Blog Post Planner and Publishing Tracker

Who this is for

Every blog post from idea to live. The first table follows each post through drafting, review and publishing; the second makes sure the small jobs after it goes live actually get done.

Bloggers and small business owners who write their own posts, and anyone who has a folder of half-finished drafts and no clear idea which is nearest to done.

What this helps you track

• Which posts are planned for the quarter and what each one is about
• The keyword or search phrase each post is written around
• Where every draft has got to and who is reviewing it
• When each post went live and its address
• Where each post has been shared, and which follow-up jobs are still open

How to use it

1. Write the blog name, the quarter and your own posting target for it at the top.
2. Give each planned post a line with a working title, a category and the keyword you are writing it around.
3. Move the draft status on as the post progresses, and name whoever is editing or reviewing it.
4. When a post goes live, add the publish date, the URL and where you promoted it.
5. Copy each live post into the second table and tick the checks as they are done; the browser version saves in your own browser.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What should my posting target be?

Whatever you can keep up, set by you. The sheet does not suggest a number; write yours in the header and compare it with the posts that actually went live by the end of the quarter.

What is the target keyword column for?

The phrase you expect a reader to search for when they find the post. Writing it down before drafting keeps the post focused and stops two posts chasing the same phrase.

Why a separate table for post-publish checks?

Because the jobs after a post goes live, such as alt text, internal links and sharing, are the ones most often skipped. Giving each live post its own row of ticks makes the gaps obvious.

Does it replace my blogging platform's draft list?

No. It sits alongside it, holding the plan and the follow-up that most platforms do not track, and it works the same whichever platform you publish on.