How to Create a YouTube Content Calendar in 2024 (So You Can Drive More Leads!)
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Coming up with a video topic, then scripting it, filming it, editing it, and then uploading it one-by-one, every single week? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s honestly the WORST way to build success on your YouTube channel.
Listen, I’m no stranger to the labor YouTube can require when creating content. But, if you’ve seen ANY of my content before, you probably already know what I’m going to say next…
It is SO worth it.
But here’s the catch — you need to be strategic, and consistent, with the content you create. We aren’t just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks here! If you want to drive leads to your business with YouTube, there’s a better way.
It all starts with creating a strategic YouTube content calendar you can actually follow.
Tools you need to create your YouTube Content Calendar
You can’t do this whole YouTube content calendar thing in your head! So let’s take a look at the tools you can use to make sure you stay on track.
A project management tool to keep it all organized: I use Asana, but I know there are other people who use (and like) ClickUp, Notion, Trello, Monday, etc. It all comes down to personal preference, but you just need a place to organize your ideas!
A calendar: Whether written or on Google, you need somewhere to block the time it takes to actually do all of this content creation stuff.
vidIQ: This tool has been a game-changer for me! It helps me research the best content ideas, find the right keywords, and helps me analyze what worked when it’s all said and done. Super important for CONSISTENTLY creating a lead-generating content calendar.
Google Docs: You need somewhere to write all of your scripts, notes, video outlines, etc. Don’t wing it!
Now that we have our YouTube content calendar “ingredients,” let’s cook up some content ideas!
How to plan your YouTube content ideas
To plan out content ideas, I like to use what I call the YouTube Strategy Playbook. I use it with every single one of my coaching clients because, yes, it is that good.
Basically, this is the foundation for everything you create on YouTube. It helps you make a strategic plan by using, and building on, content topics your audience actually wants to see.
Here’s what I mean…
Figure out your target audience first
You need to make sure your content is developed for your target audience, and only your target audience. But you can’t do that until you know who they are!
Why is this important? If you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one. There’s a boatload of content on YouTube, and you want to make sure your content is reaching people who would actually want to buy from or work with you. It keeps the pathway for that as clear as possible.
Plus, if you’re trying to create generalized content tons of people would enjoy, you’re just shouting into the void. So be specific and make your content appeal to YOUR audience. They will find you!
If you’re not sure who they are yet, spend a little time doing the research. You’ll thank me later!
Figure out what your target audience wants to see
Once you know your audience, you can move on to figuring out what they want to see.
Let’s say you serve coaches, course creators, or digital product creators. Obviously, that audience is HUGE — there’s a lot of us out there! So get specific, and dig a little deeper, to see what your niche would want to see.
Are they parents, too? Still working corporate? Have a specific area of expertise?
Once you know how you can niche down, start doing research on channels with niches similar to yours.
What are they posting about? What are their most liked videos? Where are they getting a lot of engagement? What are people asking in the comments?
This will help you see if what you want to talk about really does resonate with your audience.
If you’re getting stuck, this is where vidIQ comes in handy because it can help you find that information and analyze what’s been working on your channel in the past. Check it out here!
Create that YouTube content calendar!
You have the niche, you have the topics, now it’s time to put something down on that content calendar!
The key piece I see in my client’s success is that their plans include a “series” of about four to six videos, all centered around a like subject. These videos aren’t necessarily a “part one, part two, part three” style series, but they all point back to a main piece of content.
This is what I like to call the firework approach. All the videos lead to one another and keep viewers watching your videos for longer! Which makes the YouTube algorithm pretty freakin’ happy! Something you obviously want to do, right?
Have a launch or promotion coming up? You can also plan your videos around that, so all roads lead to your offer.
Bringing your ideas to life with a project management tool
Once you have your YouTube content strategy mapped out, it’s time to transfer it to your project management tool!
Trust me, you don’t want to skip this step. Writing it down and keeping it all in one place means your chances of getting sidetracked and totally forgetting what you wanted to talk about go waaaaay down.
In your PM tool (I like Asana!) you can house things like:
A quick resource list
Your content ideas (this is actually where I start to flesh out the direction of each of my videos. I just store it in the task and if I need to step away, I can come back whenever I need to.)
A video checklist so you don’t forget any part of the process
A content calendar overview so you can see what’s getting published and when
Bonus points if you color-code your project management tools like me! I seriously think it’s helped me stay on track by having everything at a glance without having to squint my eyes to figure out what’s what.
P.S. I do supplement this with Google Docs. It’s where I write my scripts because, to me, it’s the most efficient and easiest to do it. However, I will go back and link the doc in Asana for quick access! It all ties together.
Want to stay consistent? Block off time in your calendar!
What good is a plan if you don’t follow through? The best way to stay consistent is to block off time for it in your calendar.
I recommend using something other than your project management tool, because while they can be elaborate, you need something to keep you on schedule.
This time, you really do need the bells and whistles (aka…Google’s *ding* letting you know you have something on your calendar in 10 minutes).
Here’s how I block my Google calendar for creating my YouTube content:
Time to flesh out my content ideas or write my video game plans and scripts
Time to film my videos
Time to edit all my footage
Time to upload and optimize the video (keywords, the description, the title and thumbnail, etc.)
This is the secret for staying consistent! It all lies in how you manage/organize your time.
Want to take it a step further? Batch create each part of the process.
You save yourself the time from hopping between one task to another, AND save yourself the mental load of it, too. Which means, you can be even more productive and consistent with your content, because you’re knocking it all out at once!
How to record epic videos that match your newfound content plan
You’ve got a killer content plan…now how do you create videos that match? I have tons of content about my filming and editing process, but I’m linking my best video down below so you can see exactly how it’s done!
I’ll walk you through what equipment and software you need, a checklist of to-dos so you don’t miss a single step, and how I batch that part of the process so it all flows together seamlessly!
