The short answer
To create a social media content calendar, make a Google Sheet with one row per post and columns for date, time, platform, format, content pillar, topic, caption, asset link, URL with UTM tags, approval and live link. Plan a week or month ahead, get approvals, then schedule the posts in Meta Business Suite’s Planner or your scheduling tool.
Before you start
By the end of this SOP
A working calendar with at least two weeks of planned, approved and scheduled posts.
- Time
- 1 hour to set up, 15 minutes a day to run
- You’ll need
- Google Sheets and access to the business’s social accounts. A social media audit helps (SOP 043).
- Who does this
- The social media manager or content team.
About this SOP: why it matters, where and when
Why it matters: Planned content is more consistent, on-brand and measurable than last-minute posting.
Where: In Google Sheets and Meta Business Suite (or your scheduler).
When: Set up once. Plan every week or month.
Stage 1
Set up the sheet
- 1
Create a Google Sheet with these columns:
- Publish date and time.
- Platform (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube…).
- Format (Reel, carousel, single image, Story, video, text).
- Content pillar (see next stage).
- Topic or hook.
- Caption.
- Asset link (Google Drive or Canva).
- Link with UTM tags.
- Approval and approver.
- Status (Idea, Draft, Approved, Scheduled, Live).
- Live link.
- 2
Turn Platform, Format, Pillar and Status into dropdowns: select the column → Data → Data validation → Dropdown.
- 3
Add one tab per month so the sheet doesn’t get too crowded.
Tip
Freeze the header row and colour Status (green = Live, yellow = Approved) so anyone can scan it in seconds.
Stage 2
Plan the content
- 1
Pick 3–5 content pillars, the themes you post about again and again. Example for a training institute:
- Student results and stories.
- Quick tips and tutorials.
- Behind the scenes.
- Offers and admissions.
- Timely: festivals, news, trends.
- 2
Decide frequency per platform from your audit (SOP 043). Consistency beats volume.
- 3
Fill in two weeks of rows. Mix pillars so you’re not selling in every post.
- 4
Add UTM tags to every website link, e.g. ?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=admissions-nov.
Note
UTM tags let GA4 show exactly which post sent visitors and leads.
Stage 3
Approve, schedule and log
- 1
Share the sheet with the approver. They comment on rows and set Approval to Yes. In Sheets, type + and their email in a comment to notify them.
- 2
Schedule approved posts in Meta Business Suite → Planner (Facebook and Instagram together), or in your scheduling tool for other platforms.
- 3
Set Status to Scheduled. After posting, paste the live link and set Status to Live.
- 4
Once a month, add each post’s views and engagement, and plan more of what worked.
Practice & check
Now do it for real
Reading is not doing. Open your own account and complete this task before you move on.
Practice task (5 min)
Build the sheet and plan two weeks of Instagram and Facebook posts for a real or practice business, using at least three content pillars.
Prove it
Two questions. Get both right and this SOP is done.
Common questions
What is the best free tool for a social media calendar?
Google Sheets for planning, plus Meta Business Suite’s Planner to schedule Facebook and Instagram posts for free.
How far ahead should I plan social media posts?
Two to four weeks is practical for most businesses. Leave space for timely posts about news, festivals and trends.
Done. That’s a real skill, not a certificate.
Want to do this on real client budgets, with a mentor checking your work? That’s Level 2 at Unlearn. See the Digital Marketing track