Template
A content calendar you can actually deliver
Most calendars fail in week two, because they were planned as if content appears on demand. This one is planned backwards from your shoot day.
Why calendars collapse
A typical calendar is written by someone planning, and executed by someone who has to find the footage. By week two the planned Reel has no assets behind it, so a quote card goes up instead. Four weeks later the account is all quote cards and the brand wonders why nothing performs.
The fix is sequencing. Decide what you can film in one day, film it, and only then decide what gets published on which date.
The monthly rhythm
- 1
Week 1 — plan
Agree next month's themes, launches and offers. Write the shot list. Approve it. Nothing gets scheduled before the shot list exists.
- 2
Week 2 — shoot
One production day covering the whole month: video, stills, and extra vertical coverage for reactive posts.
- 3
Week 3 — edit and load
Everything cut, captioned and loaded into the scheduler, with captions and hashtags written while the footage is fresh.
- 4
Week 4 — publish, watch, adjust
Posts go out. Note what got saved and shared, and let that decide next month's shot list.
The template
Monthly content calendar
One row per postColumns to use
Date · Channel · Format · Pillar · Hook / first line · Caption · Asset link · CTA · Status · Result
Worked example row
12 Oct · Instagram · Reel · Education · 'You are storing this wrong' · [caption text] · [Drive link] · Save for later · Scheduled · —
Content pillars (adjust the mix to your category)
Educational, 40% — how to use it, what to avoid, what people get wrong
Product, 30% — features, launches, offers, demos
Proof, 20% — reviews, UGC, testimonials, results
Brand, 10% — team, process, values, behind the scenes
Reserve for reactive
Leave one slot per week empty for trends, news, comment replies and anything that needs to go out today
How much to publish
| Stage | YouTube | Shoot days / month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | 3 posts / week | 1 Short / week | — | 1 |
| Building | 4–5 / week incl. 3 Reels | 2 Shorts + 1 long / month | 2 / week (B2B) | 1–2 |
| Scaling | Daily, 4+ Reels / week | 3 Shorts / week + 1 long | 3–5 / week | 2 |
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should we plan?
One month in detail, one quarter in outline. Detailed plans beyond four weeks get invalidated by launches, stock changes and whatever the platform decides to favour this month.
What should the mix be for a B2B company?
Weight it further towards educational and proof — roughly 50% educational, 20% proof, 20% product, 10% brand and hiring. B2B audiences are smaller and repeat exposure matters more than reach.
Should we post at 'best times'?
Time-of-day optimisation is a rounding error compared with whether the first two seconds work. Publish when your own analytics show your audience is active, then stop thinking about it.
How do we handle festivals and seasonal moments?
Plan the big ones a quarter ahead — Diwali, end-of-season sales, New Year — because they need product, props and styling that cannot be arranged in a week. Leave the smaller moments to your reactive slots.
Have something worth filming?
Tell us what you are launching and we will come back with ideas, a plan and a quote within two working days.