What the calendar has to show
Whatever tool you use, the calendar should answer three questions at a glance: what goes out this week, what still needs work, and what failed to publish.
- Planned ideas that have no draft yet.
- Drafts waiting for a review.
- Posts scheduled with a date and platform.
- Posts that were published.
- Posts that failed, so someone fixes them the same day.
Plan backwards from what the client wants
Start from the client's goal for the month, such as a launch, an event or steady enquiries. Pick the two or three messages that support it, then spread them across the weeks. A calendar built from goals beats one filled with whatever came to mind on Monday.
Batch the week, not the day
Writing posts one at a time every morning is slow and easy to skip. Set aside a block for each client once a week, draft the full week in one go, then review and schedule it. The calendar then becomes the place where the week is checked, not invented.
Plan for the days that break the plan
Leave a slot or two open each week for client news and timely posts. Note public holidays and client closures in the calendar so nobody schedules a sales post for a day the shop is shut.
Where Impret fits
Impret's content calendar shows planned items, scheduled posts, published content, drafts and failed publishing attempts by date, per brand. Scheduling and publishing run through supported social integrations and depend on the connected accounts and your plan.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should an agency plan?
Most teams plan the next week in detail and the next month in outline. That leaves room for client news without leaving the calendar empty.
Do I need a separate calendar for each client?
You need a separate view for each client, so nothing gets posted to the wrong account. A single tool with one calendar per brand does that.
What should I do when a post fails to publish?
Check the failed items every working day. A calendar that lists failed attempts makes that a two-minute job instead of a surprise from the client.