About this template
Content calendars fail in two predictable ways: every post is late because nothing was started early enough, or every post looks the same because there is no thematic variety. This 90-day template plots a typical content cadence — 12 blog posts, 12 newsletters, daily social, 4 long-form videos — across research, drafting, editing, design, and publishing phases. Themes rotate monthly to maintain variety.
How a 90-day content calendar breaks down
Plan and theme
Pick 3 monthly themes that align with business goals. Identify 12 blog topics (4 per month). Build the content brief template. Sketch the editorial calendar — which post on which date. Block 2–3 hours per week for content reviews.
- Pick 3 monthly themes
- Identify 12 blog topics
- Build content brief template
- Block editorial review slots
- Set publishing schedule (e.g. Tue, Thu)
Month 1 — Build the pipeline
Write briefs for all 4 month-1 blog posts at once. Draft, edit, design, schedule each on a 2-week cycle. By the end of month 1 you should be 1 month ahead — never publishing what was drafted yesterday.
- Write 4 blog briefs
- Draft 4 blog posts
- Edit 4 blog posts
- Design assets for each
- Schedule in CMS
- Build the social cuts and newsletter
Month 2 — Steady rhythm
By month 2 the pipeline runs at full cadence. Continue 4 blog posts per month. Send a newsletter every other week. Daily social posts using social cuts from the long-form content (one blog post fuels 5–10 social posts).
- 4 blog posts (drafted, edited, designed, scheduled)
- 2 newsletters
- ~30 social posts
- 1 long-form video
Month 3 — Optimize and double down
Pull the analytics from months 1 and 2. Identify the top 3 performing posts — what worked, what was the format, what was the topic. Double down on the format and topic for month 3. Drop or change underperforming themes.
- Pull analytics months 1–2
- Identify top 3 performing posts
- Update theme plan if needed
- Continue 4 blog posts
- 2 newsletters
- ~30 social posts
- 1 long-form video
Reflect and plan next quarter
Quarterly review: what hit, what flopped, what drove email signups, what drove revenue. Build the next 90-day plan informed by what just worked.
- Quarterly review meeting
- Top performers post-mortem
- Identify next 3 themes
- Build next 90-day plan
Tips from content calendars that ran clean
- Be one month ahead at all times. Publishing what was drafted yesterday is how teams burn out.
- One long-form piece per week, repurposed into 5–10 social posts. Repurposing beats new creation 10:1.
- Pick themes that map to business goals. Random topics produce random results.
- Track top performers monthly. Doing more of what works is faster than reinventing.
- Block editorial review slots in the calendar before the quarter starts. Otherwise reviews get bumped indefinitely.
Frequently asked questions
How many blog posts per month is right?
Most B2B content programs run 4–8 posts per month. Less than 2 is hard to build an audience; more than 12 dilutes quality.
How far ahead should I plan?
Topic-level: 3 months ahead. Specific drafts: 1 month ahead. The closer to publishing, the more specific.
Should I batch produce?
Yes. Batching saves 30–40% of total time vs. one-off production. Group all drafts, then all edits, then all designs.