Cluster Content Production

This drill takes the output of topic-cluster-mapping (a prioritized list of cluster subtopics with keyword data and linking instructions) and produces finished, published articles. It covers writing, SEO optimization, internal linking, and publishing.

Input

• Cluster map from topic-cluster-mapping: pillar topic, subtopic list with keywords, intent types, linking map
• ICP description and product positioning
• Brand voice guidelines or founder voice profile
• CMS access (Ghost, Webflow, WordPress, or equivalent)

Steps

1. Write the pillar page first

The pillar page is the anchor. Generate it using the Anthropic API:

POST https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages
x-api-key: {ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
anthropic-version: 2023-06-01

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
  "max_tokens": 8192,
  "system": "You are an expert SEO content writer. Write a comprehensive pillar page about {pillar_topic} for {icp_description}. The page must:\n- Target the keyword '{pillar_keyword}' (volume: {volume}, difficulty: {kd})\n- Be 3,000-5,000 words\n- Include a table of contents\n- Cover each of these subtopics with a 200-300 word summary section:\n{subtopic_list_with_h2s}\n- Each subtopic section ends with a contextual link placeholder: [LINK: /blog/{subtopic_slug}]\n- Include a FAQ section with 5-8 questions from People Also Ask\n- Include a lead capture CTA after the introduction and before the conclusion\n- Write in a clear, authoritative tone. No fluff. Every paragraph must provide specific value.\n- Output as HTML with proper h2, h3, p, ul, ol tags.",
  "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Write the pillar page now."}]
}

2. Batch-produce cluster articles

For each cluster subtopic, generate an article. Process in batches of 5-10:

For each subtopic in batch:

System prompt:
"Write an in-depth article about '{subtopic_keyword}' for {icp_description}.
- Target keyword: '{subtopic_keyword}' (volume: {volume}, KD: {kd})
- Intent type: {intent_type}
- Word count: 1,200-2,000 words for informational, 1,500-2,500 words for comparative
- Include the target keyword in the first 100 words, in at least one H2, and in the conclusion
- Include related keywords naturally: {related_keywords}
- Structure: introduction (state the problem, promise the answer), 3-5 H2 sections, practical examples, FAQ (3-5 questions), conclusion with CTA
- Internal links to include:
  - Link back to pillar page: [LINK: /blog/{pillar_slug}] (in introduction or conclusion)
  - Link to adjacent cluster articles: [LINK: /blog/{adjacent_slug_1}], [LINK: /blog/{adjacent_slug_2}]
- Write for readers who are solution-aware: they know the category exists, they are evaluating options
- Output as HTML"

3. Quality-check each article before publishing

For every generated article, verify:

• Keyword inclusion: target keyword in H1, first 100 words, at least one H2, meta description
• Length: meets minimum word count for intent type
• Uniqueness: no two cluster articles share more than 30% content similarity (compare first 500 words)
• Internal links: all [LINK: ...] placeholders are present and correct
• Readability: no paragraphs longer than 4 sentences, no walls of text without subheadings
• CTA: every article ends with a relevant call-to-action (contextual, not generic)

Reject and regenerate any article that fails quality checks.

4. Resolve internal link placeholders

Before publishing, replace all [LINK: /blog/{slug}] placeholders with actual HTML links:

<a href="/blog/{slug}">{anchor_text}</a>

Use natural anchor text derived from the target keyword of the linked article. Do NOT use generic anchors like "click here" or "read more."

If a linked article has not been published yet (later in the batch), note it for post-publish link insertion.

5. Set SEO metadata per article

For each article, generate via the Anthropic API:

• meta_title: target keyword + benefit, under 60 characters
• meta_description: summarize the article's value proposition, include target keyword, under 155 characters
• slug: target keyword as URL-friendly slug (lowercase, hyphens, no stop words)
• tags: pillar topic name + intent type + 1-2 category tags

6. Publish via CMS

Using ghost-blog-publishing:

1. Create each article as a draft first (status: "draft")
2. Verify formatting renders correctly via the Ghost preview URL
3. Publish the pillar page first
4. Publish cluster articles in priority order (highest priority score first)
5. Space publishing: 2-3 articles per day maximum to avoid triggering spam filters in search engines

7. Track content events

Using posthog-custom-events, fire events for each published article:

• cluster_article_published: properties url, pillar_topic, target_keyword, intent_type, word_count, publish_date
• cluster_pillar_published: properties url, pillar_topic, cluster_count, total_word_count

Output

• Published pillar page (3,000-5,000 words)
• Published cluster articles (8-12 per batch, 1,200-2,500 words each)
• All internal links connected (pillar <-> clusters, cluster <-> adjacent clusters)
• SEO metadata set for every page
• PostHog events logged for tracking

Triggers

• Initial batch: run once at Smoke level to publish pillar + first 5 cluster articles
• Expansion: run at Baseline level to publish remaining cluster articles
• Ongoing: run monthly at Scalable level when topic-cluster-mapping identifies new subtopics