Key takeaways
- A content inventory records one row per existing asset — URL/post ID, format, platform, publish date, topic, and the performance numbers that matter for that platform.
- The scoring column is what makes an inventory useful: rate each row Keep, Update or Retire based on performance plus how current the information still is.
- Run the audit on a fixed cadence (quarterly is common) so it stays a living decision tool, not a one-time spreadsheet nobody reopens.
Content inventory template: the columns a content inventory needs
- Asset ID / URL — a link or post ID so anyone can find the original
- Format & platform — post, Reel, carousel, video, article, and which platform it lives on
- Publish date — how current the piece is, needed to judge if it is stale
- Topic / pillar — which recurring theme it belongs to, so gaps in your pillar mix become visible
- Performance snapshot — the 1-2 metrics that matter most for that format (engagement rate, views, clicks)
- Verdict — Keep, Update or Retire, decided from the rule below
The Keep / Update / Retire rule
Score each row on two axes: how well it performed relative to your account average, and whether the information in it is still accurate. Strong performance plus still-accurate information is a Keep (a candidate for repurposing). Strong performance but outdated information is an Update (rewrite or refresh, do not discard proven structure). Weak performance is a Retire, whether or not the information is current — a low-performing but accurate post is still not worth repromoting as-is.
From audit to action
The output of an audit is a short list, not the spreadsheet itself: the handful of Keep rows become repurposing candidates for the content repurposer, and the Update rows become entries in your next content-batching session rather than net-new ideas.
content auditcontent inventorytemplate
FAQ
- How often should I audit my content?
- Quarterly is a common cadence — frequent enough to catch what is working before the trend passes, infrequent enough that the audit stays manageable.
- What counts as "still accurate" information?
- Anything time-sensitive: pricing, feature names, screenshots of a UI that has since changed, or a claim tied to a specific date. A well-performing but outdated post becomes an Update, not a Keep.
- Do I need special software to run this audit?
- No — a spreadsheet with the columns above is enough; this page is the framework, not a generator, so build it in whichever tool you already use.
- How is this different from a competitor analysis?
- A content inventory looks inward, at your own published history; the competitor analysis template looks outward, at what other accounts are doing. The two pair well together but answer different questions.
- What do I do with the "Retire" rows?
- Nothing dramatic — Retire just means stop repromoting or referencing that asset; you do not need to delete the original post.