Editorial Calendar Template
A weekly calendar tracks what ships; an editorial calendar decides why. This template plans your content by theme and season across a quarter, so every post ladders up to a bigger story instead of filling a slot.
Content PlanningPDF + CSV5 sectionsfree, no paywall
What you get
- A quarter-at-a-glance grid organized by month, theme, and campaign
- Owner and deadline columns so deadlines stay accountable on a team or solo
- A monthly theme planner that ties individual pieces to a narrative arc
- Editable CSV for Google Sheets or Excel, plus a branded print-ready PDF
How to use this template
- 1. Set quarterly themes. Assign each month a single theme or campaign so your content has a through-line, not just a publish date.
- 2. Map the months. Drop planned pieces into the calendar grid under their theme, balancing formats and platforms across weeks.
- 3. Assign owners and dates. Give every row an owner and a draft-due date that sits comfortably ahead of the publish date.
- 4. Review monthly. At month's end, score what landed against the theme and carry strong angles into the next month.
Still choosing the tool you will run this in? Compare two side by side, or read how each profile is built in our review methodology.
What's inside
3 of 5 sections shown; the remaining 2 come with the free download.
What is an editorial calendar?
An editorial calendar plans content by theme across months rather than by post across days. Each month gets one subject, one anchor piece and a handful of supporting pieces that come at the same point from different angles. Owners and draft-due dates sit in the same rows, so a full quarter fits on one page.
It becomes necessary as soon as you have something to sell or someone helping you. A launch needs four or five pieces pointing the same direction, and that only happens if the shape was agreed before the month began. Solo creators use it to stop output drifting into whatever felt interesting that week.
Quarterly editorial calendar
One row per planned piece. Group by month and theme so the bigger story is visible at a glance.
| Month | Theme | Title / angle | Platform | Owner | Draft due | Publish date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July | Systems & workflow | How I plan a month in 2 hours | YouTube | You | Jun 28 | Jul 1 |
| July | Systems & workflow | My repurposing matrix walkthrough | Newsletter | You | Jul 5 | Jul 8 |
Editorial vs. content calendar
Use this editorial calendar to plan strategy: the themes, campaigns, and seasonal beats that shape a quarter. Use a weekly content calendar to execute it day to day. They work together: the editorial calendar feeds the weekly one.
Keep themes loose enough to flex. If a piece outside the theme is clearly stronger, run it. The calendar is a guide for coherence, not a cage.
2 more sections and the PDF + CSV are behind the free download.
Tools that help with this
The template does the thinking; these are the products creators run it in. The full software directory has the rest.
CoSchedule
A purpose-built editorial calendar with task templates and content status tracking for small content teams publishing weekly.
quote only
Planable
Planable is a [social media scheduling](/categories/social-media-scheduling) and collaboration platform built around content approval workflows.
$33/mo
Notion AI
Notion AI is an AI writing and productivity assistant built directly into Notion's workspace.
$0/mo
Buffer
Buffer is a [social media scheduling](/categories/social-media-scheduling) tool that lets you plan, queue, and publish posts across all major social platforms from one dashboard.
$0/mo
Categories to browse: Social Media Scheduling, AI Writing Tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is an editorial calendar?
An editorial calendar is a plan of content themes over a quarter or a season, with an anchor piece and supporting pieces under each theme. It answers why a month of content exists, while a weekly calendar answers what goes out on Tuesday.
What's the difference between an editorial calendar and a content calendar?
An editorial calendar plans the strategy: themes, campaigns, and seasonal arcs across weeks or months. A content calendar handles execution: the exact pieces, statuses, and publish dates. The editorial calendar sets direction the weekly one carries out.
How far ahead should an editorial calendar plan?
A full quarter is the sweet spot. It's long enough to plan campaigns and seasonal moments, but short enough that themes stay relevant and you can adjust based on what's working.
Can two people share one editorial calendar?
Yes, and it works better with an owner column and a draft-due date on every row. Set the draft date at least four days before the publish date so there is room for one round of notes without the publish slipping.