Owned Media Maturity Model

Ad-hoc content only. Blog posts or videos created reactively for launches or campaigns. No editorial calendar. Content creators work in isolation without shared briefs or templates. Example: "We publish a blog post when we have news to share."

Consistent publishing schedule (e.g., 2 blog posts/week). Shared templates and briefs exist. One or two content formats in use. Basic quality standards documented. Example: "We have a content calendar and publish on a regular cadence."

Entity-based strategy: content organized around core topics/clusters. Multi-format production (blog, video, podcast). Editorial pipeline with clear stages (ideation → draft → review → publish). Repurposing workflow established. Example: "We have topic clusters and a documented content process."

Content serves both acquisition (SEO, social) and retention (onboarding, education). Content team collaborates with sales, support, and product. Performance metrics tied to business outcomes. Example: "Our content drives leads AND reduces support tickets."

Evergreen content assets compound over time. Top-performing pieces updated regularly. Content library generates consistent organic traffic and conversions without constant new production. Example: "Our 2-year-old guides still drive 40% of our organic signups."

No SEO strategy. Pages not optimized for keywords. No understanding of search intent or competition. Technical SEO issues present (slow pages, broken links, missing meta tags). Example: "We don't think about SEO when creating content."

Basic SEO hygiene: title tags, meta descriptions, header structure. Primary keywords identified for main pages. Google Search Console connected. Core Web Vitals monitored. Example: "We optimize pages for target keywords before publishing."

Topic clusters and pillar pages in place. Internal linking strategy implemented. Entity-based content (not just keywords). Search authority growing in 2-3 core topic areas. Featured snippets captured. Example: "We rank on page 1 for several high-intent keywords in our category."

Top 10% search authority in your category. Multiple page-1 rankings for competitive terms. Backlink acquisition through content quality. Search drives 30%+ of qualified traffic. Example: "We dominate search for our core product topics."

Search leadership is a moat. Competitors cannot easily replicate your authority. Evergreen rankings for high-value terms. New content ranks faster due to domain authority. Example: "We're the go-to resource in our space—Google sends us traffic automatically."

No owned community. Audience exists only on rented platforms (social followers). No direct communication channel. No user-generated content or feedback loops. Example: "We post on LinkedIn but don't have a way to directly reach our audience."

Early community activity: email newsletter, Slack/Discord group, or forum. Some engagement but not systematically nurtured. Community exists alongside content but not integrated. Example: "We have a newsletter with 5K subscribers and a small Slack group."

Community feedback influences content planning. Regular community engagement (AMAs, Q&As, polls). Community members contribute ideas and topics. Newsletter segments based on interests. Example: "Our community told us what to write about next—and they share our content."

Community drives distribution. Members share content organically. User-generated content supplements owned content. Community has clear value proposition and grows through referrals. Example: "40% of our newsletter growth comes from member referrals."

Flywheel effect: content attracts community, community creates content, content attracts more community. Community is a business asset with measurable LTV impact. Ambassadors and advocates are formalized. Example: "Our community members create tutorials we feature—driving more members to join."

Data scattered across tools. No unified view of content performance. Metrics checked manually when asked. No connection between content metrics and business outcomes. Example: "I check Google Analytics when someone asks how a blog post did."

Regular reporting exists (weekly/monthly). Key metrics tracked (traffic, engagement, conversions). Data lives in spreadsheets or slides. Reports created manually. Example: "We send a monthly content report to leadership—it takes a day to compile."

Automated dashboards (Looker, Tableau, or equivalent). Real-time visibility into content performance. Attribution to pipeline/revenue attempted. Alerts for significant changes. Example: "Our content dashboard updates automatically and shows funnel impact."

Unified data warehouse. Content, product, and marketing data connected. Multi-touch attribution in place. Cohort analysis possible. Content ROI measured at asset level. Example: "We can see which content a customer touched before buying, and calculate CAC by content type."

Data-informed content strategy at scale. Predictive models suggest high-value topics. Real-time optimization based on performance. Content investment decisions backed by ROI data. Example: "Our model tells us which topics will perform—and we can prove content lowers CAC by 25%."

Content and product teams don't communicate. No shared understanding of customer journey. Product launches happen without content support. Help docs are afterthought. Example: "Marketing writes about the product but doesn't talk to product team."

Product team provides input on content topics (feature announcements, use cases). Some coordination on launches. Help documentation exists but managed separately. Example: "Product gives us a heads-up on launches so we can write about them."

Content supports product education and adoption. Onboarding content exists. Feature tutorials created systematically. Content team understands product roadmap. Example: "We have a content piece for every major feature explaining how to use it."

Product content measurably improves activation and retention. In-app content (tooltips, guides) coordinated with marketing content. Support content reduces ticket volume. Example: "Users who read our getting-started guide retain 2x better in month 1."

Product and content are integrated. New features create new content discovery loops (e.g., "share your dashboard" creates viral content). Product data informs content, content usage informs product. Example: "Every new feature we ship has a content flywheel built in—users create content that brings new users."