Posting “when we have something” leads to weeks with nothing. A calendar fixes the number of posts, the days and the mix, and filming follows the plan. Here’s how we build one.
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What a content calendar is
A content calendar is the plan of every post in a month: what each one shows, the day it goes up, the platforms it goes on, and the day it’s filmed. It’s made before the month starts, so the filming can be planned around it, and it ends with a look at what each post did, which shapes the next one.
How to build one, in order
- Set the number of posts for the month.
- Pick the days they go up.
- Choose the mix of what they show.
- Mark the moments that belong to this month.
- Write each post as a short script.
- Turn it into a shot list, so one visit films many posts.
- Count, then plan the next month.
Start with the number
Decide how many posts the month gets before deciding what they are. A number you can keep every month beats a big month followed by a quiet one. Our plans set it for you: 20 posts a month on Base (5 posts a week), 30 on Growth (7 or 8 posts a week) and 60 on Premium (14 to 16 posts a week). “How often should a business post?” covers how to choose a number you can keep.
Pick the days
Spread the posts through the week, so there’s always something new. Put the strongest posts on the days your business is busiest, when people are deciding where to go: a weekend post does its job by Friday, a lunch special before lunch. Then keep the same days every week, so everyone knows when a post is due. See an example month on each of our plans.
Choose the mix
- The product: food, drinks or the work, made start to finish.
- The team: skits and faces from your own business.
- The customers: questions, dares and the line out the door.
- The moments: what happens this month and not the next.
Let the product carry the month: it’s what people come for. For example, round numbers: a month of twelve posts might be five of the product, three of the team, two of the customers and two of the month’s moments. Shift it as you learn what your followers watch. “Video ideas for restaurants” has thirteen formats to fill each kind.
Mark the month’s moments
New items, openings, holidays and events each deserve a post on the day. For Shah’s Halal Food, that meant a platter challenge at a Ramadan festival, a new sandwich launched in every US store, and the line on a new location’s opening day. Go through the month before it starts and mark:
- menu changes, new products and seasonal items;
- holidays your customers keep, including the ones that change date each year;
- local events that bring people past your door;
- your own dates: an anniversary, a new location, a renovation finished;
- the nights you’re always full, worth filming for the room alone.
Example: a month at three posts a week
| Week | Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | Signature dish, start to finish (product) | Team skit (team) | The room on a full night (customers) |
| Two | New seasonal item, first plate (moment) | A customer question, answered (customers) | The signature dish, a new angle (product) |
| Three | The kitchen before opening (team) | A dish made start to finish (product) | The month’s moment, on the day (moment) |
| Four | A regular’s order, made (product) | Team skit (team) | The best of the month’s food, close up (product) |
Twelve posts: five of the product, three of the team, two of the customers, two of the moments, the same days every week.
Write each post before you film it
A post that isn’t written down gets filmed as “something in the kitchen”. One line for the first second, a few shots, the words on screen, and the last frame are enough. “How to write a short video script” shows how.
Turn it into a shot list
Group the posts that can be filmed together, in the same place with the same people, so one visit covers many of them. A morning before opening can film the signature dish, the kitchen before opening and two team skits, with the regular’s order caught at lunch.
| Post | Where | Who | Shots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signature dish | Grill | Cook | Close on each step, then the finished plate |
| Team skit | Counter | Two of the team | The line, the reaction, the end |
| Kitchen before opening | Kitchen | Whoever opens | Lights on, prep, the first order |
Leave room for what you can’t plan
A full room nobody expected, a dish that came out better than ever, a moment with a regular: some of the best posts happen on the day. Keep a slot or two in the month loose for them, and fill it with something new. Don’t fill a gap with an old post: Instagram’s advice is to “Avoid reuploading reels that are already on Instagram” (Instagram for Creators).
Who does what
- Plans the month: one person, before it starts.
- Films: whoever is there on the filming day, with the shot list.
- Edits and writes the captions.
- Approves: one person, so a post doesn’t wait for three opinions.
- Posts and replies to comments in the first hours.
In a small business one person may do most of these. Writing them down still matters: it shows where the month will slip when that person is busy.
Count, then plan the next
At the end of the month, check what each post did on each platform. Instagram’s reel insights show views, watch time, average watch time and the follows a reel brought in (Instagram Help Center). TikTok’s analytics “may take 1 to 2 days to update”, and show everything but follower activity in UTC (TikTok Support), so count a post once it has had a couple of days. Compare each post with your own usual, not with someone else’s account: “How many views is good?” shows how. Next month keeps what travelled and drops what didn’t.
A template to copy
| Date | Platforms | Post | Kind | Filmed on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, week one | All four | Signature dish | Product | Filming day one | Edited |
| Wednesday, week one | All four | Team skit | Team | Filming day one | Written |
| Friday, week one | All four | The room on a full night | Customers | Thursday night | Planned |
Common mistakes
- Planning the content before the number, then running out halfway through the month.
- Every post the same kind, so the feed looks like a menu.
- Missing the month’s moments, then posting about them a week late.
- Filming one post per visit, which makes every post expensive.
- Filling gaps with reposts instead of a new film.
- Never counting, so next month repeats this one’s misses.
How we do it
- We plan the month. Your content calendar arrives before the month starts.
- We film on site. At your business.
- We edit and post. On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Shorts.
- We count the views. Every post, on each platform’s own numbers, until a month after the month ends.
See the plans, or apply to work with us.
Questions owners ask
What is a content calendar?
A plan of every post in the month: what it shows, which day it goes up and where, and when it’s filmed, made before the month starts.
How far ahead should I plan social media posts?
A month at a time works well: far enough ahead to plan the filming, close enough to react to what’s happening. Keep a slot or two loose for what you can’t plan.
What should a content calendar include?
The date, the platforms, what the post shows, what kind of post it is, the day it’s filmed and where it stands: planned, written, filmed, edited or posted.
Should I post every day?
Only if you can keep it up and keep it good. A steady rhythm beats a burst followed by silence.
How do I start?
Apply to work with us: a few quick questions about your business. We read every application, and if we can help, we write back to set up a free thirty-minute video call. Apply to work with us
Keep reading
- PlanningHow often should a business post on TikTok?
- Making videosHow to write a short video script (template)
- ViewsHow many views is good on TikTok and Reels?
- RestaurantsHow to market a new restaurant with short video
Sources
Updates
- : Lengthened: the steps in order, a worked mix and an example month, a shot list, room for what can’t be planned, who does what, what to count (Instagram’s reel insights and TikTok’s analytics pages read), common mistakes and a template.