How To Plan A 12-Week Content Calendar You Can Keep To

Plan twelve weeks around the time and material you actually have. Assign topics and formats, then review the next week against what you managed to publish.

Set One Goal

Choose what the content is for, such as growing an email list, getting inquiries or helping customers. The goal decides which topics and formats you plan.

Choose Topics From Real Questions

List questions customers ask, problems you solve and subjects you know well. Group them into a few themes and assign a theme to each week.

Plan By Week And Format

For each week, decide what you will publish: one main piece, a few short posts and one email, for example. Pick a pace you can sustain. A hypothetical solo consultant might plan one article, two social posts and one newsletter a week.

Reuse What You Write

Turn one main piece into several smaller ones. A section of an article can become a social post, and a few questions can become an email. Note this in the plan so you do not start from scratch.

Review Weekly

At the end of each week, check what you published, what got a response and what slipped. Adjust the next week, and move or drop items instead of letting them pile up.

Leave Room To Change

Keep a few open slots for news or customer questions. Revise the open slots as new questions arrive.

If You Want A Template

The Content Calendar Kit is this plan on paper: a 12-week calendar template, a topic planner, a repurposing sheet and a weekly review page. Bring your publishing goal, your available time and your customer questions, and fill it in.