Content Calendar

Content Calendar

The PRODUCE stage of the marketing operating system (see ../INDEX.md). Turns the campaign plan's message into a repeatable, on-voice content pipeline.

Use when

The user asks to "build a content calendar", "plan posts", "set a posting cadence", "create a seasonal/data-backed series", or wants a steady stream of LinkedIn/newsletter content tied to the campaign.

Goal

A scheduled pipeline where every item maps to a pillar + persona + funnel stage, a core asset is repurposed into many derivatives, and each piece ships with a distribution plan — not a backlog of orphan post ideas.

Inputs to gather

1. The campaign plan (objective, ICP, message) from marketing-campaign-plan.
2. Content pillars — 3–6 recurring buyer problems the firm is credible on.
3. Voice/brand notes and any approved-claims library (see ../_shared/claims-library.md).
4. Source material for data-backed pieces (datasets, incident stats, standards, case data).
5. Cadence + channels (page, personal profiles, newsletter), and the publish owner.

Method

1. Set 3–6 pillars, each tied to a buyer problem and a service line.
2. Pick formats by performance: document/carousel PDFs and polls reach + dwell highest; native video next; plain text/image lowest; avoid external links in-post (put the link in a comment or the page CTA).
3. Atomize: take one core asset (a study, a calculator, a case) and derive several posts, a carousel, a poll, a newsletter edition.
4. Map every row to pillar + persona + funnel stage so the calendar serves the funnel, not just the feed.
5. Schedule with owner + status. Cadence: ~2–5 posts/week across page + personal profiles; best windows midweek mornings local; the first ~60 minutes drive reach.
6. Attach a distribution plan per piece (who reshares, employee advocacy, newsletter push, comment-seeding). Plan roughly as much effort for distribution as creation.
7. Quality gate before queueing (below).
8. For data-backed series: cite the dataset, keep claims defensible, use a consistent visual/format, and stamp the data vintage.

Output

A calendar (table: date · pillar · persona · funnel stage · format · hook · owner · status · distribution) plus drafted/queued items. Store in the engagement's content folder.

Definition of done

• Every item maps to pillar + persona + funnel stage.
• ≥1 core asset repurposed into several derivatives.
• Format chosen for reach/dwell, not habit.
• Distribution plan per piece (not just a publish date).
• Voice/brand + accuracy check passed; data-backed claims cited + vintage-stamped.
• Owner + status visible for every row.

Guardrails / pitfalls

• Create-but-don't-distribute is the #1 waste — distribution is part of done.
• Cadence drift kills compounding; protect the rhythm even when posts are short.
• Voice drift — run every piece against the voice + claims library.
• No vanity-only pieces — each item should move someone toward a conversation.
• Public/PII hygiene — no client names/figures in public content without clearance.

Related skills

Fed by marketing-campaign-plan and linkedin-post-to-gtm-ingestion. Distributed through linkedin-funnel-ops. Heavy assets are built by capability-collateral.