This guide was built in 2025. My content system has actually changed since then but I think you can still gain value from learning basic principles of content planning from this guide. If you want to be updated on my current content systems and some, you can follow me on Instagram where I’m most active. :)
I’ve been using Notion with my social media work for four years now. As of writing, it’s October 2026.
This is the base template that I use for all my content planning. I tweak things a lot based on what we need for the marketing strategy so there’s not much specificity when it comes to the platform or content buildup since the needs for content often changes at work.
Sometimes, we have brand partnerships. Sometimes, we have specific campaigns. So this template changes based on what we’re prioritizing for our marketing needs. If you actually want a deeper insight into my current content planning system, I’ve documented that in the Calm Creator OS — but if you’re a complete beginner, you’re in the right space.
This is just to teach you the basics of content planning and organization with Notion.
Step 1. Platforms
A legacy conversation about social media is always about “where should I show up?”
After four years of doing this, I’d really suggest you show up where you’re most comfortable and where your preferred audience is. The professional crowd obviously loves LinkedIn. A more casual and younger demographic gravitates toward TikTok. And, Instagram is probably an industry standard platform.
If you want to be a creator or a business with a front-facing brand, Instagram is pretty much the default “business card” platform — especially if you want business tools to be integrated with your brand eventually.
My advice is to focus on 2–3 platforms where your audience actually hangs out. Ideally, pick something short-form and long-form in the same format. So as a sample:
Videos: Short-form is YouTube Shorts, Instagram, TikTok — and long-form is YouTube or some paywalled platform like Patreon.
Text: Short-form is Threads or X — and long-form can be Medium, Substack, a personal blog, or more recently — X as well.
More isn't always better, it's about showing up consistently where it counts.
Identifying a Purpose
Identify a purpose for each social platform to keep things lean. One of the biggest mistakes people often make is that they have too many platforms that serve the same purpose. In my opinion, it’s okay to show up on both Instagram and TikTok with the same content but make sure that the effort you put into it justifies the benefit of the investment.
If you’re posting on both and tweaking the posts every time while getting under 100 views, I’d honestly just advice to focus on one and then bridging to another platform once you get the first few thousand views.
For my work, we utilize TikTok for the potential virality but we get clients from Instagram.
So we’ve started our social media presence with setting the cadence on Instagram, then just slowly adapting that same content to TikTok — and now, we’re doing YouTube Shorts. Let the process slowly evolve with time. The goal is longevity, not sudden virality. Most of the people you’re growing with right now won’t be there in 1-2 years.
Step 2. Report Periods
Choose the time periods you want your social media reports to cover.
Most people prefer doing this monthly. I personally use a monthly breakdown, by industry standard, but you can set this template to match your own pace. Maybe you prefer a quarterly review, weekly reviews, or every other month.
If content is more of a hobby, I actually think building quarterly reviews might be better for you, especially if you’re more of a long-form publisher. The monthly breakdown of content is more for people who already have a standardized system for posting content.
Find your own pace so that you don’t burn out because burnout is so easy to come.
Step 3. Content Pillars
This is the cornerstone of content building and it’s what makes content planning so much easier.
Honesty hour here, I used to hate content pillars cause it felt too pedestrian for me but with time, I realized content pillars are what you make of it. This isn’t that deep of a science. Just think up of themes that are relevant for your brand, and if you’re still struggling to come up with 3-5 ideas — here’s a mini-guide:
What are content pillars?
Content pillars are the main themes or categories that guide everything you post on social media.
They act like the foundation of your content strategy.
Each pillar represents a core topic you consistently talk about because it connects to your brand, goals, and audience interests. Think of them as “content lanes” that keep you focused and intentional.
Each pillar ensures your content stays balanced and recognizable while giving you flexibility within a clear structure.
Here are some examples you can use as reference:
A fitness coach might have pillars like Workout Tips, Nutrition, and Mindset.
A lifestyle creator might focus on Routines, Reflections, and Exploration.
A business account might use Education, Testimonials, and Behind the Scenes.
My Approach
(Note: This was initially written in 2025, some posts may be using old branding.)
There are many ways to approach content pillars. The way I like to approach them is more in formats related to effort. If you’ve seen my content in Instagram, where this is most apparent, I generally have three types of content:
Low Effort, High Reach Posts. These are posts that I’ve seen gain traction. I used to post these a lot because it gave me a lot of reach, but over time, it’s really just the equivalent of empty calories for content planning. Once you get a certain momentum going, I’d advise to post less of these. My version of these are reels with quotes I’ve posted on Threads or those one-liners.
Mid Effort, Wild Cards. These are posts that aren’t too difficult to build, not not quite easy either. These are often my one-pagers, simpler carousels, or preview-style pages. In Threads, I consider these full page screenshots as mid effort because I style them to look good with sample data. In a perfect world, these posts would always have that reach.
High Effort, High Retention Posts. These are posts that take time to build, but would likely be saved or browsed by a user with the intent to repurchase. Here are a couple of samples: Recreational Essay Writing, Social Media Content Planner, Resume Builder, Analytics Builder. )
As I mentioned at the start of this guide, Instagram is more of a “business card platform”. You just want to maintain a grid on at-least a monthly basis if you want to use it as a channel of communication.
Just build that initial 9-post spread and then, you can utilize it as a platform to connect with your community through your stories.
Step 4. Content
With all that’s said and done, it’s time to start creating your content!
Ideally, each post should connect to one of your pillars so your overall feed feels consistent and intentional. Try to balance them out — for example, one post might focus on education or insights, while another leans into storytelling or behind-the-scenes moments.
You can also tag your posts with platform, goal, or content type (like Reel, Carousel, or Story) to make filtering easier later. The goal here is to create a simple but repeatable workflow where your ideas, posts, and performance are all connected.
My System
(Note: This was my system in 2025. I still have a similar structure, but now a different approach overall.)
My content creation process isn’t a straightforward step-by-step instructional guide but once again, categorizing common ideas:
Generalist, High Reach Content. Something with high TAM (total accessible market) — this can be something about productivity, growth, or self-development. I tried doing this for some period of time, but it just didn’t work out. I would recommend doing these posts if you’re initially trying to build that momentum, but like I said — empty calories.
Educational, Specialized Content. I don’t usually do this because I’m not positioned as an educator like most consultants are. But when I do, I discuss a certain area of Notion that I use frequently and infuse ideas, insights and concepts I've come across. I think the big mistake of a lot of people is thinking an LLM-generated script is enough. That will get you reach, maybe, but it’s rare that I’ve seen it work for conversion or trust. It also just pushes you away from the joys of creations.
Conversion-focused Ideas. These would be my step-by-step posts on how to use specific templates linked to fulfilling a certain task that the template is designed for. Essentially, this is how I show people how achieve their goal of choice through my template.
That’s all for now. If you found this guide or the template useful, it would mean so much if you could leave a review in Notion.