Social Media Calendar Template: Starter Guide + Tips

Ever wonder how many more Likes you’d get if you stuck to a social media calendar?

You might be missing out on some serious business.

No joke — 60% of top B2C marketers swear by a planned content strategy.

This easy-to-follow guide will help you create a social media calendar that drives engagement and builds followings.

Don't forget to access Post Planner's interactive social media calendar template when you sign up for a free account.

A good social media calendar keeps you in front of your audience.

And the more your audience sees you, the more they’ll think of your brand.

Feel free to skip to the section you're most interested in:

• How to create the best social media calendar template in 3 simple steps with Post Planner
• 8 fundamental social media calendar tips for planning your content
• FAQs
• Ready to make the most of a social media calendar template?

How to create the best social media calendar template in 3 simple steps

Everyone knows creating a great social media calendar takes work. You’ve got to:

• Come up with post ideas.
• Decide when to post them.
• Log in at just the right time to post on each platform.

And that’s BEFORE you even find content or media! Back in the day, we’d use spreadsheets to track it all (yikes), but thankfully, those days are long gone.

Using a social media calendar tool is the FASTEST way to create a top-notch calendar and save time while boosting your social media game.

Let’s look at how Post Planner simplifies your social media planning (while improving the quality of your online presence).

Prefer a video instead? Check this out:

Step #1: Choose posting times for each social media platform

Different platforms require different posting schedules. Post Planner lets you automatically schedule posts to Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Google Business Profile, so you can set specific days and times for each channel.

Here’s how simple it is:

• Create a plan and give it a name like “Instagram Plan.”
• Assign different social media accounts to the plan. (In this case, select your Instagram account.)
• Set the days and times for each platform.
• Choose the types of media (photos, links, videos, etc.) to post at each time.

That’s it!

You can create as many plans as you need.

For example, you could schedule Facebook and LinkedIn together, then set Instagram and X on a different schedule. (Or give each platform its own unique plan!)

Post Planner AUTOMATICALLY fills in your schedule with the specific types of content you’ve assigned, making it fully customizable. (And far easier than manually updating an Excel sheet.)

Step 2. Find or create content

Once you’ve set posting times for each of your social media accounts, it’s time to fill your schedule with engaging content.

There are 2 easy ways to do this:

Curate content

Use Post Planner’s content streams and post ideas to discover high-quality, curated content based on themes or topics. 

Just browse, pick the perfect post, and add it to your calendar.

Create content

Let Post Planner’s AI tool help you effortlessly fill your calendar. Generate creative prompts, captions, and hashtags tailored to your niche in SECONDS.

Have an original post idea? GREAT!

Use the content studio to bring it to life. Choose from hundreds of stock photos, add text, quotes, or conversation starters, and instantly craft an engaging post that grabs attention.

You can design your content in bulk while optimizing it for each platform.

Step 3. Fill in your social media calendar

Your calendar will fill up in the order that you add posts to your plan.

With Post Planner, you can bulk-schedule content in advance and easily recycle, rearrange, or cancel top-performing posts right from the calendar page.

Since Post Planner links directly to your social media accounts, your posts will automatically publish at the scheduled times.

Know what that means? You DON’T have to log into your social media accounts.

Imagine never having to log into each individual platform MULTIPLE times EVERY DAY.

More importantly, it keeps you CONSISTENT.

And we all know consistency on social media is key to always staying in front of your audience.

8 Fundamental social media calendar tips for planning your content

By now, we know how easy it is to create a social media calendar (especially with Post Planner).

But what about the BASICS of posting on social media?

Understanding the foundation is the key to making the magic happen.

So, here are 8 essential tips to help you plan your content like a pro.

1. Understand why your audience shares your content

Your social media plan works best when you have GREAT content.

Understanding the WHY behind what your audience chooses to share will help you create content they connect with most.

It's a simple cycle:

• Create content your audience loves.
• Share it on social media.
• Analyze what gets the most engagement.
• Double down on what works.

Unless you’re a social media influencer, your goal isn’t just Likes—it’s driving traffic to your website (where your products and services are accessible)!

When your audience loves your content, something amazing happens.

They start marketing FOR you!

According to a study featured in Foundation Inc., people share content online for several main reasons, including supporting causes, staying connected, and expressing their identity.

• 94% carefully consider how useful the information will be to the recipient.
• 84% share to support causes or issues they care about.
• 69% share for self-fulfillment, to feel more involved in the world.
• 68% share to give others a better sense of who they are and what they care about.
• 49% share to inform others about products they care about.

Basically, funny and entertaining posts get a lot of Likes.

But entertaining posts are the LEAST likely to be shared.

2. Understand which types of content users prefer on each platform

Posting on multiple platforms? Great! But each platform is different, so tailor your posts to match their unique audience and purpose — whether it's age, media type (photos vs. articles), or expected content (funny, informative, or entertaining).

Here’s how they vary:

• Facebook: Best for entertainment and news.
• LinkedIn: Industry news, job listings, professional content.
• Pinterest: Visual content works best.
• X: Industry tips, articles, and some personality (GIFs, anyone?).
• Instagram: High-quality images, videos, and product pictures.
• YouTube: Ideal for long-form video content, tutorials, and product reviews.
• TikTok: Best for short, engaging, and creative videos with trending audio and challenges.
• Google Business Profile: Perfect for updates, location-based posts, promotions, and business information.

3. Don't share the same type of post too often

Sharing your content multiple times is SMART—but keep your audience engaged by mixing things up. Vary your approach to highlight different elements, such as:

• Quotes
• Key ideas
• Helpful takeaways

Here are a few ways to shake up your social media posts that’ll get you more clicks:

Use a few headline variations to diversify your newsfeed

If you're like us, you write a TON of headlines before you settle on one that's just right.

Using multiple different headlines lets you share the SAME content across social media channels (in a way that targets that platform’s primary audience).

For example, I get to post the same blog to all my social media channels without sounding redundant. And you can too.

“But how?”

By using one headline variation that I think would appeal to a younger audience on IG and another to Facebook, which is a better platform for a headline written to an older audience.

Use a variety of visuals to stand out in your followers' news feeds

Including visual content from blog posts makes them more exciting and enjoyable. (Plus, it’s PERFECT for promoting your articles on social media!)

Here’s how:

• Share the visual from your blog post (photo, GIF, video, etc.) on social media.
• Write a short text that will interest viewers in learning more about the visual content.
• Prompt readers to click a link to learn more.

As you repeat this process with more articles, vary the type of visual content that you highlight.

You can even do this multiple times with the same blog post.

This helps your messages stand out, AND it allows you to reuse content over time.

Ask questions to encourage engagement

Try asking your audience questions to see how they'll respond.

Straightforward or rhetorical questions are 2 great ways to get your audience interested in clicking through to your website.

Give these examples a try:

• “Have you ever wondered how to increase [benefit]?”
• “Why do so many [audience] rely on [common thing]”
• “Is your [job to be done] as strong as it could be?”
• “Are you missing one of these essential [key factors you mentioned]?”

Even if people don’t respond, they’ll STILL want to know the answers. The more intriguing your questions, the more likely you’ll get clicks.

Share quotes to inspire your audience

Inspire engagement by sharing two types of quotes:

• Original quotes from your blog or website.
• Curated quotes from other sources.

We encourage mixing both types into your social media calendar.

When choosing original quotes, the best sentences and most helpful information make the most valuable quotes. Such as:

• Unique perspectives
• Analogies
• Metaphors
• Statistics

For curated quotes, tools like Post Planner’s content streams make it easy (and fast!) to find quotes relevant to your brand.

Share the quote you find with a brief caption connecting it to your niche.

4. Plan an appropriate sharing frequency

Did you know that you should be posting on X more often than on Facebook

How often you share your content on each platform is VITAL to successfully implementing your social media calendar.

While there are no set rules, you can post more frequently on X (up to 3 times per day), while Facebook or Instagram should stick to around 3-5 posts per week.

With Post Planner, setting up a consistent posting schedule is easy. You can create a posting plan with predetermined days and times for different types of content using "buckets." Once your plan is set, just add content to the appropriate bucket or queue, and Post Planner handles the rest.

So, how can you figure out what works best for you? Follow these steps and monitor engagement to figure out how often to post:

• Start with 3 posts per week.
• Add an additional post.
• Check your engagement metrics.
• If they go up, repeat steps 2 and 3 until they plateau or go down.
• If they go down, reduce posting frequency until they go back up.

Over time, you’ll figure out exactly how often you should be sharing on each platform.

5. Determine when to stop sharing a particular post

Have some of your social media posts stopped getting click-throughs?

It may be time to stop promoting that type of content (for now).

Check your analytics (like X Analytics) to spot trends and assess your click-throughs.

If engagement is dropping, push different content instead.

You don't have to go into great detail to make these tweaks.

Just keep an eye on when engagement declines.

This is your "breaking point" when the law of diminishing returns kicks in.

It’s normal for your engagement to rise and fall over time.

So don't let the law of diminishing returns stop you from recycling content.

You just don’t want to spam your audience with content they’ve seen 100 times before.

A consistent downward engagement trend signals that it’s time to let that content go.

6. Share curated, earned, and original content

Think it seems counterintuitive to share OTHER people’s content on your social media page?

In fact, sharing earned and curated content can skyrocket engagement!

Spread the word with earned content

Earned content is anything about your brand that you didn’t create or buy — it's when someone else talks about you.

If you get positive reviews, thank them and share the praise. It shows your audience people love working with you!

Also, look out for mentions of your business and join the conversation.

Maintaining a positive presence makes you a follower magnet!

Share how smart your friends are with curated content

Curated content is fantastic for 4 reasons:

• It helps other people out.
• It shows off your connections to other businesses and influencers.
• It’s way faster than creating your own content.
• It increases the chances that others will also share your content.

The world is social, so share content like you’d want others to share yours. This opens doors for building new relationships.

And while searching for curated content can be time-consuming, Post Planner’s content streams make it easy and quick to find relevant content for your brand.

7. Share your best content again

Do you have any posts that knocked it out of the park? If it’s been a few months, share them again!

New followers will appreciate it, and even longtime followers will benefit from a refresher.

If you’re using Post Planner, it’s effortless to recycle content.

Just toggle the recycle button on your most popular posts.

8. Plan your social media posts ahead of time

Think you need to plan posts daily?

Nope!

You can (and should!) plan your social media calendar ahead of time.

Don’t wait until the DAY OF to consider these tips:

• Know your audience: Understand what they want, and your content will get more clicks.
• Choose the right platforms: Know where your audience hangs out and why they use each platform.
• Mix it up: Avoid repetition by changing your wording and visuals across networks.
• Test posting frequencies: Post often enough to engage, but not so much that you overwhelm followers.
• Monitor engagement: Watch when it’s time to retire underperforming content.
• Balance content types: Combine earned, curated, and original content for variety.
• Track success: Measure engagement and recycle top-performing posts.

Apply these tips to your social media calendar and get more clicks than ever before!

FAQs

How far in advance should I plan my social media calendar?

It’s a good idea to plan AT LEAST 1-2 weeks ahead so you’re not scrambling at the last minute. But hey, if you want to be extra organized, planning a month in advance works great too!

How can I ensure my social media calendar stays flexible?

Planning ahead is awesome, but make sure you leave room for real-time updates. You can either keep some open slots for spontaneous posts, or with Post Planner, you can easily rearrange things if a new trend or opportunity pops up.

Ready to make the most of a social media calendar template?

These social media calendar tips WILL boost engagement and website traffic.

A calendar is the fastest, most organized way to get that done.

The reason why is simple. Calendars keep your content in front of your followers.

And if you’re ready to streamline your content strategy, start your FREE account today and see the difference for yourself!