Content Theory
The Science, Psychology, and Philosophy of High-Peforming Content Programs
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Course overview
Rules to create, analyze, interpret, and build high-performing content programs.
“This is the underpinning of how this industry-wide conversation needs to be.”
—Sarah Sher, Director of Content @ Codeless
Are you unsure of how to approach audience research—or what it really even is?
Do you struggle to get approval on strategies that are outside leadership’s limited view of content?
Does the content you’re producing feel irrelevant, disconnected, or ineffective?
You’re not alone.
In fact:
🔸 60% of content marketers are unsure or unconfident their content stands out on voice and tone.
🔸 41.3% of content marketers report not doing nearly enough research.
🔸 Only 30% of in-house content marketers feel their leadership is fully bought-in.
Many content marketers are stuck “playing content”:
They’re stuck using outdated playbooks—where leaders see the medium (podcasts, blogs, social media) as the strategy.
Without a distinct process to prove ROI, marketing is often treated as an arts-and-crafts department rather than a critical business function.
And with AI looming overhead, many marketers are too afraid to propose big ideas in case they don’t pan out.
Content Theory solves this problem
It offers a series of durable, repeatable frameworks for developing standout strategies—plus the communication skills to get buy-in from even the most skeptical executive.
Whether you’re a Head of Content, in-house content marketer, or part of the c-suite, you’ll leave with a proven approach you can put to work immediately.
“Everything I thought I knew about creating differentiated content, and all the advice I hear daily now feels very weak, unconvincing, and basic. Tommy showed us dimensions to content that I never knew existed.”
—Haris Spahić, Brand & Content Marketer @ Supermove
Most content marketers are stuck “playing content”
01
60% of content marketers are unsure or unconfident their content stands out on voice and tone.
02
43% of content marketers report not doing their research nearly enough.
03
Only 30% of in-house content marketers feel their leadership is fully bought-in.
What do you get out of Content Theory?
Proven-Frameworks For Creating Differentiated, High-Performing Content
"It's almost impossible to create a similar piece of content." - Erica Schneider - Cut The Fluff
You’ll learn the exact systems and frameworks used to create wildly differentiated content for Fortune 1,000 brands.
An Entirely New Way of Thinking
"Everyone is rethinking their approach to content marketing and I think your approach digs into things that are eternal." - Emily Epstein - Sigma
We're at an inflection point. If we keep doing things the same way, we're toast. It's time to adapt and rethink what's possible.
A Reinvigorated Passion For The Work
"When you come out of it, you'll realize it is B2B's moment, I'm feeling refreshed again, I'm feeling like this industry is possible, and we're not just selling degrees of differentation." - Sara Sher - Codeless
I love this stuff and I want to help you fall back in love too.
3 Hours of Private 1:1 Consultation
"I have never met anyone in my career that is more passionate about content marketing than Tommy is." - Josh Briggs - QuickBooks
We're not selling a course, we're starting a movement.
This only works if we get specific about your business and how these principles work for you.
An Intimate Five-Day Virtual Event:
"Very, very few, if any courses are as nutritional in terms of value-per-minute as what Tommy put together." - Ryan Baum - Content Consultant
Four jam-packed interactive group-based lessons and a day to reflect and discuss learnings and how to apply them.
Lasting Resources:
🔸 Lifetime access to session recordings
🔸 Worksheets, templates, and guided lessons you can reuse and share with your teams and clients.
🔸 The foundation for your personal “content manifesto” to guide future strategies.
What’s included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Tommy Walker in a real-time, interactive format.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Maven Guarantee
This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.
Course syllabus
5 live sessions • 25 lessons • 5 projects
Week 1
- 📄
Layer 1: Your Internal Stakeholders
- ✍️
Defining your brand narratives
Submit by Feb 5 - 📄
Layer 2: Your Owned Audience
- 📄
Layer 3: Your Direct Competitors
- ✍️
Dissecting a Competitor
Submit by Feb 5 - 📄
Layer 4: Your Search Competitors
- 📄
Layer 5: Industry adjacent
- 📄
Layer 6 - Industry News
- 📄
Layer 7: Influencers
- 📄
Layer 8: Industry Pulse
- 📄
Defining Your Three Audiences
- ✍️
Exercise: Documenting Your Three Audiences
Submit by Feb 5 - 📄
Deconstructing the Market to Find Stand-Out Ideas
- 📄
Developing a Content Code
- ✍️
Exercise: Writing Your Rules of Engagement
Submit by Feb 5 - 📄
Finding Unique Premises For Common Formats
- 📄
Hiring the Right Creators For The Job
- 📄
How to Run Productive Brainstorms
- 📄
A Guaranteed Way to Secure Distribution For Big Swing Ideas
- 📄
The Theory of Why People Do... Anything
- 📄
Finding The Controlling Idea
- 📄
The Mechanics of Irresistible Introductions
- 📄
The Ghost, The Truth, and The Lie
- ✍️
Documenting The Ghost, The Truth, and The Lie
Submit by Feb 5 - 📄
Giving The Reader Everything They Want And What They Didn't Know They Needed
- 📄
The Only 4 Endings In All Of Storytelling
- 📄
The Three Layers of Conflict
- 📄
Using Structure to Keep Readers Engaged
- 📄
Bonus: Building a Content Calendar That Earns Repeat Visitors
Mar
24
Session 1: The 8 Layers of Market Research
What to expect out of Session 1
This is a unique approach to content that most businesses aren't using because they're deeply entrenched in outdated playbooks.
This session is to discuss how content leaders can usher change within theirs (or their client's) organization and help the content program become a more visible and respected part of the organization.
But you can only do that if you know how to build a coalition that supports the mission.
We'll discuss how.
Mar
25
Session 2: Creative Development
What to expect out of Session 2
You'll learn practical methods to dissect the communication strategies competitors and allies use to attract your ideal customer.
Are they running old playbooks? How are they pivoting their strategy and messaging to stay resonate and on trend?
This uses a 2000+ year old ancient philosophy technique to evaluate competitor's communication strategies through 6 distinct lenses so you are crystal clear on where they are strong, where they are weak, and where there are areas of opportunity.
Mar
26
Optional: Session 3: Group Discussion & Assignment Review
What to expect out of Session 3
By this point, we will have covered a lot of ground and you will have completed several exercises that will have identified strategic partners, find gaps in competitor's messaging, and start your own content manifesto.
Because this is a cohort-based program, this group mastermind session is to reflect on what's been discussed with the group and learn from your peers.
We'll review the materials together, share experiences, and clarify as a group any concepts that have been brought forward.
Mar
27
Session 4: How to Create Wildly Differentiated Content
What to expect out of Session 4
In Day 4 we'll take the research conducted in Days 1 & 2 and put into action.
We'll dive deep into behavioral psych principles like The Self Determination Theory to understand what gets people motivated and where they are on the motivation scale.
We'll apply the acting philosophies that transformed how modern stage, television, and film performances are done.
We'll use time-tested filmmaking frameworks and screenwriting principles that'll add depth and dimension to the work.
Mar
28
Session 5: Driving Adoption & Leading Change
What to expect out of Session 5
This is a unique approach to content that most businesses aren't using because they're deeply entrenched in outdated playbooks.
This session is to discuss how content leaders can usher change within theirs (or their client's) organization and help the content program become a more visible and respected part of the organization.
But you can only do that if you know how to build a coalition that supports the mission.
We'll discuss how.
Bonus
- 📄
Debunking the "SEO Content" Myth - Replay & Slides
Bonus Download: Debunking the SEO Content Myth
What students are saying
What people say about working with Tommy
Cassie Dell
Mariam Jameel
Peep Laja
Oli Gardner
Ying Shen
Mackenzie Pedroza
Tia Fomenoff
Jacob McMillen
Meet your Instructor
Tommy Walker
Tommy Walker
Founder @ The Content Studio
👋 First marketing hire @ Shopify Plus, former Global Editor-in-Chief @ Intuit.
🚀 Works with the world’s best-known brands—like LinkedIn and GoDaddy—to create industry-leading content programs.
🎯Built content operations that have generated billions in revenue and have scaled to markets around the world.
“I have never met anyone in my career that is more passionate about content marketing than Tommy is.”
—Josh Briggs (QuickBooks)
“I learned a ton, every day was ridiculously valuable. I don’t doubt that I’ll look back in 5-10 years and see this as a turning point in my career.”
—Zachary Totah, Content Manager @ Selecthub
When you enroll in Content Theory you'll get:
3 Hour-Long Private 1:1 Sessions
This is the beginning of a movement.
We want to set the new standard for what content marketing can be, and we can only do that if these principles are applied to your specific company to solve your specific challenges.
"Tommy's intuition, creative eye and insight in the marketing space sets him unto a category all his own." - Mai Overton - Sr. Research Data Analyst, State of California
The 8-Layer Market Research Model
Developed to help you pinpoint precisely where your brand sits in the larger competitive landscape, this process ensures you understand your customers’ motivations and your industry’s pulse.
By exploring your company, customers, competitors, search competitors, industry-adjacent players, influencers, news outlets, and automations to keep track of everyone in real-time, you’ll see opportunities to differentiate that no one else sees.
"Tommy believes in quality marketing content and can identify blossoming trends and bring his writers' material to the next level." - Tia Fomenoff - VP of People - PurposeMed
The Creative Ideation & Distribution-First Validation Model
Stop guessing if an idea will succeed.
By validating your concept and securing distribution partners before you produce a single deliverable, you’ll ensure that every new piece of content has a waiting audience.
This is a game-changer for resource allocation and executive buy-in.
"Tommy is the ultimate content marketer. He understands how to get the best ROI for content marketing dollars and understands how to optimize content for maximum results." Mackenzie Pedroza - Head of Marketing - Brightflow AI
Several Behavioral Psychology & Storytelling Principles
From Self-Determination Theory (decoding intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation) to leveraging screenwriting and acting frameworks, you’ll learn how to craft content that captivates and drives action.
These principles help you build trust, anticipation, and genuine excitement around your brand—while making your content impossible to ignore.
"Tommy has an artistic sense of what makes great content and an insistence on achieving it. I'll put it bluntly: many content strategists can talk about analytics but are totally clueless about how to create content that's truly remarkable." - Jon Morrow - Founder - Smart Blogger
The Power to Lead Change & Build a Coalition
Even the most brilliant content strategy can stall if no one else sees its potential.
Learn stakeholder management, buy-in techniques, and a blueprint for leading change from within, so you can usher your organization forward—especially if they’ve been stuck using outdated playbooks.
"Tommy possesses the ability to lead complex editorial processes with multiple moving parts. He's able to look at projects with a 30,000-foot view while managing through the granular details." - Ying Shen - QuickBooks
The Time to Elevate Your Content Strategy is Now
Nearly two decades of experience distilled to one information-packed week
I’ll be straight with you:
This event isn't just another item on your calendar. It's a turning point. It's where you step away from the uncertainty of the "Big Ole' Keyword List" and hit-or-miss content strategies and step into a world where your content consistently hits the mark.
I've been where you are. That's why I've tailored this event to not just impart knowledge, but to give you frameworks you can put into action immediately and bring together others who are ready to explore what's next for our industry.
I truly believe in the power of these strategies and tools. They are my life’s work, the culmination of years of experience and success. I am confident they will help you as they have helped others, and I look forward to celebrating with you when they do.
Warm regards,
Tommy Walker