Content Calendar Planner

Content Calendar Planner

When to use this skill

• User asks to create a content calendar
• User needs a publishing schedule
• User wants to plan content themes
• User mentions editorial planning
• User needs content batching strategy

Workflow

• Define goals and audience
• Establish content pillars
• Set publishing cadence
• Map themes to dates
• Assign content types
• Create the calendar

Instructions

Step 1: Define Planning Parameters

Required inputs:

Step 2: Establish Content Pillars

Content pillar framework:

A content pillar is a core topic that:

- Aligns with your expertise
- Matters to your audience
- Supports business goals
- Can generate 10+ pieces of content

Pillar template:

Example (for a web dev agency):

Step 3: Set Publishing Cadence

Cadence by platform:

Capacity planning:

## Weekly Content Capacity

**Team size:** [X] creators

**Time available:** [X] hours/​week for content

**Estimate per content type:**

- Blog post (1,500 words): 4-6 hours
- Social post: 15-30 minutes
- Newsletter: 2-3 hours
- Video (5-10 min): 8-12 hours
- Podcast episode: 4-6 hours

**Sustainable weekly output:**

- [x] blog posts
- [x] social posts
- [x] newsletters
- [x] videos

Step 4: Content Types Mix

Content type categories:

Recommended mix:

## Content Mix Formula

- 40% Educational (value-first)
- 20% Inspirational (engagement)
- 15% Promotional (conversions)
- 15% Entertaining (reach)
- 10% Community (loyalty)

Step 5: Theme Mapping

Monthly theme structure:

## [Month] Theme: [Theme Name]

**Focus area:** [Which pillar this supports]

**Key message:** [One sentence theme summary]

**Content ideas:**

- Blog: [Topic 1], [Topic 2]
- Social: [Angle 1], [Angle 2], [Angle 3]
- Email: [Newsletter theme]
- Video: [Video topic]

**Tie-in dates:**

- [Relevant holiday or event]
- [Industry date or awareness day]
- [Product launch or promotion]

Theme ideas by quarter:

Step 6: Key Dates Calendar

Important dates to consider:

Date mapping template:

## Key Dates: [Month]

| Date   | Event   | Content Opportunity |
| ------ | ------- | ------------------- |
| [Date] | [Event] | [Content idea]      |
| [Date] | [Event] | [Content idea]      |
| [Date] | [Event] | [Content idea]      |

Step 7: Weekly Calendar Template

Weekly content schedule:

## Week of [Date]

| Day | Platform   | Content Type  | Topic     | Status    |
| --- | ---------- | ------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Mon | Blog       | Tutorial      | [Topic]   | Draft     |
| Mon | LinkedIn   | Text post     | [Topic]   | Scheduled |
| Tue | Instagram  | Carousel      | [Topic]   | Idea      |
| Tue | Twitter    | Thread        | [Topic]   | Idea      |
| Wed | Newsletter | Weekly digest | [Topic]   | Draft     |
| Thu | LinkedIn   | Article       | [Topic]   | Idea      |
| Thu | YouTube    | Video         | [Topic]   | Filming   |
| Fri | All social | Engagement    | Community | —         |

Step 8: Monthly Calendar Template

## [Month] Content Calendar

### Week 1: [Theme/​Focus]

| Date | Platform | Type | Topic | Pillar | Owner | Status |
| ---- | -------- | ---- | ----- | ------ | ----- | ------ |
| 1    |          |      |       |        |       |        |
| 2    |          |      |       |        |       |        |
| 3    |          |      |       |        |       |        |
| 4    |          |      |       |        |       |        |
| 5    |          |      |       |        |       |        |
| 6    |          |      |       |        |       |        |
| 7    |          |      |       |        |       |        |

### Week 2: [Theme/​Focus]

[Same structure]

### Week 3: [Theme/​Focus]

[Same structure]

### Week 4: [Theme/​Focus]

[Same structure]

---

### Monthly Summary

- Total blog posts: [X]
- Total social posts: [X]
- Total newsletters: [X]
- Total videos: [X]
- Primary pillar focus: [Pillar]
- Key campaign: [Campaign name]

Step 9: Content Batching Strategy

Batching framework:

Batching schedule example:

## Batching Days

**Monday:** Writing day

- Draft blog posts
- Write newsletter copy
- Create social captions

**Tuesday:** Visual day

- Design social graphics
- Create thumbnails
- Edit images

**Wednesday:** Video day

- Film content
- Record podcasts
- Edit videos

**Thursday:** Planning day

- Review analytics
- Adjust strategy
- Plan next week

**Friday:** Engagement day

- Respond to comments
- Community interaction
- Repurpose top content

Step 10: Repurposing Matrix

One piece → multiple formats:

## Repurposing: [Original Content Title]

**Source:** [Blog post / Video / Podcast]

| Platform      | Format      | Angle                  | Status |
| ------------- | ----------- | ---------------------- | ------ |
| LinkedIn      | Text post   | Key takeaway           |        |
| Twitter       | Thread      | Step-by-step breakdown |        |
| Instagram     | Carousel    | Visual summary         |        |
| TikTok        | Short video | Quick tip version      |        |
| Newsletter    | Feature     | Deep dive + extras     |        |
| Pinterest     | Infographic | Visual guide           |        |
| YouTube Short | Clip        | Best 60 seconds        |        |

Repurposing timeline:

Day 0: Publish original blog post
Day 1: LinkedIn post (key insight)
Day 2: Twitter thread (main points)
Day 3: Instagram carousel (visual breakdown)
Day 5: Newsletter feature
Day 7: YouTube video (expanded version)
Day 14: Pinterest infographic
Day 30: Update and reshare

Step 11: Status Tracking

Content status stages:

Tracking template:

## Content Pipeline

### Ideas Backlog

| Topic | Pillar | Type | Priority |
| ----- | ------ | ---- | -------- |
|       |        |      |          |

### In Progress

| Topic | Type | Owner | Status | Due |
| ----- | ---- | ----- | ------ | --- |
|       |      |       |        |     |

### Scheduled

| Topic | Platform | Publish Date | Status |
| ----- | -------- | ------------ | ------ |
|       |          |              |        |

### Published (This Month)

| Topic | Platform | Date | Performance |
| ----- | -------- | ---- | ----------- |
|       |          |      |             |

Output Format

## Content Calendar: [Time Period]

**Period:** [Start date] - [End date]
**Platforms:** [List platforms]
**Goals:** [Primary objectives]

---

### Content Pillars

| Pillar | Description | Ratio |
| ------ | ----------- | ----- |
|        |             |       |

### Publishing Cadence

| Platform | Frequency |
| -------- | --------- |
|          |           |

---

### Monthly Overview

#### [Month 1]

**Theme:** [Monthly theme]
**Key dates:** [Important dates]

[Weekly calendar tables]

#### [Month 2]

[Same structure]

---

### Repurposing Plan

[Repurposing matrix for key content]

### Batching Schedule

[Weekly batching workflow]

Validation

Before completing:

• Content pillars defined (3-5 pillars)
• Publishing cadence is sustainable
• All platforms accounted for
• Key dates mapped
• Monthly themes assigned
• Content types balanced
• Repurposing opportunities identified
• Status tracking system included

Error Handling

• No clear goals: Ask for top 3 content marketing objectives (traffic, leads, engagement).
• Too many platforms: Recommend focusing on 2-3 platforms initially until capacity grows.
• Unsustainable cadence: Reduce frequency or suggest batching and repurposing.
• No team capacity info: Ask how many hours per week available for content creation.
• Missing key dates: Prompt for product launches, company events, and industry dates.

Resources

• CoSchedule - Editorial calendar tool
• Notion Templates - Calendar templates
• Airtable Content Calendar - Database templates
• Google Sheets Calendar Template - Free spreadsheet option
• Days of the Year - Awareness days database