Content Planning - Planner Template - Basic
Download and customize a free Content Planning Planner Template Basic Excel template. Perfect for business, legal, and personal use. Editable and ready to boost your productivity.
| Date | Topic | Content Type | Platform | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Topic | Content Type | Platform | ||
Basic Content Planner Template for Excel — Purpose: Content Planning
This Basic Content Planner Template is a streamlined, user-friendly Excel workbook designed specifically for individuals and small teams managing content calendars. As a Planner Template, it provides a clear visual structure to organize, schedule, track progress, and evaluate content performance—all within the simplicity of Excel. The Basic version focuses on essential functionality without overwhelming complexity, making it ideal for beginners or users who prefer minimalistic tools over advanced marketing platforms.
SHEET NAMES
The template includes three clearly labeled sheets:1. Content Calendar – The primary scheduling sheet
2. Content Log – A detailed record of published content and results
3. Dashboards (Basic) – Summary visuals for quick insights
TABLE STRUCTURES AND COLUMNS
1. Content Calendar SheetThis sheet contains a monthly grid structured as a table with the following columns:
| Column | Data Type | Description | |--------|-----------|-------------| | A: Date | Date (DD/MM/YYYY) | Planned publication date | | B: Content Type | Text (Dropdown) | Blog, Video, Social Post, Email Newsletter, Infographic | | C: Topic Title | Text (255 chars max) | Clear headline or subject of the content | | D: Target Audience | Text (Dropdown) | New Visitors, Existing Customers, Prospects, Partners | | E: Platform(s) | Text (Comma-separated) | e.g., “LinkedIn, Blog”, “Instagram, TikTok” | | F: Status | Text (Dropdown) | Idea → Draft → Review → Approved → Published → Archived | | G: Assigned To | Text (Dropdown/Free text) | Team member or role responsible | | H: Notes | Text (500 chars max) | Brief reminders, keywords, links to assets | 2. Content Log Sheet
This sheet records completed content with performance metrics:
| Column | Data Type | Description | |--------|-----------|-------------| | A: Date Published | Date (DD/MM/YYYY) | Actual publish date | | B: Title | Text (255 chars) | Exact title of published content | | C: Content Type | Text (Dropdown) | Same options as Content Calendar | | D: Platform(s) | Text (Comma-separated) | Where it was published | | E: Words/Duration (optional) | Number or Time (hh:mm:ss for video/audio)| Word count or video length | | F: Engagement Metrics | Number | Total likes, shares, comments combined | | G: Clicks / Impressions | Number | Traffic data if available | | H: Conversion Rate (%) | Percentage (0-100) | % of viewers who took desired action (e.g., sign-up) | | I: Notes / Feedback | Text (500 chars) | Lessons learned, ideas for improvement | 3. Dashboards Sheet
This sheet displays simple visual summaries using Excel’s native charting tools:
- Bar chart: “Content Type Distribution (Monthly)”
- Line graph: “Engagement Trends Over Time”
- Pie chart: “Platform Performance by Engagement”
FORMULAS REQUIRED
- Content Calendar – Status Progression: In Column F, use Data Validation to create dropdowns: “Idea”, “Draft”, “Review”, “Approved”, “Published”, “Archived”. This allows easy filtering.
- Dashboards – Monthly Summary: Use =COUNTIFS(Content Calendar!F:F,"Published",Content Calendar!A:A,">="&DATE(YEAR(TODAY()),MONTH(TODAY()),1),Content Calendar!A:A,"<="&EOMONTH(TODAY(),0)) to count published content for current month.
- Dashboards – Average Engagement: =AVERAGEIFS(Content Log!F:F,Content Log!A:A,">="&DATE(YEAR(TODAY()),MONTH(TODAY())-1,1),Content Log!A:A,"<="&EOMONTH(TODAY(),-1)) to calculate last month's average engagement.
- Conditional Status Color Mapping: In Content Calendar, apply conditional formatting so “Published” turns green, “Draft” yellow, and “Archived” gray (see below).
CONDITIONAL FORMATTING
- Status Column (Content Calendar):
- If cell = "Published" → Green fill (#d4edda)
- If cell = "Draft" or "Review" → Yellow fill (#fff3cd)
- If cell = "Archived" → Light gray fill (#e9ecef)
- Date Column: Highlight upcoming dates (within 3 days) with light blue highlight using formula: =AND(A2>TODAY(),A2<=TODAY()+3)
USER INSTRUCTIONS
- Open the template and enable editing. Do not modify column headers.
- In the “Content Calendar” sheet, fill in your planned content for each day of the month using dropdowns where available.
- Assign tasks to team members via the “Assigned To” column. Use consistent names (e.g., “Sarah”, “Marketing Team”).
- When content is published, move its entry to the “Content Log” sheet and fill in performance metrics.
- Update the status column on “Content Calendar” after each milestone (e.g., change from Draft → Published).
- The Dashboards sheet updates automatically with your entries. Refresh data by pressing F9 if charts appear stale.
- At month-end, review the dashboard for top-performing content types and platforms to refine next month’s plan.
EXAMPLE ROWS
Content Calendar Example:| Date | Content Type | Topic Title | Target Audience | Platform(s) | Status | Assigned To | |------------|--------------|------------------------|------------------|-------------------|-----------|-------------| | 05/04/2024 | Blog | 5 SEO Tips for Startups | New Visitors | Blog, LinkedIn | Published | Alex | | 12/04/2024 | Video | How We Built Our App | Prospects | YouTube, Instagram| Approved | Jamie | | 18/04/2024 | Social Post | Client Testimonial Friday| Existing Customers| Twitter, FB | Draft | Sarah | Content Log Example:
| Date Published | Title | Content Type | Platform(s) | Words | Engagement Metrics | |----------------|----------------------|--------------|-----------------|--------|--------------------| | 05/04/2024 | 5 SEO Tips for Startups | Blog | Blog, LinkedIn | 1287 | 342 | | 13/04/2024 | How We Built Our App | Video | YouTube | 08:35 | 967 |
RECOMMENDED CHARTS & DASHBOARDS
The “Dashboards (Basic)” sheet should include:- A Clustered Bar Chart: Compare number of content pieces per type (Blog, Video, etc.)
- A Line Chart: Monthly engagement trend using data from the Content Log
- A Pie Chart: Share of total engagement by platform (LinkedIn vs. Instagram vs. Blog)
These charts update dynamically as new rows are added to the “Content Log.” Use Excel’s built-in PivotCharts for ease of maintenance.
CONCLUSION
This Basic Content Planner Template delivers essential structure without unnecessary features, making it perfect for small businesses or solo creators who need a reliable, low-tech solution to their content planning challenges. By combining intuitive table design, dynamic formulas, and visual dashboards—all within the familiar Excel environment—this template ensures consistency, accountability, and measurable growth in your content strategy. Whether you’re managing one blog per week or ten social posts daily, this planner keeps your goals aligned with execution. ⬇️ Download as Excel✏️ Edit online as ExcelCreate your own Excel template with our GoGPT AI prompt:
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