/40-next-content-plan-global

name: 40-next-content-plan-global
description: "Use when the next period content plan must be built from last period DATA — keep and replicate winners, cut losers, at most two new hypotheses, a 70/20/10 mix, a four-week overview, and an owner per slot. Trigger on 'next content plan', 'content plan for next month', 'plan from the audit', 'what should we post next quarter', 'scale what worked', 'plan content using the numbers'. Also use when a report just landed and the user asks what to do with it. Not for — auditing the past period first, see `39-content-audit-global`; turning the plan into a dated calendar, see `01-content-calendar-global`; the next period ADS plan, see `57-next-ads-plan-global`."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.1
  category: content
license: MIT
triggers:
  - "next content plan"
  - "content plan for next month"
  - "data-driven content plan"
  - "plan from the audit"
  - "next quarter content"
  - "what should we post next month"
  - "scale the winners"
  - "content plan from report"
output: "File .md — prior period review, direction for the new period, 70/20/10 content mix, winner replication table, max 2 test hypotheses, 4-week overview calendar, ownership assignment"
related:
  - product-marketing-context-global
  - 39-content-audit-global
  - 07-marketing-report-global
  - 01-content-calendar-global
  - 36-content-brief-global
  - 19-ab-test-setup-global
  - 13-data-analysis-global

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.

4. **Maximum 2 new hypotheses per period.** More than that and no single test accumulates enough data to conclude anything. 5. **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). 6. **Plan at the week level here.** Day-level detail belongs to `01-content-calendar-global`. 7. **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) | |------|-------|-----