Editorial Calendar Basics

Editorial calendars are a GREAT resource for PR pros. An editorial calendar is a calendar that magazines, some newspapers and publications use to schedule what topics they will be covering during what day, week, or month. For example, if you are the PR coordinator for an organic beauty company, you can use Cosmopolitan Magazine's editorial calendar to see when they will be covering organic beauty products. It gives you the opportunity to carefully craft your pitch and perhaps even meet with the beauty editor, knowing in advance that your product would fit their beat. Much easier than sending out mass releases, right?

Now, some blogs are using editorial calendars as well. Blogs are everywhere, and are often considered a media outlet as well. Does your client have a blog in need of a editorial calendar? Below are some questions PR Daily contributor Carrie Morgan suggests when drafting an editorial calendar:


1. Who is my audience?
2. What interests them?
3. What are other blogs in the same category or with the same target audience writing about?
4. What are the trade publications writing about, and what’s on their editorial calendar?
5. What industry news/posts are shared and retweeted the most?
6. What are my client’s competitors writing about?
7. What topics are tradeshows covering in their workshops and round tables?
8. What trends are your client’s seeing?
9. What types of articles interest your clients?
10. What pubs do your client’s read, and what are they writing about?

Unlike a magazine, you have the opportunity to freely move things around, especially when a hot topic arises in your area of interest. Editorial calendars are great because they prevent the dreaded writer's block while still staying relevant and interesting.