How and why communicators should set up an editorial calendar
As in comedy, great timing in public relations is essential. Rather than leaving your messaging to chance, plan to distribute your content—themed and evergreen alike—around specific dates.
In a perfect world, we could put pushpins on the calendar to plan days, weeks and months of special events, announcements, contests and news to share.
It’d be an entire roadmap of content, blog topics and email promos.
Of course, anyone who’s walked the PR planet for years knows that social media—and breaking news—can quickly overturn your best-laid content plans. If the date for that TV interview you arranged weeks ago finally arrives just as a major earthquake strikes California, then your big moment might be rescheduled—or axed altogether. That’s why you—and your editorial calendar—must be flexible.
First steps
Planning content in advance brings challenges, but savvy communicators still keep a framework in place. It’s crucial to follow a template that allows you to track and update how you will distribute content.
Luckily, hundreds of online templates are available to download free, or you can create your own document. You might opt for something rudimentary, such as tacking a page from a large desk-blotter calendar to the wall.
When choosing a format for your editorial calendar, ask these seven questions:
Different kinds of content
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