Content material plan templates make it attainable to trace content material concepts from brainstorming and creation to design, publishing, and packaging. Utilizing a template (or full on system) makes it attainable 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 challenge administration and content material operations system.
I’ve used dozens of various instruments, configurations, and templates to handle content material over time. Listed here are my favourite templates that span the spectrum from easy to superior.
Content material plan templates for ClickUp
ClickUp is a challenge 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 should utilize it to collaborate together 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 overview | ClickUp vs Notion | Smartsheet vs ClickUp.
A template for tying content material and subtasks to high-level objectives
If you happen to’re something like me, you like every part from aims and objectives to content material and subtasks to be related. That’s precisely what this ClickUp template helps with.
It permits you to begin with broad content material objectives and different big-picture aims. You possibly can lay out every part you need your content material to perform and all the time have that shut by in case you or anybody your crew forgets.
From there, you possibly can add content material concepts and subtasks for every one. This allows you to get extremely granular whereas protecting 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 finest for them.
You’ll additionally be capable of arrange content material pillars and monitor progress for every one.
A beginner-friendly social media content material planning template
Want a easy option to hold 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 happening, and when to push it dwell.
Inside every bit of content material, you possibly can assign subtasks to completely different crew members as wanted. Say you want a copywriter to place collectively just a few strains for a LinkedIn put up however you additionally want a designer to create customized pictures.
With this template, you are able to do each and monitor progress for your entire piece at a better stage.
It additionally features a built-in prioritization discipline and the power to reschedule content material or shuffle priorities at a second’s discover.
monday.com: Plan full tasks and content material work in a single place
Like ClickUp, monday.com is an all-in-one challenge administration answer. Not like ClickUp, it’s constructed on relational databases that make it way more customizable and versatile if you wish to put within the work to customise it.
It’s free to enroll in case you have one or two folks however you’re restricted to a few tasks. That’s greater than sufficient to strive the template out, but it surely gained’t get you so far as different free plans on the market.
Extra monday.com protection: monday.com overview | Notion vs monday.com | Asana vs monday.com.
monday.com’s content material planning template comes with every part you want to brainstorm, handle, overview, and schedule your whole content material. Whether or not you’re working a weblog, getting ready movies on YouTube, creating social posts, or a mixture of all these, you’ll get all the weather you want.
Whereas it does require extra customization than others, it offers you full management to make the template work the way you do.
You possibly can simply change between board, desk, Gantt, and calendar view (relying in your plan) to see the proper stage of element for what you’re doing.
Need to perceive general timelines at a look? Gantt chart or calendar view will work nicely. Must see what duties are assigned to you and after they’re due? You possibly can arrange a filtered view that exhibits your whole work throughout your entire board in a single place.
With a full suite of automations on greater tiers, you’ll be capable of arrange absolutely automated workflows that replace statuses, assign the proper folks, modify due dates, and extra.
One of many extra distinctive points of this template is the power to add and manage information.
Notion content material planning templates
I consider Notion as a clean slate that may be was absolutely anything so long as you’re keen to place within the time. It doesn’t come preconfigured for challenge administration like ClickUp and it’s extra customizable than monday.com.
For some, that’s thrilling. For others, it’s debilitating. If you happen to’re the previous, you’ll love with 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 strive it out. If you happen to’re a person, this may possible 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 small business.
Extra Notion protection: Notion overview | Coda vs Notion | Notion vs OneNote.
A bare-bones content material plan template with Kanban and calendar views
If you happen to’re at present utilizing handwritten notes or a clean Phrase doc to prepare your content material concepts, this content material planner template is the improve you’re searching for.
Regardless of Notion’s flexibility, it retains every part easy and is made for absolute freshmen.
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 via your publishing course of, all the best way 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 an ordinary record view are highly effective sufficient for people and small groups who publish throughout just a few completely different platforms.
Any greater than that and also you’ll wish to use the subsequent template as a substitute.
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 may really feel overwhelming at first look, however take into account that you possibly can customise it to match your wants.
It has quite a lot of parts you’d in any other case should create from scratch. You possibly can reorganize every part and lay it out another way in the event you favor.
You can too 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 instantly and it permits you to create separate to-do lists, which don’t essentially should be about content material.
This easy addition could be nice in the event you’re an entrepreneur with different issues happening.
Content material plan templates for Google Sheets and Excel
If you happen to favor the familiarity of spreadsheets, you are able to do some fairly highly effective issues with out having to make use of challenge administration software program.
These templates are significantly helpful for solo customers, small groups, and low quantity manufacturing environments as they don’t embody as many job administration, crew collaboration, or automation capabilities.
Though these templates have been created by Smartsheet, neither really works throughout the software program so you should use each without cost.
Extra spreadsheet protection: Excel alternate options | Study Microsoft Excel | Use Bard with Google Sheets.
Plan and handle video manufacturing in Excel
All the templates to this point are geared in direction of combined media content material planning and manufacturing. This one is particularly for managing video in numerous codecs.
From how-to tutorials, buyer success tales, and product demos to explainers and YouTube shorts, it permits you to monitor manufacturing at each stage. And since these levels are completely different from weblog posts and normal social media content material, this one requires much less customization because it’s constructed for movies out of the field.
You’ll even be capable of tie movies to completely different purchaser personas all through the buying journey to make sure you’re creating sufficient of the proper sorts of movies.
The true great thing about doing so is with the ability to zoom out and see knowledge for every section. You’ll should arrange your personal calculations and knowledge visualizations, however the underlying knowledge is all there so that you can use nonetheless you’d like.
Annual content material planning in Google Sheets
Managing extra than simply movies? This easy content material plan template for Google Sheets is the higher selection if you wish to persist with a primary spreadsheet.
It permits you to plan content material month by month for a whole 12 months.
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 every bit of content material, you possibly can set a date, related occasion, title, standing, description, and proprietor, letting you keep on prime of important particulars with out being slowed down with too many irrelevant fields.
There’s a predominant sheet that exhibits your whole content material, together with titles and customized statuses. It’s an important 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.
Find out how to create your personal content material plan
Content material plans are available all flavors. Beginning with a template can assist steer you in the proper path, however you possibly can all the time customise them or create your personal.
I’m a giant 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 might work in an ideal world. Don’t be afraid to mess around, strive new issues, and tweak every part over time.
If you happen to’re extra inquisitive about creating your personal, it is best to take into consideration:
- Your content material or enterprise objectives and aims.
- The sorts of content material you wish to create (blogs, social posts, movies, and many others.).
- 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 you want to make selections.
All of those parts work collectively to create an efficient content material plan. I strongly counsel considering via all of these items even in the event you resolve to begin with a template as a substitute.
It will make sure 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 imply something from a easy record of content material concepts to a full fledged challenge administration system that covers content material creation and different advertising and marketing actions.
Right here are some things to remember when deciding which one (and which platform) to make use of.
Solo content material planning vs. crew collaboration
If you happen to’re planning content material by yourself, go together with no matter feels good. Check out just a few completely different platforms and templates to see what works finest with the way you suppose.
For groups, try to be extra considerate in your determination. You possibly can 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 will really feel a bit like whiplash.
I counsel actually considering via 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 vital to think about the tech savviness of your crew. Some folks might just like the infinite prospects with Notion, others may go higher with one thing acquainted, like a spreadsheet.
Stage of customization
This part is extra about selecting a platform that lets you do every part you wish to. If you wish to make quite a lot of customizations, a spreadsheet in all probability gained’t do. If you need one thing that’s unimaginable 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 of tweak.
There’s nothing unsuitable with both path, simply take into account that sure platforms are higher for sure preferences.
