10 Best Free Content Calendar Templates for 2023 | Friday.app

10 Content Calendar Templates for Social Media and Blog This Year

Posted by The Friday Team

Creating content calendars is a time-consuming task for your team and you'll want ways to do it efficiently. After all, you don’t want to be held back organizing and planning your calendar. You and your team have more important things to do, such as planning new ideas and producing content. 

That’s where content calendar templates come in. 

With the help of the content calendar templates, you'll have a better organization and planning process – a must for anyone managing multiple channels and content platforms.

This is why we listed down 10 free content calendar templates for various tools and platforms that you can easily use right away. Check them out below!

ClickUp is a full-featured work management platform that supports marketing teams from planning and ideation to publication. It offers unlimited customization options for every content team, large and small, to manage their projects and campaigns. ClickUp’s Template Center contains ready-to-use templates and workflows, including the Content Calendar Template. 

This template is a must for content teams producing a lot of content. Simplify complicated or overwhelming tasks and get started quickly with your content planning in no time. 

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

ClickUp’s Content Calendar Template includes:

  • Six statuses: Open, Writing, Approval, Updated Required, Scheduled, and Published to keep track of progress and give visibility to stakeholders
  • Custom fields: Keep track of granular detail such as publication date, channel, and pricing
  • Views: Choose from a Calendar, List, Board, Workflow, Channels, or Timeline View to help build your content database
  • Best use cases: Blog calendar, editorial calendar, marketing strategy, and content marketing
  • Organize content: Manage different types of content including blogs, social media posts, emails

How to Use This Template

Highly effective teams can use the ClickUp Content Calendar to manage their blog, social media, and brand campaigns. 

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite your team to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Take advantage of the multiple views to visualize deliverables in different categories. 

  • Use Calendar View to manage your publishing timeline and keep track of deadlines or delays.
  • With the Workflow Kanban Board, you can easily view the progress of each asset. 
  • With the Channel Kanban Board, sort each asset by channel in which it’s published.

Finally, have your team add important details to the pre-built Custom Fields, such as links to drafts or pricing information to get the most complete details of your campaigns.

Try the Template

Get started with ClickUp’s Content Calendar template for free, no credit card required

2. ClickUp’s Modern Social Media Calendar Template

ClickUp’s Template Center features a wide range of templates depending on your needs. If you’re assigned to create a content calendar specifically for social media posting, ClickUp’s Modern Social Media Calendar is a great template to help you get started. 

The Modern Social Media Calendar template is great for organizing content to be published across multiple social media platforms and marketing apps. It is a list-type template that allows you to plan and develop all of your social media content in one place. Utilize statuses, custom fields, and views to help you better manage and organize your social media content calendar.

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

ClickUp’s Modern Social Media Content Calendar includes:

  • Five Statuses: Design, Ideas, Internal Review, Published, Scheduled to help organize your social media content
  • Custom fields: Define and add more context to each post with details such as Theme, Publish Date, Channel, Final Output, Hashtags, and Content Type
  • Topic List View: Helps organize topics to support content creation and planning content 
  • Social Media Posts View: Segment content by platform to help organize and give you a view of all completed posts

Try the Template

Try ClickUp’s Modern Social Media Calendar Template for free today!

3. Instagram Content Calendar Template

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms where thousands of new content are posted every day. Brands or organizations who want to gain a strong Instagram following and presence will benefit from having a strong content marketing plan. 

This content calendar template made for Instagram can help guide you with completing a detailed content calendar specifically made for Instagram posts. With the help of this template, you can better handle publishing a higher volume of posts on a regular basis.

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

  • Color-coded Template: Identify if the content will be used for a feed post, story, reel, carousel post, or IG live with color-coded labels
  • Editorial calendar: Dynamic social media calendar template with important information needed for a complete Instagram post
  • Customizable: Change each of the template’s elements from font styles and colors according to each user’s unique needs
  • Schedule: Manage high volume of posts by placing individual posts or content on each day of the week

Try the Template

Download this Instagram Social Media Calendar Template

4. ClickUp’s Content Marketing Editorial Calendar Template

Working with different channels and platforms is a tricky part of content marketing. It can be a challenge to maintain a consistent message across channels especially when curating different types of content. That's why ClickUp created the Content Marketing Editorial Calendar Template.

This easy to use and customizable template is great for ensuring your content plan’s quality. Through a clean and organized template, you are also able to improve your team’s efficiency when it comes to producing and publishing content. Use this template to keep your communications active and consistent across channels.

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

  • Statuses: Better define and identify each content’s progress by utilizing statuses such as Canceled, Completed, In Progress, In Revision, On Hold, Schedule, and To Do
  • Custom Fields: Include details such as Platform, Promotion Type, Publishing Date, Caption, and Content Type
  • Progress Board: View makes it easy to get an overview of your overall content calendar to help identify action areas that need to be addressed
  • Content Plan: This view provides complete information for each content or task at a glance

Try the Template

Learn more about this Content Marketing Editorial Calendar Template

5. ClickUp’s Blog Editorial Calendar Template

Users and teams working on blog posts can better stay organized and on track with this ClickUp Blog Editorial Calendar Template. Stay consistent with your overall plan and strategy with the help of this template. Utilize this template’s statuses, custom fields, and views to help you reach your content goals and objectives.

ClickUp’s Blog Editorial Calendar template makes content planning and creation simple. You can also take advantage of more than 1000 templates available for various use cases such as design, engineering, IT, operations, sales, support, and so much more.

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

  • Four Statuses: Label if each content is Completed, In Progress, QA, or To Do
  • Custom Fields: Improve content process by adding details such as Design Approval, Copy Draft, Copy Approval, Channels, Blog Stage, Graphics, Publishing Date, Final Blog Link, and Blog Title
  • Blog Library View: Helps organize and schedule blog calendar publishing across multiple platforms or channels
  • Blog Stage View: Gives an overview of the status of content ideas and posts

Try the Template

Try out this Blog Editorial Calendar Template for free!

6. Excel Social Media Content Calendar Template

This template is made for Excel users who are creating content for social media, ads, blogs, and other marketing campaigns and social media strategy. It offers a simple and straightforward approach that will help organize content according to schedule and social media channels. 

Plan upcoming posts and marketing materials to be published across different platforms and channels with this simple content calendar template for Excel. It comes with columns dedicated to providing more context about each content which includes status, priority level, assigned individual, publish date, link, and so much more. 

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

  • Collaboration: With an Office365 account, users can simultaneously collaborate on one document to improve efficiency
  • Content Length: LEN function keeps track of character count which is an important factor considered when creating a majority of social media posts
  • Hashtag Organizer: Organize and keep track of hashtags to be used for specific topics, posts, or platforms
  • Views: Track posts with both a Gantt chart timeline and a monthly calendar

Try the Template

Download this Excel Content Calendar

7. OpenAI Social Media Calendar Template

This OpenAi Social Media Calendar Template is great for social media content creation across multiple platforms. It has columns and information dedicated to planning and scheduling upcoming posts. This template also has a built-in Calendar and Kanban view to give you more flexibility when planning your entire calendar.

This template with OpenAI integration also includes Channels and Post Statistic sheets to help monitor the performance of your posts after being published. Use this information to optimize your online presence and identify other opportunities to improve your content strategy and plan.

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

  • OpenAI Integration: Automatically write social media posts when assigned a topic and a list of hashtags
  • Status Groups: Organize and group content if Posted, Ready to Post, In Progress, Assigned, Brainstorming, and more
  • Automations: Integrate with OpenAI to automate repetitive tasks
  • Post Statistics: Tab that gives a look at metrics such as likes, comments, shares

Try the Template

Get this Social Media Calendar Template for Free

8. Annual Social Media Calendar 

Planning an annual content marketing calendar is a great way to clearly define big long-term goals. This annual marketing calendar template gives a snapshot of every single month with custom fields to track progress on a weekly and monthly basis. This template includes sections for various online content for sales, email, marketing, advertising, and more.

This detailed annual marketing calendar is designed to be scaled and customized according to your strategy and business. Users can also add goals on the same sheet as well as marketing data to give users a better understanding of your content strategy and objectives.

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

  • Annual Content Strategy: Annual look at your content plan for the whole year to align your team and strategy according to your goals
  • Multiple Platforms: This template can be used for Excel, Google Sheets, and Smartsheet
  • Quarterly Content Planning: Get an overview of your content plan by month, quarter, and week
  • Customizable: Add and edit fields according to your content, platforms, and plan

Try the Template

Use this Annual Social Media Calendar Template today

9. Monthly Social Media Content Calendar

Plan and schedule social media posts in advance for any social media and influencer marketing strategy through this simple yet functional monthly template. Simply fill out the form which will require information such as content type, channels, and publishing schedule to get started.

This Social Media Calendar Template will sort submissions into a color-coordinated spreadsheet in a monthly calendar format to give a quick overview of your current plan for the given month. Use this template to help executive your social media content strategy better and with ease.

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

  • Dynamic Calendar Template: This template is great for various marketing strategies such as influencer and content marketing
  • Color-Coded: Get a better understanding of your content plan with color-coded labels to provide more context about each task
  • Customizable Template: Use the form builder to add or alter form fields on your spreadsheet
  • Various Formats: View your social media calendar using the default format or in a calendar format which is great when collaborating with your team

Try the Template

Get this Monthly Social Media Content Calendar Template

10. Social Media Content Marketing Calendar

Managing and creating content to be posted on different social media networks can be tricky, especially when working with both internal and external parties. A simple and customizable social media calendar is one of the best ways to plan your social media activities in advance. This is a great way to make your content planning efforts more manageable and effective.

This template which can be used with Excel supports planning content according to each platform. Through a well-organized template, it will be easier to coordinate campaigns and work through your goals. Scale your social media content marketing plan and grow your reach and engagement as you focus on creating content rather than organizing your calendar.

Main Elements of this Content Calendar Template

  • Monthly Content Plan: Create and schedule your posts in advance with this simple yet organized calendar template
  • Customizable Template: Edit this template to include relevant details and information that will help you improve your content process
  • Supports Multiple Platforms: Plan content for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest all in one calendar template page
  • Content Repository: Find every content you’ve created for repurposing or future reference

Try the Template

Check out this social media content calendar 

Who Benefits From Using a Content Calendar?

Digital Marketers: Digital marketers often need to create content on a regular basis, and a content calendar allows them to plan out their topics ahead of time. This document helps them stay organized and make sure that all relevant information is available for the project.

Businesses: Businesses often need to create content on a regular basis, and a content calendar allows them to plan out their topics ahead of time. This document helps them stay organized and make sure that all relevant information is available for the project.

Best Tips to Manage Your Team’s Content Calendar

Now that you have a list of content calendar templates at your fingertips, all you have to do is learn how you can better manage your content calendar to work towards your marketing goals and objectives. 

Here are some tips on how you can better manage your team’s content calendar:

Follow a standard content planning and publishing process

Having your team follow a specific set of guidelines and process is a great way to maintain your content calendar’s order and organization. If possible, create a process chart or a roadmap to how content should be planned, processed, and organized. 

Establish a clear timeline for every task

Maintain and improve productivity by being strict about schedules and dates. Since content publishing is time-sensitive, it is important to get content completed and scheduled on time. Make sure that each post gets posted at the best time to get the best engagement from your target audience.

Assign specific sheets, pages, or tabs for each user

Set specific rules and boundaries even when you’re working with a collaborative content calendar. Lock specific pages, views, or cells from specific users if they are not involved in a specific process. Manage roles for each section of your content calendar to avoid unnecessary changes in your content calendar.

Fully utilize labels and views for better organization

Take advantage of your content calendar’s labels, views, or tabs to understand where things are and track the progress of each content or task. Organize content according to its status, type, platform, channel, and more to give users handling the content calendar full context and information.

Bonus tool for effortless social media content management: Planable's content calendar

Run Your Entire Content Marketing Plan with ClickUp

Working and collaborating with a team and third parties makes it challenging especially when your content needs to go through different stakeholders and multiple stages of revisions and approvals.

Having a content calendar makes the whole process so much easier.

On top of a content calendar template, equip yourself and your team better with an all-in-one solution. ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity app designed for all users and projects. On top of tools and features for project and task management, it has a library of more than 1000 templates for both personal and professional use. Choose from a variety of content calendar templates that will work best towards your goals and objectives.

Sign up for ClickUp and get access to more than 1000 templates at absolutely no cost!

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