How to plan a month’s worth of content in 30 minutes
A few thoughts on making content creation easier.
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 269
This isn’t about creating finished content. This is about creating ideas for you to flash out over the course of 30 days.
We’re going for quantity and speed over immediate depth. We need a rapid fire system that prioritizes variation across your core topics.
Set a timer for 30 minutes. Do not stop until the timer rings.
* Minute 0 - 5: Define the Focus & Format Block.
* List your 3 Core Content Pillars (A, B, C).
* List your 3 Core Content Formats (e.g., Q&A, List, Personal Story).
* Create a simple 30-day calendar structure (1 column for the date, 1 for the Pillar, 1 for the Idea).
* Pillar Sequencing: Decide on a simple rotational pattern for your 30 days (e.g., A, B, C, A, B, C, etc.). Fill in the “Pillar” column for all 30 days immediately.
* Minute 5 - 15: The “List of 10” Challenge.
* Spend 10 minutes generating your raw material. Focus intensely on each of your 3 pillars:
* Pillar A (4 Minutes): List 10 titles/questions related to Pillar A.
* Pillar B (3 Minutes): List 10 titles/questions related to Pillar B.
* Pillar C (3 Minutes): List 10 titles/questions related to Pillar C.
* You now have 30 raw content ideas.
* Minute 15 - 25: Rapid Idea Assignment & Pairing.
* Start at Day 1 and go down your calendar.
* Based on the Pillar you assigned to that day (e.g., Day 1 = Pillar A), pull the next available idea from your Pillar A list (e.g., Idea A1).
* In the “Idea” column, jot down a skeleton sentence and pair it with a Format:
* Example (Day 1): “Mistake 1 in SEO is ignoring local intent. \rightarrow List format.”
* Example (Day 4): “How I overcame my fear of public speaking. \rightarrow Personal Story.”
* Continue this process until all 30 days are filled.
* Minute 25 - 30: The Hook/CTA Tag.
* Quickly review all 30 entries.
* For the first 5-7 days, add a quick Hook Tag and CTA Tag to the idea to ensure a strong start to the month:
* Hook Tag: (e.g., Fear?, New data!, Secret Revealed)
* CTA Tag: (e.g., Ask, DM, Link in bio)
* Final Check: Scan the list. Are the topics diverse? Do they feel like a skeleton? Yes. Time’s up.
You now have 30 scheduled, pillar-aligned, and format-defined content skeletons, ready for the next step of fleshing them out!
Is this system perfect? No it isn’t, but it’s enough to get you started.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: Staying on track
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.