The Ultimate Notion Content Planner Guide for Creators in 2025
Planning content consistently has never been easy. Between juggling platforms, types of media, and constant changes in algorithms, it is no wonder many creators hit roadblocks. What if there were a system that evolves with us, reduces friction, and gives clarity to the chaos of content creation?
This is where the power of Notion comes in. A flexible, visual, and scalable tool, Notion allows creators at any stage to design a content planning workflow that meets their needs and grows alongside them.
In this guide, we break down three levels of Notion content planners (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) each designed to meet creators where they are and lead them toward more consistent and stress-free output.
Let’s begin at the start.
Why Use Notion for Content Planning?
The content lifecycle involves brainstorming, scripting, creating, editing, publishing, and analyzing. Each step adds complexity, especially when managing different formats like video, photos, stories, and carousels across multiple platforms.
Notion offers the structure to support this. With drag-and-drop boards, customizable properties, and integrations, it adapts to our workflow rather than forcing us to change our process.
For creators wanting one centralized hub for planning, Notion becomes the digital brain of our content strategy.
The Three Big Questions This Guide Answers
To build an effective system, we need to tackle the following:
How do we stay consistent with content planning?
How do we maximize content across multiple platforms?
How do we reduce repetitive tasks and create smarter?
Let’s explore the answers, one planner level at a time.
Level 1: Beginner Content Planner
Starting from scratch can be overwhelming, so the beginner planner strips everything down to the essentials. Its primary goal is to reduce friction and simplify the content journey.
Visualization: The Simple Kanban Flow
The core of the beginner planner is a Kanban board, a visual layout where each idea moves through three columns: Not Started, In Progress, and Done.
Ideas are first captured without filtering. No idea is too rough. Once an idea begins development, it shifts to In Progress. When completed, it moves to Done.
This board reduces decision fatigue. All that matters at this stage is tracking progress visually and building momentum.
Properties: What Each Idea Includes
Each piece of content in the database includes a few simple but powerful fields:
ID: Auto-generated and unique, helping track each piece regardless of name changes.
Name: The title or identifier of the content.
Description: A social media–ready caption or initial idea text.
Status: Matching the Kanban board categories.
Publish Date: Helps align output with deadlines.
Hashtags: For pre-post optimization.
By default, not all fields are visible in the Kanban view. Only the essential ones appear upfront to avoid visual overload. Full details are just a click away, keeping things clean and focused.
At this point, the first major question gets answered: with a beginner-friendly system like this, consistency becomes achievable. No more staring at a blank screen.
But a new question arises: how can we stretch one idea across different platforms without burning out?
Let’s level up.
Level 2: Intermediate Content Planner
For those managing multiple formats and platforms, the intermediate planner introduces structure without sacrificing flexibility.
Visualization: Detailed Workflow Columns
This version of the planner introduces new board columns: Scripting, Filming, Editing, and Scheduled. This setup enables batching—shooting several videos at once or scheduling weeks of posts in one go.
This structure makes it easier to distribute focus, improve efficiency, and avoid creative fatigue.
Properties: Multi-Platform Clarity
Two new property fields are introduced here:
Type of Post: Short form, long form, story, carousel, etc.
Platform: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and more.
The post type is single-select, which clarifies the format. The platform field is multi-select, supporting cross-posting from one idea.
This setup unlocks smarter planning. One video idea can be planned for Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts—all from a single entry.
With this, the second question is answered: content can now live in many places at once, multiplying reach without multiplying effort.
Still, a third question remains: how do we make all this more sustainable over time?
For that, we need automation and templates.
Download the content planner template - intermediate for FREE
Level 3: Advanced Content Planner
The advanced planner is where the system becomes intelligent. It builds on everything before and adds smart formulas, automations, and embedded structure to cut down manual work.
Visualization: Final Steps and Calendar View
Two new columns are added: Scheduled and Rejected.
Scheduled: For content that is complete and ready to go live.
Rejected: For ideas that are paused or archived but not deleted.
This separation improves clarity while preserving past creative efforts.
Alongside the board view, a calendar view is introduced. This layout is invaluable for visualizing post dates, balancing weekly distribution, and managing content volume.
The calendar includes:
Post Name
Type
Platform(s)
Status
It acts as both a timeline and a planner.
Properties: Smart Automations
This level adds several advanced fields:
Files & Media: Attach assets like thumbnails, edited photos, scripts, or audio files.
Title Length Meter: A formula that measures the title’s character count to stay within optimal limits (e.g. 52 characters for YouTube).
Published Indicator: A formula that checks if content is both marked as scheduled and if the publish date has passed. If both are true, the content is automatically marked as published.
This is where the planner starts working for us. Instead of manually checking off statuses or calculating limits, these formulas handle it behind the scenes.
Page Templates: Built-In Repetition Reduction
For each post type—shorts, reels, carousels, long form video—a specific page template is included. These templates pre-fill common fields like platform and format, reducing the need to reselect properties every time.
For example, a “YouTube Long Form” template might automatically include:
Post Type: Long Form
Platform: YouTube
Title Length meter
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This approach saves hours over time and prevents errors or omissions.
The final question now has its answer: with automation and templates, the system removes repetitive tasks and scales with our output.
Download the content planner template - advanced for FREE
The Unified Conclusion: Building a Planner That Works With Us
We began by asking three important questions:
How do we stay consistent?
How do we repurpose across platforms?
How do we reduce repetitive work?
By matching the right planner to the right stage, we build a system that removes friction, increases focus, and supports creative flow.
Instead of spending energy trying to stay organized, we can invest that energy into ideation, production, and engagement. This is how a content planner becomes more than a tracker—it becomes a launchpad for real growth.
Where to Get the Templates
All three Notion templates—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—are available to download. They live in both the Notion template store and on the creator’s personal website.
The templates are identical in both locations. The Notion store versions come with a small cost as a way to support continued work, while the free version on the website is available to anyone.
Final Thoughts
Content creation thrives on rhythm, not pressure. By finding the right level of planning structure and allowing the system to grow with us, we give ourselves the freedom to focus on what really matters: making content that connects.
Next, let’s take on another challenge that often holds creators back—overthinking. Here’s another blog post that breaks down how to overcome creative hesitation and post with confidence.
Thanks for being on this journey. Let’s keep building momentum together.
