How To Create A Content Calendar For Your Blog
For the sake of staying on top of things, you’ll need a content calendar for your blog. This post will show you how to create a content calendar for your blog to remain consistent.
Whether you’re a new blogger or a seasoned one, consistency matters across all industries. It is how we keep readers coming back on a weekly basis, and how we hold ourselves accountable as writers.
So, how do you stay consistent with your blog?
By using a content calendar!
A content calendar is a visual representation of what your upcoming content should look like -- 'Should' being the operative word.
It acts as a guide for you to follow when writing your future email newsletters, social media content and, of course, blog posts.
There's an example of a content calendar further down below (courtesy of yours truly).
Before you complete your blogging content calendar, you must first:
● Pick a platform / content tool
● Define your content pillars
● Brainstorm your blog post ideas
● Format your ideas in your content calendar
● Set deadlines for each blog post
● Start writing your blog posts
Let's start off with how to pick a content calendar tool.
Pick A Platform Or Content Tool
Just like with picking a social media platform, picking a calendar tool is based on certain key factors… Like, how easy it is to understand (ie: its learning curve).
Fortunately, one of the easiest tools to make a content calendar with is Google Sheets.
Remember: A content calendar is a very visual part of your blogging strategy - Which is why your platform of choice should have a layout that’s easy on the eyes and customizable.
For the sake of clarity, we'll be using Google Sheets as an example of a content calendar tool.
Because everyone has a Google account, everyone has access to Google’s apps -- Including Sheets. Simply visit sheets.google.com to view the platform.
If it wasn’t already clear, I use Google Sheets for my own content calendar! So, perhaps I’m a bit biased when I say it is ideal… Especially if you’re new to content planning!
Another factor to consider when picking a content calendar tool is accessibility.
● Can you view / edit your calendar while on mobile?
● How easy is it to move your updates between devices?
● Can you work on this offline? If yes, does it sync well?
● Are there templates available to customize your own content calendar?
Google Sheets ticks all the boxes -- Even if it doesn't look like a calendar at first.
Here’s just one example of what your content calendar can look like, using my own Google Sheets template.
An example of a blogging content calendar made using Google Sheets
Of course, you can add or remove the columns that don’t apply to your blog (depending on what sort of planner you are).
Now that you have your Google Sheets file open, let's get into narrowing down your blog's core topics.
2. Define Your Content Pillars
If you're a blogger or Creative Entrepreneur, chances are you've heard the term 'niching down'. But, what does it mean?
To niche down means picking one overarching topic that your blog focuses on.
If you’re a seasoned blogger, then you might already have a topic in mind. Some examples of niches include:
● Fashion
● Blogging (like here at The Coffee Date)
● Hair Care
● Personal Finance
● Lifestyle & Entertainment
If your niche is as broad as any of those topics, then you’re in luck -- You get to niche down even further. That’s where Content Pillars come in!
Content pillars are the categories that your content fits into. Usually, these categories meet two specific criteria:
● Content that you regularly post about; and
● Content that your target audience connects with.
Let’s use Personal Finance as an example of your blog’s niche.
Personal Finance refers to how someone manages their money, pays off debts or expenses and sets aside savings for the future. While Personal Finance is a specific niche, it’s also pretty broad.
So, what content pillars fall under Personal Finance?
A few that come to mind include:
● Side Hustles
● Budgeting
● Bookkeeping
● Investing
● Saving
Using content pillars to niche down helps to broaden your reach as a blogger. The more content you write about, the more people you can attract.
As a Personal Finance blogger, you can write about all things income, money and saving -- However, being very specific helps readers know exactly what they can expect from your blog.
Content pillars also help to visually categorize your blog posts for new readers.
Take The Coffee Date, for example!
The Coffee Date’s content pillars:
Blogging Tips, Social Media, Design Tutorials and Business Tips
New readers to The Coffee Date can easily sift through the blog posts for what they specifically need. Whether that may be:
● Social Media Tips
● Blogging Tips
● Marketing Career Advice
● Content Marketing Tips
Don’t confuse this with your blog’s content types or content formats -- For the sake of your content calendar, we only need your content pillars.
This blog post goes even more in-depth about everything on Content Pillars, as well as the difference between Content Pillars, Content Formats and Content Types.
Now, if you haven't already gotten tired of seeing the word 'content', it’s time for the fun part: Brainstorming.
3. Brainstorm Your Blog Post Ideas
At this point, your content calendar is bare -- Save for the content pillars, of course.
Your brain might now be overflowing with blog post ideas. Great! Start making notes and jotting them down. I recommend hitting 10-15 ideas before moving on to the next step.
Are you having trouble coming up with blog post ideas? Don’t worry!
There are countless ways to start brainstorming, including:
● Read your favorite blogs;
● Re-read your old content;
● Check Google search suggestions;
● Snoop around on online communities and forums;
● Look at your personal experiences.
Remember, just because it's been done before doesn't mean you can't also do it. Your voice and way of thinking is unique only to you -- Not even the best copywriter in the world can capture your writing style like you can.
If you need to take inspiration from other sources, then go for it!
To really wrap your head around what posts your blog can offer, you can try each of these suggestions separately, starting with:
Tip 1: Read your favorite blogs
Specifically, I recommend reading blogs that you admire and that are already established in your industry. Really think about the blogs that inspired you to get started, or what blog yours is most compared to.
This can even be taken a step further: Try other content formats, too.
If you're an avid listener, find a podcast or YouTube channel that fits your niche. Or, maybe, you like reading as much as I do -- Find a non-fiction book that aligns with one (or more) of your content pillars.
Tip #2: Re-read your old content
If you've already got some experience blogging, then this would apply to you the most. Who knows your content pillars more than you? Who has your blog’s special flair and moxie better than your own blog?
Sometimes, the best place to take inspiration from is yourself! You should dedicate some extra time to reread blog posts that you've already written, and definitely consider:
● Does this topic need even more coverage?
● Do I have better experience with this topic to write more advanced posts?
● Is there a blog post that I could write as a "follow-up" to this older one?
● Can I write a blog post that "links back" to this?
Tip #3: Check Google search suggestions
No matter how new to blogging you are, the term Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) has likely been on your radar.
Simply put, SEO refers to the way that search engines like Google and Bing show content to people who may be searching for a particular phrase, item, person or a solution to their problem.
Since we're all familiar with Google, then we might all be familiar with this box:
The "People also ask" shows questions your blog post can (potentially) answer.
Using Google as a reference also helps to confirm exactly what problems your target audience has -- and how your blog can solve them!
We can then optimize our content with the same search terms or keywords to, hopefully, land in front of our target reader with SEO.
Tip #4: Snoop around on online communities and forums
This tip works in conjunction with using Google search results as a reference.
Whenever people want to rant (especially anonymously), where do they go? If your guess included sites like Reddit, Twitter or the like, then you were right! Social media allows you to uncover your target audience's problem areas.
Try brainstorming ideas around the relevant topics that appear in your feed. That could look a bit like:
● A roundup post of your favorite productivity apps, because someone mentioned it's hard to pick a free one.
● A summary post explaining recent Cryptocurrency news, for someone who isn't completely caught up.
● A guide to shopping for vegan recipe cookbooks online, for someone who wants to start the new year healthier.
Social media forums and communities give us a more honest look on people than search engine suggestions do. That's because we can see directly what issues they’re having, their pet peeves and, ultimately, what solution they need.
They may even feature comment threads with other people having similar issues -- So, even more ideas on what to include in your blog-post-brainstorm!
Tip #5: Look at your personal experiences
Why did you start your blog? Because your skills and talents are more developed than the average person.
Think about it. If everyone understood your niche (eg: Budgeting on a low-salary income) in the exact same way that you understand it, would you still have launched your blog? No.
Whether it’s in your career, education or even hobbies, your specific experiences in this field make you stand out from all the other bloggers. This compels readers to consume more of your content.
Writing about your own experiences is another way to find inspiration for blog posts.
Let’s use the Personal Finance niche again. If you had a bad time with a bookkeeper, for example, you could share that in an educational and informative way.
A few blog posts could be:
● 5 Red Flags To Avoid When Hiring A Bookkeeper
● Should You Take A Bookkeeping Course Instead of Hiring A Bookkeeper?
● I Lost $X,XXX Overnight: Why You Shouldn’t Work With XYZ Agency
Plus, those blog posts also fit in with our hypothetical content pillar, Bookkeeping.
With these tips, you can come up with at least 10-15 blog post ideas.
Now that we know what our blog’s categories are (and some relevant ideas), we can start matching content pillars with some actual content.
4. Format Your Ideas In Your Content Calendar
Now, it’s time to switch back to your Google Sheets tab.
Depending on what your content calendar looks like, this might be tricky. I’ll use my quick and easy template to guide you.
First up, your content pillars -- Where do they fit in?
I recommend using your content pillars as filters, instead of columns. This allows you to sift through the file to view all the blog posts that fit under a specific category.
Here’s an example of all the content pillars used for The Coffee Date.
Examples of content pillars from The Coffee Date
Notice how the blog post ideas fit well with the content pillars? That’s exactly how you should format your own calendar!
Another great way to format your ideas is with color-coding -- Simply assign a particular color to a particular topic. If you’ve got a really sharp memory, you won’t even need the ‘content pillar’ column!
For the rest of us, however, it’s best to keep the column as is.
Here are some other useful filters (or columns) for your content calendar:
● Completion Status - Is this blog post live, scheduled or incomplete?
● Promotion - Are you mentioning any products or services?
● Links / Sources - Which older posts are you linking to?
● Continuity - Is this post a part of a series of posts?
The more content you upload to the calendar, the easier it is to stick to your writing sessions and upload schedule -- Which leads me to another important step: Setting deadlines.
5. Set Deadlines For Each Blog Post
This will be a quick point: You need to hold yourself accountable.
To do that, you'll need to set realistic deadlines for each blog post. I recommend adding a column with the tentative launch date like this one.
I added a miniature calendar into my Google Sheets template so that you can better visualize. Now, it’s much easier to picture what your schedule looks like.
This template has its own calendar for easy access
Most seasoned bloggers recommend posting weekly, so use that to guide your content schedule, too. If you can write on a weekly basis (without struggling), you can even consider blogging twice per week!
Just be sure to make a note of that on your content calendar.
You can also add columns for all the other channels in your marketing strategy, including your newsletter and/or social media posts.
With that out of the way, we can get into your favorite part: The actual writing.
6. Start Writing Your Blog Posts
Congrats, you’ve made (or claimed) your new content calendar!
With all the ideas you just came up with, it's time to get started on writing your blog posts. Simply do your keyword research, outline a blog post and get to writing.
Because we’ve brainstormed content weeks (or months) in advance, we can actually create content ahead of our self-imposed deadlines.
This will be your blog’s backlog -- An archive of upcoming posts that you’ve written, edited and formatted for launch.
Instead of launching all your completed blog posts at once, you can schedule some for the future.
Final Thoughts
So, what should a blogging content calendar include?
I recommend adding 3-5 of the below columns:
● Ideas for the blog post
● Post category (or content pillar)
● Deadline to publish
● Completion Status
● Links to other previous and/or relevant posts
● Links to promote your other offers and/or channels
However, it all depends on what kind of content you write for your brand.
Someone who runs their blog alongside an Instagram page won't have the same deadlines as someone who only writes blog posts, for example.
In the same breath, here's a friendly reminder: Not all deadlines will be met.
Your content calendar just gives you an idea of what your blog could look like -- Which lessens the chance that you’ll miss an upload! Again, consistency is super important.
Now you know how to create a content calendar for your blog. But, for Creative Entrepreneurs like me, you might love a template to start off with: Like this Google Sheet template from ETC.
Drop any of your questions in the comment section below and I’ll get back to you. I hope you’ll consider creating a content calendar for your own blog, just like I have (along with hundreds of other bloggers, too!).