How to Create Authority Content (11-Step Guide For Building Your Expert Brand)

Google’s recent updates have made one thing clear: without a strong brand, your online success is at risk.

The fastest way to build your brand? Creating authority content. Let’s find out what it is, how it benefits your business, and how to get started now.

I’m a content strategist and SEO coach with over a decade of experience in content marketing. I’ve grown two profitable blogs on my own with just SEO (no paid ads and no team of writers).

I’ve also contributed expert opinion to industry giants such as Moz and HubSpot, and been featured in Business Insider and the Financial Times, talking about SEO, AI, and online disinformation.

What is authority content?

Authority content is content that demonstrates your expertise in a certain topic. In doing so, it positions you as an expert in your field, creates credibility around you, and builds your target audience’s trust.

Effective authority content goes beyond simply sharing information. It also demonstrates your deep understanding, unique insights, and ability to offer practical solutions related to your niche.

At its core, authority content showcases your knowledge, skills, and experiences in a way that resonates with your ideal clients.

It addresses their most pressing problems, challenges, and desires. And, importantly, it positions you as the go-to expert who provides the answers they seek.

Authority content comes in many forms, including such as blog posts, videos, podcasts, webinars, and e-books. But the goal remains the same – to demonstrate your expertise and provide genuine value to your target audience.

When creating authority content, you must understand your audience’s needs, pain points, and preferences.

Tailoring your content in this way builds a stronger connection and establishes you as a relatable and trustworthy expert in your niche.

How does it benefit your business?

Over time, building trust and credibility among your target audience will result in more sales. Your authority content helps to position you as the go-to expert in your niche.

By sharing your knowledge, skills, opinions, and experiences, you can create content that resonates with your audience and makes it a no-brainer for them to take the next step – buying from you.

How to create authority content (an 11-step guide)

#1. Define your target audience

The first and most crucial step in creating effective authority content is to clearly define your target audience. After all, you can’t create content that resonates with your ideal clients or customers if you don’t know who they are, right?

I’ve found that a helpful exercise is to create a detailed buyer persona – a fictional representation of your ideal customer. Give them a name, a face, and a backstory.

Ask questions like: What does their typical day look like? What are their biggest pain points and aspirations? The more specific you can get, the better you’ll be able to tailor your content to their needs.

Another important consideration is to identify where your target audience spends their time online. Which social media platforms do they use? Which blogs do they read? Understanding their online behavior will help you figure out the best channels to distribute your authority content.

I highly recommend taking the time to really get to know your target audience.

Engage with them, ask questions, and listen to their feedback. These insights will be hugely valuable for creating authority content that resonates with the people you want to reach.

#2. Write your brand story

Next up, let’s put together a compelling brand story for your blog’s “About” page. This plays a key role in your authority content strategy.

Think of your brand story as the narrative that showcases your unique journey, experiences, and expertise. It should answer questions like:

• Who are you?
• Why did you start your blog?
• What challenges have you overcome?
• What unique insights or skills do you bring to the table?
• Why should your audience trust you to solve their problems?

Aim for authenticity and transparency when writing your brand story.

Share your successes, but don’t be afraid to mention a few of your (relevant) struggles or failures as well. These experiences have shaped who you are and have contributed to your expertise in your niche.

You should also use your brand story to highlight your unique value proposition.

What sets you apart from other bloggers or experts in your field? Do you have a distinctive approach or methodology? Do you have a track record of helping clients achieve specific results? Make sure to weave these elements into your narrative.

Here’s my About page as an example.

#3. Choose your content pillars

Now you’ve got a strong brand story in place, lets choose your content pillars.

Content pillars are the key themes or topics that guide your content creation and help establish authority in your niche. When selecting your content pillars, make sure each one is directly relevant to the product or service you want to sell.

Your content should highlight your expertise and naturally lead your audience towards your paid offers. Aligning your content with your business goals helps attract the right people and build trust with potential customers.

It’s also important not to overdo it with your content pillars. Having too many of them risks diluting your message and makes it harder to establish yourself as an expert.

I recommend focusing on a maximum of three to four pillars, each targeting a specific area of your audience’s needs or journey.

For example, my current blog has four main content pillars:

1. Starting a blog
2. Growing a blog
3. Writing better content
4. Growing with AI tools

Each of these pillars serves a specific purpose and helps my audience at different stages of their transformation journey.

By providing valuable content related to these topics, I can guide my readers from the initial stages of starting a blog to more advanced strategies for growth and optimization.

When choosing your own content pillars, consider the following:

• What are the main problems or challenges your target audience faces?
• What topics do you have the most expertise and experience in (make sure they all tie into solving a central problem in your niche)?
• What content themes will best showcase your unique value proposition?
• How can you create content that naturally leads to your products or services?

Your content pillars aren’t set in stone. You can always adjust them as your business evolves (I’ve done so many times).

#4. Identify audience pain points

To create content that resonates with your audience, you need a deep understanding of their pain points, challenges, and desires. The best way to get this is by directly engaging with your ideal audience and doing thorough research.

Reach out to your existing customers, email list subscribers, or social media followers and ask them about their biggest struggles related to your niche. You can do this through surveys, interviews, or even just casual conversations.

Some questions you might ask include:

• What are the biggest challenges you face when it comes to [your niche]?
• What topics or questions do you wish there was more information on?
• What have you tried in the past to solve [specific problem], and why didn’t it work?
• What would make your life easier or help you achieve your goals faster?

But what if you don’t have an established audience yet?

Don’t worry, you can still identify pain points with research and strategic outreach.

Try these tactics:

1. Leverage online communities –  Tap into existing online communities related to your niche, via platforms like Reddit, Quora, and Facebook groups. Join these communities and observe the conversations taking place. Pay attention to the questions people are asking, the challenges they’re discussing, and topics that generate the most engagement. You can also use these platforms to ask questions and get fresh insights directly from your target audience.
2. Do keyword research – Keyword research is a powerful tool for identifying pain points. Use tools like Semrush, RankIQ, or Ahrefs to identify relevant search terms and questions. Look for keywords with high search volume and low competition, as these can indicate potential content opportunities. You can also use tools like AnswerThePublic to find common questions related to your niche.
3. Analyze your competitors – Study blogs, social media accounts, and products of your competitors to identify the pain points they’re targeting. Look for patterns in the topics they cover, the language they use, and the solutions they offer. You can also read through their blog comments and product reviews to find out what sort of challenges their audience is facing.
4. Offer free consultations or discovery calls – Consider offering these to potential clients or customers in your target audience (LinkedIn is a great place to find them). On the calls, ask open-ended questions about their challenges, goals, and experiences around your topic. This can unearth valuable insights plus build relationships with potential clients for your business.

Once you’ve collected insights from multiple sources, look for common themes or patterns.

Identify the pain points that come up most frequently or seem the most pressing for your target audience. You’ll use this information to create authority content with actionable solutions.

Identifying pain points is an ongoing process. As your audience and industry evolve, so will their challenges and needs. So I recommend building a habit of engaging with your audience regularly and keeping up with their pain points.

#5. Map pain points to keywords

Your next step is to map the pain points to specific keywords they might use when searching for solutions online.

This process is key for optimizing your content for search engines – making it easier for your ideal reader to find your blog.

Here are my two favorite keyword research approaches:

The ‘seed keyword’ method

Start with a broad seed keyword and use filters – Begin by identifying a broad seed keyword related to your niche or content pillar. For example, if one of your content pillars is “starting a blog,” your seed keyword might be “blogging”.

Next, use keyword research tools like Semrush, Ahrefs or Keysearch to generate a list of related keywords and phrases. Use filters to narrow down the list based on relevance, search volume, and competition level.

Look for long-tail keywords that are specific to your audience’s pain points and have a lower competition level, as these will be easier to rank for as a new blog.

When selecting keywords to target, I recommend focusing on ‘how-to’ phrases that align with your audience’s pain points. For example, “how to create a content calendar” or “how to run a successful Facebook ad campaign.”

These keywords are great because they point to a specific problem your audience wants to solve. They also provide a natural opportunity to demonstrate your expertise on the topic.

Grab my ‘how to’ blog post template here

The ‘reverse engineering’ method

Another method I often use is simply plugging the pain point idea into Google search and looking at what comes up in the top 10 search results.

I then choose a couple of these competitor URLs and reverse engineer their specific keywords in my keyword research tool. As before, I look for keywords with reasonable volume, relevant to my audience, and at a level of competition that makes sense for my blog.

This method allows me to easily turn a vague pain point idea into a concrete target keyword. It also gives me a set of competing articles to use for analysis to help structure my own article.

#6. Create blog content solving the pain points

Ok, so your pain points are mapped to specific keywords. Now it’s time to start creating blog content that comprehensively solves your target audience’s problems.

This is where you’ll really showcase your expertise and build authority in your niche.

Why are we optimizing this content for search engines? You need to make sure your ideal readers can easily find you. Otherwise, writing all those valuable blog posts could end up being a complete waste of time.

By optimizing your content for target keywords related to audience pain points, you’ll increase the likelihood of your blog posts ranking in search results, driving relevant traffic to your blog.

Here’s my basic rundown of where to put your target keyword:

• Title – Include your target keyword in your blog post title, preferably towards the beginning.
• URL slug – Use a clean, readable URL that includes your target keyword.
• First paragraph – Mention your target keyword within the first 100-150 words of your post.
• Meta description – Create a compelling meta description that includes your keyword and entices readers to click through to your post.

Remember, always use your keyword naturally, don’t overuse it, and don’t force it anywhere that doesn’t make sense for your reader.

Aim to write comprehensive, long-form posts that truly solve the pain point in the target keyword. Yes, shorter posts can be effective for certain topics, but longer content (1500+ words) lets you fully explore the topic.

Here are my quick tips for tackling long-form blog posts:

• Use a clear, logical structure with headings and subheadings to break up your content and make it easy to read.
• Include practical examples, case studies, or personal anecdotes to illustrate your points and make your content more relatable.
• Offer actionable tips and strategies that your readers can implement immediately.
• Use visuals like images, infographics, or videos to break up text and support your ideas.
• Include internal and external links to other relevant, authoritative sources to support your points and provide additional value to your readers.

Don’t forget to include “authority markers” in your blog post. This could be a short section in the introduction with references to your achievements, career history, qualifications, or a relevant personal journey (for example, how you lost weight, travelled to every country in the world, or got out of debt).

Here’s mine from earlier in this post:

Throughout the blog post, it’s also a good idea to use language such as: “I suggest”, “in my experience”, or “I recommend”, to deliver your advice in a way that conveys authority.

#7. Help the reader take the next step

Creating authoritative blog content solving your audience’s pain points is a key first step in building trust and establishing your expertise.

But to drive real results for your business, you must also guide your readers towards the next step in their journey – buying from you.

That’s where a strategic call-to-action (CTA) comes into play. A CTA is an overt instruction to your audience, designed to provoke an immediate response, encouraging them to engage further with your brand.

In your blog posts, your CTA should be highly relevant to the pain point addressed in the content. It should represent the logical next step for the reader – ideally to invest in your paid solution.

Here are some effective options for CTAs to include in your blog posts:

1. Download a relevant lead magnet – Create a valuable resource, such as an ebook, checklist, or template, that provides extra insights or tools related to the blog post topic. Offer this lead magnet for free in exchange for the reader’s email address. This way, you can quickly build your email list and nurture your leads with further valuable content.

For example, if your blog post is about “how to create a content calendar,” your lead magnet could be a downloadable content calendar template or a comprehensive guide to content planning.

2. Book a free discovery call – If your goal is to attract coaching or consulting clients, include a CTA inviting readers to book a free discovery call with you. During this call, you can discuss their specific challenges, provide some initial value, and explore how your services can help them achieve their goals.

Make sure to highlight the benefits of the discovery call and make the booking process as seamless as possible, using a tool like SavvyCal or Calendly (I prefer SavvyCal because it lets me qualify incoming bookings easily and reject those that don’t fit my criteria).

3. Buy a low-ticket digital product – If you have a low-priced digital product (less than 50 USD), such as a mini-course or a resource pack, that’s highly relevant to the blog post topic, you could also include a CTA encouraging your readers to purchase it. This is an effective way to convert readers into paying customers and introduce them to your higher-ticket offerings.

Whichever call to action you choose, make sure it leads to an offering that provides clear value.

Position your offering as the natural next step for readers looking to solve the specific pain point addressed in the blog post.

#8. Repurpose one idea to many platforms (authority content flywheel)

Once you’ve got several pain point-led blog posts published on your site, it’s time to start repurposing those ideas to other platforms.

This is an essential step to build your “authority content flywheel” and stake out your brand presence across the wider Internet, covering all the platforms where your target audience can be found.

So why do we do this? Isn’t it enough just to publish authoritative content on a blog and drive organic traffic?

Well the answer is, it used to be enough.

But in the wake of several destructive Google algorithm updates, one thing is now clear.

Google favors individuals and businesses that have a genuine online brand.

Building your business just on SEO is unlikely to be enough anymore.

That means we start with SEO, but then repurpose long-form blog content into different formats, suitable for a wide range of platforms.

Fortunately, creating that long form authority content means we already did all the hard work. And even better, those blog posts are based on genuine pain points that resonate with our target audience.

The cherry on top? We now have access to a whole arsenal of AI tools ready to take on the strain of content repurposing.

I’ve developed a content repurposing framework to take a single pain point-led idea and use it to create authority content across multiple platforms.

And this isn’t just copying and pasting from one platform to another.

I always optimize each piece of content to work effectively with the core algorithm of whichever platform I’m targeting. Starting with the blog post provides us with the perfect jumping off point for repurposing.

To do this for yourself, I recommend choosing at least one social media platform where your audience spends time. In my experience, LinkedIn is a good choice for most coaches and consultants.

First, build out a well-optimized LinkedIn profile that reflects your brand identity and appeals to your ideal audience (this should be consistent with your blog).

Then, using the same content pillars you defined earlier on, take the core idea (i.e. the pain point) of each blog post and repurpose it into a format suitable for LinkedIn.

A good LinkedIn post typically consists of an attention-grabbing hook, then the “meat” of the post (where you deliver the value) and finally a call to action.

I highly recommend keeping things consistent. Use your LinkedIn posts to either drive people to your email list or book a call with you. Choose whichever method fits best with your business goals.

It’s also possible to sell low-ticket digital products directly from your LinkedIn profile, e.g. by including them in your featured section or profile bio area.

Repurposing your long-form blog content allows you to easily build an “brand universe” that goes beyond just your blog.

An active and high quality blog still plays a critical role in your wider authority content strategy. But you need additional ‘outposts’ to protect yourself from Google updates and create solid authority in your niche.

#9. Build external authority

Creating valuable authority content on your own blog should be your main goal.

But it’s equally important to expand your reach and credibility by appearing on other reputable platforms in your niche. That’s where building your external authority comes into play.

By ‘external authority’, I’m talking about recognition and influence outside of your own website or blog.

Contributing your expertise to other platforms lets you access new audiences, build relationships with other industry leaders, and solidify your position as a trusted expert in your field.

Here are my 4 favorite ways to build external authority:

1. Podcast guesting – Reach out to podcasts in your niche and offer to be a guest expert. This allows you to share your insights and stories with a new audience and demonstrate your expertise in an engaging, conversational format. Be sure to choose podcasts that align with your target audience and content pillars.
2. Guest posting – Write high-quality guest posts for reputable blogs or websites in your niche. This exposes your ideas to a wider audience and provides valuable backlinks to your own blog. Provide genuinely valuable content that aligns with the host blog’s audience and conveys your unique perspective.
3. Providing commentary to journalists – Sign up for platforms like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) or SourceBottle, which connect journalists with expert sources. Providing thoughtful, insightful commentary on niche-relevant topics gives you valuable media exposure and positions you as a go-to authority.
4. Video interviews – Participate in video interviews with other experts or influencers in your niche. This could include guesting on a YouTube channel, joining a webinar or livestream, or creating a joint video series. Video content is super engaging and builds a strong personal connection with new audiences.

From an SEO perspective, each time you appear on another reputable platform, you have the opportunity to earn a high-quality backlink to your own blog.

These backlinks tell search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy, which improves your rankings and traffic over time.

What’s more, appearing on other platforms helps build your reputation as an expert across the web.

The more people see your name, face, and ideas associated with authoritative content across various channels, the more they’ll trust you as a leader in your niche.

To maximize the impact of your external authority building efforts, be strategic in choosing the platforms and opportunities you go for.

Focus on those that align closely with your target audience, content pillars, and overall brand messaging.

Consistency is key – so aim to regularly contribute to other platforms and maintain a cohesive brand voice and expertise across all channels.

#10. Track content performance

To get the most impact from your content creation efforts, I recommend tracking and analyzing your content and SEO performance on a regular basis.

Keeping an eye on key metrics gives you valuable insights into what’s working, what’s not, and how to optimize your content strategy for better results.

The most important metrics to track include:

1. Increase in relevant traffic – Monitor the growth in organic traffic to your blog posts over time. Pay attention to the specific keywords and phrases driving that traffic to make sure they align with your target audience and content pillars. An increase in relevant traffic shows that your content is reaching and resonating with your ideal readers.
2. Click-through rates (CTR) – Track the CTR on your blog post titles in search results, as well as the CTR on any internal links or calls-to-action within your posts. A high CTR shows that your titles and content are appealing to to your audience. But if you have a low CTR, then I suggest further optimizing your titles and CTAs.
3. Conversions – Keep an eye on the number of readers who take your desired action, such as signing up for your email list, booking a discovery call, or purchasing a product. This is the ultimate measure of how well your content works in driving business results. Track conversion rates over time and identify the blog posts and topics that contribute most to your conversion goals.
4. Revenue growth – The ultimate content success metric is growth in your bottom line. Track the revenue generated from your blog, whether through direct product sales, coaching or consulting clients, or advertising and sponsorships. Identify the content pillars and formats that contribute most to your revenue growth and double down on those areas.

For easier tracking of content performance, I recommend linking your blog with Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

Google Analytics gives detailed insights into your website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates.

Google Search Console helps you monitor SEO performance, identify high-performing keywords, and troubleshoot any technical SEO issues.

You should also keep your blog content fresh and updated. Regularly review existing posts and look for opportunities to refresh outdated information, optimize for new keywords, or expand on topics that are resonating with your audience. .

Tracking your content performance is an ongoing process. As your audience, niche, and business evolve, so too will your content needs and goals.

#11. Adopt a long-term mindset

Building your brand universe with authority content calls for a long-term approach that balances longevity with immediacy.

Yes, I know quick wins can be tempting…

But success comes from sustained focus on creating valuable content that serves your audience and supports your business goals.

Having a multi-platform strategy in place is great, because it combines two sets of benefits.

1. The long-term ones of evergreen blog content, which drives steady organic traffic over time
2. The more immediate engagement and visibility of other platforms like social media and email.

To adopt a long-term content mindset:

1. Set clear, measurable goals aligned with your business objectives.
2. Create a content calendar that balances evergreen and timely pieces.
3. Prioritize quality over quantity and focus on providing genuine value.
4. Build relationships and engage with your audience across multiple channels.
5. Regularly review and adjust your strategy based on metrics and insights.

Grow your business with authority content

Creating authority content is a powerful way to show off your expertise, build trust with your audience, and grow your business.

Over time, you’ll build expertise in your niche by addressing audience pain points, creating problem-solving blog posts, and promoting your content across platforms.

Ready to take your content creation and business growth to the next level? Join the waiting list for my new membership community, the Content Authority Club.

This exclusive community is for consultants, coaches and other experts who want to build online authority with content and make an impact in their niche.

As a member of the Content Authority Club, you’ll gain access to:

• In-depth training and resources on creating authority content
• Monthly live coaching sessions and Q&A with industry experts
• A supportive community of like-minded entrepreneurs and content creators
• Exclusive templates, tools, and resources to help you create content that drives results
• Opportunities for collaboration and cross-promotion with other members

Joining the waiting list means you’ll be the first to know when the doors open. You’ll also receive early-bird pricing and special bonuses that won’t be available to the general public.

Don’t miss this opportunity to surround yourself with a community of supportive, driven, and knowledgeable experts committed to helping you succeed.

Let’s work together to create content that showcases your expertise, builds trust, and grows your business. Join the Content Authority Club waiting list now