# Social Media Content Calendar Template: Free Excel and Google Sheets Spreadsheet, Monthly Example and How to Fill It In

> A social media content calendar template is a spreadsheet where every post has a date, content pillar, topic, format, platform, goal and status. The minimum version fits in seven columns. Teams add an owner, a UTM-tagged link and results. Below you can download a free Excel template that also opens in Google Sheets, with a sample month and dropdown lists inside.

Source: https://labrica.pro/en/articles/social-media-content-calendar-template
Published: 2026-10-24, Updated: 2026-10-24
Author: LABRICA (https://labrica.pro/en/)
Section: Content planning

Most content calendars start as a blank spreadsheet and get abandoned a week later. Either there are too many columns or not enough, and topics are written so vaguely that three days later nobody remembers what the post was about. A good template solves this up front. It has exactly as many fields as you need to read the plan at a glance and work from it.

This article includes a free social media content calendar template, a breakdown of every column and a filled-in example for one month.

## Download the content calendar template

[Download the social media content calendar template for Excel](https://labrica.pro/articles-assets/files/social-media-content-calendar-template-labrica.xlsx). Free, no sign-up.

The file has three sheets:

- **Content calendar:** a monthly table with an example for a beauty salon, dropdowns for format, goal and status, a frozen header row and filters.
- **Content pillars:** five basic pillars with suggested shares and example topics.
- **How to use:** short step-by-step instructions.

To open the template in Google Sheets, upload it via File, then Import. Dropdowns and formatting are preserved.

## Which columns a content calendar needs

The minimum set is seven columns. That's enough to work solo.

| Column | What to write | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time | When the post goes out | Shows the rhythm and empty days |
| Content pillar | Value, trust, sales, engagement | Topic balance across the month |
| Topic | One sentence: what the reader will learn | Still clear a week later |
| Format | Post, carousel, video, poll | Shows what needs to be prepared |
| Platform | Instagram*, Telegram, TikTok | Where to publish |
| Goal | Reach, engagement, leads | How to judge the post later |
| Status | Draft, ready, published | What's in progress and what isn't |

For a team, add four more:

- **Owner:** who prepares the post.
- **UTM link:** so clicks from the post show up in Google Analytics 4. The guide to [UTM parameters for social media](https://labrica.pro/en/articles/utm-parameters-for-social-media) shows how to build one.
- **Result:** reach, reactions and clicks one week after publishing.
- **Notes:** edits, ideas, things not to forget.

Don't add columns "just in case." Every extra field is one more reason not to fill the spreadsheet in at all.

## How to write topics so the calendar makes sense

The weakest part of most content calendars is the Topic column. People write "promo post" or "value," and a week later nobody remembers what they meant.

Compare:

| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Hair care post | How to make hair color last longer at home: 5 rules |
| Stylist | Meet Emma, our colorist, and her favorite technique |
| Promo | Holiday gift cards: terms and deadline |
| Video | One-minute styling: from wet hair to finished look |

A good topic is almost a ready headline. You can start writing the post from it or hand it to AI as a task.

## Monthly content calendar example

Here's a filled-in calendar for a small beauty salon posting four times a week. The same example is in the template.

| Date | Pillar | Topic | Format | Platform | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, week 1 | Value | How to make hair color last longer at home: 5 rules | Carousel | Instagram | Reach |
| Wed, week 1 | Trust | Meet our colorist and her favorite technique | Photo post | Telegram | Trust |
| Fri, week 1 | Sales | Open slots this weekend | Post | All platforms | Leads |
| Sat, week 1 | Process | One-minute styling | Short video | Instagram Reels, TikTok | Reach |
| Mon, week 2 | Trust | Before and after: from dark to warm blonde | Carousel | Instagram | Trust |
| Wed, week 2 | Engagement | Vote: which nail design should we do for the demo | Poll | Telegram | Engagement |
| Fri, week 2 | Trust | A client review, shared with her permission | Post | Facebook* | Trust |
| Sat, week 2 | Value | Why nails get brittle in the fall | Carousel | Instagram, Telegram | Reach |

Notice the rhythm. The sales post lands on Friday before the weekend, when people plan appointments, and value and behind-the-scenes posts alternate so the feed doesn't turn into a price list. For more post types by category, see [social media post ideas](https://labrica.pro/en/articles/social-media-post-ideas).

## How to fill in the template step by step

1. **Start with the month's goal.** Sell a new service, grow a channel, fill the stylists' schedules. The goal sets the share of sales posts.
2. **Pick 4 to 6 content pillars.** If that's hard, use the set from [content pillars examples](https://labrica.pro/en/articles/content-pillars).
3. **Set the rhythm.** For most businesses, 3 or 4 posts a week on the main platform is enough. See [how often to post on social media](https://labrica.pro/en/articles/how-often-to-post-on-social-media).
4. **Enter dates and distribute pillars.** Make sure one pillar doesn't run two or three times in a row.
5. **Write the topics.** Each one is a single sentence that makes the post clear.
6. **Add timely hooks.** Holidays, awareness days and seasonal dates relevant to your audience.
7. **Fill in formats and platforms.**
8. **Enter results a week after publishing.** Once a month, check which pillars and formats perform better and change the plan.

## Excel, Google Sheets or a content calendar tool

| | Excel | Google Sheets | Content calendar tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collaboration | By sending the file around | Online, with comments | Online, with roles and statuses |
| Copy and images | Separate | Separate, as links | Inside the post |
| Publishing | By hand | By hand | Automatic, on schedule |
| Post results | Entered by hand | Entered by hand | Pulled in automatically |
| Price | Part of the Office suite | Free | Paid |

A spreadsheet is great at the start and for one person. Once you have more than two platforms and several people working on posts, the spreadsheet drifts from reality: a post got moved on the network but not in the file, and edits got lost in a messenger.

At that point it makes sense to move the plan into a calendar where it both lives and gets published. In LABRICA, the content calendar is a monthly view where posts are dragged between days, each has a status from draft to scheduled, and posts go out automatically to Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, Threads*, X, TikTok, YouTube and other connected networks. The Studio suggests topics for your business and writes copy in your company's voice right away. How AI drafts a whole month is covered in the guide to the [AI content calendar](https://labrica.pro/en/articles/ai-content-calendar).

## Editorial calendar vs content calendar: are they the same?

Almost. "Editorial calendar" usually refers to a plan for media outlets and larger teams. Besides social posts, it includes articles, newsletters, podcast episodes, submission deadlines and assigned editors. A social media content calendar is a subset of it. The template above works for both: add a "Channel" column with values like "social," "blog" and "newsletter," plus a "Due date" column.

## Common mistakes in a content calendar spreadsheet

- **Meaningless topics.** "Product post" instead of a specific headline.
- **Posts without a goal.** You can't tell later whether they worked.
- **A plan a year ahead.** A detailed plan beyond one month almost always gets rewritten. For a quarter, content pillars and key dates are enough.
- **A spreadsheet detached from reality.** The post was moved, but the plan still shows the old date.
- **Nobody records results.** Without them, the plan never learns and repeats the same mistakes three months later.

*Instagram, Facebook and Threads belong to Meta Platforms Inc., which is designated an extremist organization in the Russian Federation.

## Frequently asked questions

### Where can I download a free social media content calendar template?

Right here: the Excel file link is at the top of this article. It's free and opens in Google Sheets via import.

### What columns should a content calendar have?

Date and time, content pillar, topic, format, platform, goal and status. For a team, add owner, UTM link, result and notes.

### How do you make a content calendar in Google Sheets?

Download the template and upload it via File, then Import, or create a sheet with the same columns. To work together, share it with colleagues by link.

### How far ahead should a content calendar go?

A detailed plan works best for one month. For a quarter, content pillars, the goal and key dates are enough, and specific topics are better added closer to the publishing month.

### Can you use LABRICA instead of a content calendar spreadsheet?

Yes. In LABRICA the plan lives in a calendar: posts are dragged between days, each has a status, and scheduled posts go out to connected social networks automatically. You can [try it free](https://labrica.pro/en/).

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LABRICA, the AI studio for social media: https://labrica.pro/en/