Step-by-step: plan a month of social media in one hour

The hardest part of social media isn't posting — it's deciding what to post, three times a week, every week. Do that once a month instead, and the rest gets easy. Set a timer for an hour and follow these steps.

Step 1: Pick one goal for the month (5 minutes)

Not “be more active on social media” — something you'd notice in the business. Examples: fill the Tuesday lunch slots, get 10 bookings for the new treatment, sell out the autumn collection, get two consultancy leads via LinkedIn. One goal makes every other decision easier.

Step 2: List what's happening (5 minutes)

Write down everything in the month that's worth a post:

• Offers, launches, new products or services
• Events, holidays and seasons (back to school, Halloween, the first snow)
• Changed opening hours, new team members, anniversaries
• Things customers ask you about right now

Step 3: Choose 3–4 themes (10 minutes)

Themes — or content pillars — are the recurring kinds of posts you rotate between. They keep your feed varied and stop the “what do I post?” panic. A café might choose:

Step 4: Map the month (15 minutes)

Decide your rhythm — for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday — and put the dated items from step 2 on the calendar first. Then fill the remaining slots by rotating your themes. Leave one slot a week open for something spontaneous.

Week 1  Mon  Behind the counter  – Meet Sara, our new baker
        Wed  On the menu         – The autumn bun is back (photo + price)
        Fri  Happening now       – Weekend offer: 2 coffees + 2 buns, 99 kr
Week 2  Mon  Good to know        – Why we rest our dough for 48 hours
        Wed  On the menu         – Gluten-free Fridays start this week
        Fri  (open)
...

Step 5: Write one line per post (15 minutes)

For each slot, write a working title and one sentence: what's in the picture and what you want people to do. Don't write the captions yet — just enough that future you knows exactly what to make. Note the format too: a photo, a photo with a headline, a text card, an offer or a quote.

Step 6: Batch and schedule (10 minutes to set up)

• Photos: book 30 minutes to take the photos for the whole month in one go.
• Captions: write them all in one sitting — it's faster when you're in the flow.
• Schedule: use a scheduler so posts go out on their own, even on your busiest days.

Or do it in a chat

AI Annie runs exactly this process in a conversation. She asks about your goal, what's coming up and how often to post, makes the themes and the dated plan, and then creates each post — caption and images for every platform — for you to approve. Read how it went when she planned her own launch.