Today, we are going to talk about why you need an editorial calendar and how you can develop one that works for you.
But first, let me ask you a question. Is there a particular magazine you adore and look forward to receiving each month? I know for me, it is Success and National Geographic magazines. The content is of high-quality, the images in National Geographic are stunning, and the advice and information is relevant and engaging.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to pull off such a feat as publishing quality articles each month? Well, it starts with an editorial team, who works collaboratively on an editorial calendar, months in advance.
Wait. Don’t leave me yet. I know that you may not have a team to help you, and I am in the same boat as you are! Today I am going to share with you my 5 top tips for developing an editorial calendar that will work wonders for your content marketing campaign and social media management.
5 Top Tips for Developing an Editorial Calendar
- Become a strategic publishing machine: Create a calendar or spreadsheet where you can track information related to your content strategy. (I prefer a spreadsheet because of all the information I want to track.)
- Decide on the frequency: When and how often will you post to your blog, social media platforms, and distribute your newsletters?
- Brainstorm topics: What does your audience want to know? What do they need help with? (Always remember to put their needs and desires first.)
- Get organized: Your editorial calendar should be a look at everything you are publishing on a monthly basis.
- For your blog posts, you could consider including the date, author name, working title, category, tags, keywords, call to action, and notes and resources.
- Your social media posts can be housed on the editorial calendar as well.
- If you publish a newsletter or Ezine, be sure to work that into your overall strategy.
- Do you write for other blogs and publications? These should also be included on your spreadsheet.
- Write and publish: Remember, your editorial calendar is to help you stay organized, but it’s not going to write the content for you! Be sure to schedule time to write and publish all of your wonderful ideas.
There are many online templates you can look through to find an editorial calendar that fits your needs. Google Docs has some wonderful templates which can be imported quickly to your account and set up in minutes. Click here to see the template gallery.
I hope this article has you thinking about how to organize all of your wonderful content into an editorial calendar that will keep you an efficient and productive writer.
