Running a small food or wellness business means wearing multiple hats — often at the same time. One day you’re packaging orders, the next you’re filming a reel, answering DMs, drafting a blog post, and wondering what on earth you’re going to post next Tuesday. Add in the pressure to “stay consistent” online, and content planning quickly turns into yet another exhausting task.
But here’s the thing: planning content without a clear strategy is like prepping 30 meals with no idea who’s coming to dinner. You might get lucky, but more often than not, you’ll waste time, energy, and potentially money.
Start here: strategy first, then content
Before you open a spreadsheet, browse Pinterest, or start editing photos, you need to know three things:
1. Who are you talking to?
Your target audience isn’t “everyone who likes food” or “people who care about wellness.” Get specific:
- What do they value?
- Where do they hang out online?
- What problems are they trying to solve?
- What kind of content do they save, share, and respond to?
- Are they more likely to message you on Instagram or check your blog every Friday?
Your content won’t connect if you’re speaking into the void.
2. What are your business goals?
Different goals require different content formats and distribution. Do you want to:
- Get more traffic to your website?
- Increase sign-ups for an event or service?
- Build a stronger relationship with your existing audience?
- Encourage bookings or direct messages?
- Educate new customers about your product or service?
Knowing your goal helps you pick the right format (blog, carousel, video), tone, and calls to action.
3. What does success look like?
Pick a few key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure what matters, not just what’s easy to track. That could include:
- Link clicks from social posts
- New subscribers to your newsletter
- Website visits from Instagram or Pinterest
- Replies to your Stories
- Posts shared or saved
With strategy in place, now you can plan your month of content in a way that’s intentional — and less overwhelming.
Step 1: pick your priorities
You don’t need to post every day. And you definitely don’t need to be on every platform. Choose 1–2 platforms where your audience is most active and where you enjoy showing up. Then decide what consistency looks like for you right now. That might be:
- 1 blog post + 3 Instagram posts a week
- 2 reels per week + 1 carousel
- 1 newsletter every two weeks
Keep it realistic. This only works if you can actually stick with it.
Step 2: choose 3–4 core content themes
This keeps your content focused and helps you avoid the “what should I post?” panic. Some examples:
- Behind the scenes (process, people, sourcing, space)
- Education (FAQs, ingredient spotlights, wellness tips)
- Product features (what it is, how to use it, who it’s for)
- Seasonal content (recipes, routines, promotions)
- Testimonials and case studies
- Personal notes from the founder
You’ll rotate through these themes across your content each month.
Step 3: start with a skeleton plan
Open a calendar view (digital or paper) and plug in the following:
- Key dates or campaigns (launches, events, holidays)
- Newsletter send dates (if applicable)
- Any sales or product pushes
Then, start slotting in your core themes. For example:
- Week 1: behind-the-scenes + education
- Week 2: product focus + seasonal post
- Week 3: customer spotlight + founder note
- Week 4: FAQ + soft promotion
Each week should speak to a goal and include a mix of formats (video, carousel, static, blog).
Step 4: batch your ideas
Once your themes are set, list a few post ideas under each. For example, under “Education”:
- 3 ways to use your product in summer
- Why do you use a specific ingredient
- What most people misunderstand about X
Then:
- Write draft captions (or at least talking points)
- List any visuals or video clips needed
You don’t have to finish everything in one day. You can batch in blocks:
- Day 1: outlining
- Day 2: writing
- Day 3: filming and editing
- Day 4: scheduling
This makes it manageable and helps you stay consistent.
Step 5: repurpose smarter
You don’t need to create new content for every platform. A few ways to stretch your work:
- Turn a blog post into a 3-slide Instagram carousel
- Cut a video into multiple reels
- Take a testimonial and turn it into a Story graphic
- Expand a newsletter topic into a post or vice versa
If a post performs well, share it again in a few months — maybe with a new caption or hook.
Step 6: prepare evergreen assets
These are posts or visuals you can use anytime:
- Brand introduction
- Popular product FAQs
- Testimonial templates
- User-generated content
- “Start here” resource lists
Having 5–10 of these saved in your drafts or scheduler makes it easy to stay active when things get busy.
Step 7: make space for real life
Leave a few empty slots each month for spontaneous content — maybe something that happens in your day-to-day, a trend you want to respond to, or a client review you’d like to highlight.
Your content plan should work with your business, not against it. Being consistent doesn’t mean being robotic.
Pro Tip: there’s no one-size-fits-all plan
If you’re a food or wellness founder trying to do it all, know this: your content plan doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.
You may need support in different ways, at different stages. I’ve worked with brands and founders who weren’t ready to fully outsource content, but still wanted guidance.
Here’s what we did:
- 1:1 Consultations tailored to their business stage and marketing needs. Some were launching a new service and didn’t know how to announce it online. Others weren’t sure who they were speaking to, or how to structure a basic content plan. We worked through that together.
- Strategy creation: I built custom social media strategies based on their audience, values, goals, and tone of voice. This gave them a foundation they could follow without second-guessing every post.
- Content calendars: for specific moments, like launching a new product, promoting an online offer, or getting started as a brand-new business. The calendar included guidance for visuals, captions, and CTAs (plus repurposing notes to help them make the most of each post).
The goal isn’t just to help brands show up online — it’s to help them show up in a way that actually supports their business.
Final thoughts
Planning content in advance makes a huge difference — for your peace of mind and your business results. But that planning only works if you start from strategy.
Figure out who you’re speaking to. Set clear goals. Track what matters. Only then does it make sense to sit down and plan four weeks of posts.
This doesn’t mean your content has to be perfect. But it does need to be intentional. Because, without intention, consistency just becomes noise.
And you’ve got more important things to do than post into the void.
Need help building a content plan that works?
I’m Chiara — a social media manager & strategist, photographer, and content strategist based in Ireland, working remotely with food and wellness brands worldwide.
Here’s how I can support your business:
📸 Food photography and lifestyle photography
🎥 Video creation + stop-motion
📝 Copywriting for social media, blogs, and newsletters
📱 Social media management and strategy
💬 1:1 marketing consultations
📑 Custom content calendars + launch planning
Whether you’re launching something new, starting from scratch, or ready to delegate content, I’m here to help you plan and create content that works.
Want a more strategic and sustainable approach to your marketing?
Get in touch today using the button below.
A MATTER OF NOURISHMENT 