How to Plan out 90 Days of Social Media Posts
A Step-by-Step Guide for Consistent, Strategic Social Media Content
If you’re a small to medium-sized business owner, then you know keeping up with the demand for fresh, engaging content can feel like a full-time job. But here’s the secret that seasoned marketers already know: having a 90-day social media plan in advance isn’t just possible, it’s a game-changer for growth, consistency, and your sanity.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to plan out 90 days of social media posts with purpose and clarity, so you can finally stop scrambling and start showing up with confidence.
Why 90 Days?
Planning 90 days of content (or one quarter) at a time allows you to:
Align content with seasonal promotions, launches, or events
Batch create and schedule content for time efficiency
Maintain message consistency across platforms
Track and analyze results for continuous improvement
A 90-day social media content strategy strikes a balance between long-term planning and flexibility for real-time adjustments. It keeps your business and marketing moving forward without becoming overwhelming.
First, Clarify Your Goals and Core Content Pillars
Before you plan a single post, zoom out and ask yourself:
What are my marketing goals over the next 90 days?
(e.g., grow email list, sell a product, build authority, launch a course)
Who is my audience, and what do they need right now?
What are 3–5 content pillars I can rotate between?
Your content pillars are broad themes that support your brand and speak to your ideal client. For example:
Education (tips, how-tos)
Behind the scenes
Testimonials or user-generated content
Promotions or offers
Engagement (polls, questions, trends)
These will serve as the foundation for your posts. Something important to note in this section is that when it comes to showing up consistently on social media, one of the biggest mistakes brands make is focusing too heavily on selling. While your offers and promotions are important, your audience will tune out if that’s all they hear from you. That’s where balanced content pillars come in. Think of them as the foundation of your content strategy—each one representing a different angle of your brand story. Your goal should be to rotate through your content pillars regularly. This approach not only builds trust and authority but also keeps your audience engaged between promotions. The goal is to create a conversation, not just a sales pitch, so make sure to mix in value, personality, and community touchpoints to keep your content relatable and sustainable long-term.
Create a 90-Day Content Calendar Template
Creating a 90-day content calendar is one of the smartest ways to stay consistent and strategic on social media. Whether you prefer a spreadsheet, Google Calendar, Notion board, or a planning tool like Later, Planoly, or Trello, the key is to get everything in one place. Start with a monthly view that highlights important dates like product launches, sales, and holidays.
Then, build out weekly themes—these give your content direction and can include focuses like “Intro to Product A” or “Client Story Week.” If you want to get more detailed, you can even add daily slots to map out where and how often you’ll post. A great way to streamline the process is to incorporate recurring content formats like Motivation Monday, Tutorial Tuesday, or a Friday Feature. These familiar touchpoints help reduce decision fatigue while keeping your content rhythm strong and recognizable.
How to Brainstorm 90 Days of Content
Here are a few methods on how to make your social media content more manageable:
Method 1: Multiply Your Pillars
If you have 5 content pillars and plan to post 3x per week:
5 pillars × 12 weeks = 60 posts (rotate and repeat themes)
Fill in the rest with timely content: promos, events, holidays
Method 2: Prompt-Based Brainstorm
Go pillar by pillar and write down 5–10 ideas for each. For example:
Content Pillar: Educational
“3 Mistakes New Businesses Make on Instagram”
“How to Use Hashtags for Local Discovery”
“Step-by-Step Reels Tutorial for Beginners”
You’ll be surprised how fast you hit 90+ ideas this way! Brainstorming 90 days of content might feel overwhelming, but it gets a lot easier when you start with a strong foundation. One of the best ways to kickstart your planning is with our One Week of High-Converting Content resource, which is designed to help you craft messaging that actually connects and converts. Use it as your launchpad to spark ideas for weekly themes, recurring posts, and strategic calls to action. It’s especially helpful as you map out your next 90 days, giving you a framework to work from rather than starting from scratch. This free resource is only available to our email list, so make sure you're subscribed to grab it!
Write Captions and Choose Visuals in Batches
Once your ideas are mapped out, it’s time to batch your content creation.
Tips for Writing Captions:
Hook the reader in the first 1–2 lines
Add value (educate, entertain, inspire, or promote)
Include a clear call to action (CTA)
Use emojis and line breaks to improve readability
Visuals
Use brand photos, user-generated content, Canva templates, or stock images
Stay on-brand with colors, fonts, and tone
Reuse and repurpose visuals across platforms when possible
Batching content allows you to get into a creative flow and work faster. Set aside 1–2 days per month just for this.
Schedule Your Posts
Setting aside dedicated time to plan your social media content isn’t just a recommendation; it’s a necessity. Without a plan, it’s easy to fall into the trap of posting on the fly, which leads to inconsistent messaging, missed opportunities, and unnecessary stress. When you carve out time to intentionally map out your content, you create space to align your posts with upcoming launches, key dates, and business goals. It also gives you room to think creatively, batch your content efficiently, and show up with purpose instead of panic. A little planning on the front end can save you hours each week and lead to a more confident, consistent online presence.
You can use scheduling tools like:
Meta Business Suite (for Facebook + Instagram)
Buffer
Later
Hootsuite
Planoly
Tailwind (especially for Pinterest)
Benefits of scheduling in advance:
Frees up your mental bandwidth
Ensures consistency (even when life gets busy)
Gives you time to engage and build relationships instead of stressing about posting
Pro Tip: Even if you don’t want to schedule everything, at least plan your content themes and captions ahead of time to reduce daily stress.
Leave Room for Flexibility and Engagement
While 90 days of content planning gives structure, don’t be afraid to pivot when needed. Leaving room for real-time posts adds a layer of authenticity that audiences love. Sprinkling in behind-the-scenes moments, spontaneous thoughts, or timely reactions allows your brand to feel more human and less scripted. These off-the-cuff posts can complement your scheduled content by showing the real people and personality behind the business. Whether it’s sharing a quick win, responding to a trending topic, or simply posting a photo from your day, these moments keep your feed fresh and relatable, without derailing your overall strategy.
Examples of content to sprinkle in:
Trends or viral audios
Timely industry news
Behind-the-scenes updates
Real-time client wins or testimonials
And remember: social media is meant to be social. Make time to:
Reply to comments
Share user stories
Start conversations in DMs (without selling, no one likes to be cold-sold to).
Interact with your community's content
Track Performance and Tweak Accordingly
Tracking your social media metrics—alongside core business metrics like sales, email subscribers, and website traffic is key to understanding what’s actually working. While likes and comments can show engagement, they don’t always tell the full story. By looking at the data behind your content and how it connects to business results, you can make smarter decisions about what to post, where to focus your energy, and what to tweak. Maybe a certain type of post drives more clicks to your site or grows your list faster; that’s insight you can’t afford to miss. Keeping tabs on both social and business metrics ensures your content strategy isn’t just active, but effective.
Use your platform’s analytics to track:
Engagement (likes, comments, shares, saves)
Follower growth
Link clicks or conversions
Reach or impressions
At the end of each quarter, make sure to see:
What posts performed best?
What content sparked conversation?
What can I improve next time?
Your 90-day social media plan should evolve with your audience’s preferences and your business goals.
Remember, Consistency > Perfection
Planning 90 days of social media posts isn’t about perfection. It’s about showing up with intention, reducing overwhelm, and building trust over time.
Start small if needed. Even planning two weeks ahead can shift your energy and free you up for creativity and connection.
So grab your calendar, set your goals, and start planning. You’ve got 90 days of impact ahead, and this time, you’re doing it with strategy and clarity.