Content material plan templates make it potential to trace content material concepts from brainstorming and creation to design, publishing, and packaging. Utilizing a template (or full on system) makes it potential to align these low-level plans with overarching enterprise objectives.
Nevertheless, “content material plan” is a reasonably broad class and means various things to completely different folks. For some, this implies a easy editorial calendar.
For others, it’s a full-scale undertaking administration and content material operations system.
I’ve used dozens of various instruments, configurations, and templates to handle content material through the years. Listed below are my favourite templates that span the spectrum from easy to superior.
monday.com: Content material planning templates for the perfect undertaking administration answer
monday.com is an all-in-one undertaking administration answer constructed on relational databases that make it extremely customizable and versatile if you wish to put within the work to customise it.
It’s free to enroll you probably have one or two folks however you’re restricted to 3 tasks. That’s greater than sufficient to attempt the template out, but it surely received’t get you so far as different free plans on the market.
Extra monday.com protection: monday.com assessment | Notion vs monday.com | Asana vs monday.com.
Template 1: Plan full tasks and content material work in a single place
monday.com’s content material planning template comes with every part it’s essential brainstorm, handle, assessment, and schedule your entire content material. Whether or not you’re working a weblog, getting ready movies on YouTube, creating social posts, or a mix of all these, you’ll get all the weather you want.
Whereas it does require extra customization than others, it provides you full management to make the template work the way you do.
Template options:
- 30+ column varieties.
- Drag-and-drop editor to customise your board.
- Add information and connect hyperlinks to particular duties.
- Integrates with Slack, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and extra.
- Skill to plan content material months upfront.
- Superior collaboration capabilities.
- Automated notifications.
You’ll be able to simply change between board, desk, Gantt, and calendar view (relying in your plan) to see the suitable degree of element for what you’re doing.
Wish to perceive general timelines at a look? Gantt chart or calendar view will work effectively. Must see what duties are assigned to you and after they’re due? You’ll be able to arrange a filtered view that exhibits your entire work throughout the whole board in a single place.
With a full suite of automations on greater tiers, you’ll be capable to arrange absolutely automated workflows that replace statuses, assign the suitable folks, regulate due dates, and extra.
One of many extra distinctive facets of this template is the power to add and manage information.
Template 2: For Search engine optimisation-focused content material planning
This template isn’t as broad as the primary — it’s centered on Search engine optimisation content material. Except for that, this one was created by a monday.com person quite than the software program supplier itself. I like user-contributed templates as a result of it often means they have been created out of necessity.
Template options:
- 1,260+ downloads.
- Limitless free use with a monday.com free plan.
- Search engine optimisation briefs for content material plans.
- Standing column to trace plans by way of execution.
- Constructed-in AI assistant.
- Superior search and filtering for content material planning at scale.
- Staff tagging and collaboration options.
Except for being created out of necessity, it’s extra doubtless person templates have been used and improved in actual world situations. As such, you find yourself with a template that displays precise workflows.
Because the cherry on prime, you continue to get all the options and advantages that include monday.com. So in the event you’re planning Search engine optimisation content material along with your crew, you’ll be capable to map out your goal key phrases and execute your Search engine optimisation plan from begin to end.
My favourite half about this template is that it comes with an Search engine optimisation temporary. That is one thing you’ll be able to reuse for your entire content material. You’ll be able to simply connect a short to every task, giving the author and editor every part they want.
I’ve used this very same technique to generate tens of millions of clicks throughout a number of web sites with my content material crew. They are often extremely efficient in the event you use them persistently.
One disadvantage is that monday.com doesn’t embrace calendar views with its free plan or entry-level paid plan. It’s solely supplied on the mid-tier Normal plan and better. So that you’ll both must dwell with out it, improve for entry, or use a special content material calendar template.
Content material plan templates for ClickUp (the runner up)
ClickUp, like monday.com, is a undertaking administration and job administration software program with a complete free plan you should use to get began. It has lots of of free templates you can begin with and you’ll customise nearly every part to match your wants.
You need to use it to collaborate along with your crew and handle every stage of the content material planning and manufacturing course of — from brainstorming and assigning to creation and publishing.
Extra ClickUp protection: ClickUp assessment | ClickUp vs Notion | Smartsheet vs ClickUp.
Template 1: A template for tying content material and subtasks to high-level objectives
When you’re something like me, you favor every part from aims and objectives to content material and subtasks to be related. That’s precisely what this ClickUp template helps with.
It enables you to begin with broad content material objectives and different big-picture aims. You’ll be able to lay out every part you need your content material to perform and at all times have that shut by in case you or anybody your crew forgets.
Template options:
- 9 customized fields.
- Constructed-in time monitoring.
- Dependency warnings.
- Skill to create subcategories for extra group.
- Coloration-coded tagging for enhanced visualization.
After excessive degree planning, you’ll be able to add content material concepts and subtasks for every one. This allows you to get extremely granular whereas holding every part tied collectively.
There are a number of views, together with calendar, Kanban, record, grid, extra. Everybody from managers and editors to writers and uploaders can view their work in no matter method works greatest for them.
You’ll additionally be capable to arrange content material pillars and monitor progress for every one.
Template 2: A beginner-friendly social media content material planning template
Want a easy option to preserve monitor of social media content material? ClickUp’s free social media template is nice for people or companies that need assistance managing social content material at excessive volumes throughout a number of channels.
This template makes it straightforward to plan from the highest down. After the preliminary arrange, you’ll know what to publish, which channel it’s occurring, and when to push it dwell.
Template options:
- Straightforward content material prioritization.
- Set due dates and assignees.
- Customized statuses.
- Gantt chart and calendar views.
- Nested subtasks.
Inside each bit of content material, you’ll be able to assign subtasks to completely different crew members as wanted. Say you want a copywriter to place collectively a number of strains for a LinkedIn put up however you additionally want a designer to create customized photos.
With this template, you are able to do each and monitor progress for the whole piece at the next degree.
It additionally features a built-in prioritization area and the power to reschedule content material or shuffle priorities at a second’s discover.
Notion content material planning templates in the event you recognize flexibility
I consider Notion as a clean slate that may be was absolutely anything so long as you’re prepared to place within the time. It doesn’t come preconfigured for undertaking administration like ClickUp and it’s extra customizable than monday.com.
For some, that’s thrilling. For others, it’s debilitating. When you’re the previous, you’ll love having the ability to tweak each setting and format your system to match your preferences.
Just like the others, it has a free plan you should use to attempt it out. When you’re a person, this can doubtless be greater than sufficient for fairly a while. For groups, the free plan is extra of a free trial to see if it’ll work for your online business.
Extra Notion protection: Notion assessment | Coda vs Notion | Notion vs OneNote.
Template 1: A bare-bones content material plan template with Kanban and calendar views
When you’re at the moment utilizing handwritten notes or a clean Phrase doc to arrange your content material concepts, this content material planner template is the improve you’re in search of.
Regardless of Notion’s flexibility, it retains every part easy and is made for absolute inexperienced persons.
Template options:
- Constructed-in search to rapidly discover what you want.
- “Facet peak” to see an expanded view with out switching screens.
- Pre-built customized channel tags.
- Add captions and hashtags to content material playing cards.
- Retailer a backlog of recent content material concepts.
- Extremely customizable and expandable.
The content material inbox is an effective way to maintain monitor of recent content material concepts whereas Kanban view makes it straightforward to maneuver concepts by way of your publishing course of, all the way in which from ideation and the primary draft to publishing.
It additionally has a calendar view with week and month-to-month choices to simply see what’s forward for every channel.
These two views plus a regular record view are highly effective sufficient for people and small groups who publish throughout a number of completely different platforms.
Any greater than that and also you’ll need to use the subsequent template as an alternative.
Template 2: A extra superior content material template for every part from objectives to to-do lists
This template has quite a few options, together with detailed views of various platforms, standalone to-do lists, content material objectives, notes, audiences, and a content material calendar.
There’s additionally an space to dump new content material concepts and several other views to see content material by month, week, or platform. It will possibly really feel overwhelming at first look, however take into account that you’ll be able to customise it to match your wants.
Template options:
- To-do lists for easy duties that don’t require full undertaking monitoring.
- 6 content material calendar views.
- Skill to add information and connect hyperlinks.
- Visible publishing schedule.
It has a whole lot of components you’d in any other case must create from scratch. You’ll be able to reorganize every part and lay it out differently in the event you choose.
You may also change the colours in the event you’re not a fan of pink.
I additionally like this template as a result of it’s set as much as work for a number of channels immediately and it enables you to create separate to-do lists, which don’t essentially must be about content material.
This straightforward addition may be nice in the event you’re an entrepreneur with different issues occurring.
Easy content material plan templates for Google Sheets and Excel
When you choose the familiarity of spreadsheets, you are able to do some fairly highly effective issues with out having to make use of undertaking administration software program.
These templates are notably helpful for solo customers, small groups, and low quantity manufacturing environments as they don’t embrace as many job administration, crew collaboration, or automation capabilities.
Though these templates have been created by Smartsheet, neither truly works inside the software program so you should use each totally free.
Extra spreadsheet protection: Excel options | Study Microsoft Excel | Use Bard with Google Sheets.
Template 1: Plan and handle video manufacturing in Excel
All the templates up to now are geared in direction of blended media content material planning and manufacturing. This one is particularly for managing video in several codecs.
From how-to tutorials, buyer success tales, and product demos to explainers and YouTube shorts, it enables you to monitor manufacturing at each stage. And since these phases are completely different from weblog posts and customary social media content material, this one requires much less customization because it’s constructed for movies out of the field.
Template options:
- Begin utilizing it immediately.
- Columns to handle and assign work.
- Rows for every stage of video manufacturing.
- Easy and streamlined one-page planner.
- Straightforward to choose up for anybody acquainted with spreadsheets.
- Further board views obtainable if used inside Smartsheet.
You’ll even be capable to tie movies to completely different purchaser personas all through the buying journey to make sure you’re creating sufficient of the suitable forms of movies.
The true fantastic thing about doing so is having the ability to zoom out and see information for every section. You’ll must arrange your individual calculations and information visualizations, however the underlying information is all there so that you can use nevertheless you’d like.
Template 2: Annual content material planning in Google Sheets
Managing extra than simply movies? This straightforward content material plan template for Google Sheets is the higher selection if you wish to follow a primary spreadsheet.
It enables you to plan content material month by month for a whole yr.
Template options:
- No further software program required.
- Main holidays are already included.
- Separate sheets for all 12 months.
- A spot to record your most essential dates at a look.
- Plan forward for subsequent month’s deadlines with out switching tabs.
It even comes preloaded with main holidays so that you don’t have to regulate your publishing schedule when these dates pop up unexpectedly.
For each bit of content material, you’ll be able to set a date, related occasion, title, standing, description, and proprietor, letting you keep on prime of crucial particulars with out being slowed down with too many irrelevant fields.
There’s a most important sheet that exhibits your entire content material, together with titles and customized statuses. It’s an incredible place to brainstorm concepts and add these matters to your calendar once you’re prepared.
Every month has a separate sheet which makes it straightforward to dig deeper into the weeds as wanted.
Learn how to create your individual content material plan
Content material plans are available all flavors. Beginning with a template might help steer you in the suitable route, however you’ll be able to at all times customise them or create your individual.
I’m an enormous fan of customizing templates because it makes them hyper-relevant to your state of affairs. It additionally forces you to consider your processes and the way they’d work in an ideal world. Don’t be afraid to mess around, attempt new issues, and tweak every part over time.
When you’re extra inquisitive about creating your individual, you need to take into consideration:
- Your content material or enterprise objectives and aims.
- The forms of content material you need to create (blogs, social posts, movies, and so forth.).
- The place you’re planning to distribute your content material.
- Your content material advertising and marketing technique.
- Publishing frequency throughout completely different platforms.
- Completely different segments of your viewers.
- Your content material creation course of.
- The information and stats it’s essential make choices.
All of those components work collectively to create an efficient content material plan. I strongly counsel pondering by way of all of these items even in the event you resolve to begin with a template as an alternative.
This can be certain that you don’t miss something.
How to decide on a content material plan template
No two content material plan templates are the identical. As a result of the time period is so broad, it may possibly imply something from a easy record of content material concepts to a full fledged undertaking administration system that covers content material creation and different advertising and marketing actions.
Right here are some things to bear in mind when deciding which one (and which platform) to make use of.
Solo content material planning vs. crew collaboration
When you’re planning content material by yourself, go along with no matter feels good. Check out a number of completely different platforms and templates to see what works greatest with the way you suppose.
For groups, you need to be extra considerate in your determination. You’ll be able to nonetheless check out completely different choices, however attempt to keep away from bringing crew mates right into a system in the event you’re not going to proceed utilizing it. This may really feel a bit like whiplash.
I counsel actually pondering by way of what you need the method to appear to be, how crew members will notify one another, the place information will dwell, and who will do what.
It’s additionally essential to think about the tech savviness of your crew. Some folks might just like the infinite potentialities with Notion, others may fit higher with one thing acquainted, like a spreadsheet.
Degree of customization
This part is extra about selecting a platform that lets you do every part you need to. If you wish to make a whole lot of customizations, a spreadsheet in all probability received’t do. If you need one thing that’s not possible to interrupt, one thing like Notion isn’t a good suggestion.
When it comes to customizability, Notion has essentially the most flexibility, adopted by monday.com, then ClickUp, then spreadsheets.
The additional down that record you go, the much less you’ll be capable to tweak.
There’s nothing unsuitable with both route, simply take into account that sure platforms are higher for sure preferences.
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