Social Media Content Calendar

Who this is for

A month of posts, planned on one page. Each line is one post on one platform, with the topic, the asset it needs, the link it carries and where it has got to, so the gaps and the pile-ups show before the month starts.

Small businesses, sole traders, clubs and individual creators who post on more than one platform and want to see the whole month in one place rather than in several apps.

What this helps you track

• What is going out on each date, and on which platform
• The type of post and the topic or caption idea behind it
• Which image, video or graphic each post still needs
• The link each post points to, so it can be tested before it goes out
• Whether each post is an idea, drafted, scheduled or already published

How to use it

1. Write the month, the brand or account, the platforms you use and any campaign theme running through the month.
2. Fill in the dates you mean to post and give each a platform and a post type; posting on two platforms on one day takes two lines.
3. Add the topic or caption idea, the asset it needs and the link it will carry.
4. Move the status along as each post is drafted, scheduled and published; online, pick it from the list, which saves in your own browser.
5. Tick the checks at the foot of the sheet before anything is scheduled.
6. At the end of the month, carry unused ideas into next month's sheet.

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

How many posts should I plan a month?

As many as you can make and keep up with. The sheet has no suggested frequency; fill the dates you can honestly cover and leave the rest blank. An empty week is easier to fix on paper than halfway through the month.

Why one line per platform rather than one line per day?

Because the same idea usually needs a different caption, size and link on each platform, and each one gets scheduled separately. Separate lines mean each one has its own status.

What is the campaign theme for?

Optional. If the month has a launch, an event or a season behind it, writing it at the top keeps the posts pointing the same way. Leave it blank for an ordinary month.

Where do post ideas come from?

Keep a running list somewhere else and pull from it when you fill this sheet. The content idea backlog is built for that, so the calendar only holds what has been chosen for this month.