Free template
Content calendar template
One idea a month. Every channel fed.
This content calendar template is a simple spreadsheet with nine columns: publish date, channel, format, title, the search or question it answers, owner, status, link and notes. Copy the text below, paste it into Google Sheets or Excel and split it into columns.
The column most calendars miss is the search or question, which is what keeps every post tied to something a buyer actually wants to know.
At a glance
- What
- A nine-column content calendar in CSV, ready for Google Sheets or Excel.
- For
- Small teams planning website content, social posts, video and email.
- Price
- Free. No email or sign-up.
- Next
- Want the content written for you? Book a call. We'll reply within the hour (working hours).
Ready when you are.
We'll reply within the hour (working hours).
Copy the content calendar template
Paste it into a new sheet. In Google Sheets use Data, then Split text to columns. In Excel use Data, then Text to Columns, with commas as the separator.
Publish date,Channel,Format,Title or topic,Search or question it answers,Owner,Status,Link,Notes
[date],Website,Guide,[title],[the question buyers ask],[name],Idea,,
[date],LinkedIn,Post,[one point from the guide],[same question],[name],Writing,,
[date],Instagram,Reel,[short clip on the same topic],,[name],Editing,,
[date],Email,Newsletter,[the guide plus one tip],,[name],Scheduled,,
[date],Website,Service page update,[service],[the main search for that service],[name],Published,[url],What does a month in the content calendar look like?
One main piece a month, cut down for each channel. Here's an example for a kitchen fitter.
| Week | Channel | Format | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Website | Guide | How long does a kitchen fit take? |
| 1 | Website | Service page update | Add timings and a "from" price to the kitchen fitting page |
| 2 | LinkedIn and Facebook | Post | The three things that slow a kitchen fit down |
| 2 | Reel | A fit from empty room to finished, in 30 seconds | |
| 3 | Newsletter | The guide, plus a booking link | |
| 4 | Google Business Profile | Update | Photos of the finished kitchen |
How do you plan a content calendar?
Start from your buyers' questions, not from the channels. Then decide how each answer gets cut down for each place you post.
- 1
List the questions
Write down what customers ask before they buy, the way they ask it. Each one is a possible guide or page.
- 2
Pick your channels
Two or three you can keep up with beat six you abandon. Your website should always be one of them.
- 3
One main piece a month
A guide, video or case study that answers one question well.
- 4
Cut it down
Turn the main piece into posts, short clips and an email. One idea, several formats.
- 5
Name an owner and a date
Every row gets a person and a publish date. Status shows where it's stuck.
- 6
Review monthly
Check what got enquiries, views and replies, and plan next month around it.
How does Foundry plan content?
We start with the searches and questions that bring in buyers, for Google and for AI assistants, then plan one strong piece at a time. Robert writes and edits, and every piece is checked by a person before it goes out.
Each month's report, on the 1st, shows what the content brought in, so the next month's calendar follows the results.
Our averages. Not our best days.
Our averages
5days
Website, kick-off to live
3hours
Google Ads setup
4hours
Meta Ads setup
7days
To a first PR feature
20mins
Average reply timethis service
Content calendar template FAQs
At least a publish date, channel, format, topic, owner and status. Adding the search or question each piece answers keeps the plan focused on buyers.
A month in detail and a quarter in outline works for most small teams. Leave room for news and timely posts.
As often as you can keep up good quality. One useful guide a month, cut down for each channel, beats daily posts nobody reads.
Yes, for most small businesses. Move to a dedicated tool only if a sheet is genuinely slowing you down.
Yes. Planning them together means each idea gets used everywhere, rather than every channel starting from scratch.
Yes. We plan, write and edit the content, and report on it every month. We'll reply within the hour (working hours).
Related
Want the calendar filled? Get moving.
Tell us what you need. We'll reply within the hour (working hours), and most websites go live about 5 days after kick-off.
We'll reply within the hour (working hours).
Or email hello@foundryagency.co.uk