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 targets.
Nonetheless, “content plan” is a reasonably broad class and means various things to completely different individuals. 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.
Content material plan templates for ClickUp
ClickUp is a undertaking administration and job administration software program with a complete free plan you should use to get began. It has tons of of free templates you can begin with and you may 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 evaluate | ClickUp vs Notion | Smartsheet vs ClickUp.
A template for tying content material and subtasks to high-level targets
In the event you’re something like me, you favor every part from targets and targets to content material and subtasks to be related. That’s precisely what this ClickUp template helps with.
It allows you to begin with broad content material targets and different big-picture targets. 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’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, listing, 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 to arrange content material pillars and observe progress for every one.
A beginner-friendly social media content material planning template
Want a easy approach to hold observe 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 simple 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.
Inside every 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 just a few strains for a LinkedIn publish however you additionally want a designer to create customized photos.
With this template, you are able to do each and observe 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.
monday.com: Plan full initiatives and content material work in a single place
Like ClickUp, monday.com is an all-in-one undertaking administration resolution. In contrast to 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 when you have one or two individuals however you’re restricted to a few initiatives. That’s greater than sufficient to strive the template out, nevertheless it received’t get you so far as different free plans on the market.
Extra monday.com protection: monday.com evaluate | Notion vs monday.com | Asana vs monday.com.
monday.com’s content material planning template comes with every part you could brainstorm, handle, evaluate, and schedule your whole content material. Whether or not you’re operating 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 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 precise degree 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 the whole board in a single place.
With a full suite of automations on increased tiers, you’ll be capable to arrange totally automated workflows that replace statuses, assign the precise individuals, alter due dates, and extra.
One of many extra distinctive facets of this template is the power to add and set up information.
Notion content material planning templates
I consider Notion as a clean slate that may be become absolutely anything so long as you’re keen 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. In the event 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 strive it out. In the event you’re a person, this can probably 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 enterprise.
Extra Notion protection: Notion evaluate | Coda vs Notion | Notion vs OneNote.
A bare-bones content material plan template with Kanban and calendar views
In the event you’re presently utilizing handwritten notes or a clean Phrase doc to prepare your content material concepts, this content material planner template is the improve you’re on the lookout for.
Regardless of Notion’s flexibility, it retains every part easy and is made for absolute rookies.
The content material inbox is an effective way to maintain observe of recent content material concepts whereas Kanban view makes it simple 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 an ordinary listing 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 an alternative.
A extra superior content material template for every part from targets to to-do lists
This template has quite a few options, together with detailed views of various platforms, standalone to-do lists, content material targets, notes, audiences, and a content material calendar.
There’s additionally an space to dump new content material concepts and a number of other views to see content material by month, week, or platform. It may possibly really feel overwhelming at first look, however remember the fact that you’ll be able to customise it to match your wants.
It has numerous components you’d in any other case need to create from scratch. You possibly can reorganize every part and lay it out another way should you favor.
You can too change the colours should 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 allows you to create separate to-do lists, which don’t essentially need to be about content material.
This straightforward addition might be nice should you’re an entrepreneur with different issues occurring.
Content material plan templates for Google Sheets and Excel
In the event you favor 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 significantly 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 really works throughout the software program so you should use each free of charge.
Extra spreadsheet protection: Excel options | Be taught Microsoft Excel | Use Bard with Google Sheets.
Plan and handle video manufacturing in Excel
All the templates to this point are geared in the direction of blended 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 allows you to observe manufacturing at each stage. And since these phases 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 to tie movies to completely different purchaser personas all through the buying journey to make sure you’re creating sufficient of the precise sorts of movies.
The true fantastic thing about doing so is having the ability to zoom out and see information for every section. You’ll need to arrange your personal calculations and information visualizations, however the underlying information is all there so that you can use nevertheless you’d like.
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 persist with a fundamental spreadsheet.
It allows 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’ll be able to set a date, related occasion, title, standing, description, and proprietor, letting you keep on high of crucial particulars with out being slowed down with too many irrelevant fields.
There’s a important sheet that exhibits your whole content material, together with titles and customized statuses. It’s an ideal place to brainstorm concepts and add these subjects to your calendar once you’re prepared.
Every month has a separate sheet which makes it simple to dig deeper into the weeds as wanted.
Learn how to create your personal content material plan
Content material plans are available in all flavors. Beginning with a template may also help steer you in the precise path, however you’ll be able to 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 scenario. 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, strive new issues, and tweak every part over time.
In the event you’re extra occupied with creating your personal, you need to take into consideration:
- Your content material or enterprise targets and targets.
- The sorts of content material you wish to create (blogs, social posts, movies, and so on.).
- The place you’re planning to distribute your content material.
- Your content material advertising and marketing technique.
- Publishing frequency throughout completely different platforms.
- Totally different segments of your viewers.
- Your content material creation course of.
- The information and stats you could make selections.
All of those components work collectively to create an efficient content material plan. I strongly counsel considering by way of all of these items even should you resolve to begin with a template as an alternative.
This may 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 could imply something from a easy listing 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 remember when deciding which one (and which platform) to make use of.
Solo content material planning vs. crew collaboration
In the event you’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 assume.
For groups, you need to be extra considerate in your choice. You possibly can nonetheless check out completely different choices, however attempt to keep away from bringing crew mates right into a system should you’re not going to proceed utilizing it. This may really feel a bit like whiplash.
I counsel actually considering by way of what you need the method to appear like, 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 individuals could just like the infinite prospects with Notion, others may match higher with one thing acquainted, like a spreadsheet.
Degree of customization
This part is extra about selecting a platform that permits you to do every part you wish to. If you wish to make numerous customizations, a spreadsheet most likely received’t do. If you would like 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 listing you go, the much less you’ll be capable to tweak.
There’s nothing fallacious with both path, simply remember the fact that sure platforms are higher for sure preferences.
