A Complete Guide to CoSchedule
I used CoSchedule in Spring of 2015 and I loved it, but at the time, the features were limited. After switching to Squarespace I couldn't use all the features I wanted, so I moved to Buffer. But now, CoSchedule has tools for everyone (Wordpress user or not) and I've been using it NON-STOP.
Here's everything you need to know about CoSchedule before you dive in for yourself.
The basic idea is this:
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You can access Coschedule from the WordPress plugin or the CoSchedule website (I use the website since I'm on Squarespace)
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CoSchedule allows you to schedule content (blog posts if your on WordPress), social media posts, campaigns, events, tasks and notes.
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You can schedule social media updates quickly from within the content editor
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You can add notes & tasks to posts so your team knows what needs to be done
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Easily update & share the post hours, days, weeks and months after it's published
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Have everything automated so your post gets more views and your SEO improves
Pricing
One of the best things about CoSchedule is their various packages. There's a price range for everyone (teams and individual). You can read more about their pricing here. Personally I pay $15 for the basic individual plan - but I get a 10% discount for everyone I refer as well - which means I only pay around $8/month for my plan.
There are a bunch of options for every team, so be sure to look around. Most pricing packages offer trials as well, so you can really get to know the features and find the right fit for your business.
How I use it
The great thing about CoSchedule, is that you can make it work for your business in a way that makes sense to your mind. I use a combination of icons and color coding to decipher the kinds of content I share. Here's a look at exactly what "rules" I follow in my own CoSchedule Calendar:
Color Code:
Purple - launch or campaign
Blue - guest post
Teal - blog post
Green - affiliate promotion
Yellow - newsletter
Orange - webinar or workshop
Pink - other content (usually social media posts)
Blog Post Social Media Schedule:
Facebook + Google + LinkedIn + Twitter
1 day of publish / 1 next month
Twitter + Google
1 day after / 1 week after
Workshop/Webinar Social Media Schedule:
Facebook + Google + LinkedIn + Twitter
5 days before publish / 1 hour before
Twitter + Google
3 days before / 1 day before
Newsletter Task List:
Newsletter scheduled every Friday at 5am
3 days out: Outline the newsletter in Evernote
2 days out: Write newsletter content
1 day out: Format and schedule newsletter in ConvertKit
Anytime I have an idea for a blog post, I make a draft, title it, then make a graphic for my post. This makes it extremely easy when I'm out of blog post ideas or in the mood to write because all that's left is writing content! Everything else is set and ready in CoSchedule. When it's time to schedule some posts, I have finished ideas tucked away and ready to write.
On each piece of content (for example a blog post, as you can see in the image), you can add and create social media posts within the content. This means I can create tweets for the next 3 months about this blog post within the content itself. That way it pulls the correct link, images and text relating to the post as I create social campaigns.
To watch my old workflow check out the video below (this is a few years old, CoSchedule has since updated the look and style their platform but I’m slacking on updating the video. All the features work the same though).
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0c70uH5EAE&w=640&h=480]
The calendar is all drag and drop, which makes it easy to reschedule and space out my posts more efficiently.
More Features
There are a TON of features that make CoSchedule stand out among the rest. These are a few of my favorite:
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Google Calendar Integration - see all your events on one page with your personal life as well.
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Bit.ly Integration - if you have a custom bit.ly domain name, CoSchedule can pull that in with your account. Keep your branding consistent across all your accounts!
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Connect with Buffer - I still love Buffer for the RSS feeds and social queue. CoSchedule gives you the best of both worlds by letting you post to your buffer queue from within the CoSchedule interface.
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Generous referral program - if you have 10 friends who would use CoSchedule, you can refer them and get your year long subscription for free! Every referral is 10% off your total for a whole year.
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Flexible Calendar views - you can customize how your calendar looks. Don't want to see weekends? Want to view 2 weeks at a time? 6 Weeks? You can completely customize what your calendar looks like.
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Templates for tasks - if you have the same tasks to complete on every blog post, some CoSchedule plans allow you to create and use templates. It saves you and your team a ton of time while keeping you on track.
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Social Helpers - Add images, links and text to your post and then pull from your library to create social media posts with the pre-written content. It saves you time on social posts and allows you to schedule content months in advanced in just a few minutes.
I have been LOVING CoSchedule, and I really think it is a tool worth having. If you have a blog, I'd highly recommend signing up for a free trial. After you've tried it out, let me know what you think in the comments below!
