Chances are, as a content creator, you have experienced creating a post automatically, without any planning.
While it may work for some, it is not perfect. why?
To quote famous motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, “Success is when preparation meets opportunity.”
If you want to scale your content production, you need to plan and execute with a well-thought-out strategy (while using limited resources).
And what better way to do that than with content calendars? They are essential tools for anyone who wants to consistently create great content.
They allow you to plan the content creation process from start to finish.
In this article, we’ve rounded up the 6 best templates so you can get started right away with your content plan for next year.
But if you’re new to the idea, don’t worry; We also have an in-depth guide on creating content calendars if you need help getting started.
But first, what is a content calendar?
Content calendars are basically time management systems that organize your workflow into weekly or daily blocks.
This helps you stay organized and focused on creating quality content.
Content calendars are very useful for bloggers, freelancers, and other content creators.
You can create your own with Excel Sheets, or make a copy using the free templates below, and then modify them according to your branding needs.
Why should I use a content calendar?
Whether you’re the sole content specialist for your in-house e-commerce company or the agency’s social media manager, a content calendar keeps you better organized with your campaigns.
It also helps to build stacks when you’re trying to team up with several teammates, so they know what’s needed and when.
why? At a glance, it’s easy to understand what was broadcast along with the version and the original used. Sort your posts by social platform and customize some color coding. Usually, each tab is marked with a month.
Since you can see the bigger picture (at least a month in advance), you can go ahead and draw daily topics and social posts ahead of time, plan well-thought-out infographics with your designer, and track the performance of your posts.
You are better equipped to craft your message to your target audience, keeping in mind their wants and needs as seasonal trends come and go.
You can plan major global holidays and events, from Valentine’s Day to Pride Month or any patriotic event related to your brand values.
(Not to wake our horns up, but we have our marketing calendar to help you with just that!)
Plus, because you plan ahead, you’re less likely to make a faux pas since ideas will be brainstormed, briefed, approved, and published before prime time. It’s really a preventative measure.
Without further ado, here are our picks (most of which are free!).
The 6 best content calendar templates (and tools) for 2023
1. CoSchedule
If you are running a WordPress blog, CoSchedule It might be your best bet. It really shines for content marketing and is perfect for solo bloggers, influencers, or freelancers.
The calendar is easy to use, with seamless integrations including WordPress, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, MailChimp, and more (11 apps total, not just social media).
We recommend this if you manage your own blog and social media.
- cost: Free – just create an account.
2. Air table
Screenshot from CoSchedule, December 2022Do you have a Google Spreadsheet, Excel file, or CSV file of calendar content but want to jump into an app?
pneumatic table It will be a great choice.
With its automation (Slack or email) of reminding you of certain posts and its ability to handle multiple fields of data without the need for formulas (for non-Excel lovers), Airtable can save you time and effort.
I particularly like that it has the necessary fields a content specialist considers when assigning blog posts: title, author, due date, status, and photo. And you can create more custom fields.
You can also view your calendar in grid, kanban, or calendar format. I expect that project managers and professionals working with a larger marketing department will find this useful.
- cost: Free with a 14-day trial; After that, you will be automatically transferred to the free version.
3. HubSpot (Free Template)
Screenshot from HubSpot, Dec 2022Excel geeks, rejoice!
HubSpot’s free social media content calendar is pretty flexible. Just enter the month + year, and adjust the template to fit your branding.
There is a tab for the timeline, content repository, Twitter updates, and Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest updates.
What do we love about this? HubSpot listed a few examples for each platform.
There is also a PDF to use when downloading the template to help beginners draw and monitor posts.
It’s more for social media than blog posts, so we recommend this post for startup social media professionals and in-house social media managers for ecommerce brands.
- cost: Free – only Download the form.
4. Trello (Free Template)
Screenshot from Trello, December 2022Trello is a popular project management tool, and an ideal content calendar option for huge teams that are already on the Agile framework and using similar products (Jira, Confluence, etc.).
The drag and drop functionality is easy to use. One glance, and you’ll know what’s the status of the task.
It’s easy to assign subtasks to team members, set due dates, attach reviews, and provide feedback.
We recommend this for large organizations or busy publishing teams that need better control over content production next year.
- cost: free – sign up and Download the form.
5. Looms
Screenshot from Loomly, Dec 2022What I liked about it looming is that it felt fit for purpose, especially for social media managers. And creative people, take note!
What sets it apart: It can pull out of your RSS feeds and offer up to 90 post ideas or create quick post drafts automatically.
It’s a great feature for people who always suffer from writer’s block (like me). I haven’t really seen this feature in other apps.
Fashion, beauty, travel, arts and other creative product-type brands who specialize in social media will benefit most from choosing Loomly.
- cost: A minimum of $26 per month after a 15-day free trial.
6. Hootsuite (Free Template)
Screenshot from Hootsuite, December 2022Similar to the HubSpot template, Hootsuite has a free downloadable Google Sheet spreadsheet with five tabs: Guidelines, Strategy, Monthly View, Weekly View, and Evergreen Content Library (for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and any platform).
Weekly View is a feature I haven’t seen in other templates.
What I like most about this template are the key dates available throughout the year from January to June and from July to December. Events like Black Friday and Small Business Saturday (USA) are very beneficial for B2B.
The easy-to-use template is perfect for Excel pros who don’t want a paid tool and the extra features that come with it.
- cost: You only need to fill out the main customer form and Download it for free.
conclusion
At first, this list was much longer (about 10), but some of that list I cut through meant the signup or download process was cumbersome — too many steps, crazy pricing, too hard selling, or leads to a 404 page.
As long as I can’t download their calendar within a couple of minutes for one reason or another, I haven’t put it on this list.
Knowing I did the dirty work, you can rest assured that one of these tried and tested calendars should work for you next year.
Experiment with them and go with what feels right; Choose the person you can live with for at least another year.
Upscaling your blog posts, mass marketing campaigns, and social posts takes a lot of planning.
With some hard work, creativity, and planning, these tools can help propel your brand to new heights.
Happy New Year, and may the odds be absolutely in your favor!
More resources:
- How to create a social media content plan
- 8 elements of a successful content strategy
- Content Marketing: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
Featured image: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock
