Content Pillars: Pick Themes, Then Check Them Against Insights

A content pillar is a recurring theme a brand posts about. Neither Instagram's creator FAQ nor the SBA's calendar guide uses the term, but both back what it is for: Instagram tells creators to study their Account Insights and Content Insights to work out which type of content to share more of Source [1], and the SBA says a planned schedule reminds you to vary your content Source [2].

That definition is ours. We found no official one in the pages we read, so treat the steps below as a routine and not as a platform rule.

Growth is for being present every day where the brand's audience is Source [4]. Our read: a set of pillars decides what that daily presence is about.

What the two sources support

Instagram's answer on reaching more people with reels ends with this advice: study your insights to understand who views your content and what they enjoy, even if they do not follow you Source [1]. It says this can help you figure out what type of content to share more of, and where there may be room to experiment with different formats or features Source [1].

On distribution, Instagram says it sometimes uses audience-matching. If you or another creator in your niche have posted content that earned more distribution from the audience you want to reach, sharing content around a similar theme could get similar distribution Source [1]. That is the closest either source comes to saying a theme matters, and it is a possibility the page states, not a promise Source [1].

The SBA's calendar article says a good calendar helps you plan a variety of content types Source [2]. It suggests mixing third parties' content with your own, and varying updates among informative articles, fun videos or memes, and the occasional special promotion or discount Source [2].

What Instagram's insights can tell you

Instagram's help page says the insights overview in the app includes Views, Interactions, New followers and Content you shared Source [3]. For an individual post or reel it lists Views, Viewers, Interactions and Accounts engaged Source [3]. Interactions is the number of actions people take, such as likes, comments, saves and shares, and Accounts engaged is the number of unique accounts that interacted Source [3]. You can pick a timeframe within the past 90 days Source [3].

The content library lets you filter your content by media type, reach, interactions and time frame Source [3]. The page does not list a filter by theme, so a pillar comparison needs a record of your own.

A pillar sheet you can keep in a spreadsheet

The sheet below is our routine, not a rule from either source.

1. List the topics your customers ask about and the things you sell, each as a short phrase. Those are your candidate pillars.
2. Add one row per post: the date, the format, the link and the pillar it belongs to.
3. After a few weeks, copy each post's Interactions and Accounts engaged from its insights into the row Source [3]. Do it regularly, since the timeframes in the overview reach back 90 days Source [3].
4. Compare the pillars. Keep the ones that earn more, change the ones that do not, and keep testing formats, as Instagram advises Source [1].
5. Keep some variety in the mix, as the SBA suggests Source [2].

Our guide to the engagement rate explains the counts and bases you can choose from when you compare pillars.

Our read: a pillar earns its place by what your audience does with it, so comparing a pillar's posts against one another says more than comparing against another brand's numbers.

A brand can post every day and say nothing, says Autonomah's site, which begins with what the audience needs, what the brand has to say and what opportunity the market leaves open Source [4].

How Autonomah does it

Autonomah is an artificial creative and advertising brain that thinks, creates and publishes each brand's advertising Source [4]. Our read: some pillars are a person's voice more than a topic. See which plan includes expert accounts.

Frequently asked questions

What are content pillars?

On this page, recurring themes a brand posts about. The sources we read do not define the term, but they support varying content and checking insights to decide what to share more of Source [1]Source [2].

How many content pillars should I have?

Neither source gives a number. Instagram says to use insights to decide what to share more of, and the SBA says to vary content types Source [1]Source [2].

Does Instagram say that themes affect reach?

Instagram says that sharing content around a similar theme could get similar distribution when the audience you want to reach responded to that theme before Source [1]. It states this as a possibility.