Content Planner · Free · No account
Schedule posts and track each piece through publication.
The workbook includes a Content sheet and a Summary. Each idea and post is one row that moves from Idea through Drafting, In production and Scheduled to Published, with its channel, format, publish date and call to action. The Summary counts late pieces and empty weeks.
- Excel 2016 and later
- Calculations checked in LibreOffice and Google Sheets
- Name your channelsType the channels, themes and formats you use, one per line. Add Owner, Campaign, Approval, Results or Reuse columns if you need them.
- Add ideasDownload the workbook and type a working title for each idea. It waits, shaded, as an Idea until you give it a stage and a publish date.
- Move pieces alongChange the Stage as a piece progresses. The When column marks a missed date with a ●, and the Summary lists the first twelve pieces that are late or coming up.
Build your workbook
Preview: Simple content calendar. Change the selected dates, categories or layout to update the preview.
JavaScript is required to use the builder. The workbook is made in your browser.
What you get
Ideas to published
Update Stage as a piece progresses. Ideas are shaded until you change their stage.
Late and not ready
A date that passed without publishing is marked ●, and anything due soon but still in progress ◐.
The gaps in the schedule
Eight weeks on the Summary, so a week with nothing planned stands out.
Your channels, your themes
Channels, themes and formats are editable lists, so a new platform is one line to add.
The Simple content calendar example
Four channels, Instagram, LinkedIn, Newsletter and Website, and four themes such as How to and Customer stories. The Summary shows the pipeline, eight weeks of pieces with empty weeks visible, and counts by channel and theme.
Sheets included (5)
- Start HereHow the workbook works, what each sheet is for and the settings used.
- ContentEvery idea and piece, one per row, from Idea to Published.
- SummaryThe pipeline, what is late and coming up, week by week, and by channel and theme.
- ListsEdit the white lists to change dropdown choices. Shaded lists are fixed because formulas use those names.
- SettingsValues used by the workbook, such as reminder windows. Change them here.
File details
- Made for
- Excel 2016 and laterThe download is an .xlsx workbook.
- LibreOffice
- No calculation errors in our testLibreOffice recalculated every formula in the workbook with no error values, such as #VALUE! or #N/A.
- Google Sheets
- Calculations matched Excel in our testGoogle Sheets removes sheet protection and repeated print headings.
- Apple Numbers
- Some calculations do not workMany calculations on the Summary sheet and the Content sheet do not work in Apple Numbers. Numbers converts list-based dropdowns to plain cells and removes colour markers, sheet protection, frozen headings and number and date validation. Use Excel for these calculations and features.
- Calculations
- The Start Here sheet lists the calculations used in this workbook. Results update from the entries you add.
- Builder privacy
- The builder runs in your browser. The entries used to make the workbook stay on your device. How the utilities work
Examples
Content planner for creators
YouTubers, newsletter writers and other solo creators who want to see what worked and what can be used again.
Social media content planner
Shop owners and small teams posting on several channels who need to know who is making what and whether it is approved.
Campaign content calendar
Teams running a launch or promotion across channels who need every piece, date and approver in one sheet.
Blog and newsletter calendar
Writers and small editorial teams who publish articles and a newsletter on a regular rhythm.
Questions
Are my builder entries sent to Due Form?
No. The builder uses them in your browser to make the workbook on your device.
Information is sent to Due Form when you submit a form or use another service described on the How it works page.
Does it post to social media for me?
No. It is a planning sheet. You write the piece and publish it yourself, then type the stage, the link once it is live and, if you track them, the results.
How do I see gaps in the schedule?
The Summary counts pieces with a publish date in each of eight weeks. Weeks without scheduled pieces show zero. Dropped pieces are excluded.
Can I print the calendar?
Yes. The Content sheet prints landscape and repeats its header row. Sort by Publish on first if you want the printout in date order.
Can I add a new platform later?
Yes. Channels, themes and formats are on the Lists sheet. Type the new one there and it appears in the dropdown on the Content sheet.
Related Due Form edition
DF.035 The Working Notebook
In production
A numbered notebook for notes you may need again.
For ideas on paper before they reach the list
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