How to Use Editorial Calendars for Your Blog

One of the challenges for business bloggers that I constantly hear about is the never-ending need for fresh, relevant and timely content ideas to keep one's audience engaged. I've covered this in depth over the years, however I was discussing this with Shannon Cherry, known as the Power Publicist and founder of Penny Pinching Publicity, and she told me about how she consistently out-scoops the media with her content. As a result she gets tons of traffic to her blog, positions herself as the go-to expert in her industry, and she gets free exposure for her business and those of her clients.

I asked Shannon to do two things for me:

1. Speak to my Online Visibility Secrets students and share her strategies
2. Do a guest post about how to use editorial calendars to position your blog as a go-to resourced

The exclusive, members-only teleseminar with Shannon Cherry is on March 17 and you're invited to join us when you join Online Visibility Secrets.

The guest post by Shannon Cherry follows...

Do you want to get your hands on to the 'secret' information that tells you what media outlets are planning to cover in the future?

Then you need to know about editorial calendars. Understanding this all-important calendar can help your organization to get some much-needed and best of all, free, exposure.

Besides including months and the year, these calendars bear little in common with the ones you are familiar with. An editorial calendar is a strictly functional item: There are no swimming suit models or adorable pets here, just lists of the essential issues and approaching features slated for future stories. While most people wouldn't be all that interested in these calendars, they can be a gold mine for those looking to get more coverage.

More than 7,000 publications in the U.S. And Canada publish editorial calendars and a few thousand do so for TV and radio shows.

Typically, editorial calendars can be found in advertising sales kits.  The calendar topics are included so advertisers can tie their ads into topics covered in the publication. The smallest niche publications (those put together by a single enthusiast, for instance) generally don't work with an editorial calendar. Media outlets which are not supported by advertising may not use one - or just may not make it public; the same goes for publications whose content is entirely reader-contributed. Most new media outlets also don't use editorial calendars, since they're generally still trying to find their way in the industry.

There are even nationally recognized publications which don't use editorial calendars; these tend to be weeklies focused on current events (such as Time or People). These media outlets need to be flexible enough to cover events as they happen and can't plan within the confines of editorial calendars.

Once you've looked over a media outlet's calendar, you can determine which of their upcoming stories you may be able to offer your knowledge as a source. If you're looking at a trade journal, you may want to look at the calendar in terms of what topics you could offer an industry-insider opinion piece on.

Review editorial calendars regularly, since these calendars are updated as the news dictates.

Don't wait to the last minute to pitch your idea, however. If the publication isn't working on a tight deadline, a good rule of thumb is that they will be looking for information about 4 months ahead of publication. 

About Shannon Cherry

A former TV and newspaper journalist, Shannon has developed hundreds of innovative public relations strategies. Her clients have appeared on the pages of USA Today, the New York Times, Money Magazine, Associated Press, and Parenting and have been featured on the Today Show, CNN, The History Channel, Good Morning America, and Oprah.

An award-winning publicist and published author of two books, Shannon Cherry was named one of the top 60 business bloggers in the world and one of the top 30 PR bloggers.

Don't miss the opportunity to learn more from Shannon about PR Secrets for Bloggers: How to Find Perfect Content for Your Audience on March 17. Join Online Visibility Secrets today so you can get this valuable and exclusive bonus gift for members only. Learn more about OVS and Shannon's program now.

Comments

[Julius]

Interesting. This does give me a new idea on how to find out the topics of upcoming stories. I think this can also be a good resource for those who want to know what certain markets are currently interested in.

[Tim Hind]

Great post, lots to think about. Thank you for posting it.