The content framework we’ve used for years (and still trust)
A few years ago, a client asked me a question that completely changed how I think about content marketing.
He'd just received an invoice and said: "Why am I paying the same amount for a white paper as I am for an SEO blog article?"
I stumbled through some answer about similar labor costs, but he cut me off: "Look, I get that's your business cost. But I'd rather pay you a lot more for strategic content that actually moves the needle. I'm overpaying for these low-value SEO blogs that don't convert anyone."
That conversation led me to a revelation that transformed our entire business model—and it can fix your content strategy too.
The pet vs. cattle revelation
When my client asked that question, I remembered something from my old IT days: pet servers and cattle servers.
Pet servers were special. They had names. If one went down, everyone dropped everything to fix it because the business depended on it.
Cattle servers? They were just nodes in a cluster. If one failed, you'd replace it with a script. No big deal. Commodity infrastructure.
That's when it hit me: content works the same way.
Some content is precious and strategic (pet content). Other content is useful but replaceable (cattle content). And most companies are treating everything like cattle when they should be investing in pets.
What is cattle content?
Cattle content includes:
SEO blog articles that chase traffic
Daily social media posts with 24-hour lifespans
Website copy for low-traffic pages
Anything that could realistically be generated by AI
This isn't bad content—it's just commodity content. It keeps you visible, builds awareness, and signals that you're alive and active in your industry.
But here's the thing: cattle content will never close a deal.
What is pet content?
Pet content is strategic, substantial, and written for people who actually make buying decisions. It targets audiences with money, intelligence, and the authority to say "yes" to your solution.
Pet content includes:
Case studies that hypnotize prospects into wanting what you're selling
White papers that demonstrate deep expertise in your niche
Bottom-of-funnel content that shows exactly how your product works
Battle cards that help sales teams handle objections
Competitive analyses that compare solutions in detail
Thought leadership that gets published in places like Forbes
This is the content that actually drives revenue. It's written by skilled writers who understand your product, your audience, and the pain points that keep your prospects up at night.
The magic happens when you blend both
Here's where most companies mess up: they go all-in on one or the other.
All cattle, no pets? You'll get traffic but no conversions. You'll look busy but never close deals.
All pets, no cattle? You'll miss opportunities to build awareness and attract new audiences.
The sweet spot? A strategic mix of both.
We typically recommend:
4-8 cattle pieces per month
1-4 pet pieces per month
A social calendar with 3-5 posts per week
Think of it like this: cattle content says "Hey, we're alive and well." Pet content says "Hey, we're the deepest experts on this topic."
How to make pet and cattle content work together
Let's say you publish a technical white paper that resonates with your audience. Here's how to amplify it:
Extract 3-5 key findings and turn each into a cattle content piece
Interview the author and create video clips for social media
Create a one-pager for your sales team
Write an email sequence that drives people to download the full white paper
This is where you get that one plus one equals three effect. Someone sees your social post, visits the landing page, downloads the white paper, starts exploring your website, and eventually becomes a customer—all without any direct sales effort.
Stop treating all content the same
If you're working with an agency or internal team that treats everything like cattle content, that's a red flag.
You're not going to generate real pipeline without pet content. You need both.
So ask yourself (or your content team) the same question my client asked me: "Why are we paying the same for content that converts and content that doesn't?"
The answer might just transform your entire content strategy.
If your current content feels more like busy work than business strategy, it's time to think like my client did. Stop overpaying for cattle when what you really need are more pets.
Need help creating a strategic mix of pet and cattle content? We can help. Contact us at Edifycontent.com/contact.
