11 content planning tools to ignite your marketing strategy

Airtable: Best for spreadsheet fans

Airtable combines the familiarity of spreadsheets with the power of a database to organize your content planning. They offer a range of pre-made content calendar templates that can be used to organize and plan content more effectively.

Noteworthy features:

• Customizable templates
• Grid, calendar and Kanban views
• Collaboration tools
• Integrations with apps like Slack, Google Drive and more
• Mobile app for access on the go

Notable users:

Aetna, Vanguard, Anthropic

Pros:

• Flexible and customizable for various needs
• Multiple view options for better data visualization and planning
• Collaboration tools enhance team productivity

Cons:

• Can be overwhelming outside of the basic feature set
• Limited storage until you get to the Business plan
• Can’t create content directly in-app

Pricing:

Free for up to 5 users, Team plan is $20 per user, per month when billed annually

Airtable is a great content planning tool for users who love the simplicity of spreadsheets or Google Sheets. Its customizable templates and multiple view options make for a flexible and versatile content planning experience, making it suitable for various project management needs.

Asana: Ideal for detailed task management

Asana is mainly a stellar project management tool designed to help teams stay organized and on track but does a great job with content planning too.

Noteworthy features:

• Multi-view content calendar
• Task commenting for idea generation
• Track content creation tasks
• Asana AI helps organize content requests and prioritize tasks

Notable users:

McKesson, Dell, Toto

Pros:

• Detailed project tracking capabilities and content calendar planner
• Versatile for various team needs and project types across multiple channels
• Integration with other tools like Slack, Dropbox and Google Drive

Cons:

• Not particularly intuitive to navigate
• Some advanced features are locked behind paid plans
• More geared toward managing projects

Pricing:

Free for up to 10 users, Starter plan is $10.99 per user, per month billed annually

Asana is your go-to for meticulously managing tasks. The platform’s timeline views and customizable dashboards turn chaos into order. It’s versatile enough to handle everything from daily tasks to complex project plans. Think of it as your personal project assistant, keeping you on track and in control of your content marketing campaigns.

Trello: The best visual content planner

Trello mainly does one thing and it does it well; Kanban-style planning, enabling you to organize your projects into boards with each piece of content on an individual card. It’s great for teams of all sizes, helping you keep track of tasks and workflows.

Key features:

• Visual, card-based system for managing content projects
• Customizable task cards
• Integration with various tools
• Checklists can be created and added to cards

Notable users:

Zoom, Grand Hyatt, Fender

Pros:

• Highly intuitive, easy to use with a drag-and-drop tool
• Flexible and adaptable for different team sizes and types of projects
• Can leave comments and collaborate on each card individually

Cons:

• Limiting for larger teams
• Can’t access views like calendar or timeline without upgrading
• Can’t create content in-app

Pricing:

Free for up to 10 boards per Workspace, Standard plan starts at $5 per user, per month if billed annually. Can only access additional view with Premium plan ($10 per user/month)

Trello is a powerhouse for those who want their content planner app to be as visual as possible. Its Kanban boards are as flexible as you need them to be, great for teams and marketing agencies alike. Whether you’re juggling a few tasks or managing complex projects, Trello’s ease of use and integrations boost productivity and collaboration.

Notion: All-in-One Workspace

Notion is an app for writing and about a million other things, sort of like Google Docs on steroids. Very much an all-in-one workspace for content planning, content ideas and creation as well as managing a content marketing strategy.

Noteworthy features:

• Create wikis to store your brand’s info, style guides and processes
• Clear and straightforward interface
• Task tracking
• Use hashtags to organize content

Notable users:

Plaid, AngelList, Snowflake

Pros:

• Built-in media library for storage
• Highly customizable platform
• Write website content directly in-app and get approvals
• Connectable to Google Calendar

Cons:

• Might be overkill for some
• While there are many integrations, none are for CMSs
• Takes time to get through the learning curve

Pricing:

Free for up to 10 guests with 7 days of saved history and 5 MB of storage, Plus plan starts at $10 per user, per month if billed annually and includes unlimited storage ($18 if you add Notion AI).

Notion is a workspace that combines notes, tasks, databases and calendars in a single platform, allowing you to brainstorm ideas and execute them in one place. The customizable templates and solid feature set make managing projects a breeze. Whether you’re planning your next big project or just trying to stay organized, Notion’s got you covered.

CoSchedule: The tool for calendar management

As their name suggests, CoSchedule is content planning software that focuses on scheduling, functioning as a centralized marketing calendar for your content.

The features of CoSchedule include:

Key features:

• Specialized marketing calendars for social media posts and agencies
• Calendar for visualizing all your tasks, projects and campaigns
• Customizable task templates

Notable users:

Vericast, Walgreens, P&G

Pros:

• Idea Bin for collecting your team’s content ideas
• Headline Studio integration for improving headlines
• Analytics across social media platforms

Cons:

• Pricing is a bit high for what’s offered
• Interface may be complex for some users
• Not much you can do beyond the calendar compared to other apps

Pricing:

Free for 1 user with 2 connectable social profiles. Social Calendar starts at $19 per user, per month billed annually and includes 5 social platforms. All plans include Headline Studio.

CoSchedule streamlines your marketing efforts with a user-friendly calendar, while collaboration features help you plan, publish and optimize your strategy.

Loomly: Social media content planning made easy

Loomly is a content planning app and management tool solely for social content that helps social media managers and their teams create, publish, analyze and plan social media posts with one tool.

Key features:

• Automated publishing to all connected social media channels
• Post Ideas tool for generating engaging content ideas
• Competitive analysis of all your posts
• Hashtag Manager, which suggests relevant and trending hashtags
• UTM parameters for click tracking

Notable users:

Thomas Cook, Kering, Frontier Airlines

Pros:

• Create posts and add social media graphics
• Schedule posts and publish them from one place
• Analytics to track the performance of social media campaigns

Cons:

• Only for planning and creating content for social media platforms
• Pricing on the higher side
• Can’t be used as a project management tool for the entire content strategy

Pricing:

15-day free trial. Base plan starts at $32 per month when billed annually and includes up to 10 social platforms and 2 users.

Loomly makes social media scheduling and management a delight for social content teams. With its intuitive calendar and Custom Post Ideas feature, you’ll never run out of inspiration. Collaboration tools and analytics help you fine-tune your social media strategy. A great sidekick for social media marketers.

Content Snare: Centralized content gathering

An app from our friends in the land Down Under, Content Snare is one the best content planning tools for collecting and organizing marketing materials in one place. A simple and clean design makes it easy for clients to add content without any confusion.

Noteworthy features:

• Content collection workflows
• Send requests with automated reminders
• Customizable templates

Notable users:

University of Alabama, Newfold Digital, Advent Partners

Pros:

• Simplifies the process of collecting content from clients, reducing back-and-forth emails and online conversations
• Change requests made in the platform rather than via email
• Single source of truth for your content marketing

Cons:

• Not an ideal project management tool
• Can be expensive for smaller teams or solo users.
• The user interface may have a learning curve for new users.

Pricing:

Free trial. Basic plan starts at $29 per month when billed annually for up to 2 users.

Content Snare is one of the content organization tools that makes the tedious process of gathering content from clients a walk in the park. Automated reminders and customizable templates simplify the collection and approval process. It’s the personal assistant you didn’t know you needed, keeping everything on track and hassle-free

GatherContent: Best for storing documents and workflow automation

GatherContent, as you might’ve guessed, helps teams collect website content, create workflows and work collaboratively on projects.

Noteworthy features:

• Editorial calendar to manage content timelines and responsibilities
• Create custom workflows and automate them
• Content hub for storing, organizing and searching content with ease

Notable users:

King’s Hawaiian, KLM, Five Guys

Pros:

• Streamlines content gathering, collection and asset management
• Enhances collaboration and productivity with workflow automation features
• Customizable templates and CMS integrations with WordPress, Drupal and more

Cons:

• Can be complex for new users
• Pricing can be high for small teams
• While there are some integrations, they’re rather limited

Pricing:

Fully customized, you have to get a quote from them

GatherContent is one the best content planning tools for dealing with large amounts of content and a lifesaver for managing content workflows. Its tools streamline the creation, organization and collaboration process, making projects run smoothly. With customizable templates and CMS integrations, this is a worthwhile tool for content marketing agencies.

MarketMuse: AI-powered content analysis

MarketMuse is an AI-powered content analysis and optimization tool that offers valuable insights that help marketing teams build informed content strategies and create SEO content.

Noteworthy features:

• Create content plans in minutes
• Automated content audits and briefs for creating relevant content
• Competitor content analysis

Notable users:

ON24, Lionbridge, The Motley Fool

Pros:

• Provides internal linking opportunities
• Helps identify content gaps for your target audience and optimization opportunities
• SEO planning with AI-generated recommendations

Cons:

• Steep learning curve for new users
• Pricing is prohibitive for small teams
• Primarily focused on content optimization, lacking broader project management features

Pricing

Free plan for 1 user and 10 queries per month. Standard plan starts at $149 per month, or $1,500 per year, for 1 user and 100 queries and includes many of their advanced features (but not Content Briefs, unfortunately)

MarketMuse is one heck of a content optimizer. This AI-powered tool offers deep insights for research and analysis, helping you create top-notch, high-quality content. It’s also a handy SEO project management assistant.

Canva Content Planner: Best for visual social media scheduling

Canva Content Planner is a feature within Canva Pro that allows users to plan, schedule, and publish social media content directly from the Canva platform.

Key features:

• A social media calendar where you can link your social media accounts
• Integration with Canva’s design tools and bank of marketing materials
• Analytics to track social media performance

Notable users:

Realty Austin, Engie, Moneytree

Pros:

• Drag-and-drop content calendar
• Integration with every major social media platform
• Free template library for quickly creating content

Cons:

• Only available with Canva Pro
• Content planning tools solely for social
• Limited bulk scheduling

Pricing:

Free for 1 user with limited features and 5GB of storage. Canva Pro is $120 per year, per user for full features and 1TB of storage.

Canva’s Content Planner is a social media content scheduling champion and among the best free content planning tools for social. Seamlessly integrated with Canva’s design tools, it lets you drag and drop your way to a perfectly planned social media calendar. Ideal for social media teams and managers working with multiple platforms.

Why content planning is essential

A thoughtful and thoroughly planned content strategy is the foundation of any successful marketing campaign and content marketing planning tools are the glue that binds all stakeholders in the creation process.

Content marketing tools prove invaluable in the planning process by helping you and your team:

• Plan ahead
• Save time and effort
• Communicate effectively
• Create quality content for SEO
• Eliminate rushed publishing sessions
• Build consistent posting into your marketing strategies
• Organize processes across various teams, departments and brands

Whether you’re a small business, influencer or an enterprise marketing team with multiple content marketers running campaigns, content planning tools bring order to what can quickly turn chaotic and help set you up for success.

Related: How to become a content strategist

Summary

Choosing the right content planning tool can significantly boost both your output and the quality of your content, transforming a disorganized workflow into a structured procedure.

Each tool discussed here offers unique features and benefits, tailored to different needs and preferences. From the comprehensive capabilities of Slickplan to the visual simplicity of Trello and the AI-powered insights of MarketMuse, there’s a tool for every content creator and marketer.

The goal is ultimately to beef up your content creation process, improve collaboration and ensure that your content aligns with your business goals. So as you embark on your content planning journey, consider the specific needs of your team and your projects and pick the best content planner to meet them.

Frequently asked questions