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 targets.
Nonetheless, “content material plan” is a fairly 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 venture administration and content material operations system.
I’ve used dozens of various instruments, configurations, and templates to handle content material through the years. Listed here are my favourite templates that span the spectrum from easy to superior.
Content material plan templates for ClickUp
ClickUp is a venture administration and process 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’ll customise nearly the whole lot to match your wants.
You need to use it to collaborate along with your staff 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 targets
Should you’re something like me, you favor the whole lot from targets and targets to content material and subtasks to be linked. That’s precisely what this ClickUp template helps with.
It permits you to begin with broad content material targets and different big-picture targets. You’ll be able to lay out the whole lot you need your content material to perform and all the time have that shut by in case you or anybody your staff 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 preserving the whole lot 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 means works finest for them.
You’ll additionally have the ability to arrange content material pillars and monitor progress for every one.
A beginner-friendly social media content material planning template
Want a easy method 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 occurring, and when to push it dwell.
Inside every bit of content material, you’ll be able to assign subtasks to completely different staff members as wanted. Say you want a copywriter to place collectively just a few traces for a LinkedIn publish however you additionally want a designer to create customized photographs.
With this template, you are able to do each and monitor progress for your complete piece at the next stage.
It additionally features a built-in prioritization area and the flexibility 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 venture administration answer. 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 in case you have one or two individuals however you’re restricted to 3 initiatives. That’s greater than sufficient to strive the template out, however it received’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 the whole lot it is advisable brainstorm, handle, overview, and schedule your entire content material. Whether or not you’re working a weblog, making 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 provides you full management to make the template work the way you do.
You’ll be able to simply change between board, desk, Gantt, and calendar view (relying in your plan) to see the fitting stage of element for what you’re doing.
Need to perceive total 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’ll be able to arrange a filtered view that exhibits your entire work throughout your complete board in a single place.
With a full suite of automations on greater tiers, you’ll have the ability to arrange absolutely automated workflows that replace statuses, assign the fitting individuals, alter due dates, and extra.
One of many extra distinctive elements of this template is the flexibility to add and manage recordsdata.
Notion content material planning templates
I consider Notion as a clean slate that may be become absolutely anything so long as you’re prepared to place within the time. It doesn’t come preconfigured for venture administration like ClickUp and it’s extra customizable than monday.com.
For some, that’s thrilling. For others, it’s debilitating. Should 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. Should you’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 corporation.
Extra Notion protection: Notion overview | Coda vs Notion | Notion vs OneNote.
A bare-bones content material plan template with Kanban and calendar views
Should you’re at present utilizing handwritten notes or a clean Phrase doc to arrange 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 the whole lot easy and is made for absolute rookies.
The content material inbox is an effective way to maintain monitor of latest content material concepts whereas Kanban view makes it straightforward to maneuver concepts by means of 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 a typical 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 the whole lot 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 several other views to see content material by month, week, or platform. It may well really feel overwhelming at first look, however remember the fact that you’ll be able to customise it to match your wants.
It has lots of parts you’d in any other case need to create from scratch. You’ll be able to reorganize the whole lot and lay it out another way should you choose.
You too can 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 permits you to create separate to-do lists, which don’t essentially need to be about content material.
This straightforward addition will be nice should you’re an entrepreneur with different issues occurring.
Content material plan templates for Google Sheets and Excel
Should you choose the familiarity of spreadsheets, you are able to do some fairly highly effective issues with out having to make use of venture 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 process administration, staff collaboration, or automation capabilities.
Though these templates have been created by Smartsheet, neither truly works throughout the software program so you should use each at no cost.
Extra spreadsheet protection: Excel alternate options | Be taught Microsoft Excel | Use Bard with Google Sheets.
Plan and handle video manufacturing in Excel
All the templates to date 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 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.
You’ll even have the ability to tie movies to completely different purchaser personas all through the buying journey to make sure you’re creating sufficient of the fitting varieties of movies.
The true fantastic thing about doing so is having the ability to zoom out and see knowledge for every section. You’ll need to arrange your personal calculations and knowledge visualizations, however the underlying knowledge 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 alternative if you wish to stick with a fundamental spreadsheet.
It permits you to plan content material month by month for a complete 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 prime of vital particulars with out being slowed down with too many irrelevant fields.
There’s a fundamental sheet that exhibits your entire content material, together with titles and customized statuses. It’s an incredible place to brainstorm concepts and add these subjects to your calendar whenever you’re prepared.
Every month has a separate sheet which makes it straightforward to dig deeper into the weeds as wanted.
Easy methods to create your personal content material plan
Content material plans are available all flavors. Beginning with a template will help steer you in the fitting 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 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, strive new issues, and tweak the whole lot over time.
Should you’re extra focused on creating your personal, it is best to take into consideration:
- Your content material or enterprise targets and targets.
- The varieties 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 it is advisable make selections.
All of those parts work collectively to create an efficient content material plan. I strongly recommend considering by means of all of this stuff even should you determine to start out with a template as an alternative.
This can be 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 will possibly imply something from a easy listing of content material concepts to a full fledged venture 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. staff collaboration
Should 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 suppose.
For groups, you ought to be extra considerate in your choice. You’ll be able to nonetheless check out completely different choices, however attempt to keep away from bringing staff mates right into a system should you’re not going to proceed utilizing it. This may really feel a bit like whiplash.
I recommend actually considering by means of what you need the method to appear to be, how staff members will notify one another, the place recordsdata will dwell, and who will do what.
It’s additionally necessary to contemplate the tech savviness of your staff. Some individuals might 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 means that you can do the whole lot you wish to. If you wish to make lots of customizations, a spreadsheet most likely received’t do. If you need one thing that’s inconceivable to interrupt, one thing like Notion isn’t a good suggestion.
When it comes to customizability, Notion has probably the most flexibility, adopted by monday.com, then ClickUp, then spreadsheets.
The additional down that listing you go, the much less you’ll have the ability to tweak.
There’s nothing incorrect with both path, simply remember the fact that sure platforms are higher for sure preferences.
