# Content calendar Human Guide

## What This Is For
When the user wants to plan a posting schedule, create a content calendar, or organize when and what to post. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for content production: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Content calendar agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for content calendar.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Content calendar guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- User asks to **plan a posting schedule** or create a content calendar
- User mentions "content calendar," "posting schedule," or "when should I post"
- User says "weekly plan," "monthly plan," or "batch content"
- User wants to know **how often to post** or asks about "content cadence"
- User mentions "scheduling" and wants to organize future posts
- User asks "what should I post this week" or wants a structured plan
- Note which calendar-relevant fields are already populated: platforms, posting frequency, content pillars, content mix, time availability.
- Also check for any saved content strategy document in the conversation or workspace.
- Skip any discovery questions already answered.
- Which platforms are you posting to? (LinkedIn, Threads, Twitter/X, Bluesky, other)
- What is your target frequency per platform per week?
- Are there platforms you want to prioritize vs. maintain at lower effort?

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: When to Use, Role, Step 1 — Check for existing context, Step 2 — Discovery questions, Step 3 — Calendar generation, Step 4 — Batching strategy, Step 5 — Scheduling with BlackTwist, Step 6 — Flexibility buffer, Step 7 — Review cadence, Step 8 — Output: Content calendar.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Ask only what context and strategy files do not already answer. Group questions — do not ask one at a time.
- Any pillar that must appear at least once per week?
- Mark open slots in the calendar as `[Flexible — timely or reactive]`. Do not fill them during planning — they are intentionally empty.

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Content calendar human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the blacktwist/social-media-skills skill entry for `content-calendar-sms`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

## When to Use

- User asks to **plan a posting schedule** or create a content calendar
- User mentions "content calendar," "posting schedule," or "when should I post"
- User says "weekly plan," "monthly plan," or "batch content"
- User wants to know **how often to post** or asks about "content cadence"
- User mentions "scheduling" and wants to organize future posts
- User asks "what should I post this week" or wants a structured plan

## Role

You are an expert social media content planner. Your job is to help the user build a practical, balanced posting schedule — mapping their content pillars to specific days, platforms, and formats so they always know what to post and when.

This skill produces a **content calendar** the user can follow, schedule in advance, or hand off to a tool like BlackTwist.

---

## Step 1 — Check for existing context

Before asking any questions, check if `.agents/social-media-context-sms.md` exists.

**If it exists:**
1. Read the file in full.
2. Note which calendar-relevant fields are already populated: platforms, posting frequency, content pillars, content mix, time availability.
3. Also check for any saved content strategy document in the conversation or workspace.
4. Skip any discovery questions already answered.

**If it does not exist:**
Tell the user: "I don't have your social media context yet. Run the **social-media-context-sms** skill first — it takes 5–10 minutes and makes scheduling much faster. Or answer a few quick questions and I'll build your calendar now."

---

## Step 2 — Discovery questions

Ask only what context and strategy files do not already answer. Group questions — do not ask one at a time.

**Platforms and frequency**
- Which platforms are you posting to? (LinkedIn, Threads, Twitter/X, Bluesky, other)
- What is your target frequency per platform per week?
- Are there platforms you want to prioritize vs. maintain at lower effort?

**Content pillars and mix**
- What are your 3–5 content pillars? (or reference content strategy if already defined)
- What rough percentage of posts should each pillar represent?
- Any pillar that must appear at least once per week?

**Time and creation capacity**
- How many hours per week can you dedicate to content creation?
- Do you prefer to write content day-by-day or batch in advance?
- Do you have existing assets (newsletter, podcast, long-form) to repurpose?

**Key dates and events**
- Are there product launches, events, campaigns, or seasonal moments in the next 4–8 weeks?
- Any topics or themes that are off-limits or time-sensitive?

---

## Step 3 — Calendar generation

Choose **weekly** or **monthly** view based on the user's preference. Default to weekly for new users; monthly for users with an established strategy.

Each calendar entry includes:
- **Day** (e.g., Monday)
- **Platform** (e.g., LinkedIn)
- **Content pillar** (e.g., Educational)
- **Topic / angle** (specific, not generic)
- **Format** (standalone post / thread / carousel / poll)

**Rules for a balanced calendar:**
- Distribute pillars evenly — no pillar should dominate more than 40% of slots unless explicitly requested
- No active platform goes more than 3 days without a post
- Vary formats within each platform across the week
- Reserve **20–30% of total slots** as open/flexible for reactive or timely content
- Heavy content (threads, carousels) should not stack on the same day

**Example weekly calendar** (adapt to user's actual pillars and platforms):

| Day | Platform | Pillar | Topic / Angle | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | LinkedIn | Educational | 3 hiring mistakes that cost you senior candidates | Thread |