How to Build a Content Calendar in ClickUp (Step‑by‑Step)

If you are tired of managing marketing plans in messy spreadsheets, ClickUp can turn your content calendar into a clear, collaborative workflow your whole team enjoys using.

This how-to guide walks you through moving from a basic Google Sheets content calendar to a structured, scalable system built in ClickUp. You will learn how to set up spaces, lists, tasks, and views so you can finally track ideas, deadlines, and performance in one place.

Why Move Your Content Calendar From Sheets to ClickUp?

Traditional content calendar templates in Google Sheets are great for getting started, but they quickly become hard to manage as your strategy grows. ClickUp gives you a flexible work hub where strategy, execution, and reporting all live together.

Compared to a spreadsheet, a ClickUp content calendar helps you:

• Organize every channel and campaign in one workspace
• Create reusable templates instead of copying rows and tabs
• Assign tasks, due dates, and priorities to specific owners
• Collaborate with comments, mentions, and file attachments
• Visualize work in calendar, list, board, and timeline layouts

These advantages make it easier to plan ahead, hit deadlines, and keep your team aligned on what gets published and when.

Plan Your Content Structure Before Building in ClickUp

Before you start creating anything in ClickUp, clarify how you want to organize your content marketing work. This mirrors what you may already be doing in a Google Sheets calendar, but with more structure.

Decide on:

• Main channels: Blog, social media, email, video, podcast, or paid campaigns
• Cadence: How many pieces per week or month for each channel
• Workflow stages: For example, Idea, Planned, In Progress, In Review, Approved, Scheduled, Published
• Key fields: Such as target keyword, funnel stage, content type, owner, and promotion plan

Once you know this, you can recreate the same structure inside ClickUp using Spaces, Folders, Lists, and custom fields.

Step 1: Create a Marketing Space in ClickUp

Start by building a dedicated Space for marketing work. This gives your content calendar a clear home and separates it from other teams or departments.

1. Open your ClickUp workspace.
2. Click + New Space.
3. Name it something like Marketing or Content & SEO.
4. Select the features you need, such as tasks, docs, and dashboards.
5. Set basic permissions so the right people can view and edit content.

This top-level Space will eventually host your editorial calendar, campaign plans, and performance reporting.

Step 2: Build a Content Calendar List in ClickUp

Within your marketing Space, you will create a List that acts as the core content calendar. Instead of rows in a spreadsheet, each content piece becomes a task in ClickUp.

1. Create a Folder called Content Calendar or Editorial.
2. Inside that Folder, add a new List named Master Content Calendar.
3. Use the List view to see all tasks as a structured table, similar to Google Sheets but more powerful.

Now you have a home for every blog post, social update, and email campaign you plan to publish.

Recommended Custom Fields for Your ClickUp Content List

To reflect the columns you might have in a calendar template, add custom fields in ClickUp. Useful fields include:

• Content Type: Blog, social post, email, video, landing page
• Channel: LinkedIn, Instagram, newsletter, website, YouTube
• Campaign: Product launch, seasonal promo, nurture series
• Target Keyword: Main SEO phrase for search content
• Funnel Stage: Awareness, consideration, decision, retention
• Owner: Primary writer or strategist
• Publish Date: Scheduled go-live date (in addition to the task due date)
• Status: Driven by your workflow stages

These custom fields turn ClickUp into a rich database rather than a flat grid of dates and titles.

Step 3: Set Up Content Workflow Statuses in ClickUp

Statuses define how work progresses from idea to published. Instead of manually updating cells in a spreadsheet, you drag tasks through stages in ClickUp.

1. Open your Content Calendar List settings.
2. Go to Status configuration.
3. Add clear steps such as:
   • Backlog
   • Idea Approved
   • Outline In Progress
   • Draft In Progress
   • In Review
   • Revisions Needed
   • Approved
   • Scheduled
   • Published
4. Save your workflow and apply it to the List.

Now each task in ClickUp visibly shows where the content stands so your team never wonders what is coming next.

Step 4: Create Tasks for Each Content Piece in ClickUp

Tasks are the core building blocks of your calendar. Each article, video, or email gets its own task in ClickUp with all relevant details.

1. From the List view, click + New Task.
2. Use a clear naming format, like [Channel] Topic Title.
3. Set the due date to match your planned publish date.
4. Assign the task to the main owner.
5. Fill out your custom fields: Content type, channel, funnel stage, and keyword.
6. Add subtasks for milestones (outline, draft, review, design, upload, publish).
7. Attach briefs, images, and reference docs directly to the task.

This approach replaces multiple spreadsheet rows and tabs with one organized task in ClickUp for each content asset.

Step 5: Use ClickUp Calendar and Board Views

Spreadsheets can simulate a calendar, but ClickUp gives you true visual planning tools.

Build a Calendar View in ClickUp

1. Open your Master Content Calendar List.
2. Click + View and choose Calendar.
3. Filter to show only active statuses like Idea Approved through Scheduled.
4. Group by content type or channel if needed.
5. Drag and drop tasks to move publish dates directly on the calendar.

This makes it easy to spot gaps, avoid overload on certain days, and keep a balanced mix of topics.

Build a Kanban Board View in ClickUp

1. Add another view and select Board.
2. Group by Status.
3. Move tasks through stages: Backlog → Draft → Review → Published.

The board view in ClickUp replaces filter-heavy spreadsheet views and gives your team an at-a-glance pipeline of what is in progress.

Step 6: Turn Your Setup Into a Reusable ClickUp Template

Once your content calendar structure is working smoothly, turn it into a template. This way, you avoid building it from scratch for each new campaign or quarter.

1. Open your Content Calendar List.
2. Use the List menu and select Save as Template.
3. Include statuses, custom fields, views, and any standard subtasks.
4. Give the template a clear name such as Quarterly Content Calendar.

Now any new initiative can spin up a ready-to-use ClickUp content calendar in a few clicks.

Step 7: Collaborate and Track Performance in ClickUp

After publishing, spreadsheets often become outdated. In ClickUp, you can continue to track performance and reference assets over time.

• Use comments to capture feedback from editors, designers, and stakeholders.
• Mention teammates with @ to request reviews or approvals.
• Add links to analytics dashboards or reporting docs in the task description.
• Log metrics such as page views, conversions, or social engagement in custom fields.

Over time, your ClickUp workspace becomes a searchable, filterable record of your entire content history.

Tips for Migrating From Google Sheets to ClickUp

If you already use a content calendar template in Google Sheets, you can transition smoothly into ClickUp with a bit of planning.

• Export your spreadsheet as a CSV and import it into ClickUp to create tasks quickly.
• Map spreadsheet columns to new custom fields where possible.
• Clean up duplicates and outdated ideas during the migration.
• Train your team on using List, Calendar, and Board views instead of tabs and filters.

For more context on common spreadsheet-based calendars, review the original guide on content calendar templates for Google Sheets and adapt the structure to your new workspace.

Next Steps: Improve Your Workflow Beyond ClickUp

Once your calendar is running smoothly in ClickUp, you can enhance it with stronger processes for SEO, content briefs, and analytics. Consider partnering with a specialist agency like Consultevo to refine your content strategy, automate reporting, and align your calendar with revenue goals.

By shifting from static spreadsheets to a dynamic workspace in ClickUp, your team gets a single source of truth for ideas, production, and performance, helping you publish better content more consistently.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

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