Entrepreneurs and enterprise house owners are spoiled for selection with regards to the various social media platforms obtainable for rising an internet viewers.
From BlueSky to TikTok, LinkedIn to Patreon, social media advertising and marketing has by no means been extra sturdy, or, arguably, time-consuming.
However it doesn’t must be. Thankfully, you don’t must be in every single place without delay.
The place you select to point out up on-line ought to be primarily based on the place your goal clients spend most of their time. Select these platforms purposefully.
Additionally, streamlining your social media advertising and marketing is made simpler with the suitable planning software in your arsenal – and no, it doesn’t require fancy software program options.
On this information, I’m sharing a free, easy-to-use social media planning template, plus useful steps on tips on how to make it be just right for you.
It’s as easy or as customizable as you want it to be. No pointless bells or whistles.
Free Social Media Planner Template For Google Sheets
Planning your social media content material doesn’t must be sophisticated – or require using costly instruments.
With the free Planner Template, you’ll discover a neater solution to plan, manage, and schedule your social media content material.
Whether or not you’re a person, enterprise proprietor, or marketer, this template is designed that will help you publish content material constantly, keep organized, and make higher choices about your social media technique.
With this Google Sheets template, you may:
- Plan your content material calendar prematurely, see what you’ve revealed, and know what’s arising subsequent.
- Schedule posts for a number of social media accounts from one calendar.
- Monitor the progress of your content material and use the knowledge to tell your future technique.
- Collaborate with others by sharing entry along with your workforce.
Observe: Click on on File > Make a Copy to edit your template. You do not want to request edit entry.
Make a duplicate: Social Media Planner Template for Google Sheets
How To Plan Your Social Media Content material
The Google Sheet template makes it straightforward to see your schedule effectively prematurely and save your whole social media property in a single place.
Right here’s tips on how to plan your social media content material this 12 months.
Step 1: Create A Copy Of The “Social Media Planner Template”
Upon getting entry to the template, click on “File” after which “Make a Copy.” This may create a brand new copy of the template that you could edit.
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Might 2025Subsequent, give your copy a descriptive title, resembling “[Business name] – Social Media Plan Q1-This fall 2025,” and reserve it to Google Drive.
Step 2: Determine Your Present Quarter/Month
Relying on once you’re studying this text, it would be best to establish the quarter and/or month during which you propose to start out your social media planning.
The underside of the template contains tabs spanning from “Q1: January” to “This fall: December” of 2025.
Open the tab for the month during which you need to begin planning your content material:
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Might 2025For simplicity, we began with “Q1: January” and started filling out the primary few subjects for instance:
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Might 2025Additionally, you will see within the left-hand columns that there’s a calendar for every month. That is merely a reference to the proper days of the week/month for 2025 so you may plan accordingly.
You possibly can, in fact, replace this for 2026, 2027, and so forth.
Step 3: Select Your Social Media Platforms (“Platform”)
Column Okay features a dropdown of assorted social media platforms to which you’ll be publishing your content material.
You possibly can choose from this listing of choices (Weblog, Instagram, LinkedIn, Fb, Twitter/X, TikTok, YouTube, or Different), or you may add your individual by clicking the pencil icon:
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Might 2025This dropdown lets you simply establish which platform you propose on publishing to. Whether or not it’s Fb, Instagram, X (Twitter), or every other platform, this may allow you to hold your content material organized.
Step 4: Plan Your Subjects
Now, it’s time to fill in your matter concepts.
There are fairly a number of methods to consider participating social media subjects, which we coated in our information on tips on how to create genuine social media content material.
Nevertheless, the analysis course of doesn’t must cease there. Listed here are a number of methods to give you social media posts:
- Conduct competitor analysis: Have a look at what your rivals are doing on social media and use that as inspiration to your future social media posts.
- Have a look at trade traits: Keep up-to-date on trade traits and information, and use this info to create related and well timed posts to your viewers.
- Make the most of user-generated content material: Encourage your followers to share their very own experiences and use that content material as inspiration to your posts.
- Have a look at hashtags: Analysis and use related hashtags to extend the visibility of your posts and attain a wider viewers. This will also be a solution to discover content material concepts.
- Schedule common promotions: Share your promotions and reductions to drive engagement and enhance gross sales.
When you suppose up some concepts, you can begin filling out your social media planner.
Simply fill out Columns J by means of R along with your “Title/Matter,” “Description,” and the like.
Step 5: Add Content material And Publishing Notes
Begin enhancing the template by including related info, resembling your descriptions, content material doc hyperlinks, hashtags, publish dates, and monitoring hyperlinks (if wanted).
Screenshot from Social Media Planner Template, Might 2025Be at liberty so as to add rows, columns, or fields to fit your wants.
Within the “Photographs” and “Video/Media” columns, you may add hyperlinks to the visible property you propose to make use of in your social media submit. You are able to do this by including a hyperlink to a Google Drive folder with photos or your chosen Digital Asset Supervisor (DAM).
Step 6: Add Publish Dates
Subsequent, use the template to schedule your posts prematurely by including the date and platform for every submit.
Don’t neglect to replace the “Standing” column (I) as you’re employed by means of your social media plan.
You can even use the template to trace the success of your content material by including metrics resembling likes, feedback, and shares.
Step 7: Share With Your Crew
If you’re working with a workforce, share the template along with your colleagues and provides them entry to edit the template.
This may assist you to collaborate and work collectively to take care of a constant social media presence.
The “Notes” column is for any miscellaneous notes about your upcoming content material, together with particulars about your upcoming content material, drafts, due dates, and many others. and you should use this to work along with your workforce async.
Step 8: Plan Forward And Repeat
Planning your social media content material prematurely affords quite a few advantages that may vastly improve your social media presence.
By taking the time to plan your content material, you may guarantee that you’re constantly publishing related posts that interact your viewers and drive outcomes.
With a transparent content material plan in place, you may concentrate on creating high-quality content material that’s aligned along with your general advertising and marketing technique and keep away from the pitfalls of impulsive, unplanned posting.
I like to recommend utilizing the social media planner to plan not less than one quarter’s value of content material, so that you’re not scrambling to put in writing the copy, gather the property, schedule the posts, and many others.
Plan And Publish Social Media Content material Like A Professional
Social media advertising and marketing doesn’t must be a headache. With the suitable course of, you may streamline your social media content material planning and publishing schedule.
In as little as a number of hours per quarter, you may plan your content material effectively prematurely, taking the guesswork out of your social media posting.
Utilizing a planning template lets you be proactive in your matter planning, get organized, and keep on schedule. Over time, planning your content material will really feel like second nature moderately than a chore.
With social media planning, entrepreneurs acquire:
- A no-nonsense system for monitoring content material subjects and scheduling.
- Time effectivity and a streamlined publishing cadence.
- Consistency in publishing well timed, related posts.
- Improved visibility into efficiency and outcomes.
Additionally, once you plan your social media posts prematurely, you may higher allocate price range and sources to your efforts, making certain you’re utilizing your time in the simplest method attainable.
So, reap the benefits of the free social media planning template, make it yours, and save time in your social media advertising and marketing efforts.
Extra Sources:
Featured Picture: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal
