Unlock 2026: Your First 90 Days of Content Planning Simplified

As the start of a new year, creators and marketers are urged to focus on a sustainable content plan, not just a bigger spreadsheet. The initial 90 days of 2026 are crucial for setting a consistent tone and rhythm, but you can always start this challenge at any time of the year.

This strategic approach emphasizes realistic planning, focusing on manageable formats and a steady posting schedule to build a foundation for the entire year.

Understanding Content Planning

A content plan acts as a bridge between your overarching content strategy and your day-to-day content creation. It outlines what you will publish, where, and when, ensuring focus and eliminating guesswork. Unlike a strategy (the 'why') or a calendar (the 'when'), a plan details the 'what' and 'how' in an executable roadmap.

A well-defined plan narrows down formats, themes, and posting frequency to ensure maintainability. This focused approach makes content production, repurposing, and improvement more manageable.

The 90-Day Content Plan Framework

Breaking down the year into three 30-day cycles—Launch, Stabilize, and Optimize—makes content planning less daunting. Each month follows a pattern of publishing, reviewing, and refining, creating a predictable workflow.

Month 1 - Launch: Focus on testing content pillars, establishing a repeatable weekly routine, and achieving consistency.
Month 2 - Stabilize: Maintain the established cadence, refine content formats, and adjust based on initial performance.
Month 3 - Optimize: Enhance content quality, streamline production workflows, and amplify successful content ideas.

Building Your Content Creation Plan

To move from ideas to consistent output, follow these seven steps:

Set One Clear Goal: Define a single, measurable outcome for the next 90 days (e.g., audience growth, lead generation).
Define Your Audience: Understand who you're speaking to, their needs, and their challenges.
Choose 3-5 Content Pillars: Identify core themes that will guide all your content.
Pick Your Formats: Select content types you enjoy and can produce consistently, ideally a mix of long-form and short-form.
Set Your Weekly Cadence: Determine a realistic posting frequency across platforms.
Create a Lightweight Workflow: Outline the steps from idea to publication.
Build a Monthly Review Loop: Regularly assess performance and make small, sustainable improvements.

For social media, choose one primary platform, define 3-5 content pillars, and establish a sustainable weekly cadence. Batching content creation and utilizing scheduling tools are key to maintaining consistency. A website content plan should focus on creating SEO-friendly content that addresses user search intent, often using a pillar-and-supporting-post structure that links back to product or service pages.

Video Content and Repurposing

Video content can anchor your strategy, with one long-form video per week fueling multiple short-form clips and social posts. A robust repurposing plan involves transforming a cornerstone piece into various assets like video clips, text posts, carousels, and newsletter summaries, maximizing reach and efficiency.

The "Done Every Week" Workflow

A consistent weekly workflow is essential for a plan to succeed. A suggested routine includes:

Monday: Plan the week's content.
Tuesday: Create the core content (e.g., record video, write blog).
Wednesday: Repurpose the core content into smaller assets.
Thursday: Edit, refine, and schedule all content.
Friday: Review the week's performance and identify one small improvement for the next week.

By focusing on simplicity, consistency, and iterative improvement, creators can build a content plan for 2026 that is both effective and sustainable.