The PurpleTrail Content Planner was provided to me for review. All opinions expressed within this post are my own.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a commission off your purchase.
If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, then you know how important I think it is to plan your blog content ahead of time.
I’ve shared why you need an editorial calendar and how to create one. And I’ve even given you my tips on how to strategically plan your content.
But planning ahead is so much easier when you have a tool to help you out. Now, you could use something digital… However, if you prefer to handwrite things like me, then you’d probably prefer to have a physical planner!
As someone who has been blogging since 2009, it should come as no surprise that I’ve tried a number of content planners over the years. In fact, I’ve even toyed with the idea of designing one of my own to sell.
When PurpleTrail reached out about their planners, I was pretty excited to check out the offerings in their online shop. And I was even more thrilled to receive a PurpleTrail Content Planner of my very own to start using!
Since many of you are content creators, I thought I would give you an inside look into the planner in case you’ve been on the hunt for one yourself. And here’s a little spoiler: it’s simple, yet perfect for anyone who is ready to get organized!
Customizing Your PurpleTrail Content Planner
Many of know that I’m a big fan of the Erin Condren LifePlanner for recording my daily to-do list. The gorgeous designs and customization options are what attracted me to Erin Condren’s offerings in the first place. So, it should come as no surprise that I appreciate that PurpleTrail gives you the ability to personalize your planner as well.
The available customization options include:
- planner size: 8.5 x 11” or 6 x 8”
- cover type: Synthetic Cover with Frost Sheet – Coil Bound, 10 Mil Laminated Cover – Coil Bound, or Hard Book Cover – Coil Bound
- cover color: choose a preset color or select your own
- add your name, change the font, and more.
You can also make interior changes such as:
- your page color theme: colorful or neutral gray
- layout options: 12 months or 18 months
- start date: so you don’t have to wait until a new year to begin using it
- and you can add a sticker pack or pocket folder.
And finally, you can also include four add-on pages to your planner, including: notes paper, to-do list, password list, bill tracker, check list, graph paper, important dates, address book, puzzle and games, dotted grid, appointment tracker, my classroom, student checklist, fitness tracker, nutrition tacker, account tracker, travel itinerary, and a baby tracker and keepsake.
I chose to keep mine simple and went with the following options: 8.5 x 11″ size, 10 Mil Laminated Cover – Coil Bound, white cover, added my name, colorful page theme, 12-month layout, and a 2019 start date. Now, let’s take a look inside…
PurpleTrail Content Planner Review
I chose the Blog Like a Boss Content Planner. I thought the cover design was adorable, plus it couldn’t possibly be more fitting for what I’ll use it for! The laminated cover is sturdy and will absolutely survive using it for the next year. It also looks and feels very high-quality, so this is one planner you’ll want to show off.
Another thing to appreciate is that the coil on this planner is really nice. Admittedly, I’ve experienced some planners in the past that have not-so-great coils. This one is a bright silver color and it’s made of metal. The metal is much more substantial than plastic, so it’ll definitely withstand all of the use it’ll be getting.
Inside the PurpleTrail Content Planner, you’ll find a cover page to record your name and contact information. The paper is really nice and should be great for using my , which are my absolute favorite. There are also laminated tabs on the side to help you easily flip from month to month, which is always a great touch. After many years buying the Erin Condren LifePlanner, I don’t think I could ever purchase a planner without tabs!
You’ll also find a page that includes all of the major holidays and their dates. This will really come in handy for content planning if you’re someone who likes to write holiday-themed content for your blog or YouTube channel. It’ll certainly keep you on track!
You’ll also find a calendar spread to help you keep track of the months to come. Since I chose for my planner to run from January 2019 to December 2019, there’s also a year-at-a-glance for 2020 as well. That’s helpful for doing any future planning! I think this layout is really convenient, plus I love the bright colors. It’s adds such a nice touch, but if you’re not interested in a splash of rainbow, you can always opt for the neutral layout!
The spread for the beginning of each month includes both lined and dotted pages. This is perfect for jotting down notes or even doing a little bullet journal style planning if that’s your thing. I always appreciate when planners have plenty of extra note space to record random thoughts or ideas. It’s just nice being able to have everything in one place so you don’t have to worry about losing that genius idea of yours.
I envision myself using the lined page to brainstorm a theme and content ideas for each month. And even though I’m not a bullet journal person, I’d actually like to take advantage of the dotted page instead of leaving it empty. This could be a great place to create some sort of business habit tracker to make sure I’m scheduling social media content, writing newsletters, etc. There’s a full dotted page on the back of the January page for you to use as well.
For each month, you’ll also find this spread for writing down monthly goals, your theme for the month, blog stats, and social media stats. After all, it’s so important that you take time to record your goals if you hope to accomplish them! I can’t tell you how often I actually forget about goals because I didn’t write them down… Whoops!
And it’s definitely going to be nice having a space to record stats, as it’ll make it easier to watch your progress throughout the year. I love that the PurpleTrail Content Planner includes this. I mean, who doesn’t want to see those numbers soar?! As of right now, I just store that kind of information in Evernote, but this will actually make it a lot easier. Plus, I’ll be more likely to remember to fill it out thanks to this page.
There’s even more planning space with the monthly spread. You can jot down important tasks or appointments, or even plan out your content here. The options are endless and it’s really all about making the planner work for you. There’s also a notes column on the right-hand side for writing down anything you don’t want to forget. Again, I love any additional space for writing stuff down, so you know I’ll be taking advantage of this!
This is what the weekly spread will look like inside the PurpleTrail Content Planner. As you can see, there’s plenty of room to write down ideas and to-do lists. You can fill up each day with all of the blogging tasks you need to get done or maybe it’ll be a space to outline your next post or video. Either one is great! There are full-size boxes for Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday share a column.
To make sure you’re scheduling and sharing content on all of your top platforms, use the box at the bottom as a reminder. You could also jot down more stats here too if you want. Personally, I prefer that all of my favorite platforms are represented here, including YouTube.
Overall Thoughts on the PurpleTrail Content Planner
There’s no denying that I’m kind of a planner addict. Let’s face it, I’m a Virgo. I was born to love planners and all things organization. If you take a look inside my desk, you’ll find a couple different planners alongside various notebooks and notepads that are just waiting to be used. (Seriously, I buy every cute notebook I see.) And I’m excited to add the PurpleTrail Content Planner to my collection.
It’s a high-quality planner that is nicely made with a sturdy cover and great paper. (Very important in a good planner, obviously!) I also appreciate all the various design options that PurpleTrail has available, as well as the customization choices to truly make your planner your own.
If you’re looking for a way to get organized with your content planning and store all of those amazing ideas you have, this is a great option to consider. There’s plenty of room to brainstorm, plan, and track your growth throughout the year ahead. As for me, I can’t wait to start using this and I look forward to having a new place to plan!
Want to grab one of your own? I don’t blame you! The toughest decision you’ll have to make is which cover design you want and how you’ll customize the interior! But guess what? PurpleTrail actually offers way more than content planners. They have traditional planners, cards and invitations, stationery, and so much more!
Head over now to shop PurpleTrail!
