Are EMD .org still ranking well in today's SEO environment?

From what I've read, it sounds like they still rank, but there is no longer a big advantage in having an EMD over having a brandable domain name. Most of what I'm reading seems to be about 2 years old though, so I thought I'd post here and see what the SEO wizards in our midst have to say about it.

Reason I ask is because I've had an EMD for the past 3 years or so with nothing on it. It's similar to - howtogetabs.org - with search volume around 20k or so per month(according to the Keyword planner. I've been considering the following options:

1. Write an epic pillar post of about 3k words, like a definitive guide on how to lose belly fat(thought I would go for LSI phrases to avoid an over-optimization penalty. I would also link that article out to a number of other shorter (500-1k word) articles around the topic of getting abs/losing belly fat. Other categories on the site might be focused on diet, exercises, training programs, and product reviews. I also thought I might create a short report on how I recently lost 25lbs and exposed my six pack back in my mid-30s, and build a buyers list to market other related, helpful offers.

2. Just using the domain to market the product directly, driving traffic with FB, affiliates, and PPC. Give the report away for free or make it a low-cost tripwire, and create a full sales funnel with upsells. I guess I could still incorporate this into the first scenario.

Let me know what you think of the above scenarios and/or if you would choose to something entirely different with such a domain. Thanks for your input.

S.