Content Idea Backlog

Who this is for

A place to park ideas until you make them. Each idea gets a row with its format, who it is for, a priority on your own scale and a rough effort, so when it is time to make something you pick from a list instead of a blank page.

Creators, bloggers, podcasters and small businesses posting online, who have more ideas than time and lose the good ones in notes apps and voice memos.

What this helps you track

• Every content idea in one list, whatever format it suits
• Which audience or content pillar each idea serves
• A priority and effort for each, so the next pick is easy
• When ideas are planned for and how far along they are
• Series and recurring themes worth building on

How to use it

1. Write the brand or channel at the top and the date you last reviewed the list.
2. Decide your own priority scale, such as 1 to 3 or high, medium and low, and write it in the header.
3. Add ideas as they come: a one-line description, the format and the audience or pillar.
4. Give each a priority and a rough effort, and a planned date once you commit to it.
5. Keep the status up to date and mark dropped ideas rather than deleting them.
6. Note series and recurring themes in the box, and review the backlog when planning your calendar.

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 is a content pillar?

One of the few broad topics your channel keeps returning to. Tagging ideas by pillar or audience shows at a glance whether the backlog is lopsided towards one subject.

Why keep dropped ideas on the list?

So you do not have the same idea again and wonder whether it was considered. A dropped idea with a note saying why is also easy to revive when circumstances change.

What should effort mean?

Whatever helps you choose: hours, a small-medium-large guess, or the number of people needed. The content creation time log can show what formats really take, which makes the guesses better over time.

How is this different from a content calendar?

The backlog holds ideas that are not yet scheduled. When an idea gets a date and a platform, it moves onto the calendar, and its status here changes to in progress.