Tips & Tricks

​How to create a content plan? Here comes our 8-step guide

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​Very few people have the ability to be creative at the push of a button. But even if you can, it is still a good idea to plan ahead for the coming weeks and months, especially when it comes to content marketing. Subscribers want to be provided with well-thought-out, valuable content at regularly scheduled intervals.

A content plan is an editorial plan that outlines the "What? How? When? Where?" and helps you to put your content strategy into action. A plan like this guarantees that the published content follows a red thread and matches the originally defined strategy.

We have compiled 8 steps that are essential when it comes to creating a content plan.


1  Create a template

​What does belong in an editorial plan anyway? Obviously, this depends on the industry, the type of company and the content strategy. However, there are some details that simply should not be lacking in any thoroughly prepared plan. These are:

  1. ​Planned publication date
  2. Author(s) or person(s) responsible, if relevant, with deadlines and status overview
  3. Key topic
  4. Distribution channels
  5. Format of the entry 
  6. Concrete idea with headline, desired keywords and call-to-action

Which tools are ideal for content planning?

  1. (1) Spreadsheets such as Word, Excel or Google Spreadsheets are most commonly used to create a content plan. Using Google Spreadsheets allows the files to be synchronised on all devices and to be edited in a team.
  2. (2) ​Google Calendar is very handy when it comes to scheduling your content plan. For each distribution channel, you can create a new, differently coloured level and overlay or hide the individual calendars. Scheduled posts are entered as appointments.
  3. (3) ​Project management tools as e.g. ​Trello , Jira oder Confluence  are very supportive in terms of organisation and teamwork. You can create complex To Do lists and move individual tasks through the editing process. One possibility is to create each planned contribution as a card and assign them to a list representing a specific editing step (e.g. ideas, drafts, finished contributions, published contributions…).


2   Set the priority goal

​Never lose sight of your goals! So what do you want your content to accomplish? Do you want to increase your awareness level and/or position yourself as an expert in your industry? What's important to you: visitors or paying customers? Do you want to get more leads or achieve stronger customer loyalty?

These are the questions you should ask yourself if you have not already identified your goals of content marketing elsewhere.


3   Scheduling

​Best is to dedicate a specific day each month to content planning. Do not plan too far in ahead though – ideally, your editorial plan covers a period of between four and twelve weeks.

​Then, time your posting frequency. Set specific days of the week and fixed times for certain channels to let your followers know when they can expect new content. The created regularity shows reliability and boosts the trust of your followers.

Make sure that you and your team have enough time for content creation or whether it is worth hiring a professional freelancer to help you.

​Upcoming events such as product launches, releases of large content pieces or live webinars should always be announced in advance through social media posts – which are also included in the content plan.

Schließlich sei noch angemerkt, dass Sie die Veröffentlichung von Blogbeiträgen und Social Media Posts mit genau für diesen Zweck entwickelten Social Media Planungstools “timen” können. Sie müssen fertiggestellte Beiträge also nicht gleich publizieren. Legen Sie stattdessen das gewünschte Veröffentlichkeitsdatum fest und streichen Sie die Aufgabe von der To-Do-Liste.

Please note that you can "schedule" the publication of blog posts and social media posts with social media planning tools developed precisely for this purpose. This means you do not have to publish your finished posts right away. Instead, specify the desired publication date and check the task off your to-do list.


4   Define topics / types of content

​The chosen topics should stay loyal with your industry focus, but also deliver the necessary diversity. For example, if you focus on green energy, you should not only write about renewable energy, but also discuss other associated topics (sustainable building, climate protection, fossil raw materials…).

Ihr Content-Plan kann dabei behilflich sein, das SEO auf Ihrer Website zu optimieren, wenn Sie vorab relevante Keywords (sprich: häufige Suchbegriffe) recherchieren und diese dann benutzen, um die Struktur Ihrer Website vorzugeben.

Your content plan may help to optimise the SEO on your website if you first research relevant keywords (i.e. common search terms) and use them to define the structure of your website.

​Furthermore, you ideally want to take a closer look at the different types of content. The most popular – as it is the most efficient in the long run ​– is the so-called evergreen content. Such content is truly timeless, as it is not based on current trends or happenings. Evergreen content includes useful content such as guides, explanations of terms and historical overviews.

Most companies are specialised in evergreen content. But beyond that, there is still more content options available with which you can mix up your portfolio from time to time:

  • ​News content (latest events, industry news)
  • Entertainment content (entertaining content that possibly follows trends)
  • Company content (image-promoting contributions, company news, insights)
  • Personal content (introduction of / interviews with people from the company)
  • Opinion-based content in which you state your position
  • Emotional content addressing emotional matters
  • Sales content (product-specific, promotional contributions)

5   Define media and channels

​If you are quite new to the business, it's not recommended to cover all media and channels in one go. Instead, it's a good idea to prioritize those that will give you the greatest reach and help you reach your goals in no time. Most businesses focus on text or video first, and slowly expand into audio and graphics.

Spotlight those platforms which are most used by your target audience (email, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.) and give them increased attention.


6   Specify formats

​Once again, you shouldn't take all opportunities at once. Specify certain formats, depending on the channel, which you then want to repeat on a regular basis. When it comes to blogs, lists, instructions, tips & tricks, FAQs, experience reports or similar are ideal. In social media, you can share funny posts, advice of the week, quotes, polls and photo galleries.


7   Create a set of rules

​Regardless of whether you're working by yourself or as part of a team, set guidelines for posts of any kind to bring a certain level of consistency to your online presence. For example, what is the optimal text length for blog posts? Do you address readers by their first name or by their last name? Is the style of writing formal or informal? Which way should certain terms and numbers be written? Which formatting should be used for texts? What kind of links should be inserted? Are shortcuts welcome?

Your company needs to present a consistent image throughout all online media and in the long term.

Webmag: The simple way ​to digital content format

Click, drag & drop. With Webmag you can easily create digital sales and marketing materials yourself on your own – responsive, interactive, measurable. Whether web-based product brochures, digital annual, financial or sustainability reports, studies, reports, presentations or entire online catalogues. You don't need designers, IT people or agencies. Just content. 

Try it out or let us show you how it works in a 15-minute demo appointment.

8   Evaluate performance

​Once a month, take some time to evaluate the published content in terms of their performance and identify those posts with the strongest reach. By identifying the most successful posts of the past month, you will be able to plan more of this kind in future and thus create better and better content plans. In the social media field, it is worth testing different times of the day as well, as the reach of your postings can differ significantly depending on the time of day.


After all, it takes planning ...

… and if you want to run results-oriented content management, you won't get around a content plan! Do not shy away from the extra investment of time and effort: a careful content schedule will directly affect the performance of your publications and the awareness of your brand. Check it out!

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