Editorial calendar vs content calendar
Same idea, different scope: what each one plans, who uses which, and when you need both.
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The short answer
An editorial calendar plans the themes, stories and long-form pieces a brand will publish over months, such as articles, newsletters and campaigns. A content calendar plans the individual posts: what goes out on which platform, on which day. The editorial calendar sets what you talk about; the content calendar turns it into posts.
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Who uses which
Publishers and content teams
An editorial calendar first: themes, assignments and deadlines for articles and newsletters, with social posts planned from it.
Brands with a blog and social
Both: the editorial calendar sets the monthly themes, the content calendar breaks each into daily posts.
Solo founders and small teams
One content calendar with a theme column is enough. A separate editorial plan is overhead until you publish long-form regularly.
Teams posting short video daily
A content calendar that fills itself. Percify deals ideas daily from formats that performed in your market and posts the ones you approve, so the plan and the posts stay in one place.
Run both, without two jobs
- 01
Set three to five monthly themes
That is the editorial layer: what you want to be known for this month.
- 02
Map pillars to themes
Each theme becomes posts across your content pillars: education, proof, story, community.
- 03
Plan posts a week at a time
The content calendar: one row per post with date, platform, format and hook.
- 04
Review monthly
Keep the themes and formats that brought views and signups; drop the rest.
What each one plans
2 = what it is built for, 1 = sometimes included, 0 = usually left out. Many small teams merge both into one sheet.
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Your questions, answered
Short answers to what people ask next.
A plan of the themes, stories and long-form pieces a brand will publish over the coming months, with who owns each and when it is due.
The editorial calendar plans topics and long-form pieces by month; the content calendar plans individual posts by day and platform. The first decides what you talk about, the second when and where each post goes out.
Only if you publish long-form regularly. A small team posting on social can use one content calendar with a theme or pillar column.
No. A social media calendar is a content calendar for social platforms only. An editorial calendar sits above it and also covers articles, newsletters and campaigns.