When it comes to managing publications, editors and publishers develop and rely on editorial calendars to help them be successful. Yet many people don’t know what an editorial calendar is, much less how it can be useful.
Some common questions about editorial calendars, and their answers, include:
1. What is an editorial calendar?
An editorial calendar is a schedule of stories that you will publish. If you’re in charge of a blog or a publication (such as a magazine or newsletter), your editorial calendar would list your publication dates with likely topic ideas.
2. Why are editorial calendars important?
An editorial calendar is an important tool for managing your blog or publication for these reasons:
- You can put all your story ideas, notes, and deadlines in one place.
- You can easily organize and maintain your listings.
- You can incorporate hyperlinks to all your online resources.
- You can share your editorial calendar with friends and colleagues as needed.
3. What kinds of stories can be included in an editorial calendar?
Any story you plan to cover for your blog or publication can be included in your editorial calendar. Some likely story ideas can be found here and here. (Though I say they are newsletter article ideas, they can be used for your blog if that’s what you’re publishing.)
The main thing is to know about your organization’s people, events, and news, and report those things to your readers.
4. What are the minimal elements in an editorial calendar?
If you’re creating an editorial calendar just for yourself, you’ll want to include the dates and story ideas.
5. What else can an editorial calendar include?
An editorial calendar may include:
- Author or authors responsible for the story (presuming there is more than one writer on the team).
- Names of contacts/sources for stories.
- Contact information for contacts/sources for stories.
- Notes on key stories.
6. What would a typical editorial calendar look like?
A monthly editorial calendar can be created in either a word processing program or a spreadsheet program. A typical three-month editorial calendar might look like this:
| Date | Topic | Author | Contact | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | Tips for Yard Fertilization in the Summer | Joe | Gerald Greenthumb | List the different fertilizers that might be used |
| July | Tips for Keeping Snakes and Other Unwanted Critters from Invading Your Yard | Joe | Gerald Greenthumb | Identify most common snakes and critters to be on the lookout for |
| August | Tips for Removing Doveweed from Your Yard | Joe | Gerald Greenthumb | Include photos of doveweed |
Of course, this particular table can be adapted as necessary to suit your needs. You might want to include contact information for the source, or more information in the notes. Also, you might also want to make your calendar cover a longer period of time, for example, six months to a year.
Consider these things when developing your editorial calendar to help you manage your publishing schedule.
