Monthly Content Calendar Planner

What it is

A comprehensive monthly content calendar that helps you plan, organise, and visualise all content initiatives across a full 30-day period. This template breaks down content into strategic themes, specifies content types, identifies target audiences, and maps distribution channels for each piece.

Rather than simply listing publish dates, this calendar structure ensures strategic alignment, prevents topic clustering, and creates a balanced mix of content formats. It accommodates planned content alongside agile/reactive content opportunities, and provides space for performance tracking.

This is ideal for marketing teams, product companies, and content agencies managing multiple stakeholders and cross-channel distribution.

When to use it

Use when:

• Planning your month’s content strategy before the month begins
• Coordinating content across multiple team members or departments
• Aligning content calendar with business campaigns or seasonal periods
• You need stakeholder buy-in on content direction
• Managing 10+ pieces of content per month across 3+ channels

Don’t use when:

• Planning rapid-response or highly reactive content (use the two-week template instead)
• You’re managing purely evergreen content with flexible timings
• Your organisation requires daily or hourly content decisions
• You’re focused on a single channel only

Inputs needed

Before starting, gather:

1. Business calendar: Key dates, launches, campaigns, holidays
2. Audience personas: 3-5 core segments and their content preferences
3. Content inventory: Existing assets available for repurposing
4. Channel capabilities: Which platforms you’ll publish to and their requirements
5. Team capacity: How many content pieces your team can produce weekly
6. Performance baselines: Previous month’s top-performing content types

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The template

Month: __________ | Year: __________

Week	Content Theme	Day	Title/Topic	Content Type	Audience Segment	Channels	Status	Performance Goal
Week 1		Mon		Blog/Video/Social/Email/Case Study
		Tue
		Wed
		Thu
		Fri
Week 2		Mon
		Tue
		Wed
		Thu
		Fri
Week 3		Mon
		Tue
		Wed
		Thu
		Fri
Week 4		Mon
		Tue
		Wed
		Thu
		Fri

Strategic Notes

Monthly theme: ___________

Key objectives:

Content format mix goal:

• Blog/Long-form: ___%
• Social/Short-form: ___%
• Email: ___%
• Video: ___%
• Other: ___%

Distribution channels: ☐ Blog ☐ Email ☐ LinkedIn ☐ Twitter/X ☐ Instagram ☐ TikTok ☐ YouTube ☐ Newsletter ☐ Slack ☐ Other: _______

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AI prompt

Base prompt

You are a content strategy expert. Create a 30-day content calendar for [BRAND/COMPANY] in [INDUSTRY].

Brand context:
- Brand voice: [VOICE DESCRIPTION]
- Target audience: [AUDIENCE SEGMENTS]
- Key business goals this month: [GOALS]

Content parameters:
- Channels: [CHANNELS]
- Publishing frequency: [NUMBER] pieces per week
- Content format preferences: [FORMATS]
- Available content topics: [TOPICS/THEMES]

Please create a balanced, strategic 30-day calendar that:
1. Distributes content evenly across the month
2. Alternates between educational, promotional, and engagement content
3. Maps content to the right audience segments
4. Specifies content type and distribution channels for each piece
5. Includes space for performance tracking

Format as a table with: Day, Title, Content Type, Audience, Channels, Goals
Include a strategic notes section explaining the monthly theme and how pieces connect.

Prompt variations

Variation 1: Campaign-focused

Create a 30-day content calendar that supports our [CAMPAIGN NAME] launch. Each piece should either directly promote the campaign or build awareness/education leading up to it. Include content for warm-up (week 1-2), announcement (week 3), and conversion/retention (week 4).

Variation 2: Multiple audience segments

Create a 30-day calendar for [COMPANY] that serves [NUMBER] distinct audience segments: [LIST SEGMENTS]. Ensure content is distributed fairly across all segments, with each segment receiving at least [NUMBER] pieces specifically tailored to them.

Variation 3: Product-focused

Create a calendar for [COMPANY] featuring [NUMBER] product launches/announcements this month. Plan content to build awareness, educate customers, showcase features, share social proof, and drive conversions for each launch.

Variation 4: Seasonal/Evergreen balance

Create a calendar that balances [NUMBER] seasonal/timely pieces with [NUMBER] evergreen pieces. Seasonal pieces should connect to: [EVENTS/SEASONS]. Evergreen pieces should support: [ONGOING BUSINESS GOALS].

Variation 5: Multi-channel coordination

Create a calendar that ensures consistent messaging across [CHANNELS LIST], with each channel optimised for its audience and format. Show how pieces connect across channels (e.g., blog post inspires email series, video clips feed social posts).

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Human review checklist

• Business alignment: Does the calendar support stated monthly business objectives?
• Audience distribution: Is content fairly distributed across all target segments?
• Content variety: Does the mix include educational, promotional, and engagement content?
• Channel suitability: Is each piece appropriate for its designated channel(s)?
• Timing logic: Are themes spread evenly across the month without clustering?
• Capacity realistic: Can your team realistically produce this volume in the timeframe?
• Performance tracking: Are clear success metrics included for each piece?
• Flexibility built in: Is there space for reactive/trending content opportunities?
• Audience relevance: Is content matched to audience segments’ actual interests/pain points?
• Messaging consistency: Does content maintain brand voice across all channels?

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Example output

Month: February 2026 | Year: 2026

Week	Content Theme	Day	Title/Topic	Content Type	Audience Segment	Channels	Status	Performance Goal
Week 1	Productivity mindset	Mon	”5 Ways Teams Waste Time (And How to Fix It)“	Blog post	Managers	Blog, LinkedIn	Planned	500+ views
		Wed	”Why Your Productivity App Isn’t Working”	Email	SMB owners	Email	Planned	12% open rate
		Fri	Video: Morning routine of high-performing founders	Video	Entrepreneurs	LinkedIn, YouTube	Planned	1K+ views
Week 2	Solutions education	Tue	”Feature deep-dive: Workflow automation”	Case study	Product users	Blog, Email	Planned	Lead capture
		Thu	Social carousel: Common workflow mistakes	Social	General	LinkedIn, Twitter/X	Planned	2K+ impressions
Week 3	Social proof	Mon	Customer interview: “How we saved 10 hours/week”	Video	Decision makers	YouTube, Email	Planned	5+ demo requests
		Wed	Testimonial blog: Success stories from Q1	Blog	Prospects	Blog, LinkedIn	Planned	600+ views
Week 4	Engagement & community	Fri	Live Q&A: Workflow tips with industry expert	Webinar	All audiences	Email, LinkedIn	Planned	50+ registrations

Monthly theme: Building momentum through better workflows

Key objectives:

• Educate buyers about workflow problems before product pitch
• Build credibility through customer stories and expert content
• Generate 10 qualified leads for demos

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Related templates

• Content Calendar (Two-Week) – For shorter planning cycles or rapid-response strategies
• Social Post Variants – Adapt calendar items for platform-specific posting
• Content Repurposing Matrix – Extend calendar content across multiple formats
• Email Sequence Template – Develop email campaigns highlighted in your calendar
• Blog Post Outline Pack – Structure blog pieces identified in your calendar

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Tips for success

Plan themes weekly, not daily Rather than assigning topics to specific dates initially, identify 4 weekly themes that support your monthly goal. This ensures coherence and gives you flexibility with timing. Assign specific days to pieces only once you’ve confirmed the theme logic.

Balance content types strategically Alternate between content that educates (blog posts, guides), builds authority (case studies, expert interviews), and engages (social content, polls, videos). A common ratio is 40% educational, 30% authority-building, 30% engagement.

Map content to decision-making stages Categorise content by where audiences sit in their decision journey: awareness (educational), consideration (social proof), decision (comparison, pricing). Ensure your calendar addresses all stages throughout the month.

Leave 20% capacity for reactive content Don’t schedule every slot. Reserve space for trending topics, customer questions, and news-jacking opportunities. Flexibility is a competitive advantage.

Schedule cross-channel amplification upfront When planning a major blog post or launch, immediately identify which social channels will carry it, whether it becomes an email, and if it spawns video clips. This multiplies impact without doubling work.

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Common pitfalls

Creating a calendar with no strategic theme Lists of disconnected topics feel random to audiences and miss the chance to build narrative momentum. Always identify 4 weekly themes that connect to your monthly goal before filling in topics.

Overloading the calendar beyond capacity Planning 30 pieces when your team can only produce 12 creates frustration and compromises quality. Be honest about team capacity and work backwards from realistic production numbers.

Ignoring your audience’s behaviour patterns Publishing at optimal times and frequencies for your audience determines visibility. Check your channel analytics for peak engagement times before scheduling.

Forgetting to include performance goals A calendar is only useful if you measure outcomes. Assign clear, achievable goals to each piece (views, clicks, conversions) so you can track what’s working.

Planning content without business context Content calendars that don’t align with launches, campaigns, or sales cycles feel disconnected. Always start with “what are we trying to achieve this month?” before planning topics.