LinkedIn Content Calendar Template: Plan 30 Days of Posts in 1 Hour

Most people fail at LinkedIn not because they lack ideas, but because they sit down each morning asking, "What should I post today?" That question kills consistency faster than anything else.

A LinkedIn content calendar fixes this. When you plan 30 days of posts in one sitting, you remove daily decision fatigue, maintain a consistent posting rhythm, and create content that actually builds toward a goal instead of scattered one-off updates.

This guide gives you a complete LinkedIn content calendar template you can copy and start using today. No fluff, just the framework and the schedule.

Why You Need a LinkedIn Content Calendar

Posting without a plan leads to three predictable problems:

1. Inconsistency -- You post five times one week, then disappear for ten days
2. Topic drift -- You jump between random subjects with no coherent message
3. Burnout -- Creating content from scratch every day is exhausting

A content calendar solves all three. It gives you a system instead of relying on motivation.

The data supports this too. LinkedIn's algorithm rewards consistency. Profiles that post 3-5 times per week see significantly more impressions per post than those who post sporadically. The algorithm needs to see repeated signals before it starts distributing your content to a wider audience.

The 4-Pillar Content Framework

Before you fill in any calendar, you need to decide what you'll talk about. The most effective approach is a 4-pillar content framework that rotates between different types of value.

Pillar 1: Educational Content (40% of posts)

This is your core. Educational posts teach your audience something they can apply immediately.

Examples:

• Step-by-step tutorials
• Frameworks and templates
• Industry data breakdowns
• "How we did X" walkthroughs
• Common mistakes and how to fix them

Why it works: Educational content builds your expertise signal. LinkedIn's algorithm tracks what topics you're known for and distributes your educational content to the right audience.

Pillar 2: Storytelling Content (25% of posts)

Stories make you memorable. They turn your profile from a source of tips into a person your audience connects with.

Examples:

• Lessons from failures
• Career turning points
• Behind-the-scenes of projects
• Customer success stories (with their permission)
• Observations from your day-to-day work

Why it works: Storytelling posts generate comments because they invite people to share similar experiences. Comments are 15x more valuable than likes in LinkedIn's algorithm.

Pillar 3: Engagement Content (20% of posts)

These posts are designed to start conversations. They generate the comment velocity that signals to the algorithm your content is worth distributing.

Examples:

• Polls
• "This or that" questions
• Contrarian takes that invite debate
• Fill-in-the-blank prompts
• "What's your take on..." questions

Why it works: Engagement posts keep your comment rate high across the week, which lifts the performance of your other posts too.

Pillar 4: Promotional Content (15% of posts)

This is where you talk about your work, your offers, and your results. Keep it to 15% so you earn the right to promote by providing value the rest of the time.

Examples:

• Case study results with specific numbers
• New feature or service announcements
• Client testimonials
• Event invitations
• "Here's what we're working on" updates

Why it works: When 85% of your content provides genuine value, your audience is receptive to the 15% that's about your business. The goodwill compounds.

The Weekly Posting Schedule Template

Here's the weekly template you can copy directly. This assumes a 4-post-per-week schedule, which hits the sweet spot between consistency and sustainability.

If you want to post 5 times per week, add Friday:

Why This Order Works

• Monday educational -- Starts the week with value and catches the Tuesday-Wednesday engagement peak
• Tuesday storytelling -- Personal content performs well mid-week when people are in browsing mode
• Wednesday engagement -- Polls and questions peak on Wednesday-Thursday when feed activity is highest
• Thursday educational -- A second educational post reinforces your expertise signal
• Friday promotional -- End-of-week is natural for lighter content and CTAs

The 30-Day Content Calendar Template

Below is a complete month mapped out. Copy this structure and replace the example topics with ones relevant to your niche.

Week 1: Foundation

Week 2: Deep Dive

Week 3: Social Proof

Week 4: Authority

How to Fill in Your Calendar in 1 Hour

Here is the exact process for planning 30 days of content in a single session.

Step 1: Define Your Pillars (10 minutes)

Write down your 4 content pillars. Be specific. Instead of "marketing," write "LinkedIn content strategy for B2B SaaS founders." The more specific your pillars, the stronger your expertise signal.

Your 4 pillars:

1. ---

2. ---

3. ---

4. ---

Step 2: Brain Dump 20 Topics (15 minutes)

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Write down every topic you could post about. Don't filter or judge, just list them. Sources of ideas:

• Questions clients ask you repeatedly
• Mistakes you see others making
• Lessons from your recent projects
• Industry news or trends you have an opinion on
• Things you wish you knew earlier in your career

Aim for at least 20 ideas. You only need 16-20 for a month of posts.

Step 3: Assign Topics to Days (15 minutes)

Take your 20 topics and slot them into the monthly template above. Match each topic to the right pillar and day. Ask yourself:

• Is this topic educational, a story, engagement-focused, or promotional?
• What format fits best (text, carousel, poll)?
• Does the week have a good mix?

Step 4: Write Hooks for Each Post (15 minutes)

The hook (first 2 lines) determines whether anyone reads your post. Write just the hook for all 16-20 posts. You can write the full posts later during a separate batch session.

Strong hook formulas:

• "I [did X]. Here's what happened."
• "Most [role] get [topic] wrong. Here's why."
• "Stop [common behavior]. Do this instead."
• "[Specific number] -- that's how many [result] we got by [action]."
• "The biggest mistake I made in [year] was..."

Step 5: Schedule or Queue (5 minutes)

Drop your planned posts into a scheduling tool. Having content queued and ready removes the daily friction of posting. Tools like Postiv let you draft, schedule, and manage your entire month from one place.

Content Format Guide by Pillar

Not every post should be plain text. Here's which format to use for each pillar.

Posting Time Optimization

When you post matters almost as much as what you post. Here's the optimal schedule based on engagement data:

Times are in your audience's local timezone. If your audience is spread across timezones, default to US Eastern or GMT depending on where the majority sits.

Critical rule: Leave at least 12 hours between posts. Posting twice in a day dilutes both posts' performance.

For a deeper breakdown of timing, see our complete guide to the best time to post on LinkedIn.

Common Content Calendar Mistakes

1. Planning Content Without Pillars

Randomly picking topics each day leads to an incoherent profile. Visitors see your last 5 posts and decide whether to follow. If those 5 posts are about 5 unrelated subjects, you lose the follow.

Fix: Stick to your 4 pillars. Every post should fit one of them.

2. Front-Loading All Promotional Content

Some people plan a calendar and accidentally fill week 1 with product announcements. Your audience hasn't received value yet, so they scroll past.

Fix: Follow the 40/25/20/15 split. Earn attention with value before asking for it with promotions.

3. Not Batching Content Creation

Planning and creating are two different activities. Don't try to do both at the same time.

Fix: Plan your calendar in one session (1 hour). Then batch-write your posts in a separate session (2-3 hours). Some people write all posts for the week on Sunday evening, others write a week ahead every Friday.

4. Ignoring Performance Data

A content calendar is not a set-and-forget system. After each month, review what worked.

Fix: At the end of each month, check which posts got the most comments (not likes). Double down on those topics and formats next month. Kill what underperformed.

5. Making the Calendar Too Rigid

Life happens. Industry news breaks. Inspiration strikes. Your calendar should be a guide, not a prison.

Fix: Keep 1-2 "flex slots" per month where you can swap in timely content. If something relevant happens in your industry, replace a scheduled post with a hot take.

How to Repurpose Content Across Weeks

One insight can fuel multiple posts across different formats and pillars:

Original insight: "We increased client retention by 40% by switching from monthly reports to weekly 5-minute video updates."

Here's how to turn that into 4 posts over 4 weeks:

1. Week 1 (Educational): "The exact framework we use for weekly client updates -- and why it replaced monthly reports"
2. Week 2 (Storytelling): "We almost lost our biggest client. Then we changed one thing about how we communicate."
3. Week 3 (Engagement): "Poll: How often do you update your clients? A) Weekly B) Bi-weekly C) Monthly D) Only when they ask"
4. Week 4 (Promotional): "40% retention increase. Here's the full case study of what we changed and the results."

This approach keeps your messaging consistent while providing variety in format and angle.

Tracking Your Calendar Performance

At the end of each month, fill in this scorecard:

Target benchmarks:

• Comment rate above 0.3%
• Profile views trending up month-over-month
• At least 2-3 meaningful DM conversations per month from content

Track which pillar and format combination drives the best results. After 90 days, you'll have enough data to optimize your calendar based on your specific audience.

Month 2 and Beyond: Evolving Your Calendar

Your first month is about finding what resonates. From month 2 onward, refine:

• Double down on winning topics -- If "common mistakes" posts get 3x the comments of other educational posts, schedule more of them
• Rotate winning formats -- If carousels outperform text posts for educational content, shift your format mix
• Develop content series -- Turn your best-performing topics into recurring series ("Mistake Monday," "Framework Friday")
• Build on conversations -- When a post generates great comments, use those comments as inspiration for follow-up posts

Your Content Calendar Starts Now

Here's what to do in the next 60 minutes:

1. Define your 4 content pillars -- Write them down. Be specific about your niche.
2. Brain dump 20 topics -- Set a 15-minute timer and list everything you could talk about.
3. Fill in the monthly template -- Copy the 4-week template from this article and plug in your topics.
4. Write 4 hooks -- Just the first two lines of your first week's posts. The full posts can wait.
5. Schedule your first week -- Use Postiv or your preferred tool to queue up week 1.

You don't need to write every post today. You just need a plan. The calendar gives you that plan, and the plan gives you consistency. Consistency is what the LinkedIn algorithm rewards.

Stop winging it. Start planning it.

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Want to skip the blank page entirely? Postiv AI generates LinkedIn posts in your voice and lets you schedule a full month in minutes.