Social media content calendar template (30 days, free)
A copyable 30-day social media calendar for local businesses, built on four content pillars, plus how to fill it in one hour a month.
By James Olawale · · 7 min read
A social media content calendar is a simple table that says what you will post, where and on which day. The template below covers 30 days for a local business, built on four content pillars (product, behind the scenes, people, offers), with about 4 feed posts a week, Stories on busy days and one email a week. Copy it into a spreadsheet, swap in your own details, and you can fill a whole month in about an hour.
The four content pillars
Pillars are the types of post you rotate. Using the same four every month keeps your feed balanced and makes planning almost automatic.
| Pillar | What it covers | Share of posts | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | What you sell or do | About 40% | Best seller, new arrival, before and after, menu item |
| Behind the scenes | How it gets made | About 20% | Prep, setup, deliveries, process clips |
| People | Team and customers | About 20% | Staff spotlight, regular of the month, client story (with permission) |
| Offers and info | Reasons to act now | About 20% | Deal, event, booking reminder, hours, holiday plans |
If you only remember one rule: no more than one in five posts should be a hard sell. The rest earn attention so the offer gets seen.
The 30-day template
Days are numbered rather than dated so you can start any month. Format key: Photo, Carousel (several slides), Reel (short vertical video), Stories (24-hour posts).
Week 1
| Day | Pillar | Format | Post idea | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Product | Carousel | Your 3 best sellers, one per slide, with prices | Instagram, Facebook |
| 2 | Behind the scenes | Reel | Opening up: lights on, setup, first customer, 10–15 seconds | Instagram, Facebook |
| 3 | Offers | Photo | Midweek offer with exact dates and how to claim | Instagram, Facebook, X |
| 4 | People | Photo | Meet the owner: one photo, three short facts | Instagram, Facebook |
| 5 | Product | Reel | Close-up of the product in use or being made | Instagram, Facebook |
| 6 | Offers | Stories | Weekend hours, a poll, today's availability | |
| 7 | Rest | Reply to comments, collect ideas |
Week 2
| Day | Pillar | Format | Post idea | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Product | Photo | A product people do not know you offer | Instagram, Facebook |
| 9 | Behind the scenes | Reel | A process from start to finish, sped up | Instagram, Facebook |
| 10 | Offers | Monthly newsletter: one highlight, one offer, one button | ||
| 11 | People | Carousel | Answer 3 questions customers always ask | Instagram, Facebook |
| 12 | Product | Reel | "3 things to try if you are new here" | Instagram, Facebook |
| 13 | People | Stories | Repost a customer tag (with permission), a question box | |
| 14 | Rest | Check what performed best this week |
Week 3
| Day | Pillar | Format | Post idea | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Product | Carousel | Before and after, or the same product three ways | Instagram, Facebook |
| 16 | Behind the scenes | Reel | A supplier, delivery or tool you rely on | Instagram, Facebook |
| 17 | Offers | Photo | An event or limited item with a deadline | Instagram, Facebook (as an event), X |
| 18 | People | Photo | Staff spotlight: name, role, favorite product | Instagram, Facebook |
| 19 | Product | Reel | A satisfying moment: pour, cut, finish, reveal | Instagram, Facebook |
| 20 | Offers | Stories | Countdown sticker for the event or deadline | |
| 21 | Rest | Collect photos for next week |
Week 4 and the last two days
| Day | Pillar | Format | Post idea | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Product | Photo | Seasonal or new item | Instagram, Facebook |
| 23 | Behind the scenes | Reel | A mistake, a test batch or a "how we fixed it" | Instagram, Facebook |
| 24 | Offers | Reminder: the deadline offer, or a review request | ||
| 25 | People | Photo | A real Google review, first name only, with a thank you | Instagram, Facebook, X |
| 26 | Product | Reel | Answer one common question in 15 seconds | Instagram, Facebook |
| 27 | Offers | Stories | Poll: what should we do next month? | |
| 28 | Rest | Review the month's numbers | ||
| 29 | Product | Carousel | Month recap: best moments in 5 slides | Instagram, Facebook |
| 30 | Offers | Photo | Next month preview: dates, events, new items | Instagram, Facebook, X |
That gives you about 18 feed posts, 4 days of Stories, 2 emails and a few X updates. Add Stories on any other busy day; they take a minute and need no planning.
How to fill it in one hour a month
Here is the routine. Set a timer.
- Minutes 0–10: list your dates. Write down anything happening next month: holidays, events, new products, slow weeks you want to fill, school breaks. Our holiday marketing ideas list helps here.
- Minutes 10–20: pick your offers. Choose one main offer for the month and one smaller one. Put them on days 3, 17 and the two email days.
- Minutes 20–40: fill the product and people rows. Go through your camera roll. Assign real photos you already have to as many days as possible. Mark the days that need a new photo or clip.
- Minutes 40–55: write the hooks. For each post, write just the first line of the caption. The first line does most of the work. Our caption guide has fill-in templates.
- Minutes 55–60: make a shot list. List the photos and clips you still need. Shoot them all in one session that week, using these phone photography tips.
Then, each week, spend 30 to 45 minutes finishing captions and scheduling. Meta Business Suite schedules to both Instagram and Facebook for free.
Set up the spreadsheet
Use Google Sheets or Excel. Create these columns:
- Date (fill in once you know the month)
- Day number
- Pillar (use a dropdown: Product, Behind the scenes, People, Offers)
- Format
- Post idea
- Hook (first line of the caption)
- Asset (link or file name of the photo or video)
- Channels
- Status (Idea, Ready, Scheduled, Posted)
- Result (reach or saves, filled in after a week)
Color the Status column so you can see at a glance what is not ready. Add a second tab called "Ideas" and dump every idea there during the month: customer questions, funny moments, new stock. That tab fills next month's calendar.
Adjust the template to your business
The pillars stay the same, but the examples change.
| Business | Best "product" posts | Best "behind the scenes" | Offer ideas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant or cafe | Hero dishes, drinks, specials | Prep, sourcing, the pass at rush | Midweek deal, happy hour, events |
| Gym or studio | Classes, transformations (with consent), equipment | Setup, coach prep, cleaning | Free first class, challenge, referral |
| Salon or barbershop | Before and after, styles, products | Color mixing, tools, training | New client offer, quiet-day discount |
| Bakery | Bakes of the day, cakes, seasonal items | Dough, decorating, early mornings | Pre-orders, holiday boxes |
| Clinic | Services explained, team, space | Sterilizing, new equipment | New patient offer, reminders |
| Shop or boutique | New arrivals, styling, gift ideas | Unboxing stock, packing orders | Launches, bundles, events |
Restaurants have a ready-made version: the 4-week restaurant content calendar. Each business type also has its own idea list, such as gym post ideas.
How many posts the template assumes
The template is built around 4 to 5 feed posts a week. If that feels like too much, cut to 3 a week by dropping one product post and one behind-the-scenes post per week. Do not drop the people or offer posts; those are what drive visits. For a full breakdown by platform, see how often should a small business post.
Review at the end of the month
On day 28, spend 15 minutes on the numbers. In Instagram, open your Professional dashboard, then Insights, and sort content by reach, then by saves. Write the top 3 and bottom 3 posts in your spreadsheet.
Ask three questions:
- Which pillar got the most saves and shares? Do more of it next month.
- Which format reached the most non-followers? Usually Reels. Keep at least 1 or 2 a week.
- Did the offer posts lead to anything real, such as bookings, calls or orders? If not, make the offer clearer or the deadline shorter.
Keep about 20% of your slots loose for things that happen during the month: a sell-out, a great review, a local event.
If planning is the part you skip
Templates work until a busy month hits. Scala can take over the planning: it reads your website, plans a week of posts for Instagram, Facebook and X, and designs them in your own look from your photos, and you approve each one before it goes out. See examples of what it makes.
Frequently asked questions
What should be in a social media content calendar?
At minimum: the date, the platform, the type of post, the post idea, the caption hook, the photo or video, and a status. Adding a content pillar column helps you keep a healthy mix of product, behind-the-scenes, people and offer posts.
How far ahead should a small business plan social media?
Plan one month at a time and schedule one week at a time. A month is long enough to plan offers and events, and a week is short enough to react to what is actually happening in your business.
What are content pillars?
Content pillars are the 3 to 5 types of post you rotate every week, such as product, behind the scenes, people and offers. They keep your feed varied and make it quick to decide what to post on any given day.
Is there a free tool to schedule posts to Instagram and Facebook?
Yes. Meta Business Suite is free and lets you schedule posts and Reels to a connected Instagram account and Facebook Page from one place, on desktop or the mobile app.
