Creating Notes and Blackouts in the Content Calendar

Notes and Blackouts are internal planning tools that help your team coordinate communications and mark important dates. They appear on your Content Calendar but are never sent to your audience.

Important: Notes and Blackouts are team-specific. To apply a blackout across multiple teams, you must recreate it in each team's calendar.

Notes vs. Blackouts: What's the Difference?

Creating a Note

1. Click Calendar at the top of your dashboard
2. Navigate to your desired month
3. Click an empty timeslot in your calendar OR click Add To Calendar
4. Select the Note tab at the top of the creation modal
5. Fill in the required fields:
   • Name - Give it a clear, descriptive title
   • Start Date - When the note period begins
   • End Date - When the note period ends
   • Description (optional) - Add context, links to documents, or integration with project management tools
6. Select All Day to span the entire day slot (recommended for holidays or company-wide events)
7. Click Create Note

Pro Tip: Use the Description field to store links to Google Docs, Asana tasks, or other planning resources your team needs to reference.

Creating a Blackout

1. Click Calendar at the top of your dashboard
2. Navigate to your desired month
3. Click an empty timeslot in your calendar OR click Add To Calendar
4. Select the Blackout tab at the top of the creation modal
5. Fill in the required fields:
   • Name - Give it a clear, descriptive title
   • Start Date - When the note period begins
   • End Date - When the note period ends
   • Description (optional) - Add internal context or links
6. Select All Day to span the entire day slot (recommended for holidays or company-wide events)
7. Click Create Blackout

Blackout Warnings

A warning pop-up appears when a user attempts the following actions:

• Scheduling an email during a blackout period
• Rescheduling an email into a blackout period
• Attempting to send an email during an active blackout

This feature helps prevent accidental sends during restricted periods.

⚠️ Blackouts do not currently prevent emails from being sent. They serve as visual planning markers to help your team coordinate and avoid scheduling during blocked periods.

Managing and Editing Notes/Blackouts

Once a Blackout is created, you can manage it directly from the calendar:

To Reschedule:

• Click and drag the Note to a new date
• Use Month view to reschedule the day while keeping the same time
• Use Day or Week view to reschedule the day and time

To Edit or Delete:

• Click the Note to open the details modal
• Click Edit to make changes, or click Delete to remove from the calendar

Multi-Team Blackouts

Question: Can I apply a Blackout across multiple teams at once?

Answer: Not at this time. Notes and Blackouts are team-specific, meaning they only appear on the calendar for the team where they were created.

Workaround: To apply a company-wide blackout:

1. Create the Blackout in your first team's calendar
2. Switch to your next team using the team dropdown
3. Recreate the Blackout with the same dates and details
4. Repeat for each team that needs the blackout

Pro Tip: Use consistent naming conventions (e.g., "Q4 Holiday Freeze - Company Wide") so team members recognize cross-team blackouts easily.

Best Practices

For Notes

• Use clear, descriptive names (e.g., "Thanksgiving - Office Closed" instead of just "Holiday")
• Add links in the Description field to related documents or planning tools
• Mark all-day events for holidays and company-wide occasions
• Use Notes for positive markers (what IS happening)

For Blackouts

• Be specific about restrictions (e.g., "No External Communications - Earnings Period")
• Include reasoning in the Description field so team members understand why
• Set reminders in advance for long blackout periods
• Use Blackouts for negative markers (what should NOT happen)
• Coordinate with team leaders before creating company-wide blackouts

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see Notes and Blackouts from other teams?
Only if you have access to those teams. Use the All Teams toggle (bottom left of calendar) to see Notes and Blackouts across all your accessible teams.

Can I create recurring Notes or Blackouts?
Not at this time. Each Note or Blackout must be created individually. For recurring events, such as annual holidays, you'll need to create them each year.

Where do deleted Notes and Blackouts go?
Deleted Notes and Blackouts are permanently removed and cannot be recovered. Make sure you want to delete before confirming.

See Also

• Content Calendar Overview