Content Calendar Planner

When to activate

Quarterly (start 4 weeks before quarter) or annually (Q4 planning). Input: product roadmap, previous quarter's sentiment analysis, AMA attendance trends, industry event calendar, team capacity. Output informs content scheduling, promotion strategy, and member engagement targets.

When NOT to use

Not for reactive response to trending topics (use crisis-responder for that). Not as a rigid mandate; flexibility is essential because community interests evolve. Not to over-schedule events that burn out team capacity.

Planning Checklist

Execute in order:

1. Gather inputs — Collect: product roadmap (features, timelines), past quarter sentiment data, previous event attendance rates, team capacity (hours/week available), industry calendar (conferences, seasonal trends), member-requested topics
2. Identify content pillars — 3–5 core themes aligned with product and community values (e.g., best practices, customer stories, industry news, product updates, community wins)
3. Schedule feature announcements — Map product launches to announcement dates (typically launch + 1 week for beta, 2 weeks for GA). Build hype train: teaser → announcement → deep dive → office hours
4. Plan AMA schedule — Target 2–4 AMAs/quarter. Invite product leaders, customers, or external experts. Schedule 3–4 weeks out for promotion. Book 1-hour slots + async Q&A window
5. Identify seasonal moments — Look for holidays, industry milestones, annual events, and create tie-in content (e.g., "New Year new goals" challenge, "Year-in-review" thread)
6. Create content calendar grid — Week-by-week breakdown: theme, primary content type (thread, AMA, poll, event), owner, promotion start date, success metric
7. Build promotion timeline — For each major initiative: announce 3 weeks prior, reminder 1 week prior, daily reminder day-of, debrief post-event
8. Estimate lift metrics — Based on past quarters, project: attendee count, engagement rate, new member signups, power user engagement

Content Pillar Examples

• Product Updates: New features, roadmap previews, beta launches
• Best Practices: How-to guides, framework discussions, tool recommendations
• Customer Stories: Member spotlights, wins, use cases, case studies
• Industry News: Curated news, trend analysis, thought leadership
• Community Wins: Member milestones, feature requests shipped, challenges completed

Calendar Template

# Content Calendar — Q3 2026

**Capacity:** 8 hours/week for content + moderation
**Key Goals:** 15% new member signup, 12% engagement rate, 3 major product launches
**Team:** [Names and responsibilities]

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## July 2026

### Week 1 (Jul 1–7)
- **Theme:** Summer kickoff
- **Content:** "What are you building this summer?" thread
- **Event:** None
- **Owner:** [Name]
- **Promotion:** Auto-pin in #introductions
- **Metric:** 50+ new threads by Jul 7

### Week 2 (Jul 8–14)
- **Theme:** Feature spotlight
- **Content:** Beta launch announcement for [Feature X]
- **Event:** AMA with product lead — Thursday 2pm ET
- **Owner:** [Name]
- **Promotion:** 
  - Announce beta — Jul 8
  - AMA reminder — Jul 10, Jul 12, Jul 14 morning
- **Metric:** 100+ AMA attendees, 30 questions

### Week 3 (Jul 15–21)
- **Theme:** Best practices
- **Content:** "Getting started with [Feature X]" guide thread
- **Event:** None
- **Owner:** [Name]
- **Promotion:** Feature in newsletter, pin in #announcements
- **Metric:** 50+ saves, 10+ thank-you reactions

### Week 4 (Jul 22–31)
- **Theme:** Community wins + Holiday pivot
- **Content:** Member spotlight: [User X's story]
- **Event:** None
- **Owner:** [Name]
- **Promotion:** Direct DM to featured member's network
- **Metric:** 5+ new connections made

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## August 2026

[Similar structure for remaining weeks]

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## Success Metrics by Content Type

| Content Type | Target Engagement | Success Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| **Feature Announcement** | 200+ views, 40+ reactions, 20+ replies | >30% of active members see it |
| **AMA** | 80+ attendees, 30+ questions | >90% of questions answered |
| **Spotlight** | 150+ views, 30+ reactions | 1 new connection per spotlight |
| **Guide/How-To** | 120+ views, 25+ saves | Linked in 3+ future threads |
| **Poll** | 200+ votes | >40% of WAU participate |

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## Promotion Timeline Template

For each initiative:

- **T-3 weeks:** Announce at community meeting or in #announcements. Share guest name/topic. Invite early registration.
- **T-2 weeks:** Send email to member segment (e.g., "Interested in X? Don't miss this AMA")
- **T-1 week:** Reminder post in main channel. Include registration link.
- **T-2 days:** Final reminder in #announcements
- **T-1 day:** Daily post with time zone conversions
- **T-0:** Live event + async Q&A window
- **T+1:** Debrief + recording + key takeaways thread

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## Example: Q3 2026 Calendar Snapshot

### Major Initiatives

| Initiative | Type | Date | Owner | Target Attendees | Promo Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feature X launch AMA | AMA | Jul 11 | [PM name] | 100+ | Jun 20 |
| Customer story: [Company] | Spotlight | Jul 28 | [CM name] | 150+ views | Jul 14 |
| Getting started guide | Guide | Aug 4 | [Name] | 50+ saves | Jul 21 |
| Feature Y beta launch | Announcement | Aug 18 | [PM name] | 200+ views | Jul 28 |
| Annual community survey | Poll | Sep 10 | [CM name] | 40% participation | Aug 20 |
| Year-end planning workshop | Workshop | Sep 24 | [Name] | 75+ attendees | Sep 1 |

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