Setting up your Notion content calendar

Most people lose an afternoon building a content calendar from scratch. You pick the columns, name them, and wonder whether Status should be a select field or plain text. With Creatorzel you skip all of that. When you connect Notion, Creatorzel creates the content calendar database in your workspace for you.

This post covers what you get and how to fill it in so your first pin goes out cleanly.

What the calendar holds

Each row in the calendar is one pin. A row has a title, an image, a board, a description and a link. You add two more things yourself: the date and time the pin should go out, and a Status.

There is nothing to duplicate from a template and no columns to add by hand. It is an ordinary Notion database, so you can open it in whichever Notion view suits you. A calendar view shows the month at a glance. A table view is faster when you are filling in a dozen rows in one sitting. Creatorzel only looks at the rows.

Fill in a first row

Write the title and the description for the person scrolling Pinterest.
Add the image. Creatorzel downloads it temporarily when the pin is published and deletes it afterwards.
Choose the board.
Paste the link the pin should open.
Set the date and time.
Set Status to Scheduled once everything above is done.

Only the last step has a fixed place. Scheduled is the signal that the row is ready, so it comes after the rest.

Keep unfinished rows unfinished

Leave Status alone on any row that is still an idea. Only Scheduled rows are published, and everything else stays exactly where it is. That makes the calendar a safe place for rough drafts and half-written descriptions.

One pin per row is the whole system. Nothing repeats, so treat a published row as finished and add a new row for the next pin. It can feel fussy at first, but you end up with a log of what went out.

Once the first row works, fill in a week of rows in one sitting. Leave each one unscheduled until you have read it through, then set Status as you finish it. Planning and publishing become two separate moments, which is the point of the system.

Run a small test

The quickest way to learn the system is to use it once. Add a row for a pin you want on your board, set the time a few minutes ahead, and set Status to Scheduled. Then wait. Creatorzel checks every few minutes, so the pin appears shortly after the time you set.

When it does, go back to the row. The status has been written back and the link to the pin is kept there. This publishes a real pin to your real board, so pick one you are happy to see live.

Stuck on a step? Email support@creatorzel.com.