Planner Inputs
Example Data Table
| Week | Campaign | Channels | Planned Posts | Estimated Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Spring Product Push | Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook | 14 | 18.6 | Launch assets, teaser clips, and one FAQ thread. |
| Week 2 | Customer Stories | LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter | 12 | 16.4 | Repurpose case study into quote cards and short posts. |
| Week 3 | Education Series | YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook | 10 | 17.2 | More editing time due to tutorial formatting. |
| Week 4 | Community Engagement | Instagram, Threads, Facebook | 11 | 14.8 | Q&A prompts, polls, and community reposts. |
Formula Used
Total Planned Posts = Core Content Pieces × Repurpose Factor × Channel Multiplier × Campaign Multiplier
Channel Multiplier = 1 + (Selected Channels − 1) × 0.18
Campaign Multiplier = 1 + (Campaigns − 1) × 0.06
Approval Factor = 1 + (Approval Cycles − 1) × 0.08
Production Hours = Content Pieces × [(Writing + Design + Review × Approval Factor) × Complexity Multiplier] + Total Posts × Scheduling Minutes ÷ 60
Total Team Hours = Production Hours + (Production Hours × Buffer %)
Total Budget = Total Team Hours × Hourly Rate + Paid Support Budget
Cost per Post = Total Budget ÷ Total Planned Posts
Cadence Utilization = Posts per Week ÷ (Active Days per Week × Posting Windows per Day)
The score starts at 100 and applies penalties for target gap, overloaded cadence, underused cadence, and heavy approval friction.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter the planning period, number of campaigns, and your expected core content volume. These values define the base publishing scope.
Select the channels included in the plan. More channels raise the total coordination and post count because repurposed content spreads wider.
Set your content mix percentages. The calculator accepts any total, then normalizes the mix to 100% to keep allocations clean.
Provide writing, design, review, and scheduling effort. Add approval cycles and a complexity multiplier when your workflow involves brand checks or heavier production.
Enter labor rate, paid budget, and the weekly posting target. Submit the form to see total posts, costs, hours, channel allocation, weekly cadence, and a Plotly chart.
Use the CSV button to export tabular results for spreadsheets. Use the PDF button to save a report snapshot for meetings or client sharing.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does this planner calculate?
It estimates posting volume, weekly cadence, team hours, labor cost, total budget, channel allocation, and content mix distribution for a social publishing plan.
2. Why does selecting more channels increase total posts?
Most teams adapt one idea into platform-specific versions. The channel multiplier reflects extra formatting, copy changes, and republishing effort across multiple networks.
3. What is the repurpose factor?
It represents how many publishable posts you can create from one core asset. A webinar clip, blog, or product demo can become several posts.
4. Why is there a buffer percentage?
Buffers account for revisions, delays, stakeholder comments, unexpected requests, and timing changes. They make the final plan more realistic than a raw production estimate.
5. What does the consistency score mean?
It shows how well your plan fits the weekly target and available schedule capacity. Higher scores usually mean steadier execution with lower operational strain.
6. Can I use this for one platform only?
Yes. Select a single channel and the planner will reduce coordination effects. This makes it useful for creators, solo marketers, or platform-specific teams.
7. Is paid budget required?
No. You can set paid support budget to zero. The calculator will then show a fully organic planning cost based only on labor and production effort.
8. How should I interpret utilization?
Utilization compares your weekly publishing demand with available posting slots. Above 100% signals overload, while very low percentages suggest spare scheduling capacity.