How to create an editorial calendar for brands

You have to understand your target audience and write posts that connect their needs to your client’s product or service. You also you have to write a lot, especially if content marketing is a priority and your goal is one-to-three posts per week.

Many people simply conjure up a post idea when they’re ready to sit down and write—clients and PR pros alike—but there’s a better strategy that will amplify the level of your posts. It involves something you probably already work with on a regular basis—the editorial calendar.

For magazines, an editorial calendar is indispensable. It outlines the topics in each issue and their print schedule, telling PR professionals exactly when and what to pitch that magazine.

“As editor of a magazine with a very specific audience—commercial real estate—our editorial calendar is a great way to do long-range planning and solicit ideas from other sources,” said AZRE Editor Peter Madrid. “It also ensures I don’t write about a certain subject too often. If I write about something more than once, I track who I used as sources and make sure I ‘spread the wealth.'”