Social Media Content Calendar Template

Most startup social media fails for one of two reasons: (1) posting happens reactively — whatever someone has time to write that morning — or (2) content is so rigidly planned that there's no room for timely, authentic posts. The best social media calendars solve both problems. They create enough structure to publish consistently, while leaving room for the spontaneous posts that often perform best.

This template gives you a system for planning social content 30-90 days out, without it taking more than a few hours per month.

Why Social Media Calendars Fail

Before the template, understand the failure modes:

The perfection trap. Teams spend so much time planning the "perfect" calendar that they never publish. A decent calendar executed consistently beats a perfect calendar executed sporadically.

The broadcast problem. Calendars filled entirely with company news and product promotion. Social media rewards giving; it punishes taking.

The wrong content-channel fit. Posting the same content on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram simultaneously without adapting it to each platform's norms and audience expectations.

No accountability loop. A calendar that exists in a spreadsheet but nobody owns or reviews.

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The 70/20/10 Content Mix

Before you fill in dates, establish your content ratio:

Category	% of Content	Description
Educational / value	70%	Tips, frameworks, insights, how-tos that help your ICP even if they never buy your product
Social / community	20%	Behind-the-scenes, team updates, responding to trends, engaging with your community
Promotional	10%	Product announcements, case studies, CTAs, trial offers

Most startup social media is inverted — heavy on promotion, light on value. This ratio correction is often the most significant improvement you can make.

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The Monthly Planning Template

Use this structure to plan each month in a single 2-hour session.

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Step 1: Monthly Themes

Template:

Month: [Month, Year]

Primary Theme: [The main topic or angle all content this month relates to — e.g., "Content strategy for early-stage startups" or "How to do more with less as a solo marketer"]

Secondary Theme: [A supporting topic or campaign — e.g., "Customer stories" or "Product feature spotlight"]

Key Events/Dates: [Industry conferences, holidays, product launches, company milestones that affect the calendar]

Why themes matter: When you have a theme, post ideas come easily and your feed looks coherent. Without themes, you're starting from scratch every day.

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Step 2: Channel Strategy

For each channel you're on, define:

LinkedIn:

• Audience: [Describe your LinkedIn audience specifically]
• Frequency goal: [X posts per week]
• Best-performing content types: [Based on your own analytics or starting assumptions]
• Voice: [More formal / less formal / thought leadership / behind-the-scenes]

Twitter/X:

• Audience: [Describe]
• Frequency goal: [X posts/threads per week]
• Best-performing content types: [Threads / commentary / quick tips / engagement]
• Voice: [Direct, shorter, more casual]

Other channels: [Instagram, TikTok, YouTube — fill in if relevant]

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Step 3: Weekly Content Framework

Template: Weekly Social Media Schedule

Day	Platform	Content Type	Monthly Theme	Status
Monday	LinkedIn	Educational post	Primary	Draft / Scheduled / Live
Tuesday	Twitter/X	Thread	Primary
Wednesday	LinkedIn	Social/BTS post	Secondary
Thursday	Twitter/X	Quick tip or commentary	Primary
Friday	LinkedIn	Community engagement / question	Either

Customize this grid based on your capacity. Two quality posts per week beat seven mediocre ones. Start conservative and increase cadence only once you have a sustainable content creation system.

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Step 4: Content Batching Schedule

Template:

Content Creation Day: [One day per week or bi-weekly — all content created in one session]

Scheduling Day: [Day before or same day as creation — schedule in Buffer/Hootsuite/Later]

Review Day: [Monthly — look at performance, adjust calendar]

The batching principle: Writing 10 social posts in one 90-minute session is 3x more efficient than writing one post per day for 10 days. The creative context doesn't need to reset.

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Content Type Swipe File

For each content type, use these frameworks to generate post ideas quickly.

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Educational Content Frameworks

The "Mistake + Fix" Framework

[Common mistake in your industry]: [What most people do wrong] [The cost]: [Consequence of the mistake] [The fix]: [What to do instead — 3-5 specific steps or principles] [The result]: [What changes when you fix it]

The "Counterintuitive Take" Framework

Hot take: [Something that contradicts conventional wisdom in your space] [Evidence 1: Why you believe this] [Evidence 2: Additional support] [Nuance: When the conventional wisdom might still apply] [What to do differently: 1-2 action items]

The "Teardown" Framework

[Company/strategy/piece of content] did [outcome]. Here's why: [Observation 1]: [What they did + why it worked] [Observation 2] [Observation 3] [What you can take from this]: [Direct application for your reader]

The "X things I've learned" Framework

After [timeframe/experience], here's what I know:

1. [Lesson — counterintuitive or non-obvious]
2. [Lesson]
3. [Lesson] [Closing synthesis: What ties these together]

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Community/Social Content Frameworks

Behind-the-scenes:

Here's something we tried this week: [brief, honest description of what you tested] Result: [honest outcome — even if it didn't work] What we learned: [takeaway]

Team/culture post:

[Specific team moment, milestone, or highlight] [1-2 sentences on what it represents about how you work] [Optional question to community]

Question/poll:

[One genuinely interesting question for your audience — not a fake engagement bait question, but something you actually want to know] [Brief context on why you're asking] Reply below / Link to poll

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Promotional Content Frameworks

Customer story (short form):

[Customer name/company] was dealing with [specific problem]. They [brief description of what they did with your product]. Result: [specific, quantified outcome]. [Link to full story / case study]

Feature spotlight:

One feature in [Product] that surprises people: [feature name] Most people [common workflow without this feature]. With [feature], you can [new capability] in [time/steps]. [Screenshot or GIF] [Link to try it]

Social proof:

"[Customer quote — specific, outcome-focused, in their exact words]" — [Name, Title, Company]

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The 90-Day Calendar Template

Use this for quarterly planning.

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Quarterly Themes:

• Month 1: [Theme]
• Month 2: [Theme]
• Month 3: [Theme]

Quarterly Goals:

• Follower growth target: [+X followers on LinkedIn / Twitter]
• Engagement rate target: [X% average]
• Content output target: [X posts per month]
• Conversion goal: [X clicks to website or signup page from social]

Planned Campaigns:

Campaign	Platform	Dates	Content Types	Owner
[Campaign Name]
Product launch
Customer story series
[Other]

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Performance Tracking Template

Review this monthly:

Metric	Last Month	This Month	Goal	Notes
LinkedIn followers
LinkedIn avg engagement rate
Twitter/X followers
Twitter/X avg engagements
Top performing post
Worst performing post
Website clicks from social

Monthly review questions:

1. What type of content performed best this month? Why?
2. What should we do more of next month?
3. What should we cut or do less of?
4. Which posts drove the most website traffic or signups?
5. Are we hitting our 70/20/10 content mix?

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Using Averi to Manage Your Social Calendar

Averi's content queue lets you plan and schedule social content alongside your blog and email, so everything is coordinated from one place. Set up your ICP and Brand Core once, and Averi's AI drafting tools generate social post drafts that match your voice — whether you're writing an educational LinkedIn thread or a quick promotional tweet. Your Library holds every piece of content, making repurposing (blog post → social thread → email snippet) a single workflow rather than a copy-paste marathon.

Build your content calendar in Averi →

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Further Reading

• boost your social engagement with a guided playbook
• Averi social post repurposer to multiply your content
• how to create a 30-day AI-powered content calendar
• Averi's Strategy Map to connect your social calendar to your broader content strategy

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance should I plan social media content?

30 days is the sweet spot for most startup teams. It's far enough to create a coherent content strategy, close enough to stay relevant and timely. Planning more than 90 days out for social content usually leads to stale content that doesn't reflect current reality. Build a 30-day planned calendar and a 90-day themes/campaigns roadmap.

How do I maintain authenticity with a planned calendar?

Reserve 20-30% of your posting slots as "spontaneous" — for timely reactions to news, industry conversations, or real things that happen in your company. Plan the evergreen educational content; leave room for real-time engagement. The calendar provides structure; it doesn't need to be a prison.

What's more important: posting frequency or post quality?

For early-stage accounts with small followings: quality over quantity. One excellent post per week grows an account faster than seven mediocre ones. For accounts with larger followings and established brand voices: frequency matters more because algorithmic distribution rewards consistent posting. Focus on quality first, then build frequency as your system matures.

Should we hire a social media manager?

For most early-stage startups: no. A founder or content marketer posting thoughtful, expert content will outperform a social media manager posting generic content every time. The value in social media for B2B startups comes from genuine expertise and authentic voice — both of which are better coming from someone close to the product. Consider a social media specialist when you've validated your content approach and need scale.

Which social media platforms should a startup prioritize?

For B2B startups: LinkedIn first, Twitter/X second. LinkedIn drives the most business impact for most B2B companies — it's where your buyers are, and organic reach for quality content is still strong. Twitter/X is better for thought leadership, developer audiences, and building a personal brand as a founder. Skip Instagram and TikTok until you have an established presence elsewhere, unless your product is visually-oriented or consumer-facing.