Content Plan Template: How to Build a Monthly Social Media Plan

Most social media pages in Egypt aren't run on a plan. They're run on panic. It's Tuesday, nothing has gone out since Saturday, someone grabs a product photo, writes a caption in five minutes and hits post. Then the same thing happens next week. The page looks random because it is.

A monthly content plan fixes that, and it doesn't need to be fancy. A simple content plan template in a shared sheet, filled in once a month and reviewed once a week, is enough to make your page consistent, balanced and tied to what you're actually trying to sell. Here's how we build one. It's the same process we use in our social media management work, simplified for a team doing it themselves.

Here's what this covers:

• Start with the goal for the month
• Pick three to five content pillars
• The content plan template: columns that matter
• Set a weekly rhythm
• Plan around the Egyptian calendar
• From plan to production
• Review the month, then plan the next one
• What we'd do this week

Start with the goal for the month

Every month should have one main goal. Not five. Examples: launch the new winter collection, fill the clinic's calendar for the new branch, push delivery orders on weekdays, collect leads for a new compound phase, or build awareness before Ramadan.

Write it at the top of the sheet. Every post should help that goal directly, or support the brand in a way that makes the goal easier later. If a post idea doesn't do either, it can wait.

Also note one or two numbers you'll judge the month by: messages, bookings, orders, leads, or reach among a specific audience. Likes don't count.

Pick three to five content pillars

Pillars are the recurring themes your content rotates through. They stop you posting only offers, and they make brainstorming easy because you're filling slots instead of staring at a blank page.

A typical set for an Egyptian consumer brand:

• Educate: tips, how-tos, myths, "how to choose." Builds trust and gets saved.
• Show the product: demos, details, new arrivals, comparisons.
• Behind the scenes: the team, the process, the place.
• Social proof: customer reviews, reactions, creator content, user photos (with permission).
• Offer: promotions, launches, bundles, limited-time deals.

A rough split that works for many brands: about 70% value and brand content, 30% direct selling. Adjust for seasons: during White Friday, selling goes up.

The content plan template: columns that matter

Open a Google Sheet and use one row per piece of content. These are the columns we'd use:

• Date and day
• Platform (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn)
• Format (Reel, carousel, single image, Story, live)
• Pillar
• Topic or hook (the first line or the first two seconds, written out)
• Key message (one sentence)
• Caption draft
• Visual or video notes (what to shoot or design, references)
• Call to action (message us, book, order, save, share)
• Hashtags and keywords (up to five hashtags on Instagram)
• Owner (who makes it)
• Status (idea, in production, ready for approval, approved, scheduled, posted)
• Results (reach, shares, saves, messages, filled in after 48 hours)

Don't skip the results column. It's the one most teams leave empty, and it's the only one that tells you what to do next month.

Add a second tab for Stories, since they're daily and lighter, and a third tab for an ideas bank where anyone in the team can drop ideas during the month.

Set a weekly rhythm

A fixed rhythm makes planning faster and makes your page feel reliable. For a typical business posting on Instagram and Facebook, something like this works:

• Sunday: educational carousel
• Monday: Reel, product or demo
• Tuesday: behind the scenes Reel or post
• Wednesday: Reel, educational or reply to a comment
• Thursday: offer or social proof, ahead of the weekend
• Friday: lighter, people-focused content, posted in the afternoon or evening
• Saturday: rest, or a Story-only day

Remember that Egypt's work week runs Sunday to Thursday, so Thursday evening behaves like the start of the weekend and Friday mornings are quiet. Our guide to the best time to post on Instagram in Egypt explains how to pick your posting windows.

For the Reels slots, rotate formats so you're not inventing from scratch. Our list of Reels ideas for business has 25 to choose from.

Plan around the Egyptian calendar

Before filling in daily topics, mark the dates that matter on the sheet. For Egypt, that usually includes:

• Ramadan and both Eids, which shift about 11 days earlier each year. Ramadan 2027 is expected to start in early February.
• Mother's Day on March 21, huge for gifts, fashion, beauty and restaurants.
• Back to school in September and October.
• Summer and the North Coast season from June to August.
• White Friday and Black Friday sales in November.
• New Year and winter season in December.
• National holidays and long weekends, when people travel and spending patterns change.
• Your own dates: branch openings, anniversaries, launches.

Big seasons need planning one to two months ahead, especially if you need a shoot. Ramadan content in particular should be filmed before Ramadan starts, because nobody wants to shoot a food Reel at 3 pm while fasting.

From plan to production

Once the month is planned, the plan tells you what to make. Group the work:

1. List every video that needs filming and plan one or two shoot days to capture them all.
2. List every design and brief the designer with the topic, key message and references.
3. Write all captions in one or two sittings, so the voice stays consistent.
4. Send the full month, or at least two weeks, for approval at once. Approving post by post kills momentum.
5. Schedule approved posts using Meta Business Suite or another scheduler, set to Cairo time.

Leave room for reactive content. About 10% to 20% of the month should stay flexible for trends, news, customer questions and anything that comes up.

Review the month, then plan the next one

At the end of each month, spend an hour on the results column. Which pillar got the most shares and saves? Which Reels kept people watching? Which posts brought messages? What did nothing?

Then make three decisions for next month: one thing to do more of, one thing to stop, and one new thing to test. Write them at the top of next month's sheet, under the goal, where nobody can ignore them.

If you find you're spending more time planning than selling, it may be time to bring in help. Our breakdown of social media management cost in Egypt shows what that typically costs.

What we'd do this week

Open a new sheet and set up the columns above. Write down next month's goal and your pillars. Mark the key dates. Then fill in just the first two weeks, using the weekly rhythm. Plan one shoot day to film all the Reels for those two weeks. You'll be ahead of most pages in Egypt by Friday.

If you'd like a team to build and run the plan for you, from ideas and shoots to captions, posting and monthly reports, take a look at HOK's social media management service.