50% of marketers say they struggle to produce content consistently.
(The other 50% were too busy writing to answer.)
Overloaded schedules often lead to missed deadlines and ineffective content.
On the other hand, an organized strategy is the next best thing to having robots write your content.
These free content marketing templates are here to help you get it all done — faster.
Plug in your ideas, share with your team, and don’t forget to bookmark this page so you can refer back later.
Content strategy & planning
Content audit template
Don’t even think about planning new content without doing a content audit. This template-slash-tutorial from Buffer will walk you through the audit process of mapping your existing pages, gathering analytics and share data, and making sense of the results. It’s a smart way to see what’s working, what’s not, and where to go next.
Part template and part tutorial, this Buffer post will walk you through a content audit.
Content strategy template
Good content strategies start with the customer first. That’s why this content strategy template from Copyhackers is my top pick: the worksheet helps you plan content for multiple audiences in each stage of the customer lifecycle (awareness, consideration, purchase, support).
Editorial calendar template
The people at Coschedule are experts when it comes to editorial calendars — it’s what they do. Their 3-part template walks you through the process of creating an editorial calendar, from creating an annual overview of themes and events, to recording topic ideas, to mapping out weekly content.
Tip: Use sticky notes to shuffle ideas around effortlessly.
Content brief template
Make sure everyone is on the same page with a clear content brief. This one is not so long that you won’t fill it out, but not so short that it’s unhelpful.
Use this content brief template internally or with freelancers.
Publishing & Promotion
Headline templates
When it comes to headline templates, everyone has a favorite. Mine is the SumoMe Headline Generator for its uncommon headline categories like “strong/controversial” and “fun/playful”. You’ll find proven headlines formulas that haven’t been beaten to death.
Content distribution template
Your job doesn’t stop once you publish. This template from Oracle ensures you repurpose and distribute your content across every available channel. The most helpful part of this template is the “repurposing opportunities” section, which is loaded with ideas to recycle content into slide decks, newsletters, and more.
Content is 20% creation and 80% promotion.
Tweet templates
You only need 140 characters, but you’ve been staring at your screen for 10 minutes. Stop that! Swipe these Tweet templates from Konrad Sanders so you can get on with it. They’re based on proven copywriting formulas, but they don’t feel at all like clickbait.
Google analytics templates
Google analytics is an incredibly useful tool for content marketers. But the biggest complaint I hear is, “I don’t have time to figure it all out.” Well, now you don’t have to: just install this suite of analytics templates from Kissmetrics instead.
How do you save time on your content marketing?
Share your can’t-live-without templates or tricks below. And if “getting it all done” isn’t something you’ve quite gotten down yet, maybe it’s time to consider bringing a writer on board. Click here to see how I can help.
I'm Christine Lellis, a copywriter and certified content marketer from Michigan.