A content calendar that maps to the funnel, not the date

Calendars that only track "what posts when" miss the point. Tag every slot by funnel role so you can balance the mix at a glance.

Three columns every slot needs:
— Funnel role: TOFU (reach), MOFU (consideration), BOFU (conversion link)
— Owner: creator handle + who approves
— Trigger date: when creative is due, not when it goes live

The ratio rule (per creator, per month):
— 60% TOFU, 30% MOFU, 10% BOFU
— If BOFU exceeds 20%, audience fatigue rises and CTR drops

Workflow phases:
— Phase 1: brief locked (T-10 days)
— Phase 2: draft received + reviewed (T-5)
— Phase 3: approved + scheduled (T-2)
— Phase 4: live + link verified (T-0)

Definition of done: each slot has role, owner, three dates, and an approval checkbox. Nothing goes live un-reviewed.

Rule: if a creator misses the T-5 draft gate, the slot moves to next cycle automatically — don't compress review to hit a date. The gates protect quality at scale.