If you've ever sat down to create social media content and immediately thought "what do I even post about?" — content pillars are your answer. They're the core themes you organize your content around so you always have direction without needing to brainstorm from zero every single time.
Think of content pillars as categories that your posts fall into. Most businesses do well with 3–5 pillars that balance value and promotion. A good mix keeps your feed interesting while still building trust and driving business results.
Here are six pillars that work well for small businesses:
- Community: Show the human side of your business. This could be behind-the-scenes content, team introductions, customer features, or partnerships with other local businesses.
- Education: Teach something useful. Share tips, how-tos, or industry insights that help your audience solve a real problem. This positions you as the expert without being preachy.
- Engagement: Start conversations. Ask questions, run polls, post something relatable that invites comments. These posts build relationships and boost your visibility in the algorithm.
- Entertainment: Not everything has to be serious. Share something funny, relatable, or light-hearted that lets your brand personality shine.
- Inspiration: Post testimonials, client transformations, before-and-afters, or stories that emotionally connect with your audience and show the impact of your work.
- Promotional: Yes, you're allowed to talk about what you sell. Showcase your products or services, share offers, and make it clear how people can work with you.
You don't need to use all six. Pick the 3–5 that make sense for your business and audience, then rotate through them. This gives your content variety while keeping everything aligned with your goals.
The real magic? Content pillars make batching so much easier. When you sit down to plan your week, you're not staring at a blank page. You're choosing which pillar to focus on and creating content within that theme. Enji's social media strategy generator recommends content pillars based on your business type and goals, and the AI Idea Generator can create and help you brainstorm ideas within each one—so you spend less time planning and more time creating.
