---
aliases: ["Monthly Content Planning"]
Is A: Procedure
Belongs to: "[[responsibility-content-production]]"
Cadence: Monthly
Owner: "[[person-luca-rossi]]"
---
# Monthly Content Planning

Monthly pillar planning is where content strategy meets execution. This procedure translates high-level [[topic-content-strategy]] goals into a concrete month of newsletter topics, essays, and pillar articles. Without this step, weekly content production drifts toward whatever feels easiest rather than what serves the audience and business best. The output directly feeds into the [[procedure-content-calendar-review]] and sets the direction for [[person-sara-ricci]]'s editorial work.

## Steps

- [ ] Review last month's content performance: which topics, formats, and angles resonated most? Pull data from [[procedure-newsletter-metrics-weekly]] and [[procedure-monthly-subscriber-metrics]]
- [ ] Revisit the quarterly content themes and assess progress — are you on track, or do certain pillars need more attention this month?
- [ ] Brainstorm 8-12 topic candidates for the month, drawing from the idea backlog, reader questions, and recent [[procedure-evergreen-note-writing]] output
- [ ] Select 4-5 primary topics and assign each to a week, balancing across content pillars (technical, personal, strategic)
- [ ] Identify 1 pillar article (long-form, high-effort) to develop over the month alongside regular newsletter issues
- [ ] For each selected topic, write a 2-3 sentence brief: the core argument, the target reader, and the key takeaway
- [ ] Assign any research, data gathering, or guest coordination tasks to [[person-sara-ricci]] or [[person-paco-furiani]] as needed
- [ ] Update the content calendar with the month's plan and share it with the team
- [ ] Block writing time on the calendar for the pillar article — this will not happen unless it is protected

## Notes

- Resist the temptation to plan only "safe" topics you know will perform. Reserve at least one slot per month for an experimental piece that pushes into new territory.
- The best months have a mix: one deeply technical piece, one personal/reflective piece, one strategy piece, and one that connects to a trending conversation.
- Reader feedback and replies are an underused input. Scan recent newsletter replies for recurring questions or themes — these are almost guaranteed to resonate as topics.
- The pillar article is the highest-leverage content you produce. Protect it from being deprioritized by weekly urgency. See [[the-real-job-of-a-newsletter]] for why long-form investment matters.
- Align this planning session with [[measure-articles-per-week]] targets so the month's output commitments are realistic given available time and energy.
