Generate editorial calendars for blogs with topic clusters, publishing schedules, material-change reviews, update plans, seasonal opportunities, content mix formula, template integration, and distribution scheduling. Plans monthly or quarterly calendars around reader needs, evidence changes, and sus

Blog Calendar: Editorial Planning Generates editorial calendars with topic clusters, publishing cadence, material change reviews, content decay investigation, template recommendations, distribution planning, and seasonal hooks. It does not treat publication or update frequency as a ranking or citation signal. Cross reference This skill operates at the FLOW Find stage. Before selecting topics, run /blog flow find for keyword discovery, content prioritization, and audience avatar prompts that should inform cluster selection and topic sequencing. Workflow Step 1: Understand the Blog Gather context: 1. Niche/industry : What is the blog about? 2. Existing content : Scan for existing blog posts (Glob for .md, .mdx, .html) 3. Publishing cadence : How often can they publish? (default: 2x/week) 4. Timeframe : Monthly or quarterly calendar? 5. Business goals : What should the blog drive? (traffic, leads, authority) Step 2: Topic Cluster Design Design 3 5 topic clusters (pillar + supporting content): Each cluster should: Target a primary keyword theme Cover the topic comprehensively for topical authority Include varied content types (guides, comparisons, how tos, listicles) Support internal linking between cluster pages Step 2.5: Content Decay Detection Scan existing posts for material change signals. Dates are inventory metadata, not proof that content is stale or fresh. Signal Review Question Priority Effect Query or fact volatility Have prices, laws, products, events, or guidance changed? Raise when the changed fact is material Performance trend Is there a sustained decline after controlling for seasonality and Search surface? Investigate before rewriting Source availability Are important sources outdated, contradicted, or unavailable? Raise when claims lose support Reader intent Does the page still solve the current task? Raise when intent materially shifted Do not prioritize an update solely because a frontmatter date is old or a vendor sample observed recently updated citations. Output a decay report: Priority levels: Critical : Materially wrong or harmful information needs correction High : Confirmed fact, source, product, or intent change affects usefulness Medium : Sustained performance change warrants investigation Low : No material change; monitor without editing the date Step 3: Freshness Update Schedule Plan review triggers around the topic: Fast changing topics : Review when the governing facts or official sources change Seasonal topics : Review before the relevant season using current evidence Product or pricing content : Review after documented product changes Evergreen topics : Review when evidence, intent, or performance indicates a need Change lastUpdated only after substantive content changes. Step 4: Seasonal & Trending Hooks Research seasonal opportunities: 1. Industry events : Conferences, product launches, algorithm updates 2. Seasonal trends : Use Google Trends UI, API, or exported data when available; if relying on WebSearch only, mark trend timing as unverified 3. Annual reports : When do major studies release new data? 4. Algorithm updates : Validate the current Google update timeline against the Google Search Status Dashboard before scheduling update content. Do not rely on a static list. Seasonal Trends Integration Map seasonal peaks to content production schedule Plan content 4 6 weeks before seasonal peaks for indexing lead time Create "evergreen with seasonal hook" content (e.g., "X Guide [Year]" updated annually) Track industry report release cycles: Ahrefs Annual State of SEO (typically Q1) Google Year in Search (December) HubSpot State of Marketing (Q1) Gartner Hype Cycle (August) Major conference dates in the niche Use WebSearch to validate timing of trends before scheduling Step 5: Generate the Calendar Content Mix Formula Start from this planning heuristic, then adjust for decay risk, authority gaps, team capacity, and available source material: 60% new content / 30% freshness updates / 10% repurposed content Cadence Monthly Posts New Refreshes Repurposed 2 posts/week 8 5 2 1 3 posts/week 12 7 4 1 4 posts/week 16 10 5 1 1 post/week 4 2 3 1 0 1 Within new posts, aim for content type diversity: Guides/How tos : 30 40% of new content Comparisons/Alternatives : 15 20% Listicles/Roundups : 15 20% Case studies/Data research : 10 15% Thought leadership/News analysis : 10 15% Template Integration For each new post entry, recommend a content template from these 12 available: how to guide , listicle , case study , comparison , pillar page , product review , thought leadership , roundup , tutorial , news analysis , data research , faq knowledge Reference: skills/blog/references/content templates.md for full template details. Monthly Calendar Format Quarterly Calendar Format Step 5.5: Topic Cluster Progress Tracking Track the build out state of each topic cluster. Prioritize completing partially built clusters over starting new ones. Rules for cluster prioritization: Clusters at 50%+ coverage: highest priority to complete Clusters with published pillar but few spokes: second priority New clusters: only start when existing clusters reach 75%+ coverage Never have more than 3 clusters in active build out simultaneously Step 5.6: Distribution Scheduling For each new post, plan distribution across channels. Include distribution timing in the calendar output. Channel timing rules: LinkedIn : Same day as publish (share key insight + link) Reddit : 2 3 days after publish (share genuine insight, not a link drop) Email newsletter : Batch weekly (include 2 3 posts per newsletter) YouTube : Plan companion video for pillar posts only (resource intensive) Twitter/X : Same day as publish (thread key takeaways) Reference: skills/blog/references/distribution playbook.md for detailed channel tactics. Step 5.7: Freshness Automation Set up a system for ongoing freshness maintenance: Automation recommendations: Monitor official sources or product changes for fast changing topics Sort the queue by material risk and reader impact Use traffic only as context, not proof that an update is needed Update lastUpdated only after substantive content changes Track what changed and compare relevant Search surfaces separately Suggest /blog rewrite only when a substantive review finds work to do Step 6: Save & Next Steps Save to calendars/[yyyy mm] editorial calendar.md unless the user specifies another path. Create calendars/ if it does not exist. Suggested workflow: 1. Run /blog strategy when positioning or pillars are unclear 2. Run /blog cluster plan <seed keyword for cluster heavy calendars 3. Use /blog brief <first topic or /blog outline <first topic for the first scheduled item 4. Use /blog write to generate articles from approved briefs or outlines 5. Use /blog rewrite for freshness updates on existing content 6. Re run /blog calendar next month/quarter for the next plan 7. Review the Content Decay Report weekly and address Critical items first 8. Track Topic Cluster Progress monthly to ensure clusters reach completion

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