How to Build a Content Calendar That You'll Actually Follow
Most content calendars get abandoned by week 2. Here's a system that's flexible enough to keep, structured enough to grow your audience.
The #1 reason content calendars fail: they're too rigid. You plan 30 days of content on January 1st, and by January 15th, you're so far behind that you abandon the whole thing.
Here's a better system.
The 70-20-10 Framework
- 70% Planned: Evergreen content themes you can prepare in advance
- 20% Reactive: Trending topics, news, audience questions
- 10% Experimental: New formats, collaborations, creative experiments
Step 1: Define Your Content Pillars (20 minutes)
Content pillars are 3-5 recurring themes. Examples for a fitness coach:
- Workout tutorials
- Nutrition tips
- Mindset & motivation
- Client transformations
- Behind the scenes
Step 2: Choose Your Frequency (5 minutes)
Be honest about what you can sustain:
- Minimum viable: 3x/week on your primary platform
- Growth mode: 5x/week on primary + 2x/week on secondary
- Full throttle: Daily on 2+ platforms
Start with minimum viable and scale up.
Step 3: Batch Create Weekly (2-3 hours/week)
Dedicate one block of time per week:
- Monday: Brainstorm 7 ideas using our Post Idea Generator
- Write captions using our Caption Generator
- Schedule everything for the week
Step 4: Use Templates
Don't reinvent the wheel. Browse our Template Library for platform-specific templates you can customize.
The best content calendar is one you actually use. Start simple, stay consistent, and iterate.
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