked” explanations.
- The Chaos Goblin shares funny, messy, and relatable content, covering creator life and random, funny videos.
Obviously, you should tailor these to your content and what you’re interested in. You don’t need an analyst if you like comedy videos; that character could be a stand-up comedian or a clown! Get creative and find voices that feel authentic but distinct.
Why It Works 🏆
People recognize and anticipate the vibe of each post, which builds emotional connection (followers seeing different sides of you) and makes your content feel like a cast of characters. But it still gives you pillars and formats to strategize around.
2. The Remix-First Strategy 🔁
This strategy is about creating content that’s designed to be repeated and remixed. Not that you only repost or share the exact same videos over and over again. But you create content that can easily be refreshed, remixed, and remade, despite covering the same material.
For this method, you’ll pick five (up to ten) content pillars or themes you care about. Then you create a list of formats this content can fit into. Some formats to consider are:
- Storytime
- Green screen
- Skit
- Listicle
- POV
- Tutorial
- Vlog
This takes some planning because you have to create content that can fit into multiple categories. Or creativity, because a skit needs to also be a listicle.
Worried this might be too repetitive? You can talk about a variety of topics within those core messages. A lifestyle creator with a core message (or niche) about their house could talk about cleaning, decorating, hosting, DIYing, building new things, and more. Still follow the typical rules with your content pillars, just be more mindful about what you’re creating.
Why It Works 🏆
Consistency is key with social media. Algorithms (and audiences) reward topical consistency; followers know what to expect from your page. But the refreshed strategy makes your content feel fresh and new. You look consistent and creative.
3. Community-Led Content 🧡
This strategy is fairly hands-off. It puts your audience in the driver’s seat and they create your content calendar. Obviously, you can’t do this right out of the gate. You have to be established with a pretty consistent and reliable community, and you don’t give them complete control. Instead, they have some guardrails. This could look like:
- You respond to questions in the comments
- You let them choose between types of videos
- Letting them pick a weekly theme
- Hosting monthly challenges, they join in
- Going Live with them and resharing fun clips
Why It Works 🏆
This strategy works on several levels. It encourages audience engagement, which is what the algorithm is looking for. It also gives you the chance to connect directly with your audience, making them more invested in your content. They’ll come back to see what you end up posting! And it naturally builds and encourages community, which is necessary for your account to grow.
4. Content Seasons or Themes 📺
Instead of having content pillars you follow every month or week, you give each month a different “season” or theme. Everything you create and post in that month will fit with that predetermined season. Here’s an example, specifically for a creator who shares content advice.
- January is dedicated to a “creator reset”, sharing tips on how to audit your performance and optimize for growth.
- February is dedicated to sharing ways to grow. You might conduct some experiments and share their outcome. Since it’s Valentine’s and Black History Month, you could share content ideas for these events.
- March is myth-busting month; take common creator tips and share what to do instead. You can also test a few out to see if they’re actually legit.
If you don’t want to abandon your niches or content pillars, you can still give all of them a theme! For a book creator, January can be used to recap their favorite reads and set goals. February might be about romance books and nonfiction, and March could be “‘springing” into their TBR! Just find your themes and make them work for what you already have going on.
Why It Works 🏆
This system gives you a lot of structure; you know what you should be creating, all that’s left is to come up with the ideas. You’ll know if something doesn’t fit! From the viewer’s perspective, they have an idea of what’s coming and what they can expect.
5. Experimental Stages Strategy 🧪
Instead of posting a variety of content, for a few weeks at a time, only focus on one kind. That doesn’t mean honing in on one content pillar (unless you like that idea, then go for it). But choosing specific formats or elements to test out. Essentially, you’re finding the best format to engage with your audience.
Let’s break it down a little. For two weeks at a time, you’d only post:
- Videos with super catchy hooks.
- You can test further by using authority hooks and curiosity hooks.
- Tutorials or educational content.
- Test if voiceovers or vlog-style tutorials work better, if you want.
- Skits or reenactment videos.
Test the views, likes, saves, comments, and follows per post and pivot based on what your audience likes. This is akind of a heavy lift (even for us, it seems like a lot!) but if you’re really serious about evaluating your content, this strategy will do it.
Why It Works 🏆
You’ll grow faster because you’ll be constantly learning and adapting. Plus, you’re constantly trying new formats; you’re expanding your skills as a creator and avoiding burnout from trying to do everything at once. Since you’re only trying each format for a week or two at a time, you won’t get bored with them either.
Your Strategy Checklist ✅
No matter how fun or unique the strategy, it takes some prep work. But before you roll your eyes, we have good news. We’ve taken a lot of the stress out of strategizing. Below is a checklist you can use for all your content strategy. From foundation to finding a consistent footing, this checklist sets you and your strategy up for success.
Looking for more tips on content strategy? Check out this article for a deep dive into the before, middle, and after of creating a strategy. Be sure to check out 2026’s trend predictions so you know what to expect – and can adapt your content to fit it.
