3 Reasons to Use an Editorial Calendar

When you start to publish more than one blog post a week, it can quickly become overwhelming. Add to that, email messages, social media posts, press releases, articles, and other types of content and suddenly you have chaos. Even if you’re able to keep all of that organized, important content tactics can slip through the gaps. An editorial calendar is the solution.

An editorial calendar is an organizational tool. It helps keep all those involved in the sales, marketing, public relations departments on the same page. But it’s not just for large companies. Even businesses run by a single person can reap tremendous benefits from using an editorial calendar.

At its simplest, an editorial calendar is a list of the days that you’re going to publish something, what you’re publishing, and where you’re publishing it. For example, every Wednesday in February you might publish a blog post on maintaining New Year’s Resolutions. This way you know in advance what you’re publishing. It helps you make sure that you’re prepared to follow through on your content marketing plan.

However, editorial calendars can be much more in depth. In addition to the where, when, and what, they can also tell you the who, why, and how. For example, who is creating the content, why it is being created (what’s the goal) and how is the content being utilized?

There are editorial calendar software and templates available to purchase and download. However, one of the simplest and most effective ways to create a calendar is with a spreadsheet. Each column defines your category and you fill in the blanks.

What Does This Extra Step Earn You?

So creating a spreadsheet, even a simple one, takes time, thought, and energy right? It’s one more thing to add to your list. So why do it? What’s the benefit?

1. Consistency

An editorial calendar helps you create a consistent message not only externally to your audience, but also internally, with your team. Everyone is on the same page and communicating effectively.

2. Leverage

An editorial calendar is knowledge, and knowledge is power, right? You’re able to look ahead at July, for example, and strategically position content for the launch of your August promotion. You’re able to integrate links and calls to action and create content that fits your goals. And if you include tracking information in your calendar, you can go back to past months and evaluate how different pieces of content performed.

3. Productivity.

Let’s face it, it’s much easier to get content created and ready to go when you’re able to look to the future and see what’s required. You can hire a ghostwriter to write content that you’re not going to publish for three months. You can upload content, distribute press releases and plan future marketing campaigns with the use of an editorial calendar.

Sometimes the simplest tools are the most effective. That’s certainly the case for the editorial calendar. If you’re not using one with your company now, then it’s time to add it to your processes.

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Anthony Santiago

Anthony Santiago is Director of Marketing at Newswire. With over a decade of experience in PR, he helps ensure that clients understand the value of brand messaging and reach.