The 2026 Content Strategy Workbook is designed to make planning an entire year’s worth of content easy – but also effective. This is why we go backwards to discovering (or recording) your 2026 goals first. Your business goals, and then strategies to get there, is what will determine how much content you need and what kinds of content you need.
When we are running a business and wearing all the hats: management, R&D, manufacturing/creating, marketing, sales, finances – content creation very quickly falls to the bottom of the list. So this guide is designed to make it super easy (with AI help) to get your content done and planned for the entire year in one session.
Did I mention it’s entirely free? With 17 years in the smb niche, I’ve seen a lot of marketing wins and mishaps too. I hope this helps you excel in 2026!
A Look Inside
Goal Setting for SMBs
Time management is a thing. A hard thing, if you’re like me! But some good goals, with doable steps gets me up in the morning excited to get it done. This Content Strategy Workbook will help you create goals that mean something to you. From goals, we’ll tackle the marketing strategies you need to get there, then we’ll plan any of the content that is needed to ultimately reach your goals.
Here’s how The 2026 Content Strategy Workbook will help.
You’ll need to gather some background info if you want data-based plans. The prompts you’ll use in ChatGPT will need some previous data collected.
ChatGPT will need information like:
- current baseline finances
- capacity and workload
- audience & market demand
- brand tone & alignment
- pricing & conversion
- constraints & risk
- lifestyle & sustainability
- long-term strategic direction
I know that is a lot, but you probably know most of that off the top of your head. It is worth it to do this first step correctly. Get the stats and get ChatGPT to help you with worthy goals that will inspire you.
After you have the background data gathered, use our AI prompts in the Planner to get goals, milestones, content themes and strategies for each month.
Enter your email to get the planner:
Notes to Plan your Income
Have you heard the story of life-lines in the Arctic for the researchers? They have a line that they must be attached to when they leave the research facility – it is the only way to find their way back to the facility. We too, need life lines especially when we’re in new territory. As you dream big for 2026, set those reasonable goals to be your life-line, your north star. The things that keep you coming back to center when life gets chaotic.
How do you find those goal posts: that overarching lifeline that will keep you moving forward? Enter the prompts from the Planner and ChatGPT will help!
Strategic Content Planning
When thinking about content, you likely have common topics. These are the main things that folks need to know in order to be confident in your business / sales. These topics are what we use to accomplish our goals. We call them “Content Themes”.
These themes will be common with lots of other businesses. HOW you cover these themes is unique.
For example, at WPBarista we cover SEO news, AI tools & reviews and Security issues for WordPress. Lots of writers do that – but we do it differently.
What do you cover? Those are your content themes.
Another piece of the planning puzzle is your audience’s pain points and dreams. Make sure you can answer these questions:
- Why do they follow you and not your competitor?
- What, in your niche, do they worry about? or Wish for?
- What are they planning or hoping?
- What do they get from you, specifically?
Touching on your audience’s needs will keep you focused – and relevant.
2026 Content Strategy Workbook also touches on special holidays, events, strategies and your unique brand. We have provided AI prompts to help with all of it!
Content Marketing Strategies
Some pages will ask what strategies you plan on using to accomplish your goals. By content marketing strategies I mean:
(see this post for a template for pitching brands)
Once you are comfortable with your strategies and you have goals – then is the best time to start planning your content. The content will be worth doing, your motivations are on point, and the content will be strategic.
AI Tools for 2026
Here are some popular tools that I’ve tried and recommend:
More on AI tools is here and here.
TIME SAVING TIP
While you plan out your content, you’ll also have the opportunity to get all your images and quotes done.
While creating content themes, add micro themes that you’ll use each week on social media. It should all relate and flow well together. Everyone should be funneled from social media with a Call To Action.
When you’re creating your post image, also create one for IG & Facebook. Create landscape for FB & Twitter. Create square version for IG feed. Create portrait versions for IG Stories & Pinterest. And write out your social media captions if you need to. It’s so much faster if your brain is already on the topic to do it then.
When I started using content strategy, I doubled my email sign-ups! So be strategic and good luck in 2026!
Enter your name & email to get the
2026 Content
Strategy Workbook
New! Welcome-Email AI Agent
Looking at email marketing? Don’t forget a welcome series – folks are 4x more likely to open the first email than any other email that you send! Enter your email and we’ll send you to our custom AI Agent that will help you craft five highly converting emails in a welcome series! Then see this post for the tutorial.
Cathy Mitchell
Single Mom, Volunteer, Lifelong Learner, Jesus Follower, Founder and CEO at WPBarista.