Content Calendar

---
name: content-calendar
description: >-
  Use to build a content calendar — a sustainable, repeatable posting rhythm and recurring
  structure (which pillars/formats post on which days, on which platforms), derived from strategy
  and pillars. Run when the user says "content calendar," "editorial calendar," "social media
  calendar," "posting schedule," "content plan" (ongoing), "what should I post each week," "build
  me a posting routine/cadence," or wants a repeatable system rather than one period's posts. Reads
  social-strategy, content-pillars, and brand-profile first; sizes cadence to real capacity; builds
  a recurring skeleton of buckets and named series with room reserved for reactive/trend content;
  sets the planning rhythm (batch, buffer, review). Hands a period's briefs to batch-content-plan,
  content to the writing skills, and scheduling to scheduling-and-queue. For filling one specific
  week/month with actual posts use batch-content-plan; for higher-level channel/goal choices use
  social-strategy.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
license: MIT
---

# Content Calendar

A content calendar isn't a blank grid you fill by heroics — it's a **sustainable operating rhythm**:
a recurring structure that generates posts so you're never staring at an empty page, at a cadence
you can actually hold. Two ideas drive everything here:

1. **Cadence equals capacity.** The number-one reason calendars fail is overcommitting. A
   sustainable floor you keep for a year beats an ambitious plan abandoned in February.
2. **A recurring skeleton beats a blank page.** Define repeatable *buckets* (pillar × format × slot)
   and a couple of named series — then each cycle is fill-in-the-blanks, not invent-from-scratch.

**This skill owns the recurring system.** Filling a specific week/month with actual posts is
`batch-content-plan`; the higher-level channel/goal choices are `social-strategy`. This sits
between them: strategy + pillars → the repeatable rhythm → (per cycle) batch-content-plan →
content skills → scheduler.

## Step 0 — Read the foundation first

Load `social-strategy.md`, `content-pillars.md`, and `brand-profile.md`. If pillars don't exist,
route to `content-pillars` or derive lightweight provisional ones — the calendar must map to themes,
not float free.

## Step 1 — Size the cadence to real capacity

Estimate honest capacity (time, people, budget, the bad-week floor) and set a **sustainable cadence
per platform** — different per platform, not one number everywhere. Pick one or two primary
platforms to do well. Use repurposing to cover more without proportionally more work. See
`references/cadence-and-capacity.md`.

## Step 2 — Build the recurring skeleton

Map **buckets** — pillar × format × slot/day/platform — so each slot is a standing instruction, not
a fixed post. Distribute across pillars (signature pillar gets prime slots) and vary formats by
design. See `references/calendar-structure.md`.

## Step 3 — Design one or two recurring series

Add a named franchise in a fixed slot ("Teardown Tuesday," "Build Log") for anticipation, less
decision fatigue, and recognition. One or two — not every slot.

## Step 4 — Anchor dates + reserve reactive room

Layer time-bound anchors (launches, relevant events) onto the skeleton, and **reserve ~20–30% for
reactive/timely content** with one or two open slots a week (hand live trend research to
`trend-jacking`). Structure for consistency; reactive room for relevance.

## Step 5 — Set the operating rhythm

Define the workflow that sustains it: a **planning ritual** (monthly shape, weekly fill, daily
engage), **batch creation**, and a **buffer/queue** so a bad week doesn't break the streak. Assign
roles if a team. See `references/operating-rhythm.md`.

## Step 6 — Deliver + hand off

Output the **cadence + recurring skeleton + series + planned/reactive split + anchors**, plus a
filled **sample week** to make it concrete. Then:

- **Fill a specific period →** `batch-content-plan`.
- **Write each piece →** the content skills; **adapt across platforms →** `cross-platform-repurposing`.
- **Schedule →** `scheduling-and-queue` (into the buffer).

## Quality bar — self-check

- Is the **cadence sized to capacity** (the floor, not the ceiling), and **per-platform**?
- Is there a **recurring skeleton** of buckets (pillar × format × slot), not a one-off list?
- Are there **one or two named series**?
- Is **reactive room reserved** (~20–30%) alongside sensible anchors?
- Is there a **planning rhythm + buffer**, not just a grid?
- Are **hand-offs** to batch-content-plan / content skills / scheduler clear?
- Is multi-platform made feasible by **repurposing**, with **no analytics claims**?

## Edge cases & pushback

- **Overcommitting** ("5×/day on 6 platforms solo") → right-size hard to a sustainable floor;
  explain why; use repurposing.
- **Too rigid** ("lock 90 days, no gaps") → reserve reactive slots; a fully-locked calendar can't
  ride trends.
- **"Just give me 20 post ideas"** → that's `batch-content-plan`; offer the recurring skeleton here.
- **"Build it around our best times/top performers"** → WoopSocial has no analytics; offer native
  data the user pulls or qualitative review; don't claim data-driven optimization.
- **No pillars/strategy yet** → route to `content-pillars` / `social-strategy` or derive provisional
  pillars; don't float free.
- **Keeps abandoning schedules** → fix the *rhythm* (sustainable floor + buffer + ritual), not just
  the grid.

## Related skills

- `social-strategy` — the channel/goal choices above this.
- `content-pillars` — the themes the skeleton maps to; `brand-profile`, `voice-builder`.
- `batch-content-plan` — fills a specific period with briefs (the per-cycle execution).
- `cross-platform-repurposing` — makes multi-platform sustainable.
- content skills (`caption-writer`, `reels-script`, `tiktok-script`, `carousel-writer`,
  `thread-writer`, `linkedin-post-writer`) — write each slot.
- `trend-jacking` — the reactive slots; `scheduling-and-queue` — ship into the buffer.

## References

- `references/cadence-and-capacity.md` — sizing cadence to capacity; per-platform norms; repurposing; buffer.
- `references/calendar-structure.md` — buckets, pillar × format × slot, series, planned/reactive, anchors.
- `references/operating-rhythm.md` — the planning ritual, batching, buffer, honest review, hand-offs.
- `references/examples.md` — worked calendars (solo + team) with sample weeks, vs an over-ambitious one.