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planning-content-calendars

Creates strategic content schedules with themes, dates, and publishing cadence. Use when the user asks about content calendars, publishing schedules, content planning, editorial calendars, or content strategy timelines.

personAuthor: jakexiaohubgithub
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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:

| Field | Purpose | | ----------- | --------------------------------- | | Time period | Month, quarter, year | | Platforms | Blog, social, email, video | | Goals | Traffic, leads, engagement, sales | | Audience | Who you're creating for | | Resources | Team size, creation capacity | | Key dates | Launches, events, holidays |

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:

| Pillar | Description | Audience Need | Content Ratio | | ---------- | ----------------- | ------------------------ | ------------- | | [Pillar 1] | [Core topic area] | [What problem it solves] | [X%] | | [Pillar 2] | [Core topic area] | [What problem it solves] | [X%] | | [Pillar 3] | [Core topic area] | [What problem it solves] | [X%] | | [Pillar 4] | [Core topic area] | [What problem it solves] | [X%] |

Example (for a web dev agency):

| Pillar | Description | Audience Need | Ratio | | ------------ | ------------------------------ | ------------------- | ----- | | Performance | Page speed, Core Web Vitals | Sites are too slow | 30% | | Modern Stack | Next.js, headless CMS, APIs | Tech choices | 25% | | Conversion | UX, landing pages, A/B testing | Sites don't convert | 25% | | Case Studies | Client wins, results | Social proof | 20% |

Step 3: Set Publishing Cadence

Cadence by platform:

| Platform | Minimum | Recommended | Aggressive | | ---------- | ------- | ----------- | ---------- | | Blog | 2/month | 4/month | 8/month | | LinkedIn | 3/week | 5/week | Daily | | Twitter/X | Daily | 2-3/day | 5+/day | | Instagram | 3/week | Daily | 2/day | | YouTube | 2/month | Weekly | 2/week | | Newsletter | 2/month | Weekly | 2/week | | Podcast | 2/month | Weekly | 2/week | | TikTok | 3/week | Daily | 2-3/day |

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:

| Category | Purpose | Examples | | ------------- | -------------------- | -------------------------- | | Educational | Build authority, SEO | Tutorials, guides, how-tos | | Inspirational | Engagement, shares | Stories, quotes, wins | | Promotional | Conversions, sales | Product features, offers | | Entertaining | Reach, virality | Memes, trends, humor | | Community | Loyalty, UGC | Q&As, polls, reposts | | Behind-scenes | Trust, relatability | Process, team, culture |

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:

| Q1 (Jan-Mar) | Q2 (Apr-Jun) | Q3 (Jul-Sep) | Q4 (Oct-Dec) | | -------------- | -------------- | ---------------- | -------------- | | New year goals | Spring refresh | Back to business | Holiday prep | | Planning | Growth focus | Mid-year review | Year in review | | Fresh starts | Launch season | Summer content | Black Friday | | Skill building | Outdoor/active | Back to school | Gratitude |

Step 6: Key Dates Calendar

Important dates to consider:

| Category | Examples | | --------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | Holidays | New Year, Easter, Christmas, local holidays | | Shopping | Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day, Boxing Day | | Awareness | Mental Health Month, Earth Day, Pride Month | | Industry | Conferences, product launches, annual events | | Company | Anniversaries, launches, milestones | | Seasonal | Summer, back-to-school, spring cleaning |

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:

| Batch Type | When | What | | ---------------- | ------------ | ----------------------------- | | Monthly planning | 1st of month | Map all content for the month | | Weekly writing | Monday | Draft week's blog/newsletter | | Daily social | Morning | Schedule day's social posts | | Visual creation | Thursday | Design week's graphics | | Video filming | Bi-weekly | Film 2-4 videos at once |

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:

| Status | Definition | | ------------ | ----------------------------- | | 💡 Idea | Topic identified, not started | | 📝 Outline | Structure planned | | ✍️ Draft | Writing in progress | | 👀 Review | Ready for editing | | ✅ Ready | Approved, awaiting schedule | | 📅 Scheduled | Queued for publishing | | ✓ Published | Live | | 📊 Analyzed | Performance reviewed |

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