Free content calendar template
A CSV that opens in Google Sheets or Excel — with the two columns most calendar templates leave out: where each post came from, and who approved it.
Make a 30-day content calendar from your website
We read your public business website and prepare 30 day-by-day themes, post ideas, and format suggestions. You review the plan and download it as a CSV. This is a plan, not 30 finished posts.
What is a social media content calendar?
A content calendar connects useful topics to dates and platforms. It helps your business see what is ready, what still needs a source, and who will review each item. A date on the calendar is a plan. Check the live post after publication.
Build a plan for 30 days
- List the services, questions, process details, and examples your public website supports.
- Give each day one useful theme and post idea. Rotate explanations, practical tips, and answers without repeating the same point.
- Choose a post, carousel, or video format. Add the source and owner before drafting.
- Move the ideas onto dates that match your posting cadence. Review the finished work before you publish.
See content calendar examples for local businesses and our guide to creating a calendar automatically.
Why most calendar templates stay empty
A typical content calendar is an empty grid: dates down the side, platforms across the top. It assumes the hard part is remembering to post. It isn't. The hard part is having something true and useful to say — and someone accountable for saying it.
This template plans posts the way a working system does: every row names the post's job, its source in real business material, and its approver. A row you can't fill in is telling you something — usually that the source material doesn't exist yet, which is a different problem than discipline.
The columns, and why each earns its place
| Column | Why it exists |
|---|---|
| Date | When the post is planned to publish. |
| Platform | One row per platform version — a post adapted for Instagram and Facebook is two rows. |
| Post job | The one thing this post does: answer a question, prevent a mistake, show proof, explain a distinction, share an update. |
| Source | The real material the post came from — a website page, an FAQ, a permissioned review or photo. One of the two columns most templates miss, and the one that stops generic filler. |
| Draft status | Idea, drafting, or ready to review. |
| Approved by | A name. Nothing publishes from this calendar without one. |
| Published & verified | Checked against the live post — scheduling is an instruction, publication is a result. |
| Response owner | Who watches for the comments, messages, and leads this post may cause. |
| Customer-path note | What moved: a profile visit, an inquiry, a booking. Raw counts, not percentages. |
Use the template in Google Sheets
Download the CSV. In a blank spreadsheet, choose File, Import, Upload. Replace the example rows with your business topics and apply a date format to the Date column. Share the working file with the people who review and publish.
Use the template in Excel
Open the CSV in Excel and save a copy as an Excel workbook. Format dates, enable filters, and use the Draft status column to see what needs review. Keep the source and approval fields beside the draft rather than in a separate file.
Use the template in Notion
Import the CSV as a database. Set the Date property to a date and Draft status to a status. Add a calendar view for dates and a table view for sources and approvals. See our Notion planning guide for more detail.
Review the plan before publishing
- Download the CSV. It includes eight example rows (a hypothetical service business, not real customer data) — replace them with your own.
- Google Sheets: File → Import → Upload, then "Replace spreadsheet". Excel: just open the file and Save As .xlsx.
- Fill the Source column first, from material you already have: service pages, FAQs, customer questions, permissioned reviews and photos. The website-to-posts guide shows how one page becomes several rows.
- Review before publishing using the six-question approval checklist — the Approved-by column is where it lands.
- Pick a cadence you can sustain, not an aspirational one — the posting frequency calculator and the real-world benchmarks help set it honestly.
Questions about content calendars
What is a social media content calendar?
It is a plan for what you will publish, where, and when. A useful calendar also names the source, review status, approver, and person who will handle responses.
How do I create a social media content calendar?
Start with your services and customer questions. Choose useful topics, assign dates and platforms, add the source for each idea, and review the work before publication. Our free generator prepares 30 day-by-day themes and post ideas from your website.
How do I use a content calendar template in Google Sheets?
Download the CSV, create a spreadsheet, and choose File, Import, Upload. Replace the hypothetical example rows with your own sources and dates. Keep the review and approval columns visible.
How do I use a social media calendar template in Excel?
Open the CSV in Excel and save a working copy as an Excel workbook. Set the Date column to a date format, add filters, and keep a separate row for each platform version.
Can I use a content calendar template in Notion?
Yes. Import the CSV as a database. Set Date as a date property and Draft status as a status property. Add a calendar view while keeping the source and approval fields in the table.
What should a 30-day social media content calendar include?
Include a useful theme and post idea for each day, the format, the source, the platform, and a review status. A 30-day plan does not require daily publication. Select a cadence you can maintain and move the remaining ideas to later dates.
If the Source column is the part that never fills
That is the most common failure, and it is not a discipline problem — it usually means nobody can see which parts of the business hold post-worthy material. Boomp's free content pack reads your public website and makes ten finished posts and captions from what it can support. You can review and download the pack with no account or card. Paid plans keep the work going and add publishing through the approval settings you choose.