Free Tool 02
A 12-Week Plan Your Team Can Keep
Choose how often you publish, which formats and which pillars. The planner spreads the work across 12 weeks and shows where it will not fit. Estimates only.
Pieces in 12 weeks
24
Total hours
177 h
Average a week
14.8 h
Weeks over capacity
2 of 12
Busiest week: 27 h
Workload by week
Planned hours against your weekly capacity
- Planned hours
- Above capacity
- Capacity 20 h
| Week | Pieces | Hours | Against capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Article (Buyer guides); Refresh (How-to and troubleshooting) | 9 h | Within capacity |
| Week 2 | Article (Comparisons and alternatives); Guide (Industry data and trends) | 20 h | Within capacity |
| Week 3 | Refresh (Buyer guides); Article (How-to and troubleshooting) | 9 h | Within capacity |
| Week 4 | Story (Comparisons and alternatives); Data story (Industry data and trends) | 27 h | Over by 7 h |
| Week 5 | Article (Buyer guides); Refresh (How-to and troubleshooting) | 9 h | Within capacity |
| Week 6 | Article (Comparisons and alternatives); Refresh (Industry data and trends) | 9 h | Within capacity |
| Week 7 | Guide (Buyer guides); Article (How-to and troubleshooting) | 20 h | Within capacity |
| Week 8 | Refresh (Comparisons and alternatives); Article (Industry data and trends) | 9 h | Within capacity |
| Week 9 | Article (Buyer guides); Story (How-to and troubleshooting) | 15 h | Within capacity |
| Week 10 | Data story (Comparisons and alternatives); Refresh (Industry data and trends) | 21 h | Over by 1 h |
| Week 11 | Guide (Buyer guides); Article (How-to and troubleshooting) | 20 h | Within capacity |
| Week 12 | Refresh (Comparisons and alternatives); Article (Industry data and trends) | 9 h | Within capacity |
| Total | 24 pieces | 177 h | 2 weeks over |
Format mix
Share of pieces by format
- Search article1042%
- Content refresh729%
- Pillar guide313%
- Customer story28%
- Data story for PR28%
Your 12-week plan
Formats are spread evenly and pillars rotate in order
- Week 19 h
- ArticleBuyer guides
- RefreshHow-to and troubleshooting
- Week 220 h
- ArticleComparisons and alternatives
- GuideIndustry data and trends
- Week 39 h
- RefreshBuyer guides
- ArticleHow-to and troubleshooting
- Week 427 h · over
- StoryComparisons and alternatives
- Data storyIndustry data and trends
- Week 59 h
- ArticleBuyer guides
- RefreshHow-to and troubleshooting
- Week 69 h
- ArticleComparisons and alternatives
- RefreshIndustry data and trends
- Week 720 h
- GuideBuyer guides
- ArticleHow-to and troubleshooting
- Week 89 h
- RefreshComparisons and alternatives
- ArticleIndustry data and trends
- Week 915 h
- ArticleBuyer guides
- StoryHow-to and troubleshooting
- Week 1021 h · over
- Data storyComparisons and alternatives
- RefreshIndustry data and trends
- Week 1120 h
- GuideBuyer guides
- ArticleHow-to and troubleshooting
- Week 129 h
- RefreshComparisons and alternatives
- ArticleIndustry data and trends
How It Works
Five Rules, No Magic
The planner is deliberately simple, so you can check its working. These are the only rules it follows.
- 01
Pieces
Cadence × 12 weeks gives the total number of pieces.
- 02
Format mix
Pieces are shared between the formats you tick using the weights below, rounded so the total always matches.
- 03
Spacing
Each format is spread evenly across the 12 weeks, so heavy pieces never bunch up by accident.
- 04
Pillars
Topic pillars rotate in order, piece by piece, so every pillar gets regular coverage.
- 05
Workload
Hours a week are the sum of the hours for that week's pieces, compared with your capacity.
Formats, hours and default weights
| Format | Hours | Weight | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search article 1,200 to 1,800 words answering one query well | 6 h | 4 | 40% |
| Content refresh Update, re-angle and republish an existing page | 3 h | 3 | 30% |
| Pillar guide A 3,000 word hub with original examples | 14 h | 1 | 10% |
| Customer story Interview, draft, approvals and pull quotes | 9 h | 1 | 10% |
| Data story for PR Original numbers, a chart and a pitch list | 18 h | 1 | 10% |
Sample planning figures. Shares apply when all five formats are ticked.
They are sample planning figures that include briefing, reporting, writing, review and two edits. Your own numbers will differ, so use the result as a starting point and adjust capacity until it feels honest.
Either lower the cadence, drop a heavy format, or plan those weeks deliberately by starting the long pieces earlier. A calendar you can keep beats an ambitious one you abandon in week five.
Three or four is right for most teams. Fewer and the site feels narrow; more and no pillar builds enough depth to rank.
Yes. A content strategy project produces a topic map, twelve briefs and a two-quarter calendar sized to your team.
Want the Topics Filled In, Not Just the Slots?
A content strategy project turns this grid into a topic map, twelve briefs and a calendar built around what your buyers search for.
Demo form. Or request a free audit instead.
