A social media content calendar template is a table with one row per post and a few fixed columns: date, network, topic, format, text, media and status. You can build it in Google Sheets or Excel in ten minutes, or use the calendar inside a scheduler so that the plan and the publishing are the same thing. This page gives the columns, a template to copy into Google Sheets, how to set it up so it stays usable, and a way to keep it small enough to finish.
The columns that matter
| Column | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Date and time | When it goes out, in the audience's time zone |
| Network | One row per network, or one row with several |
| Topic or theme | The idea in a few words |
| Format | Text, picture, carousel, short video, link |
| Text | The caption, with its own version where a network needs one |
| Media | The file name or a link |
| Link | Where it points, with its tracking |
| Owner | Who writes it |
| Status | Idea, written, approved, scheduled, published |
Seven columns are enough for one person. Add Owner and Status when a team or a client is involved.
A template to copy
| Date | Network | Theme | Format | Text | Media | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 3 | How-to | Carousel | Draft written | carousel-3.pdf | Scheduled | |
| Tue 4 | Behind the scenes | Reel | Idea | — | Idea | |
| Thu 6 | Bluesky | Tip | Text | Done | — | Approved |
| Fri 7 | Threads | Question | Text | Done | — | Scheduled |
Set it up in Google Sheets or Excel
Paste the template into a new sheet, then make five small changes so it works as a tool and not just a list:
- Freeze the top row, so the column names stay visible when you scroll.
- Turn Status into a dropdown with data validation: Idea, Written, Approved, Scheduled, Published. Nobody has to type it, and a filter on it shows what is stuck.
- Colour the Network column by value with conditional formatting, so a week reads at a glance.
- Add a filter row, to look at one network or one owner.
- Use one tab per month, and keep a separate tab named Ideas for things that do not have a date yet.
The same steps work in Excel, under data validation and conditional formatting. A shared sheet also lets a client or a colleague comment on a row, which is often all the approval a small account needs.
How to fill it
- Pick three or four themes you can say something true about every week, such as a how-to, a result, a question and a story.
- Assign each theme to a day. A rhythm is easier to keep than daily invention.
- Write the first month completely, and the second as ideas.
- Fill the Text column per network where the limits differ: Bluesky takes 300 characters, Threads 500, Instagram 2,200 and LinkedIn 3,000. See the limits.
- Update Status as you go; the sheet then shows what is stuck.
How often to post
There is no published, network-wide answer to how often to post. Instagram's own scheduler allows 25 a day, and the API 100 in a rolling 24 hours, but those are ceilings, not advice. Choose a rhythm you can keep for a quarter, and judge it by your own insights. See how many times a day to post on Instagram.
Spreadsheet or scheduler
| Spreadsheet | Calendar in a scheduler | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free plan has three channels |
| Planning | Easy to rearrange | The month in one view |
| Publishing | You copy each post out | The post goes out from the calendar |
| Checks | None | Every post is tested against each network's rules |
| Clients | Share a sheet | Approval links |
The strength of a calendar inside a scheduler is that nothing is copied, so nothing is lost on the way. Once the template is filled, schedule the posts from it in one sitting.
Keep it small
A calendar that is never updated is worse than none. Plan a month in detail and keep ideas in a separate list.
Allowances and limits from Preflight's plans and capability sheet, checked 4 November 2026.
Questions people ask
- What should a social media content calendar include?
- The date and time, the network, the theme, the format, the text, the media and the status. Add an owner when more than one person works on it.
- How do I make a content calendar?
- Copy the table, pick three or four weekly themes, write the first month completely and keep later months as ideas.
- Is there a free content calendar template?
- The template on this page can be copied into any spreadsheet. A scheduler's calendar, such as Preflight's free plan, also works.
- How many posts should be on a content calendar?
- As many as you can keep up for a quarter. No network publishes an ideal number, so judge it by your own insights.
- Should the calendar be in a spreadsheet or a scheduler?
- A spreadsheet is free and easy to rearrange. A scheduler's calendar also publishes the post and checks it, so nothing is copied.