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A simple content calendar

⏱ 20 min6 steps

A sounds like something a marketing department keeps, but yours can be one table you look at on Monday morning. In this lesson Claude asks how much time you really have, helps you pick a few kinds of post to repeat, and lays out four weeks around your own dates. You need your calendar and a rough idea of the month ahead. If your weeks rarely go to plan, you're in good company, and the fixes allow for that.

content calendar A simple plan of what you'll post, where and on which day, for the next few weeks. All words

Before this, you'll want:

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Steps

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  1. Start a new chat and tell Claude how much time you have

    This starts with how much time you have each week, before Claude suggests a single post.

    drafts and sorts; a person approves anything with a price, a date or your name on it. Claude plans. You decide what goes in the calendar.

    1. Open the or claude.ai and start a new chat.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    I own a small business, and I want a simple plan for what to post and when, for the next four weeks. You'll help me build it in this chat. The rule: you draft, and I decide. Never put in a date, an event, a price or an offer I haven't given you. Write FILL IN and say what goes there. First, ask me one question at a time: what I do, who my customers are, where I post now, and how much time I can honestly give this each week. My business: [what you do and where]
    1. Paste it into the chat. Replace the part in square brackets with what you do and where, like lawn care in Springfield or a gift shop on Main Street.
    2. Send it, then answer Claude's questions one at a time.
    prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All wordsAI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All wordsClaude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All words

    You should see:

    Claude says it understands the rule, then asks its first question.

    That's not what I see
    I can only spare a few minutes a week.
    Say so. One post a week is a fine place to start. Claude will size the calendar to fit.

  2. Pick the kinds of post you'll repeat

    With a few kinds of post to repeat, you never start the week from a blank page. A landscaper might pick a finished yard, a seasonal tip and a question customers ask. A bookkeeper might pick a reminder and a plain answer to a common question. This prompt helps you pick yours.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Suggest some kinds of post a business like mine could repeat every week or two, like a job I finished, a tip, a question customers ask, a look behind the scenes, or something about the season. Then ask me which ones I want. Keep it to four at most.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Answer with the kinds you want, in your own words.
    deadline The last day you can do something, like reply, pay or sign, before something else happens. All words

    You should see:

    A short list of kinds of post, then Claude asks you which ones you want.

    That's not what I see
    I don't want to be in the photos.
    Tell Claude, and ask it to drop any kind of post that needs your face. Your hands at work, the finished job or the store counter all work fine.

  3. Add the dates that matter to your business

    Your own dates make the best posts: the week before your busy season, the Saturday you close early, the craft fair where you have a table. This prompt asks for them, and uses only the dates you give it.

    1. Have your calendar open.
    2. Copy the prompt below.
    Ask me about the dates that matter to my business in the next four weeks, one question at a time: busy and quiet times, holidays I close or change my hours for, local events I take part in, and anything new I'm starting. Use only the dates I give you. If I'm not sure of one, write FILL IN. When we're done, list them back to me.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Answer Claude's questions one at a time.

    You should see:

    Claude asks about your dates one at a time, then lists the ones you gave it.

    That's not what I see
    Claude named a local event or a date I never gave it.
    Delete it, and reply: Use only the dates I gave you. Mark anything else FILL IN. Then check any event date on the event's own page before you post about it.

  4. Have Claude lay out four weeks

    This prompt puts it all into one table: which day, where, what kind of post, and a one-line idea.

    1. Copy the prompt below.
    Make a calendar for the next four weeks as a plain table. One row per post, with these columns: week, day, where it goes, kind of post, a one-line idea, and done. Fit it to the time I said I have, and put the dates I gave you in the right weeks. Leave the done column empty. Under the table, list anything still marked FILL IN.
    1. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
    2. Read down the table. Change any idea that doesn't fit your business, and fill in each FILL IN.

    You should see:

    A table with a row for each post over four weeks, an empty done column, and a list of blanks under it.

    That's not what I see
    It's more posts than I can keep up with.
    Reply: Cut it to [the number] posts a week. Keep the ones tied to my dates.
    The table looks messy when I paste it.
    Ask Claude for it as plain text, one post per line. Then copy it again.

  5. Save the calendar where you'll see it

    Put it where you'll see it each week, not in a you never open.

    1. Copy the table from Claude's answer.
    2. Paste it into a spreadsheet or a note called Content calendar.
    3. Put it somewhere you look every week, like your phone's home screen or a .
    folder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All wordspinned note A note you've set to stay at the top of the list in Notes, so it's always the first one you see. All words
    That's not what I see
    I don't use spreadsheets.
    A note on your phone is fine. Paste the table in, and put an X next to each post when it's up.

  6. Set a weekly slot to write the posts

    Fifteen minutes once a week is enough to write the week's posts with the prompts from "One finished job into a week of posts".

    1. Open the calendar app on your phone or computer.
    2. Add a 15-minute slot that repeats every week, at a time you're usually free, like Monday before you open.
    3. Call it Write this week's posts.

    Your and Meta Business Suite, for Facebook and Instagram, both let you schedule posts ahead. If you use them, you can write the whole week in that slot and let them go out on their days.

    Google Business Profile Your free listing on Google Search and Google Maps, with your hours, photos, reviews and phone number. All words
    That's not what I see

    Nobody has reported a snag on this step yet. Getting stuck is normal. Read the step again one line at a time, and compare your screen with the video.

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Your challenge

Keep your 15-minute slot this week. Write that week's posts from your calendar, schedule them or put the first one up, and mark them done in the calendar.

Last checked 2026-10-20

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