Next Content Plan (Global)

A plan without last period's data is a guess. The order is fixed: read the data, replicate the winners, test a small number of new hypotheses, then schedule. Do not change everything at once — a team that rebuilds from scratch every period never learns what works.

Information gathering — always read the old data first

Before writing a single line of plan, you need:

1. The prior period's content audit (from 39-content-audit-global). If it does not exist, run that skill first. Do not plan around it.
2. The prior period's report (from 07-marketing-report-global) if available.
3. KPI targets for the new period — what changes versus last period.
4. Known variables in the new period: upcoming campaign, launch, event, seasonality; changes in budget, headcount, or capacity.

If the user cannot supply at least an audit or a post list with metrics, stop and recommend running 39-content-audit-global first.

Principles

1. Data first, plan second. Every change in the plan must trace back to a specific line of prior-period data.
2. Replicate winners before chasing new ideas. A winner has already proved itself. Reproduce it with small variations before betting on an untested concept.
3. The 70/20/10 split:

• 70 percent of output is proven format plus proven angle — the winner's formula, held constant.
• 20 percent is optimization of a winner — change the hook, the channel, or the length while keeping what worked.
• 10 percent is genuinely new — the test hypotheses.

1. Maximum 2 new hypotheses per period. More than that and no single test accumulates enough data to conclude anything.
2. Losers are not automatically deleted. Separate a loser caused by a wrong angle (retire it) from a loser caused by weak execution (fix the execution, try once more).
3. Plan at the week level here. Day-level detail belongs to 01-content-calendar-global.
4. Account for seasonality in paid amplification. Q4 media costs run well above Q1 globally; if a proven post type is normally boosted, the same plan costs more in November than in January (see references/benchmarks-global.md).

Workflow

1. Review the prior period

From the audit (39-content-audit-global) and report (07-marketing-report-global), fill three columns:

| Worked (KEEP) | Did not work (STOP) | Not yet tried (TEST) | |---------------|---------------------|----------------------| | format / angle / channel + the numbers that prove it] | + the data reason] | idea from a pattern or a new insight] |

2. Set the direction for the new period

| Period | Primary objective | Priority KPI | Attached campaign | Major change | |--------|-------------------|--------------|-------------------|--------------| | | | | | |

Exactly one primary objective — reach, lead generation, conversion, or retention. The priority KPI is the metric this period will actually be judged on.

3. Build the content mix at 70/20/10

| Group | Share | Content | |-------|-------|---------| | Proven (70%) | ~70% of posts | Winner formula held constant — only the subject changes | | Optimized (20%) | ~20% of posts | Variations on winners: different hook, channel, or length | | Experimental (10%) | ~10% of posts | New hypotheses (maximum 2) |

Then adjust the funnel and format ratios, with a data reason for each change:

| Dimension | Prior period ratio | New period ratio | Reason (from data) | |-----------|--------------------|------------------|--------------------| | TOFU / MOFU / BOFU | | | | | Video vs static vs text | | | | | Channel split | | | |

4. Plan the winner replication

| Original winner | Result (metric) | Replicate into | What changes | Channel / timing | |-----------------|-----------------|----------------|--------------|------------------| | | | | | |

Each winner becomes 2-3 variations. Hold the hook structure and format constant; change the subject, the angle of the shot, or the person on camera.

5. Define the new hypotheses (maximum 2)

| Hypothesis | Format | Channel | Metric | Test duration | Decision rule | |------------|--------|---------|--------|---------------|---------------| | | | | | | |

Write each one so it can be falsified: "If we change X], then metric Y] will rise or fall by Z percent]." For test design and sample sizing, hand off to 19-ab-test-setup-global.

6. Build the overview calendar and assign ownership

| Week | Theme | Priority channel | Posts | Highlights (replicated winner / hypothesis) | |------|-------|------------------|-------|---------------------------------------------| | Week 1 | | | | | | Week 2 | | | | | | Week 3 | | | | | | Week 4 | | | | |

| Owner | Responsibility | Posts per week | Primary channel | |-------|----------------|----------------|-----------------| | | | | |

Day-level detail (publish time, hook, CTA, status) goes to 01-content-calendar-global. Per-piece briefs go to 36-content-brief-global.

Output structure

File name: next-content-plan-[brand]-[YYYYMMDD].md

markdown
# Next Content Plan — [Period] — [Brand]

## I. Prior period review
| Worked (keep) | Did not work (stop) | Not yet tried (test) |
|---------------|---------------------|----------------------|
| | | |

## II. Direction for the new period
| Period | Primary objective | Priority KPI | Attached campaign | Major change |
|--------|-------------------|--------------|-------------------|--------------|
| | | | | |

## III. Content mix — 70/20/10
| Group | Share | Posts | Content |
|-------|-------|-------|---------|
| Proven (70%) | | | |
| Optimized (20%) | | | |
| Experimental (10%) | | | |

| Dimension | Prior ratio | New ratio | Reason (from data) |
|-----------|-------------|-----------|--------------------|
| TOFU / MOFU / BOFU | | | |
| Video vs static vs text | | | |
| Channel split | | | |

## IV. Winner replication
| Original winner | Result | Replicate into | What changes | Channel / timing |
|-----------------|--------|----------------|--------------|------------------|
| | | | | |

## V. New hypotheses (max 2)
| Hypothesis | Format | Channel | Metric | Test duration | Decision rule |
|------------|--------|---------|--------|---------------|---------------|
| | | | | | |

## VI. Overview calendar
| Week | Theme | Priority channel | Posts | Highlights |
|------|-------|------------------|-------|------------|
| | | | | |

## VII. Ownership
| Owner | Responsibility | Posts per week | Primary channel |
|-------|----------------|----------------|-----------------|
| | | | |

Related skills

• 39-content-audit-global: required input — run it first. No audit means no plan.
• 07-marketing-report-global: the prior period's report adds the full-funnel KPI view.
• 01-content-calendar-global: takes this plan and produces the day-by-day schedule.
• 36-content-brief-global: briefs each individual piece inside the plan.
• 19-ab-test-setup-global: designs the tests for the 2 hypotheses.
• 13-data-analysis-global: supporting analysis when the data needs a deeper look.

Quality checklist

• Prior period data present as the basis (audit from 39 or report from 07) — nothing planned on instinct.
• Every change in the plan traces back to a specific line of data.
• Content mix follows 70/20/10 and the shares total 100 percent.
• Each winner has a concrete replication plan (2-3 variations each).
• No more than 2 new hypotheses, each falsifiable and each with a decision rule.
• Losers separated into wrong angle (retire) versus weak execution (fix and retry once).
• Funnel and format ratio changes each carry a data reason — nothing changed arbitrarily.
• Overview calendar covers all 4 weeks with named owners.
• Seasonality accounted for where the plan depends on paid amplification.
• Handoffs stated: 01-content-calendar-global for the detailed schedule, 19-ab-test-setup-global for the hypotheses.